Few previous publications have focused on Welsh family history, and none
have provided a comprehensive guide to the genealogical information
available and where to find it. That is why the publication of Beryl
Evans's new Welsh family history handbook is such a significant event in
the field. Her detailed, accessible, authoritative guide will be
essential reading and reference for anyone who is eager to research
ancestors from Wales.
She describes the key archival sources and shows how the development of
new technology, the internet in particular, has made them so much easier
to explore. Drawing on her long experience of family history work, she
gives clear practical advice on how to start a research project, and she
sketches in the outlines of Welsh history, Welsh surnames and
place-names and the Welsh language.
But the main body of her book is devoted to identifying the variety of
sources researchers can consult - the archive repositories, including
The National Library of Wales, civil records of all kinds, the census,
parish registers, wills, the records of churches, chapels, schools,
businesses, tax offices and courts, and the wide range of printed
records.
Beryl Evans's handbook will be a basic text for researchers of Welsh
descent and for anyone who is keen to learn about Welsh history.