Family history is only one part of your personal heritage - there's more to your background than who your ancestors were. This differs from most books on the market as it places this process on an equal footing with the social history that surrounds each generation, as much as the technical know-how on which records to examine, and where. This book takes you on a unique journey back in time, examining the houses, streets, communities and ways of life that shaped the world around us, and in particular the precise circumstances that made us who we are today. Furthermore, this book will not just explain how and where to undertake this personal detective process - it shows you how to organize and shape your findings, and create your own personal archive using the latest technology and online resources, and how to add your store of knowledge to the emerging social networks that allow us to create a People's Archive and tell the forgotten story of the past that never makes it into the textbooks.