Tracing Your Ancestors Through Letters and Personal Writings: A Guide for Family Historians
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Tracing Your Ancestors Through Letters and Personal Writings: A Guide for Family Historians by Ruth Alexandra Symes
Could your ancestors write their own names or did they mark official documents with a cross? Why did great-grandfather write so cryptically on a postcard home during the First World War? Why did great-grandmother copy all the letters she wrote into letter-books? How unusual was it that great-uncle sat down and wrote a poem, or a memoir? Researching Family History Through Ancestors' Personal Writings looks at the kinds of (mainly unpublished) writing that could turn up amongst family papers from the Victorian period onwards - a time during which writing became crucial for holding families together and managing their collective affairs. With industrialisation, improved education, and far more geographical mobility, British people of all classes were writing for new purposes, with new implements, in new styles, using new modes of expression and new methods of communication (e.g. telegrams and postcards). Our ancestors had an itch for scribbling from the most basic marks (initials, signatures and graffiti on objects as varied as trees, rafters and window ledges), through more emotionally-charged kinds of writing such as letters and diaries, to more creative works such as poetry and even fiction. This book shows family historians how to get the most out of documents written by their ancestors and, therefore, how better to understand the people behind the words.
After a career in academia and editing, freelance writer and historian Ruth A. Symes now writes for several genealogical magazines including Family Tree Magazine and the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? magazine. She lives in Manchester with her husband and young daughter. This is her fourth family history book.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781473855434 |
| ISBN 10 | 1473855438 |
| Title | Tracing Your Ancestors Through Letters and Personal Writings: A Guide for Family Historians |
| Author | Ruth Alexandra Symes |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Pen & Sword Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2017-02-01 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |