"Family historians researching their ancestors usually begin by finding the records of their births, marriages and deaths and then adding information about where they lived from valuation and census records. But do these facts help us to understand the people on our family trees? Apart from family stories, what other sources could give us snapshots of their lives?

Natalia Bodle’s book covers some of the most useful of these sources. In 122 pages she brings together information on how to search for relevant material in newspapers, periodicals and journals, biographies and genealogies, almanacs and street directories, gazetteers etc.

Though I had used many of the sources in my own family history research, there were lots of gaps which I had not explored, either because I didn’t know where to access the information or I didn’t know that the information existed. This is the benefit of having such a comprehensive book full of useful web addresses and links plus an appendix listing the addresses of museums and archives throughout Ireland. As a professional genealogist, Natalie Bodle deals with many family histories giving her a breadth of knowledge and experience which most of us as amateurs would not have."

North Irish Roots Journal - The local North of Ireland Family History Society