Ancestral Trails

by Mark D. Herber

Ancestral trails

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, History, British Literature

Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Richard]

A good source that provides methodology in doing British family history research, including references to Whales, Scotland, Ireland, and other territories of Great Britain. I wasn't able to read it all since it was for academic studies, but it's certainly a book I'd like to return to. I'll mark it as being read for now.

The research I've been conducting has involved tracing my from the United States back to Scotland. It's been quite fun and thrilling to research foreign records. The methods and tools I'm learning to use now may help me to do genealogical research in Ireland.

[Fredrick Danysh]

A good reference for those who are researching ancestry through British roots. It gives numerous sources of family information. The book itself is easy to read and well footnoted.

[Peter]

The genealogy bible, brilliant.

[Kathy]

THE book on British genealogy.

[June]

I found some of the information in the book very helpful as in explaining how the City of London and other areas of England are divided up in parishes. Who knew there were two different definitions of a parish. It also helped with some of the markings I have seen on census returns. The biggest problem with book is it is very dated. It just got too hard to get past all the dated references of sourcing ancestral information. I just could not finish the book.

[Karen]

Great resource for anyone doing British Research. It took me a while to read because I tried to look up some of the records it mentioned to help solidify what I learned. I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know. Many obscure records I hadn’t even considered. Fantastic book. Great index and repository information.

[Terry Dunn]

A very good read for those doing genealogy projects.

[Dee Ann]

Great resource for genealogy research in Great Britain.

[Amie]

Slightly dated as things are more online/digital now, but a fountain of resources and useful knowledge if you're into British Genealogy and want to know where to look for family ancestry information.

[Tanya]

"Ancestral Trails" is truly a COMPLETE guide. There are so many details that it is exhausting reading. I wouldn't recommend it to a beginning genealogist, simply because its masses of information would be overwhelming. But it's a great reference work to have on hand, because I know any question I have on any type of record will be answered in its pages.

[Jenna]

Amazing volume of information. I wish I could enlarge the font though, as I am struggling to read the super fine print.

[Research Geek]

I'm still waiting to receive the hardcover that I ordered from the U.K. But, I already know it's a must-have for anyone researching family history, genealogy, etymology of surnames, etc... The book that mentioned it as a great source was recommended to me by a retired Archivist for the National Archives of UK at Kew. He's been guiding me on what to buy and avoid. Do you want to learn how to perform research the right way? If yes, buy this book. If no, then close your eyes and pick a book. As my mentor of the National Archives of UK, said to me recently, many books written about "surnames are rubbish." That also goes for a lot of other books. Remember, not every surname has a Coat of Arms. Yet, if a surname does, it may only be long to the person who earned it. Believe or not, there are laws that govern the use Coat of Arms. Each country has their own set of regulations surrounding the use of the Coat of Arms by descendants of the ancestry made great heraldry achievements.