One-place studies are the study of the people in a community within the context of the place they live. Unlike a local history, which focuses on the past as described by residents, a one-place (or community) study uses a statistical approach and resources often used by family historians. Because a one-place study brings family and local history together, various analysis methods can be used to reconstruct the community and gain an insight into the lives of the people who have walked the streets, ploughed the fields, worked and worshipped in a place. This course will suggest ways in which this could be done.
This course will examine the sources of information available to researchers, how to access them (on- and off-line) and the fascinating details which can be uncovered.
Course Content
Module 1
Getting Started
Note about Web Addresses
Websites
• Maps
• Churches
• Non-conformity
• Gazetteers & Directories
• Photographs
Sources for One-Place Studies
• Researching Your Place
• Censuses
• Maps & Plans
• Churches
• Other Places of Worship
• Other Buildings
• Gazetteers & Directories
• Photographs of the Area
• Other Online Sources
• Derivative Sources
Suggested Reading & Resources
Module 2
Analysis of People in a Time & Place
Websites
Introduction
Getting Started - The People
• Church Registers
• Case Study
• Newspapers
• Case Study
• Discovery Catalogue
• School Records
• Poor Law
• Apprentice Records
Suggested Reading & Resources
Module 3
Understanding The Community
Websites
Turning Back Time
• The World Wars
• Service and pension records
• Soldiers who died in the Great War
• Finding soldiers using the Absent Voters Lists
School records
Wills
Suggested Reading & Resources
Module 4
Family Reconstruction & One-Place Studies
Websites
Family Reconstruction
• Complexity of family reconstructions
• Limits of feasibility
• How to do it
• Drawing the threads together
• Examples of One-Place Studies
• Reconstructing Snow Hill
• Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs
Joining a group of like-minded people
Suggested Reading & Resources
Module 5
DNA & One-Place Studies
Websites
Introduction
Finding a Study
Creating a DNA Study
• Recruiting Volunteers
• Collating & Analyzing Data
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