annieb123's Review of Tracing Your Marginalised Ancestors (Tracing Your Ancestors)

by Janet Few

Often, our most fascinating ancestors are those on society’s margins. They might have been discriminated against due to personal misfortune, or have been a victim of society’s fear of difference. You may have ancestors who were poor, or sick, illegitimate, or lawbreakers. Were your family stigmatised because of their ethnicity? Perhaps they struggled with alcoholism, were prostitutes, or were accused of witchcraft. This book will help you find out more about them and the times in which they lived.

The nature of this book means that it deals with subjects that can make uncomfortable reading but it is important to confront these issues as we try to understand our ancestors and the society that led to them becoming marginalised. In Tracing your Marginalised Ancestors, you will find plenty of suggestions to help you uncover the stories of these, often elusive, groups of people. Will you accept the challenge to seek out your marginalised ancestors and tell their stories?

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Tracing Your Marginalised Ancestors is a resource and history guide and part of a series for family/amateur historians written and collated by Dr. Janet Few. Due out 30th April 2024 from Pen & Sword, it's 168 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

This book is especially written for readers who are researching their family history, and especially those branches of family who were not mainstream and who were often less well documented due to substance abuse, crimes (many of which are no longer considered crimes, such as bankruptcy), mental illness, and very often simply ethnicity.

There are numerous resources and links to reference materials and libraries included here. The appendices include an alphabetical glossary, links lists (slanted toward sources in the UK), a bibliography as well as links to modern day resources to visit.

This would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition, for gift giving to amateur historians/family archivists, and for the home reference library.

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Reading updates

6 March, 2024: Started reading

6 March, 2024: Finished reading

6 March, 2024: Reviewed