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Census Substitutes & State Census Records: An Annotated Bibliography of Published Name Lists for All 50 U.S. States And State Censuses for 37 States. Volume 1 – Eastern States

Publication Information –

Dollarhide, William.
Bountiful, Utah: Family Roots Pub. Co.
2008
ISBN: 1933194375

Availability –

171

not found

new, used

Summary –

[from the back cover] In this volume, William Dollarhide identifies Census Substitutes, as well as State Census records for the Eastern portion of the United States of America. The substitutes are those name lists derived from tax lists, directories, military lists, land ownership lists, voter registrations, and other compilations of names of residents for an entire state, one or more counties of a state, or one or more towns of a county. Thirty-seven states conducted colonial, territorial, or state censuses that are extant and available for research today. Usually taken between Federal Decennial Census years, these records often contain unique information, and may even shed light on the lives of your ancestors that may have been on the move.

[my addition] States covered: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and all states east of these, plus the District of Columbia.

Review –

Much of this information is provided in other publications such as The Source and competing publications on the census. But this book is well worth considering since it is conveniently organized and easy to use. It also covers some resources that strict “census” guides usually do not, such as various property records, early vital records, indexes to state archives records, tax records, non-population censuses, and more.

Other Reviews –

Evaluation – Consider Buying It

Posted in Census, Record Type, Research Aid.

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By Sarah – 1 May 2010

Lake County Illinois Naturalization Records – 4 vols.

Publication Information -
Johnson, Mary K. and the Lake County Illinois Genealogical Society
Mundelein, IL: Lake County Illinois Genealogical Society
2008

Availability -

library - bnw<10 – including Allen County, WI Hist Soc, FHL (not microfilmed)

Earth – not found

book – not available

Summary -

Volume 1 – Sections A & B: 3 Feb 1864-29 Jan 1910 [A covers to 28 Sep 1906; B from then to 1910]

Volume 2 – Section C: 1 Feb 1910-27 May 1915

Volume 3 – Section D: 28 May 1915-30 Dec 1920

Section A -
Data recorded includes the Surname, Given name, Date, Country of Origin, Notes & Witnesses, Volume, Page, and Index number [the latter is what is listed in the index volume]

Notes can include information such as whether the document was signed with an ‘X,’ whether it was final papers, length of time in the U.S., date and place of intention papers.

Sections B – D
Includes the information in Section A plus last foreign residence, port of entry, name of ship, birth place, occupation, date of arrival in U.S., and birth date.

Index volume – organized by surname. First names not given. Lists section and page number where surname found.

Records were transcribed (volume 1-3) and then indexed from the originals on file at the Circuit Court of Lake County, Illinois.

The introduction to volume 1 describes the process used and the organization/condition of the original records (terrible). 1916 had no extant records.

Review -

Like many society-produced records, this series provides a valuable tool for accessing the original records. It is easy to use, but it would have been nice if the index included given names.

Other Reviews – None known

Evaluation – Check It Out Continued…

Posted in Naturalization, Research Aid.

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By Sarah – 13 January 2010

The Oxford Guide to Library Research: How to Find Reliable Information Online and Offline. 3rd Ed.

Publication Information -

Mann, Thomas
New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 2005
ISBN: 0-19-518998-1

Availability - 
library - bnw >1500

WWW

  http://books.google.com/books?id=eAaFAPITy_QC&lr (limited preview)

Bookstore

new, used (Amazon Look Inside of 1998 edition)

Summary –
[from back cover of book]

With all of the new developments in information storage and retrieval, researchers today need a clear and comprehensive overview of the full range of their options, both online and offline. In this third edition of The Oxford Guide to Library Research Thomas Mann maps out an array not just of important databases and print sources, but of several specific search techniques that can be applied profitably in any area of research. From academic resources to government documents to manuscripts in archives to business Web sites, Mann shows readers how best to exploit controlled subject headings, explains why browsing library shelves is still important in an online age, demonstrates how citation searching and related record searching produce results far beyond keyword inquiries, and offers practical tips on making personal contacts with knowledgeable people.

Throughout the book Mann enlivens his advice with real-world examples, offering along the way some energetic and reasoned arguments against those theorists who have mistakenly announced the demise of print. The Oxford Guide to Library Research offers a rich, inclusive overview of the information field, one that can save researchers countless hours of frustration in the search for the best sources on their topics.

Contents:
Preface. What research libraries can offer that the Internet cannot (both resources and search techniques) – Trade-offs of what, who, and where restrictions on free access – Hierarchy of levels of learning – Data, information, opinion, knowledge, understanding – Wisdom separate – Implications of format differences – Nine methods of subject searching – Patterns in inefficient searches
1. Initial Overviews: Encyclopedias
2. Subject Headings and the Library Catalog
3. General Browsing, Focused Browsing, and Use of Classified Bookstacks
4. Subject Headings and Indexes to Journal Articles
5. Keyword Searches
6. Citation Searches
7. Related Record Searches
8. Higher-Level Overviews: Review Articles
9. Published Bibliographies
10. Boolean Combinations and Search Limitations
11. Locating Material in Other Libraries
12. People Sources
13. Hidden Treasures
14. Special Subjects and Formats
15. Reference Sources: Searching by Types of Literature

Review –
If Val Greenwood’s “The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy” is the scholar’s guide to genealogy, this is the scholar’s guide to library/internet research, even if it is only half of Greenwood’s page count. This edition of the book has been entirely re-written to reflect use of the internet (the second edition, published in 1998, knew about the internet but really only addressed CD-ROM and mainframe-based computer databases, most of which have been superseded by internet databases which are covered in the third edition). While it may have less use in helping find specific ancestors, it will help greatly in discovering the legal, social, and historical context in which they lived. And, if the person being researched published anything from a book to a legal decision to a magazine article, you can use the techniques and resources described to uncover their body of work. The chapters on library catalogs, subject headings, and browsing can also help you when you’re exploring a large genealogical collection for the first time. I fell in love with this book when I stumbled upon a second edition in the Library of Congress bookstore during my first-ever foray into genealogical research. This third edition has kept true to that feeling.

Other Reviews –
Amazon.com user reviews
The Australian Library Journal 49(2):183. May 2000.
Reference Reviews 20(5):6-8. 2006.

Evaluation - Buy It!! (This should go on every professional genealogist’s bookshelf.)

Posted in Research Aid.

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By Sarah – 11 November 2009

Survey of American Church Records. Volume I (III Edition – Enlarged). Major Denominations before 1880.

Publication Information –

E. Kay Kirkham.
Logan, UT: Everton Publishers. 1971. 

Availability -  library - bnw

>250

WWW not found

Bookstore

 used

 Summary –

Written for genealogists, the stated purpose of this book is to provide a survey of religious records. The author also acknowledges that the book is incomplete since only 28 states are included and not all counties in those states are covered.

 After a brief introduction and general statement, the book provides short summary histories of the ten “major” denominations including bibliographies and mentions of any doctrinal positions that affected record keeping. The ten denominations include: Baptist, Catholic, Church of England (Anglican Church), Congregational, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Moravian, Presbyterian, and Society of Friends (Quaker). Some descriptions include related or derivative denominations. Then follows a state-by-state listing of holdings organized by county and major city. Each state’s entry begins with a brief overview and bibliography. The end of the book includes a glossary and list of abbreviations.

 A second volume covers “minor” denominations, but is not available for review at this time.

Review –

Considering that this edition of the book was compiled at the very beginning of the mainframe library computer catalog era, it represents a remarkable accomplishment. Most of the material for the book was apparently gathered via letter surveys. Still, as with most genealogy references, it continues to provide a valuable clue to where records might be held if you are lucky enough to find your state, county, and denomination of interest included in its entries. One of the most valuable series of resources frequently referenced is the series of church record surveys of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Other frequent references are to major genealogical publications, local/regional historical societies, and denominational archives.

Other Reviews – none known 

Evaluation - Consider Buying It

Posted in History, Record Type, Research Aid.

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By Sarah – 14 October 2009

The Bark Covered House. Or, Back in the Woods Again.

Publication Information -

Nowlin, John. Edited by Quaife, Milo Milton.
Dearborn, MI: Dearborn Historical Commission. 6th Printing – 1992.
[Republication of an 1876 book. Footnotes and index added in 1937.] 

 Availability -
 library - bnwover 300; 
WWW http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html (does not have index or footnotes); 
 Bookstore (new & used)

 

Summary - [from WorldCat, OCLC # 105626091]

“This first-person narrative of a pioneer boyhood is intended as a tribute to the author’s parents, who emigrated to Dearborn, Michigan, from Putnam County, New York in 1834. William Nowlin describes his father’s frustration with subsistence on a small, debt-ridden fruit farm and his mother’s anguish at leaving her friends, church, and relatives. He recounts the family’s adventurous journey on the Erie Canal, the dangers of a public house in Buffalo, the perils of their steamship voyage across Lake Erie during a storm, and the trials of establishing a new home. Wishing to memorialize the challenges of converting wilderness into what he sees as a prosperous and civilized community, Nowlin describes building roads, clearing the land, building a home, fishing and hunting, handling cattle, and warding off mosquitoes, snakes, and wild animals, all in careful detail. He remembers uneasy relations between the white community and Native Americans, and discusses the social, legal, and moral complexities of dealing with the fugitive slaves and free African Americans who flowed back and forth across the Canadian border in search of freedom or job opportunities. Nowlin is conscious of the impact of modern technology, especially the railroads, and discusses both what was raised on the family farm and where and how it was marketed. He describes his father’s long-range strategies to enhance the family’s material welfare, and shows how family members collaborated as an economic unit.”

Review -

The author is a true storyteller. The book is a captivating story that really gives you a feel for what it was like to journey up the Hudson River, across the Erie Canal and Lake Erie, and into the wilderness of Michigan. Among the images that have stayed with me: description of clearing the “road” to get from town to their property, visits by the Indians. The location where the Nowlin’s settled is not far from today’s Henry Ford Museum Greenfield Village – an area of dense suburban life.

Other Reviews – none known

Evaluation - Check it out

Posted in History, Memoirs.

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By Sarah – 28 September 2009

Hello world!

Here’s to yet another blog. I’ve searched the web a couple of times over the last few months and haven’t found a single website or blog that provides reviews of books (or the electronic versions thereof) of interest to genealogists. My long term dream would be to not only post my own reviews, but those of other genealogists, and maybe even one day old reviews from various prestigious publications (e.g. NGSQ, New England Historical and Genealogical Register, etc.) — assuming I can gain permission of course.

Posted in Uncategorized.

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By Sarah – 25 February 2008