Ancestral Trails : Complete Guide to British Genealogy and Family History

Originally published in 1997, an illustrated guide to British genealogy and family history which contains advice on obtaining information, drawing family trees and starting research in the records of births, marriages and deaths, or in census records. It includes a further reading list and discusses relevant developments in information technology.

Researchers in family history are guided through British archives with a view of the records and published sources avilable. Each type of record, from personal recollections, photographs and other memorabilia to civil, legal and religious records, newspapers and directories, is analyzed, and the researcher is guided to the many detailed finding aids or indexes. The early chapters help the beginner take the first steps in obtaining information from living relatives, drawing family trees and starting research in the records of births, marriages and deaths, or in census records. For more experienced researchers, it offers information on records that are harder to find or use. Research in the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands is also covered, as are developments in information technology, applications on CD and through the Internet, and a reading list is included.