Genealogy Info

Essential Books

The Complete Guide to British Genealogy and Family History
by John Titford (Foreword), Mark D. Herber (Author)
Researchers in family history are guided through British archives with a view of the records and published sources avilable. Each type of record, from personal recollections, photographs and other memorabilia to civil, legal and religious records, newspapers and directories, is analyzed, and the researcher is guided to the many detailed finding aids or indexes. The early chapters help the beginner take the first steps in obtaining information from living relatives, drawing family trees and starting research in the records of births, marriages and deaths, or in census records. For more experienced researchers, it offers information on records that are harder to find or use. Research in the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands is also covered, as are developments in information technology, applications on CD and through the Internet, and a reading list is included.

Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County & Town Sources, Third Revised Edition (Hardcover)
by Alice Eichholz (Editor)
Red Book is the culmination of several years' worth of research on the part of scholars, historians and professional genealogists. Arguably the finest reference ever compiled on United States research, Red Book consistently ranks high on the "must-have" lists of several well-known genealogy publications. Now, in celebration of an impressive 15 years in print, Ancestry.com is unveiling a new third edition, marking the first revision of this seminal work since 1992.

In celebration of Red Book's 15th year in print, Ancestry.com is unveiling a new third edition. Sporting more than just a new cover, the third edition effectively builds on the hallmarks of the original -- namely thoughtful organization as well as in-depth coverage of the best libraries and archives in the United States. Red Book also promises to take genealogy into the 21st century through updated text devoted to the wealth of information now available from the internet.

Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian (Hardcover)
by Elizabeth Shown Mills (Author)
Every serious family researcher should be not only aware of, but thoroughly familiar with, the late Richard Lackey's _Cite Your Sources,_ which, on its publication in 1981, quickly became the Bible of genealogical source citation. Many, however, are not aware that Lackey was inspired by an article published more than two decades ago by Elizabeth Mills -- another name that all genealogists should be familiar with. Ms. Mills, one of our field's most popular and influential conference speakers, and for the past fourteen years the very capable editor of the _National Genealogical Society Quarterly,_ has steadily promoted the cause not only of improved genealogical writing but of the rigorous and systematic analysis of material that must precede good writing. This relatively brief and very accessible volume distills and codifies her advice in three main areas: the principles behind source citation, the formats in which citation should be cast, and the fundamentals of evidentiary analysis itself. "Effective citation is an art," she says, but it's an art that anyone may learn who makes the effort to understand the motivation for careful citation and the factors underlying the carefully thought-out formats she recommends. And whatever the source of information -- courthouse land records, family Bibles, cemetery markers, microfilmed census registers, unpublished manuscripts, electronic e-mail, or a videotaped family reunion -- you will find multiple examples of each in this book. Even more important, to my mind, are her thirteen concisely explained points of genealogical analysis, from the distinction between direct and indirect evidence and between quality and quantity, to the importance of custodial history and her reminder that "the case is never closed on a genealogical conclusion." For all these reasons, this book is a must-have for every genealogist (and historian, librarian, and archivist).

The Handybook for Genealogists
What's New in the 11th Edition
* County-by-county data, including information about vital records, repositories, and jurisdictions.
* Descriptions of the major record collections available in each state, and addresses that help you go straight to the source.
* Internet and mailing addresses for societies, archives, and libraries in all 50 states.
* Bibliography of books for each state
* Available with optional CD (for PC/Mac). The complete book is word searchable and maps can be downloaded and printed.

Standard Features
* Full-color maps of each state show ever county in the U.S. Map coordinates help you locate the county you're looking for.
* A tracker for every county shows how boundaries have changed over the years. Your ancestor may have lived in several different counties without ever moving. This feature will save you hours of research.
* Migration trail maps give detailed descriptions of the paths your ancestors traveled.
* Histories for each state help you understand how settlements, wars, territory, and statehood affected their creation.
* Maps, county histories, addresses of record repositories, website addresses, and lists of records are completely up to date.
The genius of The Handybook is its capacity to provide the researcher with at-a-glance genealogical guidance for every county in the U.S. At the heart of each state chapter is an alphabetically arranged table of counties keyed to a corresponding state map. For each county, the table furnishes a map index number, the date of the county's creation, the name of the parent county or territory from which it was created, and the address and phone number for the appropriate county court.

Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920 (Paperback)
by William Thorndale (Author), William Dollarhide (Author)
The county has always been used as the basic Federal census unit. Genealogical research in the census, therefore, begins with identifying the correct county jurisdictions. This work shows all U.S. county boundaries from 1790 to 1920. On each of the nearly 400 maps the old county lines are superimposed over the modern ones to highlight the boundary changes at ten-year intervals. Also included are (1) a history of census growth; (2) the technical facts about each census; (3) a discussion of census accuracy; (4) an essay on available sources for each state's old county lines; and (5) a statement with each map indicating which county census lines exist and which are lost. Then there is an index listing all present-day counties, plus nearly all defunct counties or counties later re-named. With each map there is data on boundary changes, notes about the census, and locality finding keys. There also are inset maps that clarify territorial lines, a state-by-state bibliography of sources, and an appendix outlining pitfalls in mapping county boundaries. The detail in this work is exhaustive and of such impeccable standards that there is little wonder why this award-winning publication is the number one tool in U.S. census research.

A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland. Second Edition
Brian Mitchell

Since its publication in 1986, A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland has established itself as a key resource in Irish genealogical research. Now, with the addition of maps detailing the location of Roman Catholic parishes in all thirty-two counties of Ireland and Presbyterian congregations in the nine counties of Northern Ireland, this new 2nd Edition moves the book to the forefront of Irish genealogical research. Also, for the first time ever, this one volume contains a complete geographical picture of the three major religious denominations in Ireland during the middle years of the 19th century.

And just what is the importance of this? Civil registration for everyone in Ireland didn't begin until 1864. Prior to that, the only records of births, marriages, and deaths were found in local parishes. Therefore, the first step in any Irish research for the first half of the 19th century and before should be to identify the religious denomination and parish of your ancestor. Although any of the Townland Indexes from 1851, 1871, or 1901 will show the location of each civil parish (which generally corresponds to the boundaries of the Church of Ireland parishes), it has been much more difficult to uncover the corresponding Catholic parish or Presbyterian congregation. Until now!

This new 2nd Edition is not only invaluable for tracing your pre-1864 ancestors in church records but also for locating your post-1864 ancestor in civil records, for this volume provides descriptions and maps of the parochial and civil administrative divisions to which all major Irish record sources are linked. To aid the researcher in identifying the precise location of the administrative divisions, and thus their jurisdiction, Mr. Mitchell has drawn at least four, and sometimes five, maps for every county. The first county map depicts the civil/Church of Ireland parishes; the second shows the baronies and Church of Ireland dioceses; the third map illustrates the poor law unions and the parishes included within the probate districts serving that county; the fourth plots Roman Catholic parishes and dioceses; and the fifth locates Presbyterian congregations for the nine counties of Northern Ireland. Three maps of Ireland are also included to show the area covered by each county, diocese, and probate district. In addition, the book describes all of the major record sources of Ireland.

These maps provide the clues to the Irish origins of millions of Americans, making this atlas indispensable for tracing ancestors in Ireland!

The Phillimore Atlas & Index of Parish Registers
3rd Edition
Edited by Cecil R. Humphery-Smith
Parish registers are a vast, important but widely scattered archive. They are essential to the family historian, providing the only written record of the vast majority of our ancestors who left but three brief mentions - a baptism, a marriage and a burial.This guide to parish registers, now in its third edition, and covering England, Scotland and Wales, is a vital, time-saving tool that has become universally known as 'the genealogist's bible'.

* The Atlas includes the famous county 'parish' maps, which show pre-1832 parochial boundaries, colour-coded probate jurisdictions, starting dates of surviving registers, and churches and chapels, where relevant.
* Topographical maps face each 'parish' map, and show the contemporary road system and other local features, to help deduce the likely movement of people beyond the searcher's starting point.
* The Index lists the parishes, with grid references to the county maps. It indicates the present whereabouts of original registers and copies, and whether a parish is included in other indexes. It also gives registration districts and census information.
Thus, in this invaluable guide, the user may quickly find answers to such questions as: Have the registers been deposited? Where may they be found? What outside dates do they cover? Have they been copied or indexed and by whom?

The main improvements in the 3rd edition are:
* The Atlas has been digitised, and is therefore much better printed.
* The Index has been updated to 2003 (from 1994).
* The Index has 'lost' two columns of obscure indexes, in place of which we now include details of census indexes and registration districts.

Producing a Quality Family History (Paperback)
by Patricia Law Hatcher (Author)
For anyone looking to create a useful, lasting history of your family. This is a book that should adorn the library or bookshelves of all genealogists! Whether you're an amateur or professional, chances are the ultimate goal of your research is to produce a quality family history. Producing A Quality Family History, by Patricia Law Hatcher, guides you through the steps required to create an attractive - and functional - family history report. Learn how to organize your work, how to write the narrative, choose type faces, grammar styles and punctuation. You'll also see how to create useful bibliographies and discover ways to incorporate photos and illustrations effectively plus much, much more!

The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy, Third Edition (Hardcover)
by Val D. Greenwood (Author)
In every field of study there is one book that rises above the rest in stature and authority and becomes the standard work in the field. In genealogy that book is Val Greenwood's Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy. Arguably the best book ever written on American genealogy, it is the text of choice in colleges and universities or wherever courses in American genealogy are taught. Of the dozens of textbooks, manuals, and how-to books that have appeared over the past twenty-five years, it is the one book that is consistently praised for setting a standard of excellence. In a word, The Researcher's Guide has become a classic. While it instructs the researcher in the timeless principles of genealogical research, it also identifies the various classes of records employed in that research, groups them in convenient tables and charts, gives their location, explains their uses, and evaluates each of them in the context of the research process. Designed to answer practically all the researcher's needs, it is both a textbook and an all-purpose reference book. And it is this singular combination that makes The Researcher's Guide the book of choice in any genealogical investigation. It is also the reason why if you can afford to buy only one book on American genealogy in a lifetime, this has to be it. This new 3rd edition incorporates the latest thinking on genealogy and computers, specifically the relationship between computer technology (the Internet and CD-ROM) and the timeless principles of good genealogical research. It also includes a new chapter on the property rights of women, a revised chapter on the evaluation of genealogical evidence, and updated information on the 1920 census. Little else has changed, or needs to be changed, because the basics of genealogy remain timeless and immutable. This 3rd edition of The Researcher's Guide, then, is a clear, comprehensive, and up-to-date account of the methods and aims of American genealogy--an essential text for the present generation of researchers--and no sound genealogical project is complete without it.

Tracing Your Irish Ancestors (Paperback)
by John Grenham
This third edition of "Tracing Your Irish Ancestors" retains the three-part structure of earlier editions, but updates and improves the material already included while adding new sources which have emerged since publication of the second edition in 1998. The bibliographies - an important element of the book - are more comprehensive than ever before. With the growing use of Internet searches the number of sources has grown dramatically since the last edition. John Grenham has a specific chapter on the Internet, with detailed references to online transcripts in the source lists. This new edition has a 35 per cent increase in content over the previous one. 'A book which has already established itself as the standard reference book for genealogical researchers, professional or amateur, who are dealing with Irish sources' - "Ireland of the Welcomes". ' The most authoritative book on the subject' - Cara. 'Books on how to trace your Irish ancestors pour from the presses. Here is a really worthwhile one, comprehensive, clearly laid out and interesting to read.' - "Books Ireland".

U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal & State Sources, Colonial America to the Present By James C. Neagles
"U.S. Military Records provides mountains of detail essential to the military researcher. In doing so, it fills a nearly complete void in genealogical research literature; there is nothing like it elsewhere. This book will appeal not only to genealogists but to anyone engaged in military history research. Simply put, it is one of the best genealogical research aids to come along in some time, and it will be regarded as one of the most important works in the field." Judith Reid, Library of Congress

The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy By Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking
is the industry's most comprehensive guide to the full spectrum of genealogical resources in America! It describes the rich body of original research—birth marriage, census, and many other kinds of records available for family history researchers. Whether you're a brand new genealogist trying to figure out where to begin or a seasoned expert who's hit the proverbial "brick wall," The Source has the answers. Not only will it help you effectively use every imaginable type of genealogical record found in America, but you'll also learn how to take advantage of time-tested and cutting-edge research techniques, as well as ways to use your existing data as a springboard to more ancestral discoveries.

The American Civil War Research Database
The American Civil War Research Database is a collection of data about individual soldiers, which offers unprecedented research possibilities. It is not hard to find histories of the monumental figures of the American Civil War like Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee. Records of individual soldiers, however, are not as easy to find. This database is an historic effort to collect and link available records of the individual soldiers who fought in the American Civil War.

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