Tracing History Through Title Deeds

Tracing History Through Title Deeds

Property title deeds are perhaps the most numerous sources of historical evidence but also one of the most neglected. While the information any one deed contains can often be reduced to a few lines, it can be of critical importance for family and local historians. Nat Alcock's handbook aims to help the growing army of enthusiastic researchers to use the evidence of these documents, without burying them in legal technicalities. It also reveals how fascinating and rewarding they can be once their history, language and purpose are understood. A sequence of concise, accessible chapters explains why they are so useful, where they can be found and how the evidence they provide can be extracted and applied. Family historians will find they reveal family, social and financial relationships and local historians can discover from them so much about land ownership, field and place names, the history of buildings and the expansion of towns and cities. They also bring our ancestors into view in the fullness of life, not just at birth, marriage and death, and provide more rounded pictures of the members of a family tree.

Tracing History Through Title Deeds

Using Gravestones to Trace Your Ancestors

Explores how gravestones offer valuable genealogical and social history insights, aiding family research and uncovering hidden stories. Everyone dies, it’s the one certainty in life. Whilst burials have been taking place for thousands of years, the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries saw the start of the gravestone boom as public graveyards became commonplace and personalised gravestones became more financially viable. The information provided on gravestones and monuments make them a valuable primary source for anyone wanting to trace their family history. They can provide details that are not available in the official records, holding clues to break down brick walls, but also work hand in hand with original records and documents. Taking an in depth look at what our ancestors left behind on their gravestones and monuments, Amanda Leedham advises the reader how to record this information, and explores how it can aid family research and paint a picture of our ancestors' lives. From exploring the types of occupations listed, to how family ties are portrayed, and from child mortality, to the perception of women, this book is also a great insight into social history. In addition, the author looks into the beliefs and fears of the period in terms of burial, such as bodysnatchers and being buried alive, and how the depiction of death changed and burial traditions developed. The evidence that the graves give us for how people died, from illness to things such as accidents or murder, is also explored. With meticulous research into military graves, the author looks at the different types of military gravestones and the difference between personal graves and the Commonwealth War Graves in Britain. There is also large case study on how graves can help with our ancestors’ sense of place and belonging. All of this is complemented with official documents, records, and extensive use of the national and local newspapers to show how important gravestones can be.