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Issue 1-4-2009
Top 10 Genealogy Books
by Aubrey Fredrickson
Whether you are a seasoned genealogist or a beginner just starting to uncover your roots, you've probably found that there are a lot of genealogy resources out there. We'd like to help you sort through the tons of resources available to you and find the ones that will be of the most use to your research. In this article, we'll focus on the top 10 books that we would suggest for doing U.S. research. Then we'll mention some books aimed at doing research for other countries.
Top 10 US Genealogy Books
1. The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, by Everton Publishers
$34.99
The Handybook is a must have for any researcher who has ancestors in the United States; there are also some valuable research helps for many foreign countries as well. With each new edition of the book, the publishers send out letters to every county clerk or other official in charge of county records. This letter requests an update of what records of genealogical value are held in the county. About 95 percent of county officials respond, making this a tremendously valuable resource for finding out
exactly where records of your ancestors could be located. The book also includes contact information for libraries, repositories, and historical/genealogical societies as well as detailed county maps and migration trail maps. For a more in depth review of the book, click here.
2. The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking (editors)
$62.68
The Source is a guidebook of records available to help you research your American family history. Each chapter gives you detailed information about how to find certain types of records and what information you can expect to get from them. It includes a chapter directed towards beginners titled "The Foundations of Family History Research." There are five chapters which deal specifically with finding ancestors who immigrated to the United States from other countries. I particularly appreciated
these chapters on various ethnic groups, especially the Native American, African American, Hispanic, and Jewish-American Family History chapters. The Source is a valuable tool for any genealogist.
3. Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County & Town Sources, by Alice Eichholz (editor)
$32.97
The Red Book provides information on valuable resources available for each of the fifty states and their counties. Each state has its own chapter, which begins with a section on the state's historical background and ends with a map, showing county lines and principal cities. The Red Book describes what resources are available to you and gives the website or physical address you need in order to access them.
4. The Complete Beginner's Guide to Genealogy, the Internet, and Your Genealogy Computer Program, by Karen Clifford
$24.95
This book is an excellent resource for those who are just beginning to research their family history, especially when using the internet. It is full of charts, maps, reproducible forms, word definitions, and as-you-go assignments that keep you interested and informed as you learn to research your family history. The author focuses on some basic objectives, including setting goals, applying proper research skills, employing critical analysis, thoroughly documenting findings, and avoiding "skipping" generat
ions. For those who buy this book, updates are provided on the internet. For a more in depth review, click here.
5. Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian, by Elizabeth Shown Mills.
$13.56
This book provides genealogists with a standard, not only for citing sources, but also for evaluating them. Correct citation will be of little use if the source itself is not reliable or if incorrect conclusions have been drawn from it. In Evidence! the author presents clear guidelines for analyzing sources and then documenting them.
6. The Genealogist's Address Book, by Elizabeth Petty Bentley (compiler)
$39.82
Sometimes called the National Yellow Pages for genealogists, this book lists more than 16,500 resources. Each entry gives you important information about a source, including an address, operation hours, telephone number, fax number, email, URL, publication, and name of contact. Often there is also a short description of the records held at that location. This is a great reference to have at hand, allowing you to quickly and easily find the details you need to access resources.
7. Family Tree Resource Book for Genealogists: The Essential Guide to American County and Town Sources, by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack.
$19.79
This book guides you through researching your U.S. ancestors by providing information on sources available in each of the fifty states. Each chapter provides information on a specific state: maps showing current counties; historical overviews; information about special repositories; bibliographies of published sources; and listings for county, parish, and town-hall contacts. Find out what records are available and how to obtain copies. The introduction provides information on how to request information by
mail -- it shows an example of a sample letter -- and suggestions for preparing to visit an archive.
8. Map Guide to American Migration Routes, 1735-1815, by William Dollarhide
$22.95
Following your ancestors' trails can often be difficult. This book helps you track them down by discussing how, and why, populations moved across America. It includes information on trails, roads, turnpikes, canals, rivers, flatboats, land availability, group migrations, and more. It is also a great resource for well-researched and consistently drawn maps. If you're wondering where your ancestor went next, this book could help.
9. Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920, by William Thorndale
$69.95
If you've ever had a hard time locating an ancestor in US census records, give this book a try. The county has always been the basic Federal census unit, so it's important to know what county jurisdictions your ancestor lived in through his or her life. Even if they never moved, they may have lived in several counties due to changes in jurisdiction. This book shows all U.S. county boundaries from 1790 to 1920. It includes almost 400 maps and most of these show old county lines superimposed over modern one
s, so you can tell how the boundaries have moved. The book also contains information on the history of census growth, technical facts about the census, a discussion of census accuracy, and information on which county census lines exist and which are lost.
10. The Genealogist's Companion and Sourcebook, by Emily Croom
$13.59
This book is both a how-to manual and a reference book. Its primary goals are to tell you about valuable sources and how to use them. The author shows you how genealogical information can be found in various sources and gives tips for interpreting your findings. Brief case studies will help the reader see how sources can be used in real-life research.
Books for Researching in Other Countries
Looking for ancestors in countries besides the United States? Here are a few books that might help. This is by no means a complete list of other research areas. We're focusing on those areas that our patrons have told us are of interest to them. If you'd like to see us include resources from other countries in future articles, email us your request at newsletter@mytrees.com.
Immigrant Ancestors (If your ancestors ended in up the U.S.)
Europe
Germany
England
Ireland
Scotland
Italy
We hope one or more of these books may be able to assist you in your research. For more suggestions, visit our online store. We also publish a book review in every issue of our newsletter. To see a list of past reviews, click here and use the "Select by Topic" option at the top to select "Reviews."
Copyright ©: 2011 Fficiency Software, Inc. All rights reserved.
Article written by Aubrey Fredrickson
No reproduction of this article may be used without the express written permission of the author.
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