{"id":31339,"date":"2018-05-17T11:05:18","date_gmt":"2018-05-17T15:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=31339"},"modified":"2021-04-19T09:50:17","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T13:50:17","slug":"genealogy-101-using-digitized-books-in-your-family-history-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/genealogy-101-using-digitized-books-in-your-family-history-research.html","title":{"rendered":"Genealogy 101: Using Digitized Books in Your Family History Research"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article \u2013 part of an ongoing \u201cIntroduction to Genealogy\u201d series \u2013 Gena Philibert-Ortega gives tips for finding and using digitized books in your family history research. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.<\/span>\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

One of the benefits of the Internet for family historians is the plethora of digitized books available. Digitized books can be found on all kinds of websites, from those that solely focus on books like Google Books, to genealogy websites like FamilySearch and GenealogyBank, to libraries. Knowing what types of books exist where can help you find what you are looking for.<\/p>\n

As you research, start incorporating searches on digitized books websites to enhance your family history search.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: cover of \u201cLos Brazos de Dios: A Plantation Society in the Texas Borderlands, 1821-1865\u201d by Sean M. Kelley. Credit: Google Books.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Google Books<\/strong><\/p>\n

Google Books<\/a> is a great place to find public domain works as well as newer books. While the focus isn\u2019t specifically genealogy like FamilySearch, many of the books in their collection are relevant to family history research. Think in terms of city directories, Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine, and local histories.<\/p>\n

Remember that books are digitized using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software, so any small mention of your ancestor can be found easily. Use Google\u2019s Advanced Search or Tools features (found on the results page under the search box) to focus your search.<\/p>\n

My favorite story about Google Books comes from my own experience. A great example of \u201cyou don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know,\u201d I found a surprising book one day when I entered my 5th great-grandmother\u2019s name and location (\u201cSophia Lewis\u201d and Texas) and clicked on the blue search button in Google Books.<\/p>\n

The first result was a book titled Los Brazos de Dios: A Plantation Society in the Texas Borderlands, 1821-1865<\/em> by Sean M. Kelley. In a chapter on \u201cHusbands and Wives\u201d I found information about Sophia\u2019s divorce from her husband William W. Lewis!<\/p>\n

Thanks to this book, I learned more about Sophia\u2019s divorce that I had previously researched \u2013 but wanted more information. This search on Google Books was a good complement to the incomplete court records I had found years previously.<\/p>\n

FamilySearch<\/strong><\/p>\n

FamilySearch\u2019s goal is to digitize their content \u2013 their entire collection, including, when possible, published works. Lucky for researchers they have also partnered with other repositories to make their books available to FamilySearch users.<\/p>\n

Currently FamilySearch has more than 350,000 books from these partners:<\/p>\n