 | Book Summary |
| Who will this book benefit |
| Summary of chapters |
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The very
first sentence in this book is as follows "The Public Record Office houses one of the
finest, most complete archives in the Europe, comprising the records of the central
government and law courts from the Domesday Book in 1086 to the present century. However,
what is important for family historians to recognise, is that the PRO is not the place to
begin any research for births marriages and death records because these are all held in
the Family Record Centre. If you are looking for assistance in visiting the Family Records
Centre, then click here. If your plans include a visit to the PRO then this book should be part of your book shelf collection and you should read it before attending. Many times I have heard fellow researchers ask "can somebody tell me when I can find information on ..." and then list the topic(s) they need the information on. The answer is "look in this book", because the information you are seeking is likely to have been in some form of government (or other authorities) records. This book has 266 pages packed full of information. It is however a reference book and not one that you would think of as a light read. Here is a typical example from section 14.4 on page 93 "Immigrants to North America and the West Indies: Foreign immigrants " "... between 1740 and 1722, foreign Protestants living in the Americas could become naturalised British citizens by the Act [of Parliament] 13 George ll.; this required seven years residence, swearing of oaths of allegiance and making the sacrament according to the Anglican Rights, though this last requirement was waived for Quakers and Jews. Every year lists of those naturalised had to be sent to the Commissioners for Trade and Plantations in London where they were copied into entry books CO 324 / 55-56". Where else but in this book would you find a record of such gems of information?There is an interesting section on how to use the Guide to the Contents of the PRO and the Current Guide that are kept at the public record office. This book provides one "worked example" that relates to an individual who worked as a nurse at the Royal Greenwich Hospital. There is only one worked example in the book and I feel that the inclusion of more worked examples would be quite useful. Probably to have done this would have increased the book size considerably and choosing how or what to use as examples would be quite difficult given the breadth and depth of content of this particular book. Tracing Your Ancestors in the Public Record Office provides the address, explains the opening hours, and includes an explanation of the procedures in the record office to access the information you seek. If you plan to visit the public record office or if you wish to know what documents are kept at the PRO then "Tracing Your Ancestors in the Public Record Office" is a must for your book shelf. |
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