Family History Companion

Practical and portable, this easy to use A-Z handbook offers new insight into family history as it is practised today. Drawing on the expertise of The National Archives, it summarizes terms, topics, sources and record types from medieval times to the present, explaining how and why they can help your own research. Equally suited to browsing or quick reference, it combines wide-ranging knowledge with practical tips and advice. Compact in format and affordably priced, its entries cover:

Reviews:
'... an excellent reference work' - Your Family Tree

Contents:
• key concepts in family history (the Census, Civil Registration, Common Law, Wills and Probate, Marriage Licenses, the Parish, etc.)
• relevant terms in social history (Apprenticeship, Court Baron, Foundling, Husbandman, Tontines, Vaccination, View of Frankpledge, etc.)
• demographic trends and terminology (immigration, migration, denization, naturalization, passenger lists)
• records and series, at The National Archives and elsewhere, including online resources
• ethnic groups and religious communities (Huguenots, Nonconformists, Caribbean diaspora, etc.)
• Military categories and professional/trade groups (Chelsea Pensioners, Courts Martial, Indian Army, Muster, etc.)
• key institutions and their functions (Court of Common Pleas, Family Records Centre (closed March 2008), Prerogative Court of York, the Supreme Court of Judicature, etc.)
• Definitions and implications of legal status (Alien, Bankrupt, Illegitimacy, Minor, etc.)
• important roles and their relevance to family history (Jurors, Constables, Coroners, etc.)
• Taxes and levies, and what they reveal to the family historian (Ship Money, Tithes, Window Tax, etc.)

Author:
Mark Pearsall is the Family History Specialist at the National Archives. He is co-author (with Roger Kershaw) of the highly successful Family History on the Move (2006) and Immigrants and Aliens: A Guide to Sources (2004), as well as a regular contributor to the popular family history magazine Ancestors.