Book Review: What's in a Surname by David McKie

This book starts with a look at 6 different Broughton villages in England. It looks at the common and very different surnames and how they have fared through time. It was a very interesting idea, but I nearly didn't make it past this chapter. However, I'm very glad I did.

Each chapter seemed even better than the previous, delving into ideas about surnames I'd not considered, but each enhancing the journey. From simple ideas, such as the reason for the spread of surnames (normally necessity), to learning that there weren't only warring clans - but actual warring surnames (such as the Tweedies vs, the Flemings). Eponyms provided an interesting discussion and was one aspect of surnames that I hadn't thought about - and yet is so deeply ingrained in society and the products we use; perhaps the reason it hadn't come to mind? A more sinister theme was the fad of changing your name to that of your political opponent as a way to confuse voters and perhaps increase the voting in your favour. This seemed to peak with a Hanoman and a Stansfeld becoming a Thatcher and a Regan.

The book taught me much in the way of terminology too, from daughtering out of surnames, to surgers, sliders, and stayers. Each phrase allowing me to better understand the basics of the world of onomastics - yet another new term for me.

All in all, this was a brilliant book that provided interesting and illuminating reading. The book left me with a greater sense of the importance of surnames, not just in general, but specifically. It also allowed an insight to what is actually in a surname - and that this is often not the obvious answer!

Oma and Opa, Second World War

I recently had an opportunity to speak briefly about World War II with my Opa and Oma, who live in Heerlen, Limburg, The Netherlands.

My oma, Ida Magermans, told me that the Nazi soldiers were a daily sight in the area. She mentioned that when the American soldiers arrived, there was a time when she had put orange flowers on the table to show their support, but then heard shots being fired. Oma and her family rushed down into the cellar, but then oma remembered the flowers. She had to creep upstairs to hide the flowers, which she managed to do, before retreating back into the cellar.

Opa, Jan Havenith, mentioned that the Nazi soldiers took over the school building, which meant that the kids had to continue their schooling at different houses.

Both said that they remembered those years very well, but I didn't want to ask to many questions about this period of their lives. I was glad that they didn't have to suffer the Hongerwinter that occurred in the western provinces during the Winter of 1944/45 as Limburg had been liberated during 1944, while the western provinces had to wait until the May of 1945.

Book Review: Writing Your Family History by Deborah Cass

I'm glad that I read this book because it gave me some dedicated time to contemplate about writing my won family history.

However, the book is very basic, relies heavily on examples and extracts, and feels like a first draft due to the many spelling mistakes.

The book considers primary sources, further sources, personal sources, making the most of limited materials, constructing and writing family history, and producing your story. As you can see the chapter headings are really great, but unfortunately all of this material is basic and a quick search online would reveal deeper information on each topic.

Including the index, the book is 121 pages in length, so this contributes to the brief nature of the book. I'd say that it's ideal for people just coming into family history research as it will give them a good idea of what sources are available and what information they may contain. However, if you've been researching for a while, then this book might not be the book to help you write down the lives of your loved ones and ancestors.

Book Review: Devizes by Lorna Haycock

Devizes is a history and guide book that provides a good grounding in the buildings, people and events from prehistory to around 1952.

The second edition is much improved (although the first edition was also good) and includes more instructive maps as well as a collection of colour plates in the middle of the book. The majority of the text remains the same, which is great because the book is highly readable. The book covers a wide history of the town and its development from being a satellite of the castle (which is where it got its name from: castle at the boundaries - castrum ad divisa) to being a popular market, and at times, industrial town. There are excellent photographs throughout, including an aerial view of Devizes on page 20.

Devizes is a town that I've always enjoyed visiting, so much so that I got married there in 2014 at the registry office located in Snuff Street. But, I've never really taken the time to learn about all the wonderful buildings there. The guide really came up trumps for this. Not being very mobile due to illness meant that I followed the guide via Google Street View with only a slight detour. The walking instructions are clear and the mix of text and photographs really help to appreciate this wonderful town.

This is a fantastic book to read and at 128 pages won't bog you down if you just want a primer (as I did). The guide is a great way to make the history of the town much more interactive. Definitely one to read whether you live in Wiltshire or are planning to visit.

Book Review: Wiltshire Through Time by Steve Wallis

The idea of this 'Through Time' series of books is to have an old photo that is the compared to a new photo of the same subject. Often the time between photos is at least 100 years.

The author has tried to take an identical photo as the historical image, but of course, this isn't always possible - but he's done a great job.

The book first looks at Wiltshire's only city, Salisbury, before heading North through towns and then back down South visiting the villages. These chapters are followed by photographs displaying Life in Wiltshire and finally Countryside and Historic Features. In between each set of photos there is a brief description of where in the county the place is, as well as anything of historical interest.

I really enjoyed this book, but it made me realise three things, firstly the format of the book is too small - meaning descriptions and photograph size are limited. Secondly, there are some places in Wiltshire that have barely changed in over a hundred years (which I find amazing). Thirdly, I want more! With the book being 93 pages, there may only be 1 historic photo of each place, although sometimes 2-3 for major settlements. So, the next in the series I'll be reading is Devizes. I hope it's just as good as this one.