Who might find the collections useful?
In keeping with the wealth of different materials to be found within family and estate collections, the information they contain will be relevant to a wide variety of users in their research.
Genealogists and family historians, for example, may find rentals, deeds or accounts useful. If your ancestors worked on the land, rented or even owned property, you may well see references to them within the papers.
Local historians will be inundated with information about life and events in East Midlands history.
Social historians may be able to build up a picture of day-to-day life in the past - whether for the elevated noble classes, the domestic staff in their houses, the workers living in the developing towns or the agricultural employees out in the fields.
Political historians may discover a rich vein of information about events at the local, national or even international level and may gain a fresh perspective on the diplomatic activities of the day.
In addition, there may be resources relevant to:
- Agricultural historians
- Architectural historians
- Industrial historians
- Transport historians
- Military historians
- Women's historians
- Geographers
- Cartographers
- Topographers
- Place name researchers
The list is almost endless!
Of course it is not necessary to be pursuing a specific research project to benefit from these wonderful resources. Anyone with an interest in the past will find something to spark their enthusiasm. So, whether you are a school, college or university student, an historian, a genealogist or a lifelong learner, family and estate collections are bound to hold some gems for you!
Next page: Points to consider when using the collections