Tracing Your Ancestors Using What They Left Behind: A Guide for Family Historians - Softcover

Wills, Simon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1036191826 ISBN 13: 9781036191825

Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 2026

Synopsis

Old photographs without names. Family heirlooms with unknown origins. Objects whispering stories lost to time. In this fascinating journey of historical detective work, experienced genealogist Simon Wills pieces together the mysteries behind everyday artefacts, from portraits and tobacco jars to diaries, and even a simple silver cigarette case, allowing us to create a complete picture of the lives of those lost to history and time. Through meticulous research, many examples and case studies, this book delves into incomplete histories, revealing the identities and achievements of people once on the brink of anonymity. If you’ve ever wondered about the past behind an old family possession, this book will inspire you to look closer, search deeper, and discover the extraordinary tales sometimes hidden in the seemingly ordinary, allowing us to know and understand our ancestors from a different perspective.

About this title

About the Author

Dr SIMON WILLS is a genealogist, historian and journalist and a regular contributor to Family Tree, the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? and other magazines. He writes mainly about maritime history and genealogy, but he also has a special interest in health and disease in the past. He has given presentations and interviews all around the UK for history, genealogy and literary festivals, and for organisations such as the BBC, National Trust and National Archives. His most recent publications include a guide to maritime photographs, Tracing Your Seafaring Ancestors, and a popular account of our forebears' illnesses, How Our Ancestors Died.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1036191826
• ISBN 13: 9781036191825
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224