By Sheila Benedict
Contributing Writer
As mentioned in the February 2021 column, it is time to post a good bibliography of needed books for a genealogy library. Some have posted in past columns, but it is important enough to warrant a repeat. I have attempted to list the latest editions, where available. There are many books for specific cities, counties, states. federal records and every country, and of course, there are book that discuss in detail a particular type of record.
In particular, it is important to locate books or databases on the laws that govern the locale(s) of interest. Understanding those laws can certainly help when searching for particular records, such as probates, vital records, and more.
Books written for outside the USA, where there is another language spoken and written, there are translations available online. Some of the following may be available as eBooks. It is suggested a search online be done to see if eBooks or other databases are available for particular texts of interest. Be safe, follow the guidelines, and be well. Until next month…
Anderson, Robert Charles, FASG. Elements of Genealogical Analysis. Boston, Massachusetts:
New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. [AmericanAncestors.org]
Benedict, Sheila. NGS Research in the States Series, California. Special Publication Number 114. Arlington, Virginia: National Genealogical Society, 2015.
Bettinger, Blaine T. and Debbie Parker Wayne. Genetic Genealogy in Practice. Special
Publications Number 120. Arlington, Virginia: National Genealogical Society, 2016.
The Chicago Manual of Style, Seventeenth Edition, Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press, 2017.
Freilich, Hay Haviland and William B. Freilich. Genealogy and The Law: A Guide to Legal
Sources for the Family Historian. NGS Special Topic Series. Arlington, Virginia: National Genealogical Society, 2014.
Greenwood, Val. D. The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, Fourth Edition. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2017.
Humphrey, John T. Understanding and Using Baptismal Records. Washington, DC: John T.
Humphrey, 1996. [Mr. Humphrey is deceased so there are no updated versions]
Jones, Thomas W. Mastering Genealogical Proof. Special Publications Number 107. Arlington,
Virginia: National Genealogical Society, 2013.
Kashuba, Melinda. Walking With Your Ancestors: A Genealogist’s Guide to Using Maps and
Geography. Cincinnati, Ohio: Family Tree Books, 2005.
Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to
Cyberspace. Third Edition Revised. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2017.
Morton, Sunny Jane and Harold A. Henderson, CG. How to Find Your Family History in U.S.
Church Records: A Genealogist’s Guide. Has specific Resources for Major Christian Denominations before 1900. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2019.
Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy, Third Edition. Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2006.
