Unearthing Family Tree Mysteries

The intriguing characters in these real family history mysteries include an agricultural labourer who left secrets behind in Somerset when he migrated to Manchester, a working-class woman who bafflingly lost ten of her fourteen children in infancy, a miner who purportedly went to live with the Red Indians and a merchant prince of the Empire who was rumoured to have two wives. This book shows how a variety of sources including birth, marriage and death certificates, censuses, newspaper reports, passports, recipe books, trade directories, diaries and passenger lists were all used to uncover more, and how much can be detected by setting the characters from your family tree in their proper historical backgrounds.This book is an updated edition of Ruth Symes previous book, titled Stories From Your Family Tree: Researching Ancestors Within Living Memory (2008).

Could your ancestors write their own names or did they mark official documents with a cross? Why did great-grandfather write so cryptically on a postcard home during the First World War? Why did great-grandmother copy all the letters she wrote into letter-books? How unusual was it that great-uncle sat down and wrote a poem, or a memoir?Researching Family History Through Ancestors' Personal Writings looks at the kinds of (mainly unpublished) writing that could turn up amongst family papers from the Victorian period onwards - a time during which writing became crucial for holding families together and managing their collective affairs.With industrialization, improved education, and far more geographical mobility, British people of all classes were writing for new purposes, with new implements, in new styles, using new modes of expression and new methods of communication (e.g. telegrams and postcards). Our ancestors had an itch for scribbling from the most basic marks (initials, signatures and graffiti on objects as varied as trees, rafters and window ledges), through more emotionally charged kinds of writing such as letters and diaries, to more creative works such as poetry and even fiction.This book shows family historians how to get the most out of documents written by their ancestors and, therefore, how better to understand the people behind the words.

A simple, easy-to-use guide for British family historians wishing to trace their female ancestry. Everyone has a mother and a line of female ancestors, and often their paths through life are hard to trace. That is why this detailed, accessible handbook is of such value, for it explores the lives of female ancestors from the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 to the beginning of the First World War. In 1815, a woman was the chattel of her husband; by 1914, when the menfolk were embarking on one of the most disastrous wars ever known, the women at home were taking on jobs and responsibilities never before imagined. Adèle Emm’s work is the ideal introduction to the role of women during this period of dramatic social change. Chapters cover the quintessential experiences of birth, marriage, and death; a woman’s working and daily life, both middle and working class; through to crime and punishment, the acquisition of an education and the fight for equality. Each chapter gives advice on where further resources, archives, wills, newspapers, and websites can be found, with plentiful common-sense advice on how to use them. “A unique and information packed instructional reference and guide, Tracing Your Female Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians is an extraordinary and thoroughly user friendly manual that is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Genealogy collections and supplemental studies lists.” —Midwest Book Review

WINNER OF THE 2023 GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD FOR NONFICTION For readers of Crying in H Mart and Wintering, an unforgettable memoir about a family secret revealed by a DNA test, the lessons learned in its aftermath, and the indelible power of love. Three months after Kyo Maclear’s father dies in December 2018, she gets the results of a DNA test showing that she and the father who raised her are not biologically related. Suddenly Maclear becomes a detective in her own life, unravelling a family mystery piece by piece, and assembling the story of her biological father. Along the way, larger questions arise: what exactly is kinship? And what does it mean to be a family? Thoughtful in its reflections on race and lineage, unflinching in its insights on grief and loyalty, Unearthing is a captivating and propulsive story of inheritance that goes beyond heredity. What gets planted, and what gets buried? What role does storytelling play in unearthing the past and making sense of a life? Can the humble act of tending a garden provide common ground for an inquisitive daughter and her complicated mother? As it seeks to answer these questions, Unearthing bursts with the very love it seeks to understand.

"Forensic Medicine: A Formula Handbook" is a comprehensive guide that distills the complexities of forensic medicine into a concise and accessible format. This handbook serves as an indispensable resource for forensic professionals, medical students, and anyone intrigued by the intersection of medicine and law. Covering key topics such as autopsy procedures, toxicology, and forensic pathology, the book employs a formulaic approach to deliver crucial information swiftly. With clear explanations, practical insights, and a focus on essential formulas and methodologies, this handbook is an invaluable tool for those seeking a quick reference in the intricate field of forensic medicine.

Who am I? Where do I come from? Why am I the way I am? In Ancestry Quest: How Stories of the Past Heal the Future, Mary Beth Sammons follows dozens of individuals as they delve deep into their family mysteries—attempting to discover the truth of their identities—all through the results of a simple DNA test and online ancestry searches. Each journey is dramatically different: some joyously unite with long-lost siblings while others are forced to reckon with a fractured and devastating past. These stories, heart-wrenching and warming, intimate and inspiring, showcase and distill the lessons learned in the search for what makes us who we really are—and promise to redefine family in ways never before possible.

Family Tree Mysteries #2 “Old family histories and...secrets, combined with smooth, suspenseful writing, make this a new series a reading pleasure!” –Margaret Maron Katharine Murray is a typical Atlanta housewife, but she’s far from ordinary. She’s found a fascinating distraction from her empty nest in researching family history and genealogy. And it seems that she can put her genealogy-sleuth skills to work, helping her friend Dr. Flo Gadney, a retired professor, track down her own family tree. Their search takes them to an old graveyard on an island off the coast of Georgia—just as greedy local patriarch Burch Bayard is about to start building sparkly new McMansions all over the island—including the gravesite—a property scheme that would literally bury any local history. But as they hunt for clues to Flo's past, the two friends soon realize that the islanders are trying to keep Flo's connection to Bayard Island dead and buried along with her ancestors! The mysterious murder of a combative local confirms their suspicions, forcing the women to embark on a dangerous chase to unravel the truth. Together, Katherine and Flo will dig up more than Georgia dirt, unearthing secrets to the island's history that could make the whole town crumble.

In more than 20 classroom-tested projects, kids can delve into the scientific processes and personalities of garden life. The author also offers a glossary of scientific terms, suggestions for journal observations, and recommendations for further reading. Color photos.