LONE PINE PRESS

What's in a Name:

A Family History Uncovered 

This richly illustrated book is a vade mecum for readers interested in their Family History. In this book David Rickard examines Family History through the prism of his own journey discovering the history of the Whitchurch Rickards, from the legends of medieval knights and derring-do to the reality of his own family history.

Family History, like Astrology, is fun: you can all prove that you are related to more-or-less anyone you choose. In this book David Rickard shows that Family History should really be called Family Herstory. He demonstrates that it is unlikely that you can trace your biological ancestors more than three or four generations back with either documentation or genetics. He considers the origins of surnames and shows that all these were invented at some time in past. And even with the most thorough investigations you are unlikely to discover more than a fraction of the thousands of direct ancestors you have even within historical times.

David Rickard holds professorships at the universities of Cardiff in Wales and Delaware in the USA. He is the author of over 350 books and papers.