How Your Ancestors Lived

Jewish Lives presents the life-stories of ten individual Jews who immigrated to Britain between 1750 and 1950, based on actual genealogical research. Their life-stories, enriched by a variety of sources, reflect the experiences of all Jewish immigrants as they settled in their adopted land. Melody Amsel-Arieli does not just piece together the detail of their lives-their work, pastimes, families, daily chores, food and celebrations. Drawing on social, economic and historical records, she also explores their background, places of origin, motives for immigration, arrival in the UK and experiences as they adjusted to their new surroundings-placing them in the wider historical context of their adopted community and society. This selection of revealing life-stores will prove fascinating for family historians and researchers, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, by offering parallels with their own lives and the lives of their ancestors. Jewish Lives: Britain 1750-1950 will inspire readers to pursue their own quest for information and understanding of their past.

The Second World War was a momentous event in twentieth-century history and it is a fascinating period for family historians to explore. Numerous records are available to researchers whose relatives served in the war, and James Goultys book is an accessible guide on how to locate and understand these sources - and get the most out of them.Using evidence gleaned from a range of sources archives, official records, books, libraries, oral history and the internet he reconstructs the wartime records of a revealing and representative group of ordinary men and women: a signaler, an infantryman, a doctor, an artillery officer, a woman serving with anti aircraft units, a commando, a Royal Navy bomb disposal officer, RAF fighter and bomber pilots, and others. He describes their wartime careers and experiences and demonstrates how they fitted into contemporary military organizations and operations. He looks at their backgrounds, their wartime training and duties, their front line service, and the conditions they endured. In each case he shows how the research was conducted and explains how the lives of such individuals can be explored highlighting methods that can be used and sources that can be consulted. James Goultys informative book will be essential reading and reference for anyone who wants to find out about the Second World War and is keen to understand the part an ancestor played in it.