Deering's History of Nottingham - 1751

What some people consider to be "dry" books. But how wrong they are!

Records of a town are the really juicy ones! They usually have a title something like "Annals of ...." or "Records of the Borough of........". They contain fascinating stories, anecdotes, and records of ordinary events relating to ordinary people.

History books, especially those for a county, are full of really useful information about places at the time our ancestors lived, and give a tremendous insight into what was happening at the time. What were the events that influenced the way that your ancestors lived, and led to their decision making? This stuff is very much a part of your family's history!

Topography books

Topography books - descriptions of a county or a place - similarly give so much useful information. Everything from the way that the geology influences the soil types and hence the agriculture, to natural resources that influence early industries. The lie of the land, descriptions of the sites and situations of places, and of the settlements.

Some people are satisfied by just collecting names and dates - a family tree - but without adding any meat to the bare bones of their research. History and topography books do that.