For those of you with Cornish ancestry this is a valuable resource for the story behind the story of your family's migration to Australia, South Africa, or the Americas. However, even if you don't have Cornish ancestry, this is a fascinating book! Philip Payton's extensive and detailed account uses language that will be easily understood and is supplemented by maps and line drawings. And those of you who love to read endnotes will be pleased by Payton's 20-plus pages at the book's end. He also includes a detailed index.

Payton's book covers primarily the time period of 1815 to 1930, when approximately 1/3 of Cornwall's population immigrated away from the United Kingdom (p. 28). Much like the Welsh, Scotch, and Irish, the Cornish promoted a distinct culture while perpetuating an image of the hard working "Cousin Jack" or "Cousin Jennie." Because much of Cornwall's wealth came from mining, many Cornish people were sought after in colonies that were developing mining, such as California (gold), Australia (gold and copper), Peru (silver), and South Africa (gold, copper, and diamonds). What made the Cornish unique and easily adaptable to such diverse locals was a culture based on mobility and migration. These seafaring people often traveled internationally rather than within the United Kingdom, since the unique geography of Cornwall created "an island mentality" (p. 20). With relatives all over the globe, strong family ties, and communication, many residents of Cornwall knew more of what was happening overseas than in London.

Beyond these particulars, what makes this book stand out is Payton's ability to infuse human stories into the historical narrative of immigration. Whenever possible, he includes the names of individuals who immigrated and worked in the new world. One such family is the Moyles who left Cornwall for such places as Michigan, Australia, Wisconsin, California, New Zealand, and Utah. Their stories, along with many others, are interwoven throughout the narrative and are easily found through the detailed index that lists family names alphabetically.

Overall, I recommend this book. It is credible, well documented, and enjoyable to read. Learning more about our ancestors with a book like this will truly make them come alive, and as Payton points out, by learning our family history, we will better know ourselves.

Here are a few of the 397,000 links found with Google about Cornish genealogy:

• Family Research in Cornwall
• GENUKI: Cornwall
• Cornwall Family History Society
• 1871 Corwall Census Search

Review written by Larisa Schumann