When was the last time you read a genealogical reference book or other item to increase your knowledge and understanding of genealogical research methods and sources? Blogs and other materials can be helpful, but sometimes it’s nice just to have a book. I purchased a copy of the new edition of Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy,
There are other good books out there, but I only mention ones with which I have actual experience and which I have actually purchased and used. Sometimes just a re-reading of something I’ve read before gets me to thinking. Sometimes one can get used library editions on Amazon (see links below) Ebay or for low-cost–other times not so much.
- State Census Records by Ann S. Lainhart
- Genealogist’s Handbook for New England Research, 5th edition, edited by Michael J. Leclerc
- Land and Property Research by E. Wade Hone–a personal favorite of mine–although it is weak on methodology in local records in federal land states.
- Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4th Edition, by Val D. Greenwood
- The Source, edited by Lou Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking–probably the best overview of American sources there is.
- Digging for Genealogical Treasure in New England Town Records by Ann S. Lainhart
- The Family Tree German Genealogy Guide: How to Trace Your Germanic Ancestry in Europe by James Beidler
- Trace Your German Roots Online: A Complete Guide to German Genealogy Websites by James Beidler
- German-English Genealogical Dictionary by Ernest Thode
- Deciphering Handwriting in German Document: Analyzing German, Latin, and French in Historical Manuscripts by Roger Minert
- Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace, Third Edition by Elizabeth Shown Mills
5 Responses
Thank u, good reads to have ,most definitely!. Will look into getting a few more 4 the new year!
Well, I have at least one of those… EE!
Thank you for the list.
Even though I have been into genealogy for many years, I always find something I haven’t thought of when reading research guides. I find the same with my phorography hobby. Even though it is 40 years since I got my first SLR, I always learn something, or get new ideas by reading fairly basic photobooks.
I included your article in my Friday finds at http://martinroe.com/blog/index.php/2018/01/05/friday-finds-week-1-2018/
Thanks, Martin!
Marsha Hoffman Rising’s “The family tree problem solver: tried-and-true tactics for tracing elusive ancestors.” The updated edition was GREAT for giving ideas about how to search through brick walls. It had ideas I hadn’t even thought of!
We can always learn something new!
Carla