From Family Tree to Family History

(Studying Family and Community History : 19th and 20th Centuries, Vol. 1)
by Ruth Finnegan (Editor), Michael Drake (Editor)

Contents:

• Book Summary
• Who will this book benefit
• Summary of chapters

Book Summary

Many thousands of people are currently exploring family trees, or delving into the history of a community, be that just a few streets or area, a village, town or city. The purpose of this book is to introduce an approach to family history that links work on a single family into finding about families in general. Using the same source documents (as single family research) the book explores ways to discover what our ancestors did for a living, who they married, where they lived and why. This book examines a number of individual cases and relates them to the more readily accessible sources to see what developments have taken place over the past two centuries. The reader is encouraged to place their own family history findings within the developed concepts , so adding a further dimension to family history.

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Who is this book aimed at

This book will benefit the independent personal researcher into family tree or local history who wishes to place their findings within the concept of established academic disciplines associated with social history.

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Summary of chapters

Part 1 Perspectives on your own study

1. Starting from where you are
   1. family tree, family history and the history of the family
2. Going further, tactics and strategies
   1. Linking into more general patterns
   2. Research strategies
   3. Starting with a source: The letters of Joseph & Rebecca Hartley
   4. Conclusion

   Part 2 Setting you Family in context

3. Your family, typical or not?
   1. The demographic experience; births, marriages and deaths
   2. Family types and household structure
4. Family Resources and Experiences
   1. Domestic economies and strategies
   2. The dynamics of family relationships
   3. Family myths, memories and ideologies
   4. Following up through oral investigation

   Part 3: An Illustration

5. How families lived then: Katherine Buildings, East Smithfield, 1885 - 1890
   1. Katharine Buildings, Cartwright Street, East Smithfield
   2. The inhabitants of Katherine Buildings
   3. Katherine Buildings in perspective; implications for the study of the family

   Part 4: Reflecting on the Issues

6. Conclusion
   1. So what do we mean by family
   2. Looking back, where are you now?

7. ---

Reviewed by Don Dickson LAST UPDATED 03 December 2008
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