This page gives some ideas for books, both fiction and non-fiction, and specialist magazines that may be interesting for your research.
National Index of Parish Registers
Genuki and other sites are invaluable for providing information about parishes, but occasionally they suggest a situation far simpler than it actually is.
The National Index of Parish Registers series of books, published by the Society of Genealogists, is not perfect, but does provide a good working guide to the complexities of the situation on a county basis.
Editors of individual volumes decide the criteria for arrangement and inclusion. Generally, information is listed by ancient parish, starting with the oldest church, ie the Parish Church, then all the later parishes and chapelries. The starting dates are given for the registers, their location and the existence and location of any copies. Where new parishes are formed out of older ones, this is noted, to give an idea of where an event might have taken place at any particular date.
This information is fairly standard (and of course churches continue to be created, renamed, made redundant, deconsecrated etc, while records still with an incumbent ten years ago may well now have been deposited.)
What is so useful about these volumes is that they try to include any place where vital events may have been noted. So you may find Lying in Hospitals, Cemeteries, Barracks, besides places of worship for Methodists, Baptists, Jews, Quakers, Roman Catholics, Congregationalists etc.
Many nonconformists deposited their registers at the time civil registration started (and these are to be found in RG4 at the National Archives.) Not all did, however, and records post 1837 may still be held in chapels, if they exist. Some of the chapels listed have only been identified by entries in directories as they no longer exist.
Even if you don't own a copy, these books are well worth browsing through, to give you an idea of the multiplicity of places where a vital event may have been recorded in the victorian period.
Women in England 1760-1914 A Social History Susie Steinbach ISBN 0-75381-989-9
Victorian London The Life of a City 1840-1870 Liza Picard ISBN 0-7538-2090-0
Women of Victorian Sussex Helena Wojtczak ISBN 1-904-109-05-5
Female Line Researching your female ancestors Author: Margaret Wood. ISBN 1853068187
The Victorian Domestic Servant - Trevor May
The Victorian House - Judith Flanders
Useful linksBook reviewsSome honest reviews, submitted by members of Family Tree Forum can be found on the following pages:Should you wish to add a review then please leave the details on the Book Review thread in our Family History Research forum.
Family History Publications
Family history publications cover a wealth and breadth of information of interest to the genealogist. Some are published monthly and some quarterly. Each publication is different, and although you may want to purchase each one, every month, this can prove costly.
Take a look at the website hosted by the various publications and have a taste of what each offers - or indeed glean some of the information it contains without purchasing at all.
Family Tree Magazine & Practical Family History
Two magazines that share the same website are Family Tree Magazine & Practical Family History magazines. Unfortunately Practical Family History ceased publication at the end of 2010 although copies of back issues can still be ordered online, click here. On the website, information can be found relating to what is in current issue of the Family Tree Magazine as well as a genealogy forum and searchable magazine index.
Family History Monthly
From the homepage of Family History Monthly magazine: Family History Monthly offers a unique blend of authoritative and friendly advice, with something for beginners and experts alike. Every issue contains eight pages of problem solving with expert genealogist Paul Blake, Online: everything the family historian needs to know about computers and the internet, free CD featuring fully searchable archived books for your research, real readers' stories and free reader contact service, to help you overcome those brick walls.
Your Family Tree Magazine
Your Family Tree Magazine is published monthly and is available on subscription or to buy from shops. It contains articles, case studies and expert advice on family history research, as well as a cover CD. The website has its own forum, as well as articles from the magazine.[/h]BBC Who Do You Think You Are?
As the website says, The BBC Who Do You Think You Are?Your Family History
Your Family History is a monthly publication which features a range of topics linking personal research with local and national heritage and in doing so aims to guide its readers into the rich local and social history that brings context to the lives of their ancestors.
If you have any recommendations, please add them to the box below and we will add them to the page.
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The following book reviews have been submitted by members of Family Tree Forum.
Beginning Your Family History by George Pelling
The Family Tree Detective - Tracing your ancestors in England and Wales by Colin D. Rogers. At the very start of our active research into our ancestral families, we borrowed these books from the library and then decided to buy them. They give excellent tips on how to do things at the beginning of researching and for when one becomes more experienced...-
Channel: Getting Started
28-03-11, 19:12 -
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The following book reviews have been submitted by members of Family Tree Forum.
Lark Rise to Candleford (et seq) by Flora Thompson
Rural, ag lab life - 1800s to early 1900s.
The Country Child by Alison Uttley
Fictionalised, but accurate account of a childhood in Oxfordshire. (Early 1900s)
Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell. It's an excellent picture of working class life in the area during the 1840's and was written at the time so has...-
Channel: Getting Started
28-03-11, 19:09 -
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The following book reviews have been submitted by members of Family Tree Forum.
Common People: The History of An English Family by Alison Light Family history is a massive phenomenon of our times but what are we after when we go in search of our ancestors? Beginning with her grandparents, Alison Light moves between the present and the past, in an extraordinary series of journeys over two centuries, across Britain and beyond. Epic in scope and deep in feeling, Common People is a fami...-
Channel: Getting Started
28-03-11, 18:52 -
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by CarolineAncestry Genealogy Toolkit - a collection of useful guides
The Family History Guide (FamilySearch.org)
General advice- First steps in researching your family history
- Getting started with your family history (Findmypast)
- Family First - Get Started (BBC History)
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Channel: Getting Started
10-09-10, 09:09 -
by CarolineThe Ancestry website frequently changes the way it is laid out and therefore the screen shots may not be identical, but the process for searching described here remains very much the same.
The 1881 census index can be searched for free but in order to view the census images a subscription package will be required.
The census search
Finding an ancestor in the census is a three step process:- Enter details in the search box
- View the possible matches
- Select
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Channel: Getting Started
22-02-10, 14:01 -
by CarolineThe first thing to bear in mind when looking for any Baptisms, Marriages or Deaths on the IGI is that if they don't appear when you search it doesn't mean that they weren't registered or didn't exist - they may not have been added to the database as yet. ...
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Channel: Getting Started
22-02-10, 10:04 -