ANCESTRAL TRAILS OF BRITISH FAMILIES

by Myra Vanderpool Gormley, C.G.

American genealogists often discover, perched upon their family trees, ancestors who came from the British Isles. Yet until recently there was no comprehensive book on English genealogy.

This void has been filled finally and notably with the publication of Ancestral Trails: The Complete Guide to British Genealogy and Family History, by Mark D. Herber. It provides detailed information about records of genealogical value and the published sources available. But, more than just listing them, the author analyzes each record and provides information about the finding aids and indices available.

The first few chapters focus on beginning research problems, such as how to obtain information from living relatives and starting research in vital records (birth, marriage, and death) and in British census records. Other chapters deal with the more difficult to find and use records such as wills, parish registers, civil and ecclesiastical court records, poll books, and property records.

Whether you are a beginning family historian or an experienced one, you'll find material to aid your research in the British Isles.

In Chapter 18, "Parish and Town Records'', one learns that parish records are more than just recordings of births, marriages, and deaths. They often include minutes of meetings of parish officials, apprentice records, rate (tax) books, poor relief expenditure books, and papers about settlement and bastardy.

Parish administration was the responsibility of a parish council (the vestry) and the justices of the peace, and some vestries developed as early as the 14th century. An open vestry consisted of all male ratepayers. Any ratepayer could attend meetings of an open vestry and vote; in many parishes, particularly more populous ones, administration was undertaken by a select vestry. Select vestry usually consisted of 12 to 24 ratepayers (usually the wealthier parishioners).

Minutes of vestry meetings, some dating back to the early 16th century, cover such matters as taking care of the poor, repairs to the church, charities, schools and (later) the parish water supply, housing, sanitation, police and grants to assist paupers' emigration.

Vestries remained important until the 19th century, when responsibility for the poor was transferred (in 1834) to the poor law guardians, and many other duties were transferred to new civil local authorities.

Other chapters include:

-- Peerages, the Gentry, Famous People, and Heraldry

-- Immigration, Emigration, and Investigation Abroad

-- Records of the Army, Royal Marines, and Royal Air Force; Shipping and Seamen

-- Records of Trades, Professions, and Business

-- Oaths, Taxation, and Insurance Records

-- Records of Criminal Courts and Criminals

-- Education

-- Scotland, Wales, Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands

-- Records of the Civil and Ecclesiastical Courts

-- Catholic, Nonconformist, and Jewish Records

-- Newspapers and Elections

-- Maps, Land Registration, and Property Records

One of the several appendixes lists, along with addresses, all the CROs (County Record Offices) and other archives in the county.

Lavishly illustrated and impressive in its depth of subjects, Ancestral Trails is the essential reference book (647 pages) for anyone searching for British roots. It is available from Genealogical Publishing Co., 1001 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21202-3897; (800) 296-6687 ($38.45 postpaid) http://www.genealogical.com

(c) 1998, Los Angeles Times Syndicate