Gill Blanchard: Genealogist Family Researcher Historian Tutor Author

Reviews of Tracing Your East Anglian Ancestors - A Guide for Family Historians

If you have ancestors in Norfolk, Suffolk,. Cambridge or Essex, this is a great guide for resource-based research is written by a Society member - Gill Blanchard.

Gill is determined that putting flesh on bones should be the ultimate goal for family historians and she has set out to show us just how to do that. Not only does she outline the historical context for each county she explains how to get the most out of each resource within that county which will help to explain how our ancestors lived, worked and played.

There is a chapter for each important aspect of their lives - agriculture (and don’t we all have an ag.lab. or six!), trades, transportation, workhouses, healthcare, education, housing, migration and religion. What I liked especially was that each chapter had sections on where to go to find out more about each subject and where to visit to bring it to life eg. museums and exhibitions. At the end of the book, Gill lists all the resources she has described in the book, with their contact details and websites where appropriate.

I’ve always seen Norfolk and Suffolk as being on the road to nowhere and that if you moved there you’d never see your friends again, but having had a good look at the book I wish I had family from East Anglia because Gill’s made it look so easy to research. It would make a really good present for a friend or yourself!

Blanchard Family History Society

Extremely useful for those researching their ancestry in East Anglia, this guide shows the reader what’s available while giving an insight into people’s lives. It includes an introduction about the regions history, geography and past and covers areas including religion, education and migration.

Practical Family History Magazine

People keen on tracing their family tree are being invited to an illustrated talk by author Gill Blanchard. Her book, Tracing Your East Anglian Ancestors, is a guide for those researching their ancestry in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex. It explores the historical records held in local archives, from the well known to the obscure, providing a fascinating insight into what it was like to live and work in East Anglia.

Family History Monthly Magazine

Gill Blanchard is an experienced family and local history researcher, who began her career at Norfolk record Office. The book, covering Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex, guides the researcher to historical records held in many of the relevant archives and also explores the wealth of other resources that add ‘flesh to the bones’. The many examples taken from the records and archives, together with historical and geographical background, make this an ideal companion to East Anglian research.

Patricia Marshall, Suffolk Roots

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