Media: BOOK - hardcover, 240 pages
Author: R. Symes
Year: 2015
ISBN: 9781473833883
Other: b&w photos, bibliog, index
Publisher: Pen & Sword

Husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, children, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents– these are the relationships that structure the family tree and fascinate the family historian. But how much do we
really know about how our ancestors lived out these multiple roles? Buffeted this way and that by economic developments, legal changes, medical advances, Two World Wars, the rise of the Welfare State, women’s emancipation and many other factors, relationships between members of our family in the past were subtly different to those of today and continually transforming.

This book is both a social history of the period 1800-1950 and a practical guide on how to set about tracing and better understanding the relationships between members of your own family. What did it mean to be a father in this period, but also, how might you discover the father of an ancestor if his name is not mentioned on the birth certificate? What common ideas were held about the role of wives and mothers, but also, how were multiple births, stillbirths, abortions and infanticides dealt with in the records? What factors might have influenced the size of your ancestor’s family, but also why were its children named as they were? Did pecking order in a family matter, but also, was it legal to marry a cousin, or the sister of a deceased wife? How long could people expect to live, but also what records can tell you more about the circumstances of your ancestors’ last years? A final chapter considers relationships with neighbours, friends and club associates.

Contents:
Acknowledgements
Introduction: A Sense of Family 1800-1950

1. 'Protectors and Providers': Husbands and Fathers
- Husbands and Mothers in Photographs
- Husbands and Fathers in the Family
- Issue 1. How might I identify my ancestor's missing father?
- Issue 2. What were the implications of posthumous fatherhood?
2. 'Hearts and Helpmeets': Wives and Mothers
- Wives and Mothers in Photographs
- Wives and Mothers in the Family
- Issue 1. Was my ancestor able to limit the size of her family?
- Issue 2. How did my ancestor experience pregnancy and childbirth?
3.'Tiny Strangers': Infants
- Infants in Photographs
- Infants in the Family
- Issue 1. Where did baby's name come from?
- Issue 2. How might I find my ancestors godparents?
4. 'A Burgeoning Brood': Sons and Daughters
- Sons and Daughters in Photographs
- Sons and Daughters in the Family
- Issue 1. Was my ancestor's position in the family pecking order significant?
- Issue 2. What did it mean to be a twin?
5. 'Kinds of Kin': Adult Siblings, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins
- Adult Siblings, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins in Photographs
- Adult Siblings, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins in the Family
- Issue 1. Why didn't Father marry Aunty?
- Issue 2. Could cousins marry?
6. 'Of Advancing Years': Grandparents and Great Grandparents
- Grandparents and Great Grandparents in Photographs
- Grandparents and Great Grandparents in the Family
- Issue 1. Was my ancestor really as old as the records say?
- Issue 2. How did widows manage in old age?
7. Beyond the Family: Friends, Neighbours and Club Associates
- Friends, Neighbours and Club Associates in Photographs
- Friends, Neighbours and Club Associates in the Famiky
- Issue 1. What can private records tell me about my ancestor's social interactions?
- Issue 2. What can the records of clubs and other groups tell me about my ancestor?

Bibliography
Useful Websites
Index