Many organizations are in some way committed to preserving the history and heritage of a particular business, occupation, military engagement, time period, geographic area, specified and defined group of descendants, or ethnic group. There are many more organizations that qualify as lineage societies, local historical societies, and patriotic organizations. For genealogists, the large number of associations and organizations means that there are myriad sources for published information.

As family historians, we know the importance of placing our ancestors, and potential ancestors, in the proper historical context when we are doing our research. Building a context within which to conduct our research is critical if we hope to find all available information. "Contexting" our ancestors keeps all the record possibilities, both primary and secondary, alive. And it is in the building of these research contexts that one can happen upon the records and publications of organizations and associations.

Create a Timeline
The best way to begin determining which organizations may contain data about an ancestor is to place the particular person being researched on a general timeline. The timeline can be as simple as a "child-adolescent-adult-senior" continuum. Some questions to ask include: Did the individual belong to a youth, sport, or hobby organization which might have kept track of its members and their careers and families, as well as their descendants? Was the person involved in a trade, profession, or occupation which had an official association? Did military events occur during the individual's life in which he or she might have participated? Did the person belong to a guild or organized group of any sort as a hobby or avocation? Questions such as these will prompt the researcher to critically evaluate everything that happened during the time period and in the geographic area of an ancestor.

The Encyclopedia of Associations
After determining some areas of interest, work, or residence of an ancestor, it's a good idea to consult a potentially intimidating publication entitled the Encyclopedia of Associations (33rd edition, 1998). Even though the size of this compilation is truly Herculean, and the organization at first glance appears to be somewhat chaotic, this work can be an extraordinarily fun compilation to use. The key to unlocking the treasures in the Encyclopedia of Associations rests with using the index volume in tandem with the descriptive tables of contents found in the two main volumes.

If your ancestor was involved in an aspect of work on the railroad, for example, looking in the "Name and Keyword Index" volume under railroad(s) and railway will net many dozens of entries. Using the key identification numbers, a researcher can find abstracts in the main volumes. In the volumes containing the organizational abstracts, you can begin to discover which organizations might be worthy of further investigation, as well as uncovering any publications that might be genealogically important.

Two significant methods of evaluating the abstracts for family history value are: (1) looking at the founding date of the organization-typically the older an organization, the greater the likelihood that it will have substantial archives, records, and publications; and (2) looking at types of publications and the publication descriptions; special attention should be given to organizations in the appropriate field which publish yearbooks, membership directories, and rosters, as well as those organizations such as the American Association of Railroad Superintendents, whose newsletters include items such as obituaries.

WorldCat
With data from the Encyclopedia of Associations, you can use a bibliographic database available in many libraries called WorldCat. WorldCat is a listing of the books and other materials held by several thousand libraries around the world. This database can be searched by the name of the association or organization to which an ancestor belonged to determine if other publications are available, and to discover which libraries own those publications. The WorldCat database also has a feature that will help the researcher identify similar entries. For example, the Association of Railway Telegraph Superintendents was located when a search was conducted for the American Association of Railroad Superintendents.

For the genealogist looking to build or enhance a personal research library, older copies of the Encyclopedia of Associations may be acquired at used book sales or "friends of the library" book sales at a mere fraction of what the newest editions cost, with the information provided still being quite useful. It should be noted that this reference work details only existing or functioning organizations and associations, although the index may list defunct groups.

Military Groups
The number and type of patriotic and heritage organizations formed around military service and events abound. They are typically more plentiful for the wars in which greater numbers of individuals fought, although that is not always the case. It's certainly possible to find many organizations formed around the Civil War, such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Sons of Union Veterans, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the Grand Army of the Republic. A researcher can also find some of the largest and most significant organizations formed around the descendants of veterans who participated in the American Revolutionary War, though far fewer individuals were involved in those activities than the war of nearly a century later.

Similar to using citation analysis when looking at compiled histories and biographical articles, scanning the publications of military associations can often reveal new data sources. Listed in the Manual of the Civil War and Key to the Grand Army of the Republic and Kindred Societies by J. Worth Carnahan (1897) are a number of veteran societies, including the Third Army Corps Union, the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, the Society of the Army of Arkansas, and the Cincinnati Society of Ex-Army and Navy Officers. Under each organization is a brief description of how it was founded and organized, and under what conditions it admitted members. You can check both the Encyclopedia of Associations as well as WorldCat to determine if any of these societies still exist or if they had publications.

The DAR
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is one of the oldest lineage societies in the country. The DAR is a unique lineage society in that it not only carefully documents the ancestors, history, and activities of its members, it is also quite active in promoting patriotism, preserving records, and making large numbers of local, state, and national records much more readily accessible through extensive indexing and abstracting projects. Unlike many lineage organizations, researchers whose ancestors never participated in the American Revolution may find extremely valuable materials among the compilations of the DAR.

A particularly fine project of the DAR is their Genealogical Records Committee Reports. At present these "reports" total more than 14,000 volumes, providing indexes, abstracts, and photocopy reproductions for innumerable records of historical and genealogical interest from across the country. They are a true treasure trove of information. In addition, many state and local DAR chapters have archives which contain important information about membership activities throughout the country. As with many organizations, data beyond that which deals directly with members is often found in the respective archives.

Reunion Records
A number of military organizations held regular reunions and documented those events with publications. For example, in 1898, the Association of Survivors, Regular Brigade published the proceedings of four annual reunions they held in September 1894 through September 1897. The publication contains historical sketches of association members with photographs of individuals and significant battle sites. It details losses and casualties during the War Between the States, as well as rosters of surviving members with their current addresses at the time of compilation. A feature of some of the years is a "Death Roll of Members" since the last published roster, indicating the company and regiment to which the individual belonged.

Ethnic Societies
With increased importance being placed on ethnic pride in contemporary society, many new ethnic heritage organizations are being formed, and new life is being breathed into existing or long-standing organizations. Many of these organizations publish research guides and abstracts of significant record groups, as well as microfilming original records. An increasing number of their publications are in electronic form and can be found on the Internet. Again, sources mentioned previously in this article are key in finding the print publications for these organizations.

Besides being fascinating documents to explore, the records of organizations and associations can really help a family historian fill in the missing pieces of an ancestor's life. Moreover, these records can assist in continuing a line when supposedly traditional sources are not available.

Curt Witcher is the department manager for the Historical Genealogy Department of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana; adjunct professor in Indiana University's Continuing Education Program; and a genealogical instructor and lecturer.