Tracing your family’s past has been made easier thanks to a new book from Sussex genealogist Mary Teviot.

Interest in our roots has been stirred by television programmes such as <em>Who Do You Think You Are</em> and <em>Heir Hunters</em>, a series Lady Teviot was heavily involved with. Now her book, <em>The Street-Wise Guide to Doing Your Family History,</em> seeks to help everyone who wants to know more about their ancestors.

The title is the latest in a How-To series from Brighton-based publishers Edward Everett Root. It condenses more than half a century’s experience of family history research in a detailed yet easily accessible guide from a researcher with an enviable international reputation.

“I have used my own genealogical journey to cover every aspect of family history, offering tips and shortcuts to smooth the beginner’s path in what can be a treacherous field”, explains the author. “The popular TV shows do make it all look rather easy when in fact it is much more involved than it appears on the screen. That said, this is not a book just for the inexperienced”

The guide has been endorsed by the county archivist for East Sussex. Christopher Whittick says: “You may not be a Street-wise genealogist when you start this book, but you certainly will be when you finish it.”

Lady Teviot has decades of experience to call on, having run the professional genealogical research company Census Searches which provides expert scrutiny into family history, probate and media investigation. This has taken her on lecture tours across the globe and she was made President of the Federation of Family History Societies, and is now a life vice-president.

Providing a practical, expert and insider-guide to tracing family history, the book covers research methods from the traditional paper-based ones to the wealth of online resources now easily accessible. “My aim, from the outset, was to unravel the mystery because I hear from so many people who say they begin the journey only to hit a brick wall early on. Their instinct is to give up at that point when, with a little help, they could continue in what could well be a fascinating personal endeavour”, adds Lady Teviot.

Whatever point you are at in researching your past, whether just beginning the journey or at a complete halt along the way,this Street-wise guide is sure to be of enormous benefit. It can help you overcome obstacles and provide much-needed pointers in the direction of where to look next.

The book is available from Lady Teviot’s Census Searches website <a href="http://www.ladyteviot.co.uk/">www.ladyteviot.co.uk/</a>

---ENDS--- 30 August 2018