Tracing Your Poor Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians

Many people in the past - perhaps a majority - were poor. Tracing our ancestors amongst them involves consulting a wide range of sources. Stuart Raymond’s handbook is the ideal guide to them. He examines the history of the poor and how they survived. Some were supported by charity. A few were lucky enough to live in an almshouse. Many had to depend on whatever the poor law overseers gave them. Others were forced into the Union workhouse. Some turned to a life of crime. Vagrants were whipped and poor children were apprenticed by the overseers or by a charity. Paupers living in the wrong place were forcibly removed’ to their parish of settlement. Many parishes and charities offered them the chance to emigrate to North America or Australia. As a result there are many places where information can be found about the poor. Stuart Raymond describes them all: the records of charities, of the poor law overseers, of poor law unions, of Quarter Sessions, of bankruptcy, and of friendly societies. He suggests many other potential sources of information in record offices, libraries, and on the internet. AUTHOR: Stuart Raymond was formerly librarian of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society, and assistant librarian at Deakin University. He has over 40 years of experience in historical research, and is an expert on the sources of family and local history. Among his most recent publications are The Wills of Our Ancestors, Tracing your Ancestors Parish Records, Tracing Your Ancestors in County Records, Tracing Your Nonconformist Ancestors, Tracing Your Church of England Ancestors and Tracing Your Roman Catholic Ancestors. He has also published a wide variety of other handbooks, web directories and library guides for family and local historians. 40 b/w illustrations