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Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Genealogy, heraldry, names and honours > Family history
This work contains a detailed account of the methods used by the
author in delving into his family background. The enquiry
encompasses the entire continent of Europe over a period of many
centuries. Gelles, Griffel, Wahl, Chajes, Safier, Loew, and Taube
are part of a larger tapestry of interrelated families that takes
in Katzenellenbogen, Yaffe, Shapiro, Halpern, Hillman, Fraenkel,
Horowitz, Rapaport, and many others. Genealogical methodology and
historical perspectives are themes transcending the details of a
family nexus that emerges as a microcosm of the millennial Jewish
presence in Europe. The book includes nearly 200 place names and
over 100 family names and should be a useful work of reference for
some of these families. It contains much unpublished material
accompanied by documents and notes, sketch maps, a glossary, a
bibliography, and 54 genealogical charts.
Ranulph Fiennes tells the story of his unconventional, exceptional
family, and reveals the ingredients for the man described by the
Guinness Book of Records as 'the world's greatest living explorer'.
Discover Sir Ranulph Twistelton-Wykham-Fiennes's personal
expedition to trace his extraordinary family through history. From
Charlemagne - himself a direct ancestor of the author - to the
count who very nearly persuaded William the Conqueror to retreat at
Hastings, many members of this unique clan have lived close to the
nerve centre of the ruler of their day. They number in their ranks
a murderer, a wife poisoner, a poacher, England's greatest female
traveller of the 17th century, and an extortionist Lord High
Treasurer, teen cousins who eloped, a noble lord hanged for
manslaughter, another hanged for adultery with the King's wife, and
many who, as admirals or major-generals, won famous battles. The
Fiennes' behind Cromwell provided the castle in which the
Parliamentarians made their first secret moves, the same building
in which twenty-one successive generations of the family have lived
for 600 unbroken years . . . And that is just a taster. A whirlwind
romp through the annals of time, peopled with the good, the bad and
downright mad among the Fiennes clan. - Sunday Telegraph
How can you find out about the lives of ancestors who were involved
in the world of theatre: on stage and on film, in the music halls
and travelling shows, in the circus and in all sorts of other forms
of public performance? Katharine Cockin's handbook provides a
fascinating introduction for readers searching for information
about ancestors who had clearly defined roles in the world of the
theatre and performance as well as those who left only a few
tantalizing clues behind. The wider history of public performance
is outlined, from its earliest origins in church rituals and
mystery plays through periods of censorship driven by campaigns on
moral and religious grounds up to the modern world of stage and
screen. Case studies, which are a special feature of the book,
demonstrate how the relevant records and be identified and
interpreted, and they prove how much revealing information they
contain. Information on relevant archives, books, museums and
websites make this an essential guide for anyone who is keen to
explore the subject.
This illuminating guide to discovering your Scottish family history
has been fully revised and updated to take account of changes to
resources and methods for researching your Scottish ancestry over
the last few years. Accessible in style and comprehensive in
coverage, this new edition stresses the importance of traditional
methods of family history research while also embracing the
exciting possibilities afforded by new technologies, sources and
developments in genetic science. Indispensable to both the
fledgling researcher and the more experienced family history
specialist in Scotland or elsewhere, this book provides a guide to
the very latest resources available to assist with research.
Covering Scottish primary and secondary sources in full detail,
this book also provides illustrative case studies of family history
research, lists of useful websites and archives, and family history
organisations and societies. Highlights of this new edition: *An
updated chapter dedicated to aspects of recording, scanning and
storing information *New insight into accessing English, Irish,
emigrant and immigrant records *An update on developments in DNA
genetics of relevance to the genealogist *A substantial and
broad-ranging bibliography essential for those who want to take
their research even further.
An unputdownable tale of one man's quest to recover his family's
property, plundered by the Nazis. Menachem Kaiser's brilliantly
told story is set in motion when the author takes up his
Holocaust-survivor grandfather's former battle to reclaim the
family's property in Sosnowiec, Poland. Here, he meets a Polish
lawyer known as 'The Killer' who agrees to take his case and
becomes involved with a band of Silesian treasure-seekers, all the
while piecing together his family's complex history. Propelled by
rich, original research, Kaiser immerses readers in profound
questions that reach far beyond his personal quest. What does it
mean to seize your own legacy? Can reclaimed property repair rifts
among the living? Plunder is both a deeply immersive adventure
story and an irreverent, daring interrogation of inheritance -
material, spiritual, familial, and emotional.
A ceremonial journey to reconnect with the essence of indigenous
spirituality and awaken to its beauty, power and potential in
contemporary society. In this book, Apela Colorado, the
inspirational authority on indigenous wisdom, shares her lifelong
journey of connecting with the essence of indigenous spirituality
and culture. From China to Alaska, Benin to France, Apela recounts
her passionate work to communicate, conserve, and celebrate sacred
indigenous ways, all while reawakening to the wisdom of her Native
American and French Gaul ancestors and reclaiming her own truth,
healing, and story. With gentle grace and generous insight, this
book lovingly teaches us to honor the power, beauty, and potential
of indigenous wisdom, and explores how it continues to resonate in
modern life. Apela's experiences form a ceremony of remembrance and
renewal, a spiritual guide to help you reconnect to the wisdom of
your ancestors, apply sacred ways of knowing and being to your
life, and reclaim your own Creation Story.
This book is an invaluable 'tool of the trade' for anyone trying to
identify or interpret photos. - Peter Hart, Military Historian This
fascinating and impressively-researched volume will become an
invaluable resource for all on a quest to find out about family
members who served as well as those who have a fascination with the
details of British military history. - Col. Richard Kemp CBE former
military head of COBR and commander British Forces, Afghanistan
Identifying Cap Badges is the book that has been missing from the
bookshelves of family historians, military enthusiasts, and badge
collectors alike. It is quite easy to find an erudite book on
military cap badges, but you could spend hours, if not days,
plodding through hundreds of pictures to find a match for the one
you hold. Sometimes you may not find it at all! These learned badge
collector's books have one major flaw; they are pictured and
discussed in 'order of precedence', that is to say, from the
earliest formed regiments to the latest, with separate sections on
medical, engineers, cavalry, infantry, etc. This can be most
confusing to those uninitiated into the 'dark arts' of military
badges. Thus, if you do not know the name or 'original number' of
your regiment in this order of precedence, you can be flummoxed!
This, combined with all the different crowns, laurels, animals,
mythological beasts and castles, can prove more than a little
daunting, even to ex soldiers themselves! In this book you will
find badges ordered by what is on the badge itself; be it a dragon,
sphinx or castle, horse, lion or tiger. This is badge
identification in minutes, rather than hours, with added
information on dating badges and many comparison photographs
alongside all the pictures of the badges. Added to these pictures
are short histories of the regiments and 'family trees' plotting
the antecedents of today's units.
**WINNER OF BEST SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT BOOK AT THE BRITISH SPORTS
BOOK AWARDS 2022** 'Hard-hitting and hilarious' - James Acaster
'Funny, moving and compelling' - Mike Costello A heart-warming,
hilarious true story about fighting and family, based on the
acclaimed stage show. For fans of books by Dave Gorman, James
Acaster and Danny Wallace, along with boxing tales from the likes
of Tyson Fury and Ricky Hatton. THE CHAMP Terry Downes - the
charismatic cockney known as 'The Paddington Express' - was a world
champion boxer, US Marine, gangsters' favourite and later a film
star and businessman. THE CHUMP James McNicholas' PE teacher once
told him he was so unfit he'd be dead by the time he was 23. James
has spent his life pursuing a career in acting and comedy. In
reality, that has meant stints as a car park caretaker and river
cruise salesperson. After Terry's death, James finds himself in
reflective mood, comparing his story of underachievement against
that of his world champ grandad. What follows is an increasingly
colourful journey through post-war Paddington to the blood-soaked
canvases of Baltimore and Shoreditch, via Mayfair parties with the
Krays. Along the way, James begins to dig into his own story,
confronting the dysfunctional elements of his childhood, describing
his often hilarious efforts to make it in the world of showbiz, and
attempting to recreate Terry's trials by enlisting in a brutal
military boot camp and boxing gym. When James is diagnosed with a
frightening and mysterious neurological condition, the two tales of
the fighter and the writer suddenly collide, and what began as a
nostalgic journey takes on a far more important significance
altogether. 'A wonderfully funny and heartfelt story of what family
and lineage means. Even made me like boxing' - Josh Widdicombe 'An
extraordinary family history, told with warmth and wit. Two
remarkable underdog stories - come for the cockney scrapper who
conquered the world, stay for the grandson and the fight of his
life' - Greg Jenner 'If you like comedy and boxing this is the
perfect book. James McNicholas is a very funny man and a brilliant
writer' - Rob Beckett
A gripping memoir and revelatory investigation into the history of
the Foundling Hospital and one girl who grew up in its care - the
author's own mother. 'Extraordinary ... A fascinating, moving book:
part history of the Foundling Hospital and the development of child
psychology, part Cowan's own story, and part that of Cowan's
mother' LUCY SCHOLES, TELEGRAPH Growing up in a wealthy enclave
outside San Francisco, Justine Cowan's life seems idyllic. But her
mother's unpredictable temper drives Justine from home the moment
she is old enough to escape. It is only after her mother dies that
she finds herself pulling at the threads of a story half-told - her
mother's upbringing in London's Foundling Hospital. Haunted by this
secret history, Justine travels across the sea and deep into the
past to discover the girl her mother once was. Here, with the
vividness of a true storyteller, she pieces together her mother's
childhood alongside the history of the Foundling Hospital: from its
idealistic beginnings in the eighteenth century, how it influenced
some of England's greatest creative minds - from Handel to Dickens,
its shocking approach to childcare and how it survived the Blitz
only to close after the Second World War. This was the environment
that shaped a young girl then known as Dorothy Soames, who was left
behind by a mother forced by stigma and shame to give up her child;
who withstood years of physical and emotional abuse, dreaming of
escape as German bombers circled the skies, unaware all along that
her own mother was fighting to get her back. 'As a social history
of the Foundling Hospital, this is a fascinating read' SUNDAY TIMES
'Page-turning and profoundly moving' VIRGINIA NICHOLSON
'Part-memoir, part-detective story, The Secret Life Of Dorothy
Soames will break your heart then piece it back together again ...
Simultaneously exploring her mother's story of escape and the
history of the Foundling Hospital, this is an unforgettable read'
STYLIST 'A gripping true story' Christina Baker Kline, bestselling
author of ORPHAN TRAIN 'Breathtaking' Adrienne Brodeur, bestselling
author of WILD GAME
"Giovanni Ruscitti has written a wonderful book of special
relevance for all North and South Americans whose ancestors have
migrated from Asia, Europe, and Africa. His journey to the land of
his forefathers is so meaningful not only because of the discovery
of what connects us 'Americanos' to the rest of the world but also
the journey within. A trip in which we all feel recognized. Bravo
maestro!" -Hernando de Soto, finalist for Nobel Prize in Economic
Sciences, and author of Mystery of Capital Amazon #1 Bestseller
Cobblestones, Conversations, and Corks is a passionate and deeply
moving story about a father-son relationship; a culture rooted in
family, food and wine; and an ancestral small town in Central Italy
that was left behind after World War II. On November 11, 1943, the
Nazis invaded Cansano, forcing its two thousand inhabitants to make
a tough decision-fight and be killed or sent to a POW camp, stay
behind as servants to the Nazis, or move into the unforgiving
mountains of Abruzzo while the Nazis used their village as a home
base. Giovanni Ruscitti's family chose the latter and spent the
next few months living in horrendous winter conditions in the
rugged mountains. When the war ended, they returned to a village so
ravaged by the Nazis that, today, the town has less than two
hundred citizens and remains in a dilapidated state. In this
memoir, Ruscitti visits Cansano for the first time with his family,
including parents Emiliano and Maria. As he walks Cansano's
cobblestones, his father's stories and life are illuminated by the
town piazza, the steep valley, and the surrounding mountains. He
relives the tales of his parents' struggles during World War II,
their extreme post-war misery and poverty, their budding romance
after, and their decision to immigrate to the US in search of the
American Dream. Ruscitti's adventure is not just an exploration of
his homeland but reveals what family, culture, wisdom, and love
really means. And what our heritage really tells us about who we
are.
Austerity Baby might best be described as an 'oblique memoir'.
Janet Wolff's fascinating volume is a family history - but one that
is digressive and consistently surprising. The central underlying
and repeated themes of the book are exile and displacement; lives
(and deaths) during the Third Reich; mother-daughter and sibling
relationships; the generational transmission of trauma and
experience; transatlantic reflections; and the struggle for
creative expression. Stories mobilised, and people encountered, in
the course of the narrative include: the internment of aliens in
Britain during the Second World War; cultural life in Rochester,
New York, in the 1920s; the social and personal meanings of
colour(s); the industrialist and philanthropist, Henry Simon of
Manchester, including his relationship with the Norwegian explorer,
Fridtjof Nansen; the liberal British campaigner and MP of the
1940s, Eleanor Rathbone; reflections on the lives and images of
spinsters. The text is supplemented and interrupted throughout by
images (photographs, paintings, facsimile documents), some of which
serve to illustrate the story, others engaging indirectly with the
written word. -- .
After years of leaving her husband and children behind in Seattle
as she travelled back and forth to Russia pursuing a career, Elisa
Brodinsky Miller discovers she's writing her own chapter in a book
of three generations. Shortly after her father's death, Elisa
discovers a cache of letters written in Russian and Yiddish among
his belongings, which she quickly resolves to translate. Dated from
1914 to 1922 and addressed to her grandfather, Eli, in Wilmington,
Delaware, the letters capture the eight long years that Eli spent
apart from his wife and their six children who remained behind in
the Pale of Settlement. With each translation, Brodinsky Miller
learns more about this time spent apart, the family she knew so
little about, and the country they came to leave behind, connecting
her own experiences with those who came before her. This
captivating memoir bridges the past with the present, as we learn
about her grandparents' drives to escape the Jewish worlds of
Tsarist Russia, her immigrant parents' hopes for their marriage in
America, and now her turn to reach for meaning and purpose: each a
generation of aspirations-first theirs, now hers.
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