[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars Some of my maternal ancestors hail from Northern Ireland, and although I can conduct basic research on that area of the world, my skill set is woefully inadequate. This author is a fantastic writer. He’s clear, to the point, and engaging. Paton takes readers and researchers by the hand, beginning with the first chapter, which is a superb condensed history of Belfast from the ancient times until the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Then author then reveals how the various peoples of Belfast (Irish, Scottish, and English) were administered throughout time. This was so important to me because as an American, I am utterly unfamiliar with the laws of that region. For someone doing research on foreign-born relatives, this is something that I, and other readers and researchers, definitely need because in order to conduct research, one has to know where to look to find those documents. Chapter 4: Online Repositories was an especially helpful chapter, particularly.. Read more
NetGalley, Matal Baker

Experienced family historians know that while you can get a long way with the resources offered by the top websites there's more to be discovered on smaller sites, and many times more items held offline. You only find out about those by consulting a local specialist, and that's what's offered by Pen and Sword's Tracing Your [name] Ancestors series. Name can be a place, an event, an occupation or other cohort. Read the full review [link=https://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/2018/12/book-review-tracing-your-oxfordshire.html]here[/link]
Canada's Anglo-Celtic Connections, John D Reid

[link=https://www.hiyabucks.com/things-to-do/londons-east-end-a-guide-for-family-and-local-historians/]As featured by[/link]
Hiya Bucks

This is not a book to rush through but to devour slowly and, having read it, to dip into various sections again and again, each time discovering more. Not one of the many books guiding you step-by-step through the mechanics of basic research, Gill Blanchard tells how and which records can be used to “put flesh on the bones” showing how on-line and off-line research compliment each other. On our journey through the pages we discover many interesting snippets such as Stowbridge Fair was the largest in Europe and believed to be John Bunyon’s inspiration for Vanity Fair in Pilgrims Progress and one of the most unusual loads carried by train was when a stuffed giraffe travelled from London to Ipswich Museum in 1909. There are tantalising glimpses of smuggling, pirates, tithe wars and a tuberculosis colony at Papworth in 1921. At the end of each chapter are excellent sections called “Finding out More” and “Bringing it to Life” . Containing an excellent Resources Directory, Bibliography.. Read more
Norfolk Family History Society

When we were compiling the first part of our family tree (using Ancestry.co.uk - FindMyPast is extremely poor by comparison) a year or so ago, we ran into problems with the Scottish side of our research, and we still haven't completed it. This latest volume in Pen and Sword's magnificent genealogy series provides a nuber of clues as to how to proceed - obviously this particular title concentrates on the Glasgow area, but the suggestions are still pertinent and the approach to Scottish records is superb. A must-have for your family tree library.
Books Monthly