This is the complete practical handbook for all detectives of family history, heritage and geneaology, with over 500 photographs, artworks, charts and facsimiles. It contains all the information you need to get started, from how to access the relevant records in libraries, institutions and government bodies, to using "The National Archives", and the internet. It offers clear and concise instructions on how to log and collate your family history research, and draw up a family tree. It is a fascinating and fully comprehensive guide to discovering your roots and unearthing the secrets of your ancestors in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. This practical book will take you on an exciting voyage of discovery into your family's past. It offers a complete introduction to the subject of genealogy and to the process of tracing your very own family tree, covering in detail all the possible techniques and methods you might choose, and providing a thorough grounding in the tools you will need. All that you need to know to get you started is in this book, with invaluable lists, checklists, hints and tips, as well as information on recording your data and using the most methodical research techniques. As you step back in time and the lives of your forebears begin to unfold, you're guaranteed to be gripped and inspired as the fascinating links that connect you to the past are revealed, and this is the handbook you will need to ensure you can translate that curiosity to reality.

Author Biography

Kathy Chater has taught genealogy and associated research subjects for nearly ten years, following her completion of a Diploma on Genealogy and the History of the Family from the University of London. Her areas of special expertise include research skills, and the basis of her book is that these are central to the successful tracing of ancestors. She learned her own research skills at the BBC, working on production teams, and has since shared these skills with journalists and product development executives, as well as with would-be genealogists at numerous seminars around the country. Her writing includes a website on tracing Caribbean ancestry, articles for several magazines, and books on research for television and the media in general. Kathy is a member of the Huguenot Society as well as the Society of Genealogists and has traced her own family back to the 1600s.