04 July 2019

Book Review: Tracing Your Female Ancestors

After reading the long list of errors identified in Peter Calver's Lost Cousins review of this book I put my review on the back burner. However, having now taken it off the review pile my impression is much more positive —Peter did it an injustice in tone if not detail.
To be fair, Peter did add toward the end of his review "Although I've given the author quite a hard time in this review, you mustn't think that it's a bad book - it isn't, and there are lots of useful tips, some of which were new to me." With that, I can wholeheartedly agree.
Within its six chapters: birth, marriage and death; education; crime and punishment; daily life; a hard day's work; and emancipation Adéle Emm uncovers numerous sources new to me that made me set the book aside to explore them further, many as applicable to the male of the species as the female.
One such was capitalpunishmentuk.org/ which, despite the UK in the web address includes a list of those executed in Canada.
Find out about theatres and the music hall, libraries, medicine and hospitals, housing, schools, the time value of money, maps, and so much more.
The final chapter, on emancipation, gives a detailed history of challenges and advances in the movement toward equality made from the beginning of the 19th century.
Not quite every page has a web address for additional resources and each chapter a bibliography and list of further reading. An 11-page timeline and 5-page index round out the book.

Anyone with British ancestry is sure to find material of interest and relevance.

I notice the Ottawa Public Library has the book on order and there are already 21 holds on it.

Title: Tracing Your Female Ancestors: a guide for family historians
Series: Tracing Your Ancestors
Author: Adéle Emm
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Pen and Sword Family History (22 May 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1526730138
ISBN-13: 978-1526730138
Product Dimensions: 6 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds

This review is based on a copy provided by Pen and Sword.

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