Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt, with the author's
permission, from Producing a Quality Family History
, by Patricia
Law Hatcher. The first segment in this series contains groups of questions
that you may want to ask yourself as you document your family
history. As you read them, the obvious question may arise in your
mind: where do I find the answers?
In the upcoming weeks and months,
the Daily News will periodically pick a group of questions and
guide you to some resources that can you help you answer these
questions as they pertain to your ancestors' lives.
Today's segment will address some general resources for locating
historical data that will turn those scraps of paper into a
captivating and interesting family history.
Where Can You Find Stuff To Use for Context?
The same place you do research. No, not the genealogy section—the
rest of the library. You know, those rows and rows of books
you hurriedly bypass each time you go digging for ancestors.
Ask your librarian for guidance. Librarians are usually happy
to point you toward their favorite sources. And you know what?
Unlike genealogy books, you can check out many of these books.
Curl up in front of the fireplace with the book, a cup of cocoa,
and a notepad. Some are so interesting, you'll read every word.
Others may be dull but full of good information. Almost all
have extensive notes and bibliographies leading you to additional
resources.
Locating a variety of sources for contextual information is
becoming faster and simpler thanks to technology. If you library
has an online catalog, learn to use it efficiently. Better yet,
browse the catalogs of libraries around the country—from the
comfort of your own home through a computer modem. Many institutions,
particularly university libraries, have online catalogs available
through Telnet [or databases]. Often the catalog is regional,
allowing you to search several collections at once. Best of
all, many of them can be accessed by non-students.
You can identify books, articles, and dissertations that address
your topic, and then ask the Interlibrary Loan department of
you public library about borrowing the material.
Electronic bibliographic databases on CD-ROM or online are
becoming increasingly available at libraries and through online
services. They can lead to citations for books, articles, dissertations,
book reviews, newspaper articles, special publications, and
a variety of other resources (some of which may have never appeared
in paper form). Additionally, you may be able to access, print,
or download abstracts—or even complete text—of the items.
Costs and conditions vary widely.
Genealogists should look for America: History and Life,
an annual publication of abstracts of articles and listings
of book reviews from a variety of publications, including journals
of state historical societies. An electronic version combining
previous annual volumes is now available.
Some source material is in non-paper format. Many libraries
have microfiche or high-density microfiche collections of publications,
both new and out-of-print. Full-text-search capabilities for
similar collections on CD-ROM or online let you quickly scan
for words or combinations of words within numerous topics.
Books, articles, dissertations, and documents on CD-ROM can
be a gold mine of contextual information. The number is growing,
fueled by the educational market. Ask a librarian, "What's new?"
Be A Detective
To find contextual material successfully, you often must be
a detective. Some of the best material isn't widely available,
and it may be cataloged under a variety of subject terms in
indexes and catalogs. Esoteric topics may be especially difficult
to track down because they are cataloged under a much broader
topic. Try these tips when searching:
Keep three running lists for each topic you are researching,
adding to them as you find new information: a bibliography of
all books or articles that might pertain, a list of subject
headings (and which cataloging systems use them), and a list
of Dewey decimal and/or Library of Congress classification numbers.
In a catalog or index, search for a title or author you
already know about. Write down all the subject headings listed
for the item (be exact), and then use those search terms as
seeds for a search.
Scan library shelves for all books using the Dewey decimal
or Library of Congress numbers you've identified. You may find
additional books on the topic of interest.
Identify a periodical, journal, or publication series that
has titles of interest, and then browse the tables of contents
for every issue to identify other items.
Don't ignore the book reviews in pertinent journals or listed
in electronic databases, which can lead to excellent publications,
especially those published recently but not yet widely available.
When you visit a new library, ask about their electronic
reference tools and search again. Do not assume there is nothing
new for you to find.
Be flexible. You may not be able to find a resource on your
exact topic. Look for resources on similar topics. For example,
if you can't find an article on the diet of poor farmers in
eighteenth century Virginia, investigate an article on slave
diet at Monticello. It may address your question as part of
its context, and it should contain references that lead to other
sources.
You can find information in a variety of places. The "Context"
section in "Resources" in
at Producing a Quality Family History suggests additional resources.
Documents You Have Found in Your Research. Reread the wills,
deeds, obituaries, and other records in your files, searching
for details that you may have overlooked in your enthusiastic
search for names and dates.
Documents Created by Others in the Same Community or Undergoing Similar Experiences. In particular, look for diaries, letters,
store ledgers, and account books. Sometimes these have been
published. In other instances, you'll be looking in manuscript
collections.
Publications of the Times. Newspapers in particular may
offer great detail related to your ancestors' lives. Read the
national news to learn about history as it was being made.
Read the local news to learn about their daily lives. Read the
ads to find out what products were popular—and what promises
they made.
For late nineteenth-century ancestors, look for a reprint
of the Sears and Roebuck Catalog. You'll find hundreds and
hundreds of illustrations for the items your ancestors wanted
to own.
In mug books and county histories, read the general sections
that tell about the county, its geography, and its settlers.
Scholarly Works. Scholars, from students writing dissertations
to professors working in a publish-or-perish world, often study
cultural or historical topics. It may be mortality rate, songs,
food, crops—or hundreds of other topics. These works are published
in both books and periodicals.
Statistics and Demographics. Many of the questions that
government officials asked our ancestors were posed solely to
gather statistics. Seek out the statistical compilation or an
analysis to determine, for example, how many people of the same
country of origin immigrated in the same year as
Atlases, which we often think of only as containing maps,
also have statistical information. Use a modern atlas to contrast
the demographics of your ancestor's time to the demographics
of today.
Exhibit Catalogs. Special exhibits at museums often have
well-researched catalogs created just for the exhibit. These
catalogs provide good background information about the items
shown in the exhibit whether needlework or tools.
Archeological Investigations. Some American sites are now
old enough to be of interest to archeologists (Martin's Hundred
and the slave quarters at Monticello, for example). Books and
articles based on the findings have much to tell us about the
daily life of the inhabitants.
Books for Kids. Try the youth section of your public library.
You'll often find easy-to-read survey books on the topics that
interest you.
College and University Libraries. A college library may
have more books and periodicals on the topics that interest
you.
Used-Book Stores. Look especially at large stores and those
near a college or university. Also watch for library deaccessioning
sales.
Book Vendors. Some genealogical book vendors are starting
to carry more and more titles on social history of interest
to genealogists.
Book stores attached to museums, national parks, and historical
sites have excellent books. Any bookstore that carries titles
from university presses is a good place to look.
Map and Tourist Publications. Use these to create a mental
picture of the area, the landscape, and special features. Tourist
publications are helpful for providing local color when you
cannot visit the area yourself.
Use USGS topographical maps to learn the "lay of the land."
See the entire series:
Part 1: Turning Paper into People
Part 2: Historical Context
Part 3: Clothing and Food
Part 4: Migration
Part 5: Land
Part 6: Ethnicity
Part 7: Housing
Part 8: Community
Part 9: Environment
Part 10: Family
Ancestry Daily News
