Ancestral Trails. The Complete Guide to British Genealogy and Family History, Second Edition 2 Rev Updnd Edition

by Mark D. Herber (Author)

115 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0806317717

ISBN-10: 080631771X

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his is the second edition of the book that has been called the Bible of British genealogy. Originally published in 1997 in association with the Society of Genealogists (London), and now revised and updated to reflect the latest developments in the field, Ancestral Trails enables the researcher to form a coherent picture of past generations by describing virtually every class of record in every repository and library in Britain. The early chapters help beginners take their first steps by dealing with such matters as obtaining information from living relatives, drawing family trees, and starting research in the records of birth, marriage, and death, or in census records. Later chapters guide researchers to the records that are more difficult to find and use, such as wills, parish records, civil and ecclesiastical court records, poll books, and property records. So the book is ideal for the beginner and the experienced researcher alike, and will enable those who are persistent enough to trace their ancestry back to the Middle Ages.

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Editorial Reviews

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No other publication gives such comprehensive and up-to-date guidance on tracing British ancestry and researching family history. Illustrated throughout with more than ninety examples of the major record types, and with detailed lists of further reading, Ancestral Trails will be the essential companion and guide for all family historians. --Anthony Camp, former Director, Society of Genealogists [London]

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Genealogical Publishing Company; 2nd edition (January 1, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 896 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 080631771X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0806317717
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.59 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.77 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #144,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #79 in Genealogy (Books)
- #541 in Reference (Books)

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Happy in AZ

Some information has lost it's relevance but it is still a great reference.

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2020

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This is really a great reference book for British family history researchers. Due to the ever-increasing availability of sources on the internet since this book was published some of the tips for searching British records and archives have lost their relevance. However, it is good to understand how and where records have been stored even if you can now access them online. In addition, there is a lot of great information about records you may not have thought to search and the kinds of information they can contain along with some general history of British records and jurisdictions.

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DearMYRTLE

Indeed I was impressed with this 674 page "encyclopedia."

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 1998

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"No other publication gives such comprehensive and up-to-date guidance on tracing British ancestry and researching family history. Illustrated throughout with more than ninety examples of the major types of records, and with detailed lists of further reading, Ancestral Trails will be the essential companion and guide for all family historians." Anthony Camp, Director, Society of Genealogists.
This excellent publication was created in association with the prestigious Society of Genealogists, perhaps akin to the US' National Genealogical Society. The author Mark D. Herber is a solicitor who began researching his family in 1979. He has successfully traced some of his lines back to around 1580.
Indeed I was impressed with this 674 page "encyclopedia." (Quotes added for emphasis!) The bibliography alone is twenty-two pages. My experience with English records has been limited to early parish records in Devon and some Court of Canterbury wills, so I was most eager to have the opinion of three friends who do extensive English, Welsh and Irish research, and indeed are successful in helping others make strong headway in their research. You can imagine the excitement at our local LDS Family History Center as they poured over the book with uncustomary enthusiasm!
The consensus is that ANCESTRAL TRAILS is as definitive of British research as Ancestry's THE SOURCE is of American genealogy. Lew, a 1st generation Brit, was impressed with the chapter on military records, and made a note to order the book forthwith. Elsie, born of English immigrant parents, had been inquiring previously about manor court records and found this publication provided more than she had found in explanation elsewhere. I was impressed with the 94 illustrations, including typical certificates of vital records, representative samples of wills and the like.
Also impressive is the attention given to beginning genealogists. Basics such as pedigree charts, personal recollections & memorabilia, spelling, handwriting, dates, obtaining certificates and organization of collected materials are discussed with ample illustrations.
Additional chapters include: General Problems Encountered by Researchers, Civil Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Census Returns, Parish Registers, Churchyards and Cemeteries, Directories, Combining Sources, Archives, Libraries and Family History Societies, Wills and Administrations,Catholic, Nonconformist and Jewish Records, Marriage and Divorce, Maps, Land Registrations and Property Records, Local and Social History, Newspapers and Elections,Parish and Town Records, Records of the Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force, Records of Shipping and Seaman, Records of Trades, Professions and Business, Oaths, Taxation and Insurance Records Records of Civil and Ecclesiastical Courts, Records of the Criminal Courts and Criminals, Education, Peerages, the Gentry, Famous People and Heraldry, Further Property Records, Tracing Migrants and Living Relatives, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands Immigration, Emigration and Investigation Abroad
Appendices included essential information under the following topics: Codes for areas and volumes in the GRO Indexes, Indexes to other GRO records, Chapman County Codes, Seize Quarters of Bessie Maude Symes, Extracts from the Bullied and Keates family trees, Public Record Office Information Leaflets, County Record Offices & other archives, Commencement dates of the reigns of English and British monarchs, Wills & Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury: A Summary of Finding-Aids, Records of the Court of Chancery: A summary of Finding-Aids.
Owing only to its tiny print, you'll need a magnifying glass in addition to your bi-focals to glean all that's contained in Ancestral Trails. On the best advice of our resident "British Research Gurus," I most heartily recommend this book.
DearMYRTLE
Daily Genealogy Columnist
Genealogy Forum on America Online
Keyword: dearmyrtle

52 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

As expected

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2019

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Textbook was delivered as expected

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Frances Park Matt

Look up facts on internet first

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2019

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Ok didn’t find much info I didn’t already know

One person found this helpful

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Joan Bivens

Book

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2018

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Item received quickly and as described.

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onlineshopper

A bit intimidating at first glimpse, but good.

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2015

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Many of my ancestors were British. This is a whopper of a book. 720 pages, and 3 pounds. The print seems tiny to me. But it does look like a good reference. I will just need to read in good light with a magnifier nearby! lol :-)

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C.B.

Reference book arrived early!

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2014

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With British gggg Grandparents, I knew I must have this book. Was delighted when I found a "gently used" previous library edition. Other than library markings, the book was pristine. Reasonable price, excellent condition, and expedient service. A typical Amazon purchase.

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UK mystery lover

this is one of the best books I've found for researching their records

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2016

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Many of my ancestors were from the UK; this is one of the best books I've found for researching their records. Highly recommend!

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Debbie

An excellent book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2018

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This book has been recommended by a lot of genealogists, so I decided to have a look for myself. I managed to buy it for a bargain price of £6.00, and it has more than paid for itself. I have used it as a reference book for five genealogy courses in the past year with excellent results. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a keen family historian.

One person found this helpful

Tony Jones

Outstanding coverage and depth of knowledge

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 12, 2007

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Whilst echoing all the comments already made, this phenomenal tome is and is likely to always be the definitive reference. Despite the extensive movement towards Internet sources, this book has the insight into 'why' you move through certain classes of records whereas the (also essential) Internet guides tell you where these are.

Beyond that the illustration with examples from the authors research, the many examples of why you need to double check every assumption, and the wealth of ideas for gleaning more insight into the lives of ancestors are frankly astonishing, and it astounds me that one person could both know so much, find so much and still have time to update this masterpiece.

If you haven't bought it, you're not serious about family history.

42 people found this helpful

John C

A comprehensive resource

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2013

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I borrowed this book from the library first as I was not sure it would provide me with any more information than other sources. I was wrong. Over a 3 month period it gave me a number of avenues to explore that I had not come across before. I've not fully done this yet but at least I have a good starting point.

At over 750 pages, excluding the appendices and bibliography, it's a large book and there is probably no way that I'm going to read it all. It is though a book that you can dip in and out of. Only gripe is that it is now over 5 years since it was last revised and may not be fully up to date on website and other information. An example of this is the book refers to the Family Records Centre which probably closed at about the time the 2nd edition was published. Only reason I gave it 4 rather than 5 stars. Did check with publisher but there are no plans, at present to issue a 3rd revised edition.

One person found this helpful

Catherine Buckley

Great for novice and experienced genealogists alike.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2020

Verified Purchase

Someone bought me this for Christmas off my wish list. As a keen genealogist it is full of great information whether you are a beginner or more experienced. Easy to dip in and out of to find advice. Would definitely recommend.

Derek Jones

The must-have reference book for would-be genealogists

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2014

Verified Purchase

The best book of its type ever written. However, though it is perhaps churlish to criticise such a great book in any way it should be pointed out that the book was written some years ago and genealogy (particularly on the Internet) is changing very rapidly, and this book cannot be up-to-date on every topic. Nevertheless, it is a must-have reference book for anybody who has reached intermediate standard as a genealogist and wishes to progress further.

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Ancestral Trails. The Complete Guide to British Genealogy and Family History, Second Edition 2 Rev Updnd Edition

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