{"id":28467,"date":"2018-01-22T11:48:35","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T16:48:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=28467"},"modified":"2023-06-22T13:19:46","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T17:19:46","slug":"genealogy-101-family-history-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/genealogy-101-family-history-books.html","title":{"rendered":"Genealogy 101: Family History Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega writes about a valuable resource for genealogists: family history books. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.<\/span>\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Family history books, also referred to as surname books or genealogies, are typically a genealogist\u2019s introduction to their own family history. Perhaps you own a family history tome that was a catalyst for your becoming more interested in your family history. Maybe you\u2019ve searched for a copy through FamilySearch. While these books can seem like a researcher\u2019s lifesaver, there are some things you should consider before using the information found within them to create your family tree.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: a page from \u201cA Partial History of The Riddle-Beavers Families of Botetourt County Virginia, Highland County Ohio, Decatur and Page Counties Iowa\u2026\u201d compiled by Andree Sieverin Hoeman et al. (Beavers-Riddle Family Association, 1981). Credit: Gena Philibert-Ortega.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What Are Family History Books?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Family history books once concentrated solely on who begat whom; they contained mainly names, dates, places and long lists of descendants \u2013 but the concept of an ancestry book has evolved over time to include stories, digitized images, and personal photo collections. In the past, these books were large, hardcover, dense treatments of family history that contained information gathered by an individual, a group of family members, or even a professional genealogist. Because of the expense of printing such large books, they usually were printed in small batches with a possible copy or two donated to a genealogy library.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Corpus Christi Caller-Times (Corpus Christi, Texas), 13 July 1958, page 60<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Where Are Family History Books Found?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Family history books can be found in libraries and online via digitized book websites. Start your search with the FamilySearch Catalog<\/a> and conduct a surnames search. Books that are digitized will include a link to FamilySearch Books<\/a>, which can also be searched separately.<\/p>\n

Digitized book websites such as Google Books<\/a> and Internet Archive<\/a> include family history books. When searching Google Books, you can enter your surname and the keywords \u201cfamily history\u201d or \u201cgenealogy,\u201d or you can search for your ancestor using an exact phrase search. An exact phrase search uses quotation marks around the name, essentially telling Google to search on that phrase. For example, \u201cJohn Smith\u201d will only return ancestry book queries that include both words \u201cJohn\u201d and \u201cSmith.\u201d An Advanced Search engine is also available once you\u2019ve conducted your initial search and are viewing your results list. At the top of the screen is a Settings link; click on that to reveal a drop-down menu with the Advanced Search option.<\/p>\n

To search Internet Archive, click on the orange Texts icon and then choose Additional Collections. Once you are on the Additional Collections web page, choose Genealogy<\/a>. These collections of digitized books are from the \u201cAllen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana; Robarts Library at the University of Toronto; the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library; Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah; the National Library of Scotland; the Indianapolis City Library\u2019s Indianapolis City Directory and Yearbooks Collection; The Leo Baeck Institute Archives of German-speaking Jewry Leo Baeck Institute Archives; and the Boston Public Library.\u201d From this collections page, you can search for the surname you are looking for in your ancestry book research.<\/p>\n

Use with Caution!<\/strong><\/p>\n

It would seem that a family history book has everything a researcher could want: names, dates, and places. So, what\u2019s the downside of using surname books? The biggest problem is that in the past, and to some extent even now, an ancestry book can lack source citations or have incomplete citations. After all, there wasn’t a codified template for how to put together a family history book. Because of this, it\u2019s impossible to accept the information contained within as fact.<\/p>\n

The lack of source citations by family historians has historically been a problem. In the past, there was little emphasis on documenting where you found information \u2013 or even making sure the information found was correct. Even in cases where a book has source citations, they may be very vague \u2013 like one that exists in one of my family lines where facts for several generations include a family Bible as a source citation. Unfortunately, when I tried to track down this Bible, no one knew where it was or who owned it. Each family historian had just copied the vague citation when creating a family history book, not knowing if it even existed.<\/p>\n

While errors involving source documentation may be largely ones of omission, in some cases they were ones of commission. Take, for example, the infamous genealogist Gustave Anjou, who prepared fraudulent genealogies for his clients. Some of those genealogies can still be found today and may be used by unsuspecting researchers as they establish their family history book layout. You can find the titles of some of Anjou\u2019s books by searching for his name in the library catalog WorldCat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Arkansas Gazette (Little Rock, Arkansas), 4 March 1942, page 6<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Family History Books Provide Clues<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just like online family trees, surname books may hold clues \u2013 but make sure to carefully prove the information you find in these books. In addition, don\u2019t just use family history books for research clues; consider writing your own family history book in which you have carefully documented photos, stories and facts for the next generations to treasure.<\/p>\n

How to Write a Family History Book<\/strong><\/p>\n

When writing family history books, you should gather as much information as possible about your family\u2019s history. Crafting a genealogical book might include talking to relatives, researching historical records, and collecting photos, art, and other cultural memorabilia. Don\u2019t forget to scour the internet for family history book examples so that you have a basis for the layout.<\/p>\n

Once you have all of your material, you\u2019ll need to arrange it in a way that makes sense. Regarding how to organize a family tree book, this could involve creating a family tree, a timeline, or writing a narrative that tells the stories of the people that make up your lineage.<\/p>\n

Here are some family tree book ideas to keep in mind as you write your family history book:<\/p>\n

\u25cf Determine the scope and focus of your book:<\/strong> Depending on how much information you have, you may need to narrow your focus to specific years or branches of the family. It would help if you also decided on the tone and style of your book and any themes or motifs you want to explore.
\n\u25cf Write the book:<\/strong> You can use different styles and formats to undertake this project, such as a narrative or a chronological style. Find one that suits you and start writing.
\n\u25cf Make edits:<\/strong> Once you have your sample family history book, you\u2019ll need to edit and revise it. A thorough revision might involve cutting out material or reordering sections.<\/p>\n

Remember that writing a family history book is a great way to connect the branches of your family tree and share your family\u2019s story with future generations. Start writing yours today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega discusses a valuable resource for genealogists: family history books & where to find them. Write your ancestry book!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":28491,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12713],"tags":[58485,7597,12,2719,1692],"class_list":["post-28467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genealogy-research-tips","tag-ancestry-books","tag-family-history-books","tag-genealogy","tag-genealogy-search-tips","tag-historical-books"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/photo-1018-2016-featured-graphic-classroom-1.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28467"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92419,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28467\/revisions\/92419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}