Family history should reveal more than facts and dates, lists of names
and places - it should bring ancestors alive in the context of their
times and the surroundings they knew - and research into local history
records is one of the most rewarding ways of gaining this kind of
insight into their world. That is why Jonathan Oates's detailed
introduction to these records is such a useful tool for anyone who is
trying to piece together a portrait of family members from the past.
In a series of concise and informative chapters he looks at the origins
and importance of local history from the sixteenth century onwards and
at the principal archives - national and local, those kept by
government, councils, boroughs, museums, parishes, schools and clubs. He
also explains how books, photographs and other illustrations,
newspapers, maps, directories, and a range of other resources can be
accessed and interpreted and how they can help to fill a gap in your
knowledge.
As well as describing how these records were compiled, he highlights
their limitations and the possible pitfalls of using them, and he
suggests how they can be combined to build up a picture of an
individual, a family and the place and time in which they lived.