| Rosemary Wenzerul's lively and informative guide to researching Jewish family
history will be absorbing reading for anyone who wants to find out about the
life of a Jewish ancestor. In a clear and accessible way she takes readers
through the entire process of research. She provides a brief social history of
the Jewish presence in Britain, with descriptions of the principal communities
all over the country.
She gives a concise account of the history of genealogy and looks at
practical issues of research - how to get started, how to organise the work, how
to construct a family tree, and how to use information obtained to enlarge upon
the social history of the family. She describes, in practical detail, the many
sources that researchers can go to for information on their ancestors, their
families and Jewish history.
Vivid case studies are a feature of her book, for they show how the life
stories of individuals can be reconstructed with only a small amount of initial
information. her valuable handbook will be essential reading and reference for
anyone who is trying to gain an insight into the life of an ancestor or is
researching any aspect of Jewish history.
Contents:
Preface
Introduction: A Brief Social History
1. Where Do I Begin?
2. Drawing Your Family Tree
3. Links to the Internet
4. Public Records
5. Archives
6. Libraries and Museums
7. Marriage and Divorce
8. Death and Burial
9. Reading Gravestones
10. Extending Your Family History
11. The Armed Forces
12. The Holocaust
13. Names
14. Medical
15. Heraldry
16. UK Connections
17. Overseas Connections
18. Case Studies
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Reviews:
"I am a comparative newcomer to the field of family history research and this
book is ideal for one such as myself. The amount of information packed into the
198 pages is amazing, but at the same time it is presented in such a way as to
be a very easy and interesting book to read. It starts with a brief history of
the Jews in England and how they settled in various parts of the country. The
book touches on education, the work undertaken by the immigrants and gives a
little information about schools and synagogues. As a newcomer to this subject
it can be difficult to know where to start and this is where the author is a
great help. She tells you how to begin and then goes on to give lots of tips on
how to arrange your family tree and details the organizations and archives for
research. Her own family is used to illustrate the many points she makes. The
names and addresses of organizations are not confined to the UK. The list
includes archives and libraries all over the world to help with your research.
There is an extensive index which is an enormous aid because just browsing
through it will often point you in a direction of research that you may not have
thought of. I have no hesitation in recommending this book. Every Jewish home
should have a copy on the bookshelf." - review Amazon.co.uk, 10 August 2008 |
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