A Brummie in the Family

Family history is one of the most popular hobbies of recent years, with many looking into their roots and finding out about their past. In this book you will learn how to find dates and events in your ancestors' lives, and it will help put flesh on the skeletons too, giving clear instructions of how to start researching your family history in Birmingham. You will then begin to learn the full story of how Birmingham grew and how our 'Brummie' ancestors lived, played and worked. This book is not just a 'how to' book, but also tells the story of how Birmingham expanded during the nineteenth century, as our ancestors moved here to find work in the new industries. Some lived in the cramped conditions of back-to-back housing, whilst others prospered and joined the ranks of the more well-to-do. Not just the wealthy, but the poor, too, all played their part in the development of this now-sprawling city.

Vanessa Morgan has lived in Worcestershire all her life and as a genealogist worked for 34 years researching family and local history in Worcestershire, Birmingham and Warwickshire. As a speaker she has a repertoire of talks, which she gives to different types of groups of all sizes - history societies, family history groups, Probus, WI etc. All her talks are on either historical topics or relate to family and local history. She has written numerous articles for genealogical magazines.