Almost every family tree will have in one of its branches a railway
employee. 'Railway Ancestors' is a comprehensive and illustrated guide
which opens up to genealogists and railway enthusiasts the vast range
of unique information stored in the documentary archives of the railway
companies of England and Wales.
It describes in detail the sources
available for the researcher and how to gain access to them, giving
examples of the many different types of records, and includes (among
extensive appendices) the a complete alphabetical listing of all the
known railway companies which existed in England and Wales prior to nationalisation - almost a thousand in total -
together with their dates of
opening in each county, and the location of their staff records.
First published in 1995, this classic work which has now now been updated is
illustrated throughout with archive documents and photographs, this book offers
an illuminating perspective on the social and industrial history of Britain, and
provides an indispensable handbook for family and railway historians.
Contents:
Foreword
Preface to the First Edition
Preface to the Second Edition
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Staff Registers and Staff Histories
2. Paybill and Voucher Books
3. Sickness and Accidents
4. Boards of Directors' Meetings
5. Committee and Sub-committee Meetings
6. Joint Committee Meetings and Joint Staff Registers
7. Miscellaneous Records of Staff and Others
9. Trades Union Appeals and Disputes from Management and Correspondence Files
10. Railway Magazines and Newspapers
Appendix 1. Alphabetical List of Railway Companies in England and Wales up to
Nationalisation in 1947
Appendix 2. County Lists of Railway Companies in England and Wales up to the
1923 Grouping
Appendix 3. Railway Staff Records
Appendix 4. Joint Committees: Minutes and Staff Records
Appendix 5. The Railway Clearing House
Appendix 6. Staff Trades and Occupations
Appendix 7. Major Events in British Railway History
Bibliography
Index of Persons
Index of Railway Companies, Stations and Institutions
Reviews:
"Railway Ancestors is intended primarily for people researching their family
history, who find they have railway workers in their ancestry, but the book will
also be of interest to researchers of railway history in general. The book
covers all railway companies in the period 1822 to 1947. The first section of
the book describes the sorts of records that are available and gives a number of
fascinating examples. The rest of the book (about two thirds of it) is taken up
with appendices. There is a list of all of the railway companies (988 of them)
in alphabetical order, giving the dates between which they operated and whether
any records still exist. Another appendix lists the companies, county by county,
so using a combination of these two lists, you can determine which are the most
likely companies to be relevant to your research. A further appendix lists all
of the companies for which records exist, giving a description of all of the
records and the reference number of each at the Public Record Office at Kew. All
in all, this is a well researched book which could prove to be an invaluable
tool for the family historian." - Review on Amazon.co.uk, based on the first
edition of the book
