Julie
Thanks for your book suggestions - again, it is knowing which will be of use
to us novices, without going in too deep! I can't believe how much info is
passed to people on this list, and at such a quick turnround time. I am
still finding my way round the many sites, message boards etc. Again, there
are so many.
Thanks to everyone for all the pointers and snippets of information to be
stored away and hopefully used one day, and for the enjoyment of seeing
people receive valuable links and info. How rewarding for all concerned.
Best regards
Iris
----- Original Message -----
From: Julie Preston <juliepreston(a)ameritech.net>
To: <POWYS-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 31, 2002 4:00 PM
Subject: [POWYS] Clarification Re: The right and wrong approaches to
Genealogy
Dear List,
To answer Iris' question, I guess I'm the one who "started this one
now"
and
John Ball expanded on the thread. I was delighted to see the
positive
dialogue that arose on the subject and especially glad to see that it
didn't
disintegrate into a situation where anyone felt as though the
opinions
expressed were aimed at them, for whatever reason, but now it appears some
feel a bit slighted and I'd like to rectify that immediately, if I may.
I think I can speak for John Ball, as well, when I say that the discussion
and recommendations we put forward are in reaction to the types of queries
that are often posted to the lists where people have unrealistic
expectations of being able to locate their ancestors "online", bemoaning
that "the IGI was no help" and, very often, indicate ignorance of the
types
of records that exist and how to access them. Our comments were
*not*
pointed toward any lister(s) in particular, I assure you. Rather, we have
been participating on this list (among others) since it's inception almost
four years ago. In those days, the discussions really became heated on
occasion and I wouldn't want to contribute to a re-run.
I hope Ron Davies didn't consider unsubscribing from all of the Welsh
lists
due to feeling singled-out as one who relies on the internet and all
of us
certainly empathize with anyone who cannot get out and about due to
physical
challenges.
I have noticed there seem to be a lot of listers who haven't thoroughly
explored what *is* available online, due to the hard work of people like
John Ball, who's created a website full of information and links, and many
others. We also have the Mid-Wales Lookup Exchange --- I often wonder why
many of the queries show up on the list when we have volunteers available
for lookups. Having said that, we can always use more volunteers! :-)
The
"Welcome" message that Malcolm Bebb automatically sends out
to
new/returning
subscribers is chock-full of information. The queries posted
indicate
many
listers aren't aware of a lot of available resources, online or
offline ---
basic stuff, really.
I'd like to take this opportunity to reiterate my recommendation for
anyone
researching Welsh ancestry to purchase *AND READ* this book:
"Welsh Family History, A Guide to Research", ed. by John & Sheila
Rowlands, 2nd edition1998, pub. by the Federation of Family History
Societies Publications Ltd. and the authors, ISBN 1 86006 065 X.
This can be purchased online in the U.S. from Genealogical Publishing Co.,
Baltimore, MD, at:
www.genealogybookshop.com
Alternatively, for others in the UK and elsewhere, it can be purchased
online from the
Society of Genealogists
www.sog.org.uk/acatalog/welcome.html --- under British
Research/Wales/Genealogical Guides from the online catalog page.
The book does presume some knowledge of family history research, however,
so
it is not for beginners. John Ball has pointed this out in the past
and
quotes from the back cover of the book:
"This is not a 'how to do it' book. The principles of genealogical
method: working from the known to the unknown, developing working
hypotheses, and proving everything, apply as fully in Wales as in other
contexts. These aspects have been written about at length elsewhere and
are not repeated here...."
As I said, this discussion has come up numerous times so I'll borrow again
from John Ball's posting of March 13, 2001 to the Powys list:
John Ball wrote:
Many of the people joining these Genealogy mailing lists are not only
new to Welsh family history, they are new to *any* family history, and
are new to the whole concept of research as succinctly described in the
quotation above.
In my view, more general works on genealogy should be studied *before*
moving on to the specifics of Welsh genealogy. Understand the basic
principles of research is one of the keys to success in tracing one's
family history, whether it be in Wales or anywhere else. It saves a lot
of heartache, disappointment, and wasted time.
A book that I can fully recommend is Drake and Finnegan (1994),
originally produced as an Open University course book (see details
below). It provides an excellent and readable introduction to whole
concept of genealogical research. I suggest that this book (or something
similar) is essential pre-reading *before* embarking on the vagaries and
challenges of Welsh genealogy.
DRAKE, Michael, & FINNEGAN, Ruth, 1994. "Sources and Methods for Family
and Community Historians: A Handbook" (Volume 4 of "Studying Family and
Community History - 19th and 20th Centuries") Cambridge University Press
(for the Open University), Cambridge. ISBN 0-521-46580-X
Please, everyone, understand that when some of us post these suggestions
we
are not complaining about anyone --- discussion and debate is healthy
and
helps all of us to learn from one another's experience. Believe me, I've
made every possible research mistake when I first began --- I'd like to
save
others from repeating my mistakes as they can cost a lot of time and
effort.
Best regards,
Julie Preston
juliepreston(a)ameritech.net