Author: Ian H Waller
Title: My Ancestor Was An Agricultural Labourer
Genre: Genealogy
Pages: 130
Origin: Purchased from Amazon during August 2012
Nod Rating: 2 nods out of 5
Family tree enthusiasts proudly boast of genealogy’s popularity on the internet, second only to that much supported viewing habit: pornography. Recent years have seen a massive boost to this past-time, of which many factors – improved resources on the internet, as well as popularity of programmes such as Who Do You Think You Are? – have seen a true renaissance in genealogical studies.
The Worm himself is currently in the midst of researching his family tree, and can attest to its addictive nature. Hence the purchase of this particular book, the rather mundanely named My Ancestor Was An Agricultural Labourer. Yes, we’d all like to trace our connection to royalty or people of importance in history; but as the book’s author, Ian H Waller, points out, nearly all of us have links to the English countryside in one form or another.
It is more than a simple guide to tracing sources; Waller takes a historical approach in the hope of generating more interest and educating the reader on conditions in the past. Most focus is on the Victorian period, including events such as the Swing Riots, the formation of agricultural trade unions, and the later agricultural depression. Of more interest is the description of the day in a life of an agricultural labourer, all of which thoroughly shamed the Worm in the contrasted decadent luxury of his own life (and shame you must feel, also, fellow readers!).
As a person who has studied and lectured on this topic, it is safe to say that Waller never runs out of something to add on this particular profession. In great and un-exhausting detail, he sets out possible routes of research: from basic records and newspapers to apprenticeship records and vaccination records. Such a breadth of activity suggests more than an interest – perhaps a love – with this area of study. However, Waller himself fails to bring much of these events alive for the reader. And as such, the book remains a read best served for those die hard family tree enthusiasts; a book needed to complete a section of research, rather than to be enjoyed on its own merits.
Buy it here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ancestor-Was-Agricultural-Labourer-was/dp/1903462983
