Essential Reading

'I have been a family historian for more than 40 years, and a professional historian for over 30, but as I read it, I was constantly encountering new ways of looking at my family history....Essential reading I would say!' Alan Crosby, WDYTYA Magazine

Thursday, 30 April 2020

Your Ancestors' Letters: Tips for Research (2) : When exactly was this letter sent/received?

What was the likely gap in time between the writing of and the receipt of your family letter?
Look out for letters that give not only the date but also the time of day eg 'Friday afternoon', 'Tuesday 6pm' etc. At some points in the Victorian period, in London, people could expect post to be delivered up to 12 times a day (even in provincial towns local post could be delivered up to six times a day) which meant that letters could go back and forth with almost the regularity of today's emails.

Tracing Your Ancestors Through Letters and Personal Writings



Image: Illustrated letter from Beatrix Potter to a child, 21st August 1892,  from Wikimedia Commons



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