Research methods

[carsonshepherd]

I'm the first to admit I'm a very lazy writer, as far as research goes. I'm convinced I should have a minion to do it for me, and just tell me what I need to know. Turns out minions don't want to work for free.

But, I'm starting on a historical piece and I need some advice on how to research a particular period (the Revolutionary War in this case.) I don't need to become an expert, as this is just a part of the novel, but I do need a place to start. I'm reading an overview right now, but it's very general; I'm hoping it will bring me to the area I need to focus on.

So, what's a good way to start researching a historical period?

 

[impressive]

I'm the first to admit I'm a very lazy writer, as far as research goes. I'm convinced I should have a minion to do it for me, and just tell me what I need to know. Turns out minions don't want to work for free.

But, I'm starting on a historical piece and I need some advice on how to research a particular period (the Revolutionary War in this case.) I don't need to become an expert, as this is just a part of the novel, but I do need a place to start. I'm reading an overview right now, but it's very general; I'm hoping it will bring me to the area I need to focus on.

So, what's a good way to start researching a historical period?

Where, geographically? The Revolutionary War was a very different war on the frontier than it was along the east coast.

 

[carsonshepherd]

Where, geographically? The Revolutionary War was a very different war on the frontier than it was along the east coast.

Somewhere there were a lot of British troops and skirmishes. See? told you I'm pretty general right now.

 

[impressive]

Somewhere there were a lot of British troops and skirmishes. See? told you I'm pretty general right now.

No kidding!

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Colly's How to Write Period Pieces might help...

 

[Darkniciad]

This is why I write in a fantasy world, nobody can look something up and complain that I got it "wrong" *laugh*

My chapter in the Laresa chain that will come out soon is set in the real world, however, and I actually did start digging on it a bit.

I just took what I wanted for the scene ( a saloon somewhere in TX in the late 1800's ) and started googlin' it. I played around with the keywords until I came across a real saloon, in a real town, that was there and functioning in the time frame I wanted.

Target your research based upon specific elements of the scene you're trying to set, and then build out into the surrounding history from things you find in the targeted information.

Look for something like high British casualties in an area ( or the opposite if that's the setting ) and an appropriate date range. You should come up with some hotly contested regions that way, and probably a good specific location or two to start digging up more details. Let the volume of information lead you in the right direction. Since you don't have a specific location in mind, you can just take the one that you can find the most information on easily, which fits your idea.

 

[Weird Harold]

But, I'm starting on a historical piece and I need some advice on how to research a particular period (the Revolutionary War in this case.) I don't need to become an expert, as this is just a part of the novel, but I do need a place to start. I'm reading an overview right now, but it's very general; I'm hoping it will bring me to the area I need to focus on.

For Revolutionary War/Colonial America I'd start with volome one and two of John Jakes' "Kent Family Chronicles", The Bastard and The Rebels.

I'd start there because John Jakes' historical novels are well researched -- so he has already paid the minions and collected the fruits of their labors. He weaves real people and real events into the stories so you have names, places and events you can research further if you need to.

I'd also start there, or with some other well respected work of historical fiction becuase you're mostly looking for "everyday life" sort of detail which is usualy hard to find in strictly historical sources.

PS: Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series -- The last two volumes, Drums of Autumn and The Fiery Cross is good source of daily life details leading up to the Revolutionary War, although it's not quite as accurate as the John Jakes series. It does cover a completely different and less well known part of the events leading up to the Revolution.

 

[FallingToFly]

Quick light reading that may give you some help.

My Brother Sam is Dead

And an earlier work, in colonial America, that may help you better understand the dynamics that made the RW possible:

To Have and To Hold.

Good luck finding that one- I'd lend you my copy, but it has a date on the flyleaf of seventeen sixty something and is possible one of the only "entailed" items in my family.

Short of that, Google never hurt anyone, and it's fast.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Maybe the first thing you need to do is determine what you need to know. A partial list:
Dress of the Civilians, officers, enlisted men and militia (they are all different)

Places of battles and discriptions of the battlefields

Military Tactics (British Tactics were different than American and the militia
was different yet)

Military methods of communications

Road maps of the period

Towns and settlements in the area of battles

Conditions in the major cities

How the native americans added either side

A lot of this can be picked up at this Gateway : http://members.aol.com/TeacherNet/Revolutionarywar.html

JJ

 

[3113]

I happen to love reasearch. I'm currently reading McCollough's 1776, which is the best way to do research. You find someone who already did all the research and made it into a fascinating book

Recently, however, I had to research 1939 London and here's what I learned: First, don't use the internet. I know that's how we all start, but forget about it. Go to the library. The joy of the library is: you can take down a ton of books, on every subject imaginable, spread them out all over this table...and you don't have to put any of them back!

So cool! You don't have to clean up after yourself. Anything that is remotely useful, get down a book on it. Just type it into the library computer and get books on it:

Clothing + 18th century America
British spies + Revoluntionary war
Geography + 18th century America (so you know what was where)
Famous Revolutionary battles

SPECIAL NOTE: don't underestimate kids books. They're a great way to find out info fast and easy and without having to search through indexes. Also lots of pictures.

Now you've got all these books. You spread 'em out. You glance through them, read what interests you, toss what doesn't (remember, you don't have to put 'em back!), and find that gem...exactly what you were looking for. THAT battle, with all THOSE spies in THAT cool place! Once you find that, you can look up books on JUST that and forget about all the rest.

It can be a great deal of fun, especially if, as in your case, you don't need to do much of it.

P.S. knowing what your doing, I'd narrow it down by focusing on things that reflect your main action. For example...if your story occurs in Winter, then you want winter battles. If they occur near farm areas, then farm battles. If your characters are hiding out in a city, then examine a city under siege, etc.

 

[Darkniciad]

I happen to love reasearch. I'm currently reading McCollough's 1776, which is the best way to do research. You find someone who already did all the research and made it into a fascinating book

Recently, however, I had to research 1939 London and here's what I learned: First, don't use the internet. I know that's how we all start, but forget about it. Go to the library. The joy of the library is: you can take down a ton of books, on every subject imaginable, spread them out all over this table...and you don't have to put any of them back!

So cool! You don't have to clean up after yourself. Anything that is remotely useful, get down a book on it. Just type it into the library computer and get books on it:

Clothing + 18th century America
British spies + Revoluntionary war
Geography + 18th century America (so you know what was where)
Famous Revolutionary battles

SPECIAL NOTE: don't underestimate kids books. They're a great way to find out info fast and easy and without having to search through indexes. Also lots of pictures.

Now you've got all these books. You spread 'em out. You glance through them, read what interests you, toss what doesn't (remember, you don't have to put 'em back!), and find that gem...exactly what you were looking for. THAT battle, with all THOSE spies in THAT cool place! Once you find that, you can look up books on JUST that and forget about all the rest.

It can be a great deal of fun, especially if, as in your case, you don't need to do much of it.

P.S. knowing what your doing, I'd narrow it down by focusing on things that reflect your main action. For example...if your story occurs in Winter, then you want winter battles. If they occur near farm areas, then farm battles. If your characters are hiding out in a city, then examine a city under siege, etc.

You have to have access to a real library for that to work, though. For those of us living in the stix, we have to get what we can from the internet, and then delve out what we can find in real literature when we have the time to drive hours out of our way to someplace that can't organize their entire selection on the back of a napkin from the greasy spoon down the road

 

[3113]

Internet Research: Chat w/ Experts!

You have to have access to a real library for that to work, though. For those of us living in the stix, we have to get what we can from the internet, and then delve out what we can find in real literature when we have the time to drive hours out of our way to someplace that can't organize their entire selection on the back of a napkin from the greasy spoon down the road

Granted.

And I'm not saying that the internet is anything to sneeze at when that's the situation. In that instance, the quickest and easiest way for Carson to researh would be to find history forums--ones that specialize in Revolutionary war buffs.

You register onto one of them, and start asking the experts questions. They become your instant and eager minons.

"So, Revolutionary War fanatic, tell me about British and Amerian spies...."

And before you know it, half-a-dozen guys and gals are giving you more information than you could ever want or need, gratis. In fact, they're thanking you for asking and giving them a chance to tell you everything they know on the subject. They'll argue and discuss and be happy as clams. And you'll have tons of information and you didn't have to open a single book or go to a single website to do the research.

You meet a lot of nice people that way, too. ("So, Revolutionary War fantatic, tell me what was the stickiest, winter battle of the war...." All you need to do is think up questions to ask).

This, I think, is the best use of the internet to get information. Using it for quick research isn't bad, but for extended research it's flawed in that it only has on it what people put into it. Which is why, if it is at all possible, it's good to go to an actual library even if it's only for a day. You find all these books that have all this info that isn't on the internet...because no one put that info on the internet.

But if there is no library, or none of any worth nearby, then visit a forum of experts and give them the joy of telling you all they know on the subject

 

[Darkniciad]

I actually talked to a lot of exhumers working on something a while back, purposely meant to be disturbing in the extreme. They have some fascinating stories to tell about folk that haven't exactly had the best of burials. Luckily, I have a bit of a morbid sense of humor at times, because they certainly do!

I considered slipping a little of that, toned down, into my Halloween piece, but opted to not even go as graphic as the limited inclusion, concentrating on the protagonists emotions rather than the shock value. The people who read that little scene I was researching for say it still gives them nightmares.

Granted.

And I'm not saying that the internet is anything to sneeze at when that's the situation. In that instance, the quickest and easiest way for Carson to researh would be to find history forums--ones that specialize in Revolutionary war buffs.

You register onto one of them, and start asking the experts questions. They become your instant and eager minons.

"So, Revolutionary War fanatic, tell me about British and Amerian spies...."

And before you know it, half-a-dozen guys and gals are giving you more information than you could ever want or need, gratis. In fact, they're thanking you for asking and giving them a chance to tell you everything they know on the subject. They'll argue and discuss and be happy as clams. And you'll have tons of information and you didn't have to open a single book or go to a single website to do the research.

You meet a lot of nice people that way, too. ("So, Revolutionary War fantatic, tell me what was the stickiest, winter battle of the war...." All you need to do is think up questions to ask).

This, I think, is the best use of the internet to get information. Using it for quick research isn't bad, but for extended research it's flawed in that it only has on it what people put into it. Which is why, if it is at all possible, it's good to go to an actual library even if it's only for a day. You find all these books that have all this info that isn't on the internet...because no one put that info on the internet.

But if there is no library, or none of any worth nearby, then visit a forum of experts and give them the joy of telling you all they know on the subject

 

[Guest]

History forums...that's a great idea. I had given up on the internet. I could never find detailed information. I still love books; but I'm going to give that a try, too. Thanks!

 

[BlackShanglan]

There are some good period overview books out there as well. I like one called "What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew" for Victorian England; it has chapters on all sorts of elements of daily life like transportation, titles, jobs, servants, etc. Some of the little snippets of information lead me on other research, and others really are worth stories in themselves.

 

[yui]

I'm the first to admit I'm a very lazy writer, as far as research goes. I'm convinced I should have a minion to do it for me, and just tell me what I need to know. Turns out minions don't want to work for free.

But, I'm starting on a historical piece and I need some advice on how to research a particular period (the Revolutionary War in this case.) I don't need to become an expert, as this is just a part of the novel, but I do need a place to start. I'm reading an overview right now, but it's very general; I'm hoping it will bring me to the area I need to focus on.

So, what's a good way to start researching a historical period?

Umm, don't hate me, but this might give you a jumping off point without bogging you down with too specific and/or dry-ish info. View it as a user friendly guide. <nods>

 

[CharleyH]

For Revolutionary War/Colonial America I'd start with volome one and two of John Jakes' "Kent Family Chronicles", The Bastard and The Rebels.

I'd start there because John Jakes' historical novels are well researched -- so he has already paid the minions and collected the fruits of their labors. He weaves real people and real events into the stories so you have names, places and events you can research further if you need to.

I'd also start there, or with some other well respected work of historical fiction becuase you're mostly looking for "everyday life" sort of detail which is usualy hard to find in strictly historical sources.

PS: Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series -- The last two volumes, Drums of Autumn and The Fiery Cross is good source of daily life details leading up to the Revolutionary War, although it's not quite as accurate as the John Jakes series. It does cover a completely different and less well known part of the events leading up to the Revolution.

Good post, WH.

If you need anything on France's revolutionary war, Carson? I can help. On America's earlier revolution? I cannot give what happened during that time period, except what America meant to France in that particular pre-Napoleanic period. Best of luck.

 

[kendo1]

Thought about money.
I did a wee bit of research for Donal' , as I needed to know what was used and what it would buy for a particular period.

This was the first part I compiled. Various coins were used at the same time. i suspect the same is true for you.


year weight in grains weight in g Remark
8th century to c. 991 24 1.5552 traditional weight
c. 991 to c. 1275 22.5 1.458 traditional weight
c. 1275 22 1.4256
1343 20.3 1.31544
1345 20.15 1.30572
1346 20 1.296
1351 18 1.1664
1412 15 0.972
1464 12 0.7776
1526 10.7 0.69336
1544 10 0.648
1552 8 0.5184 11 oz 1 dwt fineness
1560 8 0.5184 sterling fineness
1601 7.8 0.50544
1816 7.27 0.471096
Source: Feavearyear, Appendix 3-2, p. 439

Accounts were held in pounds sterling, the pound of 20 shillings, the shilling of 12 pence. Coins were issued (from 1660 to 1715) in the following denominations

Coin Value Metal Remark
5 Guinea 112s 6d in 1700 gold 1668-1753
Two Guinea 43s in 1700 gold 1664-1753
Guinea 21s 6d in 1700 gold 1663-1813
Laurel* 20s gold discontinued in 1662
Half Guinea 10s 6d gold 1669-1813
Half Laurel** 10s gold discontinued in 1662
Crown 5s silver*** continuous production
Half crown 2s 6d silver continuous production
Shilling 1s = 12d silver continuous production
Sixpence 6d silver continuous production
Groat 4d silver continuous production
Threepence 3d silver continuous production
Twopence 2d silver continuous production
Penny 1d silver continuous production
Halfpenny 1/2 d copper**** original silver coin, the production of larger copper half pennies started 1672
Farthing 1/4 d copper
* Unite Laurel Pound, also called the Sovereign or the Double Ryal,
** Half Laurel, also Half-Sovereign or Double Crown
*** some gold up to 1662
**** silver for hammered versions


Mintmarks identified the places of production: B: Bristol (September 1696 - September 1698), C: Chester (October 1696 - June 1698), E: Exeter (August 1696 - July 1698), N: Norwich (September 1696 - April 1698), Y: York (September 1696 - April 1698), and E: Edinburgh (1707-1709).

A second system of marks specified the origin of Bullion used:

Mark Origin of Bullion Period
Elephant or elephant and castle Africa 1663-1726
Plumes Wales 1698-1705
Roses West of England Mines 1699-1739 (not continuously)
VIGO Captured from the Spanish Fleet at Vigo Bay 1702 1703
Roses & plumes "Pitcoale & Seacole Company" 1705-1743
SSC South Seas Company 1723
EIC East India Company 1729-1739
LIMA Silver captured by Admiral Anson 1745-1746


Throughout the period it remained difficult to stabilise the gold/silver ratio. Isaac Newton's Mint Reportslink give a vivid picture of the efforts undertaken to stabilize the ratio threatened by different attitudes towards the proper evaluation of both metals on the international rivalling markets.

Scots Money



The first indigenous currency in Scotland had been the silver penny, coined by David I. In theory each pound weight of silver yielded 240 pennies (1 pound equalled 20 shillings, and 1 shilling 12 pennies). The crown coined, however, 252 pennies to the pound to make a profit. From the fourteenth century until the end of the sixteenth century debasement of the coinage resulted in the divergence of the Scottish and English currencies. In the reign of James III (1460-1488) the pound sterling was worth 4 pounds Scots. In 1560, 5 pounds Scots equalled 1 pound sterling. When James VI succeeded to the throne of England (in 1603) the exchange rate for Scots pounds to sterling was fixed at 12:1, yet prior to the Union the accepted par of exchange was £1,300 Scottish to £100 sterling,link although Newton argued in 1710link that "at their just value" it took £1,321 2s 0d Scottish to equal £100 sterling.

To quote John J. McCusker (1978), p.33 on the preceding development: The pound Scots was "showing a devaluation over the century on terms of par, but we know little about the course of the exchange. Apparently, late in the 17th century, it was usually 10 to 12 percent below par, suggesting a rate of exchange in the range of £1,450 Scottish to £100 sterling. In the midst of the English monetary crisis in 1696, the exchange reversed significantly, and the rate swung to a 15 percent premium, or something like £1,125 Scottish per £100 sterling."

After 1707 Scotland's real money and its money of account were by law uniform with those of England. Practice in this instance was slow to follow the law. "Old Scots money [...] remained a money of account, especially in the countryside, and it was not until the near the close of the eighteenth century that rents, prices of agricultural produce, and wages ceased to be expressed in Scots money." [Henry Hamilton (1963), p.294.]

Overseas transactions were after 1707 effected through London. Prior to 1707 Edinburgh had its own exchange rates on French, Spanish, Dutch, Polish and Swedish money. At least Paris seems to have kept its own exchange rate with Edinburgh right into the 1760s. [John J. McCusker (1978), p.34.]

Scotland's pre-Union money had – with merks still minted under Charles II. – its own traditions. The first merks issued after the revolution were fixed at 13s. 4d. In 1681 the rate was raised to 14s — pounds (à 20 shillings à 12 pence) were the money of account. Gold pistoles were minted in 1701. Shillings circulated in coins of 5s., 10s., 20s., 40s., and 60s:

1 pistole = 12 pounds
1 half pistole = 6 pounds
1 pound / £ = 20 shillings
1 merk = 14 shillings
1 half merk = 7 shillings
1 quarter merk = 3 shillings, 6 pence
1 shilling / s. = 12 pence
1 bawbee = 6 pence
1 turner or bodle = 2 pence
1 pence / d.


Helpful Ken