The second edition of Tracing Your Northern Irish Ancestors is an expert introduction for the family historian to the wealth of material available to researchers in archives throughout Northern Ireland. Many records, like the early twentieth-century census returns and school registers, will be familiar to researchers, but others are often overlooked by all but the most experienced of genealogists. An easy-to-use, informative guide to the comprehensive collections available at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is a key feature of Ian Maxwell's handbook. He also takes the reader through the records held in many libraries, museums and heritage centres across the province, and he provides detailed coverage of records that are available online. Unlike the rest of the British Isles, which has very extensive civil and census records, Irish ancestral research is hampered by the destruction of many of the major collections. Yet Ian Maxwell shows how family historians can make good use of church records, school registers and land and valuation records to trace their roots to the beginning of the nineteenth century and beyond.

Tracing Your Pre-Victorian Ancestors is the ideal handbook for family historians whose research has reached back to the early nineteenth century and are finding it difficult to go further. John Wintrip guides readers through all the steps they can take in order to delve even more deeply into the past. Carrying research through to earlier periods is challenging because church registers recorded less information than civil registration records and little census data is available. Researchers often encounter obstacles they don't know how to overcome. But, as this book demonstrates, greater understanding of the sources and the specific records within them, along with a wider knowledge of the historical context, often allows progress to be made. Most important, John Wintrip concentrates on how to do the research - on the practical steps that can be taken in order to break through these barriers. He looks at online services, archival repositories and their catalogues, factors that can influence the outcome of research, wider family relationships, missing ancestors and mistaken identity.Throughout the book he emphasizes the process of research and the variety of search tools that can be used.

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

A panoramic new history of modern Britain, as told through the story of one extraordinary family, and one groundbreaking company.

This is the story of how a family transformed themselves from penniless immigrants to build a company that revolutionised the way we eat, drink and are entertained. For over a century, Lyons was everywhere. Its restaurants and corner houses were on every high street, its coffee and tea in every cup, its products in every home. But it was a victory that was not easily won.

Told through the lives of five generations, Legacy is at once intimate and sweeping, charting the tragedy and unimaginable success of one of Britain's most famous families. It is also an illuminating new exploration of Britain and its place in the world, from the bestselling author of Hanns and Rudolf and The House by the Lake.

A breathtaking true story of a rescue mission undertaken by a young woman and her family in one of the most repressive countries in the world.
Helie Lee often had heard her grandmother speak of an uncle, lost decades ago when he was a child during the family's daring escape from North Korea. As an adult, he was still living there under horrid conditions. When her grandmother began to ail, Helie became determined to reunite her with her eldest son, despite tremendous odds. Helie's mission became even more urgent when she realized that her first book, the bestselling novel Still Life with Rice, about the family's escape, might have angered the North Korean government and put her uncle in danger.
Pushing through rivers and forests, fighting the cold, bribing and manipulating border guards, gangsters, and secret service agents, Helie and her father finally achieve their goal. But there are many hurdles. Her uncle is forced to make a harrowing choice: leave his North Korean family behind or continue to live in oppression and starvation away from his beloved mother. And Helie has to face her deep, sometimes ambivalent, emotions about her identity in the family and as a Korean American woman. Unmarried and outspoken, she struggles in Korea, where women marry early and keep silent, and writes eloquently about the landscape there, both literal and cultural. She comes through a heartbreaking love affair only to face an intense and confusing relationship with the Guide--the man who, despite being crude and macho, ultimately helps to save her uncle and eventually his extended family through several daring acts of heroism.
In the Absence of Sun is a riveting adventure story and apowerful tale of family bonds and reunion.
"An eerie fear crawled through my flesh as I stood on the Chinese side of the Yalu River, gazing across the murky water into one of the most closed-off and isolated countries in the world. I couldn't believe it. Even as my boots sank into the doughy mud, I had trouble coming to terms with the fact that I was actually standing there. . . . I was not prepared for the kind of despair and insane fear I felt that day. My wizened old uncle looked nothing like the sweet-faced teenager in the faded photograph that Halmoni kept pressed between the pages of her Bible. That day, at the Yalu River, staring helplessly into his terrorized face, I hadn't fully realized what a dangerous thing I had done the year before. I had placed him and his family in danger. By including details of my uncle's life in a book, I had alerted North Korea's enigmatic leadership to the identity of my relatives in a nation where it was better to remain invisible." --From In the Absence of Sun

"From the Hardcover edition.

Has your family history research hit a brick wall? Marsha Hoffman Rising's newly updated bestselling book The Family Tree Problem Solver has the solutions to help you find the answers you seek. Here, you'll find answers to genealogy's toughest problems.

Inside, you'll find:

- Work-arounds for lost or destroyed records

- Techniques for finding ancestors with common names

- Strategies for analyzing your problem and creating a successful research plan

- Ideas on how to find vital records before civil registration

- Troubleshooting advice for interpreting your DNA results

- Tips for finding "missing" ancestors in censuses

- Instructions for investigating collateral kin to further your family tree

- Methods for finding ancestors who lived before 1850

- Case studies that show you how to apply these strategies to real-life research problems

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.

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 is a new edition of the bestselling guide to this increasingly popular pursuit. Scotland has the best-maintained records and facilities of any country in the world for undertaking family research, and now that the National Records of Scotland are available online they can be consulted by anyone from whatever country. Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors is the National Records' official guide and is written in an accessible style from the unique perspective of a custodian of the records. It details all the latest internet developments, including a chapter on family history on the web. It also points to more traditional resources, explaining step by step how to research records of births, marriages and wills.

Containing entries for more than 45,000 English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Cornish, and immigrant surnames, The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland is the ultimate reference work on family names of the UK. The Dictionary includes every surname that currently has more than 100 bearers. Each entry contains lists of variant spellings of the name, an explanation of its origins (including the etymology), lists of early bearers showing evidence for formation and continuity from the date of formation down to the 19th century, geographical distribution, and, where relevant, genealogical and bibliographical notes, making this a fully comprehensive work on family names. This authoritative guide also includes an introductory essay explaining the historical background, formation, and typology of surnames and a guide to surnames research and family history research. Additional material also includes a list of published and unpublished lists of surnames from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Now that lightouse automation has been completed, what of the service and dedication to duty that was unfailingly provided by keepers, their associates and their families? This book records the memories of Harold Hall who entered permanent service with Trinity House in 1922 and served for 44 years. It also details the service of his ancestors and to complete the picture his daughter, Patricia, recounts her own experiences of this way of life. The end result is a fascinating account of three families connected by marriage, the Hall and Darling families - the well-known Grace Darling being the great, great, great-aunt of the author!

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

Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, many thousands of Protestants fled religious persecution in France and the Low Countries. They became one of the most influential immigrant communities in the countries where they settled, and many families in modern-day Britain will find a Huguenot connection in their past. Kathy Chater's authoritative handbook offers an accessible introduction to Huguenot history and to the many sources that researchers can use to uncover the Huguenot ancestry they may not have realized they had. She traces the history of the Huguenots; their experience of persecution, and their flight to Britain, North America, the West Indies and South Africa, concentrating on the Huguenot communities that settled in England, Ireland, Scotland and the Channel Islands. Her work is also an invaluable guide to the various sources researchers can turn to in order to track their Huguenot ancestors, for she describes the wide range of records that is available in local, regional and national archives, as well as through the internet and overseas.Her expert overview is essential reading for anyone studying their Huguenot ancestry or immigrant history in Britain.

'Brilliant read. Wonderful characters that draw you into Harpers world. Thoroughly enjoyable.' Kitty NealeThe beginning of a brand new series from #1 bestselling author Rosie Clarke, Welcome to Harpers of Oxford Street. London 1911 When Sally, Beth, Margaret and Rachel meet at a job interview for the wonderful new store in Oxford Street, they have no idea they will become lifelong friends. When all four girls are lucky enough to be selected as sales staff their exciting new adventure begins. Join them as they overcome heartbreak and grief, find love and happiness and remain united in their friendship, whatever life throws at them. A heart-warming saga following the lives, loves and losses of the Harpers Girls. Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries, Pam Howes and Dilly Court. What readers are saying about The Shop Girls of Harpers:'A lovely book to read and the first of a new series with characters that blend so well and a great story of friendship, family and love. Well worth 5*' 'A lovely read first in a new series, looking forward to the next. English saga writing at its best: wonderful characters, emotional, warm, lovely, highly recommend' 'Heart Warming, Compelling and Authentic, that features strong friendships, trials and tribulations of each woman, strong, relatable female characters, and a wonderfully enchanting location ' 'This book is brilliantly written and the descriptions are so well done that you feel like you are there in the book as a character. ' 'I got sucked in immediately and could not put it down!' 'I can 100% guarantee that I will be reading more of Rosie's work in the future'

Uncover the hidden histories and record the timeless tales of your loved ones in the Family Secrets Journal. Dig deep into what makes your family's story unique with this deluxe hardcover guided journal. Filled with dozens of prompts for amateur genealogists, this thoughtful keepsake guides you through the journey of recording the colorful details of your lineage. From immigration tales and treasured recipes to laugh-out-loud jokes and special celebrations, the Family Secrets Journal opens up a world of conversations with your loved ones, as you capture important memories. A perfect companion to family trees and genealogy results, the Family Secrets Journal lets you uncover the heart and soul of your family's story.

This compact book reproduces fifty-two memorials in Latin taken from churches situated largely in the West Country. Each memorial is accompanied by a translation and by notes on the grammar. The book is aimed at all who would like to be able to read Latin epitaphs in churches, and whose knowledge of the language may be sketchy. The introduction explains the conventions involved in lettering, abbreviations, Latinized personal names, and stock phrases. It is followed by a very brief Latin grammar and notes on Roman numerals and dates. At the back of the book there is a word list containing all those words found in the inscriptions with numbered references, plus a selection of words which are commonly found in inscriptions generally, though not in those printed here. By combining these resources in one book, the author equips the reader with the tools to tackle other epitaphs beyond the pages of this book and further afield. Every attempt is made to help the reader understand the context in which each inscription was composed. For instance it is stressed that the composers of such epitaphs were skilled Latin scholars, and that there are very few errors to be seen. Errors attributable to the stonemasons or sign-writers are noted and corrected.