Just in time for World Book Night on 23 April, my recommendation is Thee & Me: A Beginner’s Guide to Early Quaker Records by Lisa Parry Arnold, as I will most probably be busy researching!
I like this book as a learning tool for the history and principles of Quakerism but also learning about the types and locations of resources, where to look and how to search.
It is well laid out, with explanatory notes on meanings and definitions, and includes a number of case studies to follow.
I was looking for information on George Fox, the founder of the Quaker movement which I can expand upon. He had his ‘vision’ of a great gathering whilst sat on top of Pendle Hill, Lancashire and helped found the Friends Meeting House in Marsden [now Brierfield], a couple of streets away from where I grew up.
The book does include some UK but also American and Canadian references to resources, burial grounds and the people associated with Quakers overseas. How to search on Ancestry section and a comprehensive glossary are particularly helpful.
Overall, it is a good beginners guide and I look forward being able to use it within my own research and forthcoming projects.
#genealogy #familyhistory #quaker #localhistory
The book recommended can be purchased from a number of retailers and from Amazon: