The type of genealogical research JT follows in the series is real and generally achievable within the timeframe of the story, such as access to census information and newspaper archives. The Times newspaper, for example, has an excellent online archive covering the last two centuries from 1785, and it proved invaluable to JT’s assignment in In the Blood.
I came across an interesting genealogical fact when I started plotting In the Blood, and I suspect it influenced many aspects of the book. I discovered that Sixty million Americans can trace their ancestry back to the UK. That’s about a fifth of the total population of the United States. It occurred to me then that such a family of British descent, returning to England towards the end of the War of Independence, was a good place to start the story. I was also amazed by how much information was accessible online, which is something Jefferson Tayte uses to good effect - the list of executions at Bodmin jail for instance. Click HERE for more on Bodmin Jail. I have also hit many ‘brick walls’ while researching for my books and none more so than when writing To the Grave.
Useful Genealogical Links
