March edition of Stamford Living reviews Seeking John Campbell and explores issues around self-publication/
See the full article at Stamford Living
Seeking John Campbell: Finding Pioneers & Patriots in the Pampas by John Daffurn
This remarkable real-life story reveals what happened when the author, amateur British genealogist John Daffurn, set himself an heir-hunting exercise that turned into a four-year obsession. The story begins in 2010 when John, on a whim, picked a random name from the Government’s Bona Vacantia list of more than 10,000 people who had died intestate, in a bid to discover why professional heir-hunters had not identified any living descendants to claim the estate. In the process of this ‘intellectual challenge’, which, as John states, is ‘a genealogical jigsaw puzzle that, even if it ended in failure, would enhance my ancestry research skills’, he uncovers the fascinating family histories of three men called John Campbell, all possible candidates for being the father of the deceased 68-year-old widow of interest, (Mary) Isabel Greig, who died on New Year’s Eve 1995. The three John Campbells’ family stories take us on a fascinating journey from Prussia and the Scottish lowlands to Argentina (where Isabel was born illegitimate), then back to Europe and the horrors of World Wars I and II. Covering the history of two families descended from the Symmetry migrants who sailed to Argentina from Leith in 1825, and a third family descended from the town’s Gibson shipbrokers, it details the impact Scottish migrants had on Argentina, and how the later world wars tore families apart. Interestingly, what started as a genealogical experiment turns into a heart-felt quest to record past lives of those lost in the mists of time, or at the very least precariously perched on the peripherals of family memory.
The research undertaken is incredible – the history and biographies are wonderfully detailed, with plenty of photographs too, to picture the individuals and places involved, along with family trees to keep you on track. The delicate process of ancestral discovery – which also contains useful research tips – is woven into a thoughtful first-person narrative that never grows tired or dull. Indeed, the final outcomes of John’s adventures are touching and not entirely expected, and are something from which we can all perhaps learn. So, did he manage to identify Isabel’s family and trace living heirs to her estate? Well now, that would be telling.
ISBN: 9780993147906. RRP £9.99 paperback, RRP £4.79 Kindle. Eptex. Available from Amazon.
The March edition of Who Do You Think You Are ? magazine is out today and contains a review in brief of Seeking John Campbell. See Here.
Review by US blogger T K Sand
I’m the kind of person who can spend whole days sitting at the computer doing research (more or less!) of a genealogical or family history nature. And although my interest began more than a quarter of a century ago, I’ve never run out of things to look up. I’m pretty sure I never will. But sometimes I just feel the need to step away from the computer and stretch out on the couch for awhile, so I’m always on the lookout for some good reading material with a genealogical theme. The recently-released Seeking John Campbell: Finding pioneers and patriots in the pampas
John Daffurn began researching his family history many years ago and discovered, as many of us do, that the really interesting stuff is somewhere beyond the names and dates that fill the blanks on your ancestor chart. And when you get to that point, you may find the research process so enjoyable and so stimulating that it ceases to be all about you and your chart. You realize that you’ve learned some skills that are fun to use, and one day–reader, has this happened to you?–you begin to research someone who’s not even related to you.
Daffurn did this when he found Britain’s Bona Vacantia list, a list of deceased persons whose estates had gone unclaimed. Knowing he’d acquired some useful research skills, he decided to try his hand at heir-hunting. He rather randomly selected a name from the list–that of a woman who had died more than a decade before–and set out to discover her family connections and perhaps locate someone who was entitled to inherit her estate.
An illegitimate child, Maria Isabel Pemberton Greig was, Daffurn learned, the daughter of one John Campbell. One, if you think about it, among many! But eventually, Daffurn was able to narrow the field down to three John Campbells. From that point, he researched all three of them in great detail and, reader, from there springs Seeking John Campbell, a fascinating nonfiction page-turner.
I did not expect to learn so much about world history, I did not expect to bump into names I would recognize, and I did not expect to find a John Campbell injured in battle on the west coast of Italy in World War II, where he might have ended up in a hospital bed next to my dad. The world, I learned from this book, is much smaller than I had ever imagined.
I’m sure John Daffurn could not have foreseen the rich and colorful story that would come to him in this project. Maria Isabel Pemberton Greig was just a name on a list–a name with a date of death. There was so much more to be found! Seeking John Campbell is a spectacular example of what might lie beyond the names and dates, and Daffurn’s story is an inspiration for researchers.
I really enjoyed this book! Can you tell?
——
And in case you are wondering, no, I am not being paid to write this review, nor to write any other review appearing at Before My Time.
Walkers in Stamford hosted a book signing yesterday.
The gentleman above was a Campbell and was drawn to the cover of my book Seeking John Campbell.
Walkers bookshop in Stamford doing a great job with shelf display of Seeking John Campbell prior to book signing tomorrow 11am to 1pm
Take a look at this short video to promote Seeking John Campbell and if inclined please share or like.
Five years after starting some innocuous research, three years after I started writing and one year after starting to edit and work towards self-publication my book is out for all to see.
Amateur genealogist John Daffurn discovers the remarkable family histories of three John Campbells, one of whom could be the father of the illegitimate Isabel whose name was randomly plucked from a UK government list of unclaimed estates. If Isabel’s father can be identified will living heirs, who could claim her estate, emerge?
More information can be found on this website and my social media links (Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter). Please Like me or Follow me to spread the word amongst your own friends and colleagues.
And if you like what you see you can buy the book at :
Getting ones ducks in a row….
My official publication date is tomorrow 3 February but making sure all the marketing channels are open at the same time is a nightmare.
Createspace(IS)
My book was uploaded to CS some time ago. I chose to use them for Amazon distribution worldwide but I did not chose the expanded distribution option. I didnt press the approve button until I needed to (see IS) below. Once approved my book was live within hours on various Amazon websites globally.
Ingram Spark (IS)
I also uploaded without problem some time ago and use them for all distribution channels (you cannot pick and choose). CS would always take precedence as the distributor for Amazon but IS can get to other distributors and book shops. Because I read that it could take six weeks to filter through to the outlets I pressed approve early but to my dismay I found it live on Amazon the next day. It weas Ok in the UK as it was only listed for pre-order but you could actually buy a copy in the USA as Amazon.com doesn’t feature pre-order for books. I had to get IS to unpublish until closer to tomorrow.
Kindle Direct
I uploaded the ebook version easily to Kindle some time ago and it appeared on Amazon globally on a pre-order basis.
Smashwords
I uploaded to Smashwords for distribution of all other ebook formats. It appeared on the various outlets as a pre-order until tomorrow. I also used the discount coupon system to provide free or discount epub versions to friends, family and those that have helped me with the book.
By tomorrow all avenues to sale will be open for business.
Marketing
Final mailshots are going out today and tomorrow.
Final pre publication social media content prepared.
Radio interview tomorrow morning.
Book signing next Saturday.
National and local magazines reviewing book in March editions out mid to end Febraury.
FINGERS CROSSED !!
Author uncovers ‘remarkable’ families of John Campbell is the headline of an article in this weeks edition of the Stamford Mercury.
The Mercury have run the article about Seeking John Campbell to promote my book signing on the 7 February in our lovely local bookshop. 
 | John Daffurn on Final Book Cover |
 | nickystephen on Final Book Cover |
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| lynettedavis on Marketing a self-published… |
John Daffurn 