logo - Unlock the Past

I last wrote about two new Unlock the Past guide books that were released on 30 January 2015. Since then Unlock the Past have released four more new titles, and they have a HEAP more expected later in March.

So let me tell you about the wonderful new titles that have just been released …

 ———————————

UTP0425-2 500 Best Genealogy and Family History Tips500 BEST GENEALOGY AND FAMILY HISTORY TIPS
Author:
Thomas MacEntee
ISBN:
9781921956799
Year: 2015
Item Code: UTP0425

Printed Book: paperback, 72 pages, $19.50 more information
Ebook: download, $9.95 more information

500 Best Genealogy and Family History Tips’ could be be described as a ‘brain dump’ from Thomas MacEntee, a compilation of his many years of knowledge about genealogy and family history.

He’s extracted his favourite tips and tricks from over 85 presentations, 10 books and numerous articles. In addition, he’s reviewed the social media posts and conversations from Facebook, Twitter and other platforms to highlight those issues most important to today’s genealogists.

What will you find in this ‘best tips’ guide? Everything from practical ways to use Google, advice on protecting your privacy online, information about secret or little known resources for genealogy research and more. The best way to use this guide is to browse the table of contents to find a topic of interest. Also simply search the book when trying to find a solution to a problem, such as how to cite a source or locate an app to generate bibliographic information.

———————————

UTP0562-2 Buried Treasure English Parish ChestBURIED TREASURE: What’s in the English Parish Chest
Author: Paul Milner
ISBN: 9781921956522
Year: 2015
Item Code: UTP0562

Printed Book: paperback, 60 pages, $15.00 more information
Ebook: download, $9.95 more information

‘Buried Treasure: What’s in the English Parish Chest’ examines all the records created by parish officials for the civil and religious administrations of the English parish, except the baptism, marriage and burial records described so well in the companion volume – Discover English Parish Registers.

Records surviving in the parish chest will often solve your brick wall problems, including: ‘Where did my ancestor come from before here?’ or “Who is the father of that illegitimate child?” In this detailed guide, family historian Paul Milner explains how and why the records were created, how changing laws affected who was and was not included, what the records look like and what information they contain. After showing examples of numerous records, the guide explains how and where to access the records (online, microfilm, originals or in print).

Here is a practical guide that will help family researchers solve their problems, and put them into historical context. This small volume is full of material for both the beginner and the experienced researcher. It is a well-illustrated guide to the contents of the English parish chest that allows any researcher to go way beyond the baptism, marriage and burial registers commonly used for parish research.

———————————

UTP0286-2 Down & Out in ScotlandDOWN AND OUT IN SCOTLAND: Researching Ancestral Crisis
Author: Chris Paton
ISBN: 9781921956980
Year: 2015
Item Code: UTP0286

Printed Book: paperback, 56 pages, $16.50 more information
Ebook: download, $7.95 more information

It is perhaps one of greatest truisms of family history research that we will often find that the lives of our ancestors were best documented when the chips were truly down.

There were many battles that our forebears fought for and against in Scotland, both on a personal level and a part of the society within which they lived. There were the laws of the local parish church and the punishments awaiting those who breached kirk discipline; the struggles to avoid poverty and the stigma of being a debtor; the darkest moments of the soul, from mental health issues and illness, to murder and suicide; and the dramatic moments of rebellion, when our forebears drew a line in the sand against a perceived tyranny or democratic deficit. Illness, death, bigamy, abandonment, accidents, eviction, ethnic cleansing – a dramatic range of challenges across a lifetime, and at times, outright tragedy. And close to each of them, a quill and ink.

But through all of these episodes, there is an even greater story that emerges, of how our ancestors overcame such struggles. In this Unlock the Past guide , genealogist Chris Paton goes in search of the records of ancestral hardship in Scotland, to allow us to truly understand the situations that our ancestors had to endure and overcome across the generations, to hep us become the very people who we are today.

———————————

UTP0261-2 Til Death Us Do Part‘TIL DEATH US DO PART: Causes of Death 1300-1948
Author: Janet Few
ISBN: 9781921956461
Year: 2015
Item Code: UTP0261

Printed Book: paperback, 28 pages, $10.00 more information
Ebook: download, $5.95 more information

The diseases and accidents of our ancestors are an integral part of our family history, and one thing that all but our most recent ancestors have in common, is that they are dead.

This booklet examines a wide variety of possible causes of death for our ancestors, describing their symptoms and prognoses. It also suggests records that may be used to provide information about how an ancestor died.

You’ll find a timeline is included which outlines some major British epidemics. In the absence of a definite cause of death for a particular individual, we can at least gain an impression of the major killers of their time.

We owe it to our ancestors to pay tribute not just to their lives, but also to their deaths.

———————————