One of the wonders our “Emma Explores” programs is how Emma’s articulation of her research journeys can be so inspiring to our own.
In today’s program, Emma described the writers, journalists, and a diplomat in her family and how she could explore her ancestors’ lives through their work as accessible from the modern web. Here are the slides she shared
The fabulous tips Emma suggested in her presentation quickly fueled the discussion at the end. Among them were:
Carefully explore the objects, trunks, and other physical materials you’ve inherited to identify related search topics.
Don’t discount Wikipedia.org you can author your a page or edit those others have written.
eBay: Search by title, topic, author — even address. You never know what you’ll find. (See Emma’s recent Podcast on postcards.
Abebooks.com or abebooks.co.uk, a reseller of out-of-print, rare books, fine art, and collectibles.
Other online booksellers
History of Parliament online: historyofparliamentonline.org — where Emma found a profile for her ancestor who had briefly been a member of parliament. Do the same for any government member in your country.
Google searches (use “” around groups of words, “-” or “+” for exclusions or inclusions, for example.) And while searching, look for…
1) Occupations – where they worked
2) Publications – add photos if possible
3) Find old covers of magazines/newspapers
4) Covers of books found online (plus extracts of you want)
Google alerts for search terms you are always on the hunt for.
Emma graciously offered tips and help on searches in Britain, primarily England. Our delightful discussion extended past the recording.
Join us for our next event on November 21. Learn more and register. All of our programs are listed on the Projectkin Events Calendar.
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