Sources and Methods for Family and Community Historians : A Handbook, by Michael Drake (Editor), Ruth Finnegan (Editor), Jacqueline Eustace (Editor)

Contents:

Book Summary

Click here to order this book The objective of this book is to be an invaluable assistant to anyone involved in researching either a family or a community history. Whereas Ancestral Trails was much more focused on persuing the history of individuals, this book provides support that goes beyond an individual's history to placing that individual within the history of a community, be that village, town or city.

The topics in this book are written in such a way to support the other three volumes in the series of Studying Family & Community History in the 19th & 20th centuries (in Great Britain). In point of fact the four volumes are an integral part of study toward an Honours Degree with Great Britain's Open University. The emphasis within the book is to pursue a small-scale project in family or community history, and as such this book becomes an invaluable aid for the family historian who wants to go further than just understanding 'their roots'. In fact the ideal phrase is taken from the introduction to the book written by Michael drake and Ruth Finnegan where they explain that the book is written for active researchers who wish to pursue the effective 'doing' of research. There is a sound treatment of quantitative techniques used in social history research that is aimed squarely at the novice. These techniques are soon mastered and they in turn provide the means for weaving together ancestor and community history in a form that will make interesting reading when you eventually write your own Family History.

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Who is this book aimed at

This book will benefit both novice and experienced researchers, particularly those delving into the migration of their ancestors, and the impact that migration had upon communities within the United Kingdom.

Sources and Methods also provides sound advice on using modern techniques to collect information, particularly as the close of the 20th century comes to a close, and the century itself becomes 'history'

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Summary of chapters

  1. Questions and strategies for research
  2. Primary Sources: Handle with care
  3. The Census
  4. Using written sources
    1. Directories
    2. Poll Books and electoral registers
    3. Church and chapel registers
    4. Medical Officer of Health reports
    5. Business, trade union and occupational records
    6. Social surveys
    7. Newspapers
    8. Autobiographies, letters and diaries
  5. Using written sources: Some further examples
  6. Using non written sources
    1. Landscapes, buildings and physical artefacts
    2. Maps and plans
    3. Photographs and picture postcards
    4. The family (photo) album
    5. Using already recorded audio sources
    6. Film & video as sources
    7. Questions and interviews
  7. Recording Oral History
  8. Quantitative Techniques
    1. Statistics
    2. Describing data
    3. Averages
    4. The spread: of which middle aged is an example
    5. Rates and ratios
    6. Sampling
    7. Statistics of migration
    8. The calculation of urban functional indices
    9. Measures of residential segregation
    10. Conclusion
  9. Computing
    1. Computing opportunities in family & community history
    2. Using databases
  10. Writing & publishing your work
    1. Effective presentation
    2. Getting your work published
    3. Publishing your work yourself
    4. Conclusion
  11. Other forms of presentation and dissemination
    1. Using photographs and pictorial material
    2. The presentation of data through tables, charts and maps
    3. Talk and audio
    4. Using video as a means of presentation
    5. Exhibitions
  12. Guide to Record Offices, Libraries and other collections
    1. Checklist of general finding aids
    2. Advice on using archives, some practical points
    3. Record offices, libraries and other collections in England & Wales
    4. Scottish Archives, libraries and resources
    5. Record repositories in Ireland
  13. Selected reference and bibliographical resources: some ways to find out more
  14. Appendix: Some key dates for family and community history.
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Reviewed by Don Dickson LAST UPDATED 01 January 2000
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