This 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.