~BIBLIOGRAPHY for Genealogy & History~

Categorized Booklists and Featured Books

 

Beverly Whitaker, Professional Genealogist

 

In the 21^st century, persons wanting to learn about their family history usually turn first to the Internet where so many resources have become available. Too often, however, printed genealogical materials on our library bookshelves are being ignored. I challenge you to search out some of the volumes in this bibliography. And many more excellent titles have recently been published, just not yet cataloged on this site.

Ask your librarian about the books listed here, and share your personal "wish list" with friends and families to use for those gift-giving occasions. Begin your search for published records at your own home by checking online library catalogs and vendor booklists. In recent years, several libraries have begun to offer genealogy books in their circulating collections. Talk with your local librarian about how you can borrow genealogy books throughinterlibrary loan.

Over the past 30 years, I've been fortunate to have attended dozens of genealogical seminars and major conferences where I've eagerly visited the vendor displays. I use online library catalogs, and visit libraries every place I travel. I also read reviews of new books as they appear. As you've probably guessed, my own personal library expanded greatly. If I own a copy of a book in one of the booklists which follow, the title will appear in color, and you will recognize that it is one with which I am well acquainted.

BOOKLIST CATEGORIES, compiled by Beverly Whitaker

Reach your category choice below which will link you further down on this page.

BEGINNER and "GETTING ORGANIZED"
REFERENCE
COMPUTER GENEALOGY
ETHNIC RESEARCH
MIGRATION TRAILS
EARLY AMERICAN CHURCHES
U. S. PRESIDENTS and THEIR FAMILIES

 

BEGINNER and "GETTING ORGANIZED" BOOKS

Allen, Desmond Walls. First Steps in Genealogy : A Beginner's Guide to Researching Your Family History. 1998.

Balhuizen, Anne. Searching on Location. Salt Lake City: Ancestry Inc., 1992. {This little book was written by one of my best friends, now deceased. She and I would talk by the hour about our experiences preparing for and gathering information on research trips far and near. Read this one before you travel!}

Croom, Emily. Unpuzzling Your Past. Second Edition. Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books, 1989. {The title appealed to me from the first time I heard about this book. It's often been used in beginning genealogy classes because it's an excellent introduction and motivator.}

Fletcher, William. Recording Your Family History. New York: Dodd, Mead, and Co., 1986. {Beginners are told to interview family members, but before going out to do that, it would be a good idea to page through this book for lots of good interview tips and many excellent questions to pose.}

Rose, Christine, and Kay G. Ingalls. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Genealogy. New York: Alpha Books, 1997.{You don't have to be an idiot to admit you need help getting started with genealogy. The ideas expressed and the organizational strategies will help the more experienced genealogist also.}

Whitaker, Beverly D. Beyond Pedigrees: Organizing and Enhancing Your Work. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1993. {Now, surely you didn't expect me to leave out my own book, did you? I wrote it out of my personal genealogical experiences, and so it's a highly practical manual for organizing and reviewing your collection of data. And I talked the publisher into including 18 reproducible forms because at that time, forms were only available in packages from vendors.}

Whitaker, Beverly D. Genealogy Research: Getting Organized. Kansas City: Genealogy Tutor, 1995. {Teachers for genealogy classes consider this a good outline. Eight sections: Starting, Seeking, Charting, Searching, Placing, Filing, Preserving, Sharing.}

REFERENCE BOOKS

Cerny, Johni, and Wendy Elliott. The Library: A Guide to the LDS Family History Library. Salt Lake City: Ancestry Inc., 1988. {This book also is showing up now on CD. It is a most thorough guide to the holdings of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Since many communities have LDS Family History Centers, the book also prepares persons to select and order microfilm for viewing close to home.}

Colletta, John P. They Came In Ships. Second edition. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1993. {I really enjoyed reading this book and imagining how my ancestors arrived in this country. This is a good introduction to the subject of passenger lists.}

Croom, Emily. The Genealogist's Companion and Sourcebook. Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books, 1994. {The author follows up her beginner book with this easy-to-read comprehensive guide to the sources available to the family historian.}

Daniels, Roger. Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1990.

Dollarhide, William. The Census Book: A Genealogist's Guide to Federal Census Facts, Schedules and Indexes. Bountiful, UT: Heritage Quest, 1999.

Eicholz, Alice. Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1991. {This book provides information on the holdings of every county in the United States. It includes boundary maps by William Dollarhide.}

Evans, Barbara J. A to Zax: A Comprehensive Dictionary for Genealogists and Historians. Third edition. Alexandria, VA : Hearthside Press, 1995. {A very popular and helpful specialized dictionary.}

Everton, George B., Sr., ed. The Handy Book for Genealogists. Ninth edition. Logan, Utah: The Everton Publishers, Inc., 1998. (I have probably used this book more than any other one in my collection.}

Frisch-Ripley, Karen. Unlocking the Secrets in Old Photographs. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc. 1991. {Although this doesn't go in depth into photography styles, it does a good job of encouraging the family historian to learn and care for photos passed down in the family.}

Goldrup, Lawrence P. Writing the Family Narrative. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc. 1987. {This book focuses on the literary process of writing a narrative family history. Goldrup followed this up with a companion workbook.}

Greenwood, Val D. The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy. Second edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1990. {This highly-respected genealogist explains matters in depth and sheds light on legal matters we usually find confusing.}

Harris, Maurine, and Glen Harris, eds. Concise Genealogical Dictionary. Salt Lake City: Ancestry Inc., 1989. {Dictionaries intrigue me, and the genealogist needs a special one for the old or unusual words used in legal documents.}

Hatcher, Patricia Law. Producing a Quality Family History. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1996. {I hope you are planning to share the history you compile. It may not be in the form of a published book, but these days, we are able at least to publish using our word processors. BEFORE you are ready to "publish," read this book, and set up your material in a uniform manner, following Pat's instructions.}

Hone, E. Wade. Land and Property Research in the United States. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1997. {I waited eagerly for this book because I wanted to learn more about the subject. I wasn't disappointed.}

Meyerink, Kory. Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1998. {As genealogists, we often need to use printed sources to lead us to primary sources. In this big and tightly-packed volume, I became acquainted with many of the lesser-known sources and also appreciated what the author had to say about printed sources I already used.}

Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence! Citation& Analysis for the Family Historian. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997. {This is the book I turn to in order to properly document the sources of the information I gather and place in my genealogy database.}

Mills, Elizabeth Shown, editor. Professional Genealogy. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2001.{This is a manual for researchers, writers, editors, lecturers, and librarians. Nearly two dozen scholars and practicing professionals contributed to this volume.}

Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1994.{I refer to this book whenever I need answers to military matters.}

Parker, J. Carlyle. Going to Salt Lake City to Do Family History Research. Second edition. Turlock, California: Marietta Publishing Company, 1993.

Schaefer, Christina K. Guide to Naturalization Records of the United States. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1997.{This is on my wish list. I'm not well acquainted with it yet because my visits to libraries haven't allowed enough time to study this material.}

Smith, Juliana S. Ancestry's Address Book: A Comprehensive List of Local, State, and Federal Agencies and Institutions. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1998.

Smolenyak, Megan Smolenyak and Ann Turner. Trace Your Roots with DNA. Rodale, 2004.

Sowell, Thomas. Ethnic America: A History. New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1981.

Sperry, Kip. Abbreviations and Acronyms. Orem, Utah: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2000.

Szucs, Loretto Dennis. They Became Americans. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1998.{This is by an author I’ve known for a long time and highly respect. Her subject in this book is naturalization and immigration.}

Szucs, Loretto Dennis, and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. The Archives: a Guide to the National Archives Field Branches. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1989. {Kansas City has one of the National Archives Branches; this reference answered questions even before I knew to ask them. This helpful guide is also available on CD.}

Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, editors. The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Second edition. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1997.

Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Matthew Wright. Finding Answers in U.S. Census Records. Orem, Utah: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2001. {This volume provides introductory information about the U.S. Census, followed by research tips for each census from 1790 through 1930. When I work with census at my computer screen, I like to have this book open to the same form as I’m viewing. Keep this book along with acquiring new resources for the 1940 census.}

Thorndale, William and William Dollarhide. Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1992. {You'll be amazed at how much county boundaries changed between the census enumerations that have occurred every ten years. Studying this book could help you recognize that you've been searching in the wrong place for a lost ancestor.}

Whitaker, Beverly. Colonists and Immigrants. Kansas City: Genealogy Tutor, 1996. {This book opens with a lengthy chronology, covering the period 1606 until 1900. This is followed by a chapter on the people in colonial America--where they came from and how they adjusted to life in the new world. The next section focuses on the causes for 19th century immigrants from five areas: the Northern Europeans, the Mediterranean peoples, the Eastern Europeans, the Americas, and the Orientals.}

Wolf, Stephanie Grauman. As Various as Their Land: The Everyday Life of Eighteenth Century Americans. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1993.

 

COMPUTER GENEALOGY

[Note: Each year there are new books published to help genealogists maximize the use of their computer, particularly about how to use the Internet.
However, the web site URL addresses often change before the books even make it to press.]

Cosgriff, John, and Carolyn Cosgriff. Turbo Genealogy. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997.

Helm, Matthew L. and April Leigh Helm. Genealogy Online for Dummies. Second edition. International Data Group Company: May 1999.

Howells, Cyndi. Netting Your Ancestors: Genealogical Research on the Internet. 1997.

Howells, Cyndi. Cyndi's List. Genealogical Publishing Co.: June 1999.

Kemp, Thomas Jay. Virtual Roots: A Guide to Genealogy and Local History on the World Wide Web. Scholarly Resources, Inc.: July 1997.

McClure, Rhonda R. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Genealogy. Macmillan Publishing Company, Incorporated : October 1999.

Whitaker, Beverly. Using My Computer for Genealogy. Second edition. Kansas City: Genealogy Tutor, 1998.

 

ETHNIC RESEARCH

[Note: The subject is of special interest to many, and much work is being done in this field by some talented authors.
This is not one of my areas of specialization; consequently, I'm not offering annotations,
but I think you'll find many interesting volumes here which will enhance your studies.]

Baker, Eunice Ruiter. Searching for Your Ancestors in Canada. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Heritage House Publishers, 1974.

Baxter, Angus. In Search of Your British and Irish Roots. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1982.

Baxter, Angus. In Search of Your European Roots. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1985.

Begley, Donal F. Irish Genealogy: A Record Finder. Dublin, Ireland: Heraldic Artists Ltd., 1987.

Blockson, Charles L. with Ron Fry. Black Genealogy. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1977.

Colletta, John Philip. Finding Italian Roots. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1993.

Coppage, A. Maxim. Searching for Scottish Ancestors. Utica, Kentucky: McDowell Publications, 1983.

Daniels, Roger. Coming to America; A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1990.

Gardner, David E. Genealogical Research in England and Wales. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft Publishers, 1972.

Grenham, John. Tracing Your Irish Ancestors. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., second edition, 1999.

Hamilton-Edwards, Gerald. In Search of Scottish Ancestry. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1986.

Hoskins, Janina W. Polish Genealogy and Heraldry. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1990.

Kennedy, John F. A Nation of Immigrants. New York: Harper& Row, Publishers, 1964.

Kurzweil, Arthur and Miriam Weiner, eds. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Genealogy, Vol. 1, Sources in the United States and Canada. Northvale, N.J.: Jason Aronson Inc., 1991.

Miller, Olga K. Genealogical Research for Czech and Slovak Americans. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1978.

Polskie, Korzenie. Polish Roots. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1993.

Ross, James and Alice Eichholz. Black Genesis. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1978.

Rottenberg, Dan. Finding Our Fathers: A Guidebook to Jewish Genealogy. New York: Random House, 1977.

Ryskamp, George R. Tracing Your Hispanic Heritage. Riverside, California: Hispanic Family History Research, 1984.

Schweitzer, George R. German Genealogical Research. Schweitzer, 1992.

Smith, Jessie Carney. Ethnic Genealogy: A Research Guide. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1983.

Sowell, Thomas. Ethnic America. New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1981.

Thode, Ernest. Address Book for Germanic Genealogy. Marietta, Ohio: Heritage House, 1979.

Wellauer, Maralyn A. German Immigration to America in the Nineteenth Century: A Genealogist's Guide. Milwaukee: Roots International, 1985.

Yurdan, Marilyn. Irish Family History. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1990.

 

MIGRATION TRAILS
~American Roads and Trails: Atlases, Books, Maps and Guides, Articles, Web Link

~ATLASES~ American Roads and Trails

Eldridge, Carrie. An Atlas of Appalachian Trails to the Ohio River. Huntington, WV: CDM Printing Inc., 1998.

Eldridge, Carrie. An Atlas of Northern Trails Westward from New England. Huntington, WV: CDM Printing Inc., 2000.

Eldridge, Carrie. An Atlas of Southern Trails to the Mississippi. Huntington, WV: CDM Printing Inc., 1999.

Eldridge, Carrie. An Atlas of Trails West of the Mississippi River. Huntington, WV: CDM Printing Inc., 2001.

~BOOKS~ American Roads and Trails

Brayer, Garnet M., editor. Land of Enchantment, memoirs of Marian Russell along the Santa Fe Trail. Evanston, Illinois: The Branding Iron Press, 1954.

Daniels, Jonathan. The Devil's Backbone, the Story of the Natchez Trace. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1962.

Dollarhide, William. Map Guide to American Migration Routes. Bountiful, Utah: AGLL, Inc., 1997.

Finley, Lori. The Natchez Trace. Winston-Salem, North Carolina: John F. Blair, Publisher, 1995.

Gibbons, Gail. From Path to Highway: The Story of the Boston Post Road. HarperCollins, 1986.

Heisey, John W. American Migration Guide. Indianapolis, Indiana: Heritage House, 1985.

Ierley, Merritt. Traveling the National Road. Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press, 1990.

Jordan, Philip D. The National Road. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1948.

Kincaid, Robert. The Wilderness Road. Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN, 5th edition, 1992; originally published by Bobbs-Merrill Company in 1947.

Riegel, Robert E. and Robert G. Athearn, America Moves West. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 5th edition, 1971.

Rouse, Parke, Jr. The Great Wagon Road. The Dietz Press, 109 East Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, 1992.

Schneider, Norris F. The National Road. Columbus, Ohio: The Ohio Historical Society, 1975.

Schneider, Norris F. and Clair C. Stebbins. Zane's Trace, the First Road in Ohio. Zanesville, Ohio: Mathes Printing Company, 1973.

Southerland, Henry, Jr., and Jerry Elijah Brown. The Federal Road through Georgia, the Creek Nation, and Alabama,1806-1836. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 1989.

Waitley, Douglas. Roads of Destiny: the Trails that Shaped a Nation. New York: Robert B. Luce, Inc., 1970.

~MAPS and GUIDES~ American Roads and Trails

Map Guide to American Migration Routes by William Dollarhide.Bountiful, Utah: AGLL, Inc., 1997. (as listed above, in ~BOOKS~)

"16 Reference Cards for Genealogists and Historians: American Trails and Roads." Beverly Whitaker
 NOTE: These are now online at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gentutor/ChurchRefSheets.html

"Migration Trails Map Featuring Twenty-Four of the Major Trails East of the Mississippi River." The Everton Publishers, Inc., P. O. Box 368, Logan, Utah 84321.

"The Trail System of the Southeastern United States in the Early Colonial Period, W. E. Myer, 1923," opposite page 748 in Forty-Second Annual Report of the U.S. Bureau of American Ethnology, to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1924-1925.

Maps and Descriptions of 122 Migration Trails in The Handy Book for Genealogists. 9th Edition. Logan, Utah: Everton Publishing, 1999.

~ARTICLES~ American Roads and Trails

"Colonial Roads of Our Ancestors," by William Dollarhide. "Genealogy Bulletin," American Genealogical Lending Library Newsletter, Number 22, April, May, June, 1994.

"Wagon Roads to the Ohio Country, 1787-1820," by William Dollarhide. "Genealogy Bulletin," American Genealogical Lending Library Newsletter, Number 23, July, Aug., Sep., 1994.

"Roads to the Old Southwest: Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi Before Canals, Steamboats, or Railroads," by William Dollarhide. "Genealogy Bulletin," American Genealogical Lending Library Newsletter, Number 28, July-Aug 1995.

"Buffalo Path Became the Wagon Road," by Myra Vanderpool Gormley, Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Feb 18, 1996.

"The Development of Early Emigrant Trails in the United States East of the Mississippi River," by Marcus W. Lewis, published manuscript from lecture delivered in slightly different form before the National Genealogical Society, Washington, D.C., February 6, 1932.

"The Great Philadelphia Wagon Road" by Don Farrant, "Heritage Quest," issue #57, pages 59-60.

"Migration Trails of the Eastern United States," by Merlin C. and Eva M. Finnell, "The Palatine Immigrant" Vol. VI, No. 2, 1980.

~WEB LINK~ Michael K. Smith's Historical American Migration & Settlement Patterns: A Selected Bibliography
http://www.oldbooksmith.com/migration-top.html