David Moody writes with a clear passion for history. His book, Scottish Family History, is more than a resource guide to Scottish records. This book studies Scotland’s history and the evolution of Scottish life over the centuries. By examining the way people lived their daily lives, the author offers up suggestions for resources often overlooked by the family historian. Topics evaluated include trades and professions, religions, clans and surnames, kin and community, and much more.
Scottish Family History is a scholarly work; yet, the book is easy enough to read and use by any family historian. The author uses history to demonstrate the value of various resources, how they developed, and where to find them. As a Scottish librarian with a passion for local history and family research, David Moddy shares his expertise helping the reader more efficiently uproot their own Scottish family history.
Table of Contents for Scottish Family History:
1 The Humble and the Mighty: Sources of Biography
- Getting started in family history
- Photographic sources
- Official records
- Printed biographical sources
- Primary sources of biography
- Reconstructing daily life
- Techniques of biography
2 Working Lives
- Life on the land
- Trades and professions
- Urban employment
- A soldier’s life
- Labour and industry
3 Living, Dying, Moving House: the Study of Demography
- Demographic records
- Demographic technique
- Studying the family
- Mortality
- Migration
- Local migration
- Immigration
- Emigration
- Population geography
4 Kin, Clan and Community
- Genealogy
- Surnames
- Genealogical records
- The family in history
- Clans
- Anthropology and family history
- Community
5 Exploring Local Society
- Self-help groups
- Philanthropic institutions
- Sociology and family history
- Sociology of the family
- Social relationships
- Social geography
6 Culture of Beliefs
- Folklore
- Religion
- Religious denomination
- Individual theology
- Church and community
- Freemasonry
- Secular culture
7 Family, Churches and State
- Social welfare
- Local politics
- Law
Notes and Further Reading
References
Index
Scottish Family History, by David Moody is available from Family Roots Publishing. 219pp, Softcover, ISBN: 0806312688, FRP item number: GPC3860.