The Importance of Reading for Genealogical Research
- Beth Gare
- Feb 24
- 2 min read
Genealogists are historians. We spend hours upon hours traipsing through record collections, getting to know the past through the everyday people who connect us all back to our roots. In order to understand the people who made us who we are, we need to understand the context in which they lived, how they spent their time, and what the world was like for them and their communities. This is why reading and having a solid foundation in historical knowledge is a huge asset to genealogists and family historians. Without it our research can only go so far, because we aren't necessarily aware of historical events which may have changed the course of our ancestors' lives. If we want to write meaningful narratives and reports about them, reading is a great way to add context.
A few types of books that can be beneficial to our genealogical research
County Histories - These can provide information about record collections that are not available online or that aren't widely known, such as ones held at local archives or historic sites.
Local History Books - Often churches, charity shops, independent bookshops or cafes have local history books for sale. They can include anything from histories of local churches, the history of a village, to local folklore! All these are wonderful resources, and they often include local families names.
General - Books such as 'A Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England' by Ian Mortimer, can be a wonderful starting point for contextualising ancestors lives.
'My Ancestor was a...' - This is a useful series of books that explains how best to research an ancestor in a variety of occupations and lifestyles. For example, 'My Ancestor was an Agricultural Labourer' by Ian H. Waller, or 'My Ancestor was a Woman at War' by Emma Jolly.
'Tracing Your ...... Ancestors' - Another brilliant series that explains the best research methods for tracing ancestors from many different walks of life. Such as 'Tracing Your Non-Conformist Ancestors' by Stuart Raymond, and 'Tracing Your Coalmining Ancestors' by Brian Elliott.
Academic Articles - There are thousands of articles available online about specific research topics. Genealogical and local history societies often publish quarterly or yearly journals that are available to download for free from their website, or for a small fee they will post you a physical copy. The articles may be written by society members who are very knowledgeable on their topic and often write in-depth parish histories or histories of specific industries within a locality. It is also worth searching for your parish of interest in 'Google Scholar' to see if any historical articles have been written on the subject.
EXTRA TIP!
Look through the bibliography of the books you've acquired, as they may lead to primary sources and other books that could be of use in your family history research.
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