Research guides reading list

• Bailey, Peter

Researching ancestors in the East India Company's Armies. [s.l.]: Families in British India Society, 2006. (FIBIS research guide; 1)

This is the essential handbook for anyone researching ancestors who were connected to the HEIC Armies of Bengal, Bombay, and Madras. It covers records from the armies' origins until their assimilation into the British Army by 1860. Laid out in a clear and accessible manner, the book directs searchers to records on all available stages of a man's career, whether officer or soldier, including sources which may provide details on his wife and children. For those researchers not fortunate enough to have access to the India Office Records at the British Library, the LDS film numbers are included. A full review by Richard Scott Morel, Archivist of Pre-1858 India Office Records, is available on pp. 45-46 of the FIBIS Journal 17 (Spring 2007)

• Baxter, Ian A.

Baxter's guide : biographical sources in the India Office Records. 3rd ed. [s.l.]: Families in British India Society in association with the British Library, 2004

This is the bible for all who are researching ancestors in British India and South Asia. The information sought will probably be found in the India Office Records, which occupy 15 km of shelving hidden away in the basements of the British Library. Thankfully, the author provides invaluable guidance on exactly where relevant information may be located for more than forty different categories of people. The reader is also directed to published sources. If confronted by an obscure term while researching, for instance on learning that an ancestor was a clerk in the Sadr Faujdari Adalat, then 'The glossary of terms used in the administration of British India' towards the end of this guide will be enlightening.

• The British overseas : a guide to records of their births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials available in the UK. 3rd ed.

London: Guildhall Library, 1994 (Guildhall Library research guide; 2)

Even though some of these records may now be available through the internet, this book is still of use to researchers based in, or able to visit, the United Kingdom.

• Spencer, William

First World War army service records : a guide for family historians. 4th ed. Kew: The National Archives, 2008

This invaluable guide to locating information on ancestors who served in WW1 has been expanded and updated to refer to many resources which are now available online. The primary source is still the National Archives (TNA) at Kew in England, where in addition to the more obvious Records of Service (British Army officers and other ranks, RAF, WAAC, auxiliary and nursing services) are those of the Indian Army and Dominion Forces. This directs the family historian to a possible treasure trove of records, including those for medals and awards, prisoners of war, unit war diaries and maps.