Tracing Your Marginalised Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians (Tracing Your Ancestors)

A practical guide to researching those ancestors who may have faced discrimination throughout history.

Often, our most fascinating ancestors are those on society’s margins. They might have been discriminated against due to personal misfortune, or have been a victim of society’s fear of difference. You may have ancestors who were poor, or sick, illegitimate, or lawbreakers. Were your family stigmatised because of their ethnicity? Perhaps they struggled with alcoholism, were prostitutes, or were accused of witchcraft. This book will help you find out more about them and the times in which they lived.

The nature of this book means that it deals with subjects that can make uncomfortable reading but it is important to confront these issues as we try to understand our ancestors and the society that led to them becoming marginalised. In Tracing your Marginalised Ancestors, you will find plenty of suggestions to help you uncover the stories of these, often elusive, groups of people. Will you accept the challenge to seek out your marginalised ancestors and tell their stories?

Janet Few is an author and educator who has been on a quest to uncover and preserve the stories of her ancestors since she was a child. She has a particular interest in those who are overlooked by history and is a co-founder of the A Few Forgotten Women project, which seeks to tell the stories of marginalised women.