Anne Patterson Rodda

Genealogist Anne Patterson Rodda sees a commonality in the sources and methodology of genealogy and microhistory, and this book explores the similarities and the ways that these fields can borrow from each other. In the first half of the book, the author defines and describes the major historical methods and builds her case for the value of microhistory. This is the strongest part of the book. The second half of the book includes three case studies that illustrate the application of microhistory to genealogy, or maybe the application of genealogical sources and methods to microhistory. I didn't find the illustrations as clear and compelling as the author intended for them to be. I think this book will appeal more to genealogists than historians. The author specializes in Irish research and history, and this book will have added appeal for genealogists with 19th and 20th century Irish ancestries.… (more)

I'll have to admit that when I first ordered this book that I did so with some trepidation because it was self-published. When I received it, I noticed that it was the author's D.Litt. dissertation. My fear then was that it would be rather dry. I need not have worried. Rodda does a very good job of defining different approaches to history--macrohistory, microhistory, social history, cultural history, etc. Then she focuses on why she thinks that microhistory is perhaps the most useful approach for genealogists. She uses examples from her own research in Irish genealogy to illustrate her arguments. The use of the first person bothered me a bit in the narrative (since I have always been taught to avoid first person in scholarly writing) although I can understand why she used it in her work. I'm still a bit surprised that her advisors allowed her that freedom. The author has been a certified genealogist since 1996. This is a book that should be read by all intermediate to advanced genealogists. It is a shame that the author chose to self-publish the work rather than pitch it to a major publisher because I think there is a wider audience for this book that she'll never reach in the self-published market.… (more)