Tracing Your Ancestors Through Letters & Personal Writings: A Guide for Family Historians
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wrote a poem, or a memoir?Researching Family History Through Ancestors' Personal Writings looks at the kinds of (mainly unpublished) writing that could turn up amongst family papers from the Victorian period onwards - a time during which writing became crucial for holding families together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.
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Tracing Your Ancestors Through Letters & Personal Writings: A Guide for Family Historians
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wrote a poem, or a memoir?Researching Family History Through Ancestors' Personal Writings looks at the kinds of (mainly unpublished) writing that could turn up amongst family papers from the Victorian period onwards - a time during which writing became crucial for holding families together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.
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Tracing Your Ancestors Through Letters & Personal Writings: A Guide for Family Historians

Tracing Your Ancestors Through Letters & Personal Writings: A Guide for Family Historians

by Ruth A. Symes
Tracing Your Ancestors Through Letters & Personal Writings: A Guide for Family Historians

Tracing Your Ancestors Through Letters & Personal Writings: A Guide for Family Historians

by Ruth A. Symes

eBook

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Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781473855441
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date: 01/31/2020
Series: Tracing Your Ancestors
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 280
File size: 34 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

After a career in academia and editing, freelance writer and historian Ruth A. Symes now writes for several genealogical magazines including Family Tree Magazine and the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? magazine. She lives in Manchester with her husband and young daughter. This is her fourth family history book.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction: Getting Up Close to Personal Writings 1

How Might I Locate the Personal Writings of an Ancestor? 2

Why Did My Ancestor Write? 6

How Did My Ancestor Develop Writing Skills? 8

What Did My Ancestor Write With? 15

What Difficulties Might my Ancestor have Faced in Writing? 23

How Can I Learn to Read and Understand my Ancestor's Writings Better? 28

Personality in Writing: Graphology 32

Questions to Ask Yourself of all Your Ancestor's Personal Writing 35

Further Reading 36

Chapter 1 What's in a Name? Literacy and Signatures 38

Ancestors Who Could Not Sign Their Names 40

Signatures 48

Names in Other Places 52

Questions to Ask of Your Ancestor's Mark, Name or Signature 56

Further Reading 57

Chapter 2 'Given to Correspondence': Letters and Letter-books 59

Social Networks 64

The Physicality of Letters 65

Delivery 68

Content 71

Style 72

Letter-books 76

Questions to Ask of Your Ancestor's Letter 78

Further Reading 79

Chapter 3 'Eight Words or Fewer': Telegrams 81

Development 81

Some Special Considerations 89

Messages 94

Coded or Ciphered Telegrams 95

Questions to Ask of Your Ancestor's Telegram 100

Further Reading 100

Chapter 4 'Personalised Pictures': Greetings Cards and Postcards 102

Greetings Cards 103

Postcards 109

Questions to Ask of Your Ancestor's Greetings Cards and Postcards 120

Further Reading 121

Chapter 5 Marshalling Memories: Diaries 122

The Development of Diaries 123

Some Important Considerations 125

Content 128

Style 136

Questions to Ask of Your Ancestor's Diary 140

Further Reading 141

Chapter 6 "Humble Reminders': Appointment Diaries and Birthday Books 142

Appointment Diaries and Their Keepers 143

What Can you Find Out from an Appointment Diary? 147

Birthday Books 150

Questions to Ask of Your Ancestor's Appointment Diary or Birthday Book 155

Further Reading 156

Chapter 7 Travellers' Tales: Holiday Journals 157

Where Did They Go? 162

Content 163

Style 167

Useful Comparisons 169

Questions to Ask of Your Ancestor's Travel Journal 172

Further Reading 172

Chapter 8 Scribbles in the Margin: Annotation in Books 174

Why Did Your Ancestor Annotate His or Her Books? 177

Annotation in Different Kinds of Book 180

Questions to Ask of Your Ancestor's Annotations 187

Further Reading 187

Chapter 9 'Collections of Sad Crudites': Commonplace Books 189

The Keepers of Commonplace Books and Why They Kept Them 193

How Did my Ancestor Make Use of His or Her Commonplace Book? 199

Where Did the Material Come From? 200

What Can I Learn from the Way in which the Book is Organized? 203

Questions to Ask of Your Ancestor's Commonplace Book 206

Further Reading 207

Chapter 10 Rambling Reminiscences: Autobiographies and Memoirs 209

Published Memoirs and Autobiographies 212

Why Might My Ancestor have Decided to Write a Memoir or Autobiography? 214

When was the Memoir or Autobiography Written? 218

Content 219

Style 223

Questions to Ask of Your Ancestor's Memoir or Autobiography 227

Further Reading 228

Chapter 11 Literary Leanings: Poetry 230

Our Ancestors' Knowledge of Published Poetry 232

Audience 236

Dedications 237

Content 239

Style 242

Questions to Ask of Your Ancestor's Unpublished Poetry 249

Further Reading 250

Bibliography 251

Index 260

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