' Family history is very different from academic history, as Davison discovered while researching his own family after a lifetime as an academic historian. Academic historians, it seems to me, ask ‘why?’ – why are things the way they are, why do people do what they do? Family historians, on the other hand, ask ‘who?’ – who were my ancestors, who am I? One is general, and relates to society as a whole; the other is personal, relevant only to a few individuals. A good family history asks, and answers, both questions.' (Introduction)
