Genealogy Books

For those who are interested in the history of Britain, the Complete Peerage is a necessary reference. Unfortunately, CP does not come up to the present day. Addenda & Corrigenda brings the peer-by-peer history up to the present day, filling in the gaps and allowing a continuity of study of particular families and titles. A bit pricy, it is however a necessary completion for anyone who uses the Complete Peerage.

Now in an updated sixth edition, Address Book For Germanic Genealogy by genealogist Ernest Thode is an in-depth and superbly organized collection of informative and helpful documentation for aspiring genealogists seeking a greater knowledge or understanding of the resources available to them in researching their Germanic ancestry. Covering every imaginable location and available contact with the particular facilities listed, Address Book For Germanic Genealogy is also inclusive of a list of helpful phrases and questions in German for greater ease in accomplishing or pursuing the desired information. Address Book For Germanic Genealogy is among leading resources for assistance in genealogical research with its expansive, exclusive, and informative documentation of everything one might need to trace their Germanic heritage, and is very strongly recommended to everybody seeking a complete genealogical understanding and recording of their Germanic ancestors.

Genealogy is the tracing of family lines and is a popular pastime for millions of Americans. "Adventures In Genealogy" by Patrick G. Wardell offers an informative and entertaining introduction of what it is like to engage in genealogical research, the methods that are employed in such inquiries, practical advice about the resources available, and common problems encountered, and the rewards that can be earned through the discovery process involved in identifying our ancestors and distant relations. Of special note is what genealogist Patrick Wardell has to offer the novice genealogist about nicknames, orphans, censuses, military pension files, cemetery records, and other issues and sources concerning genealogical research. The accessibly written text is replete with a number of facsimile reprints of original documents by way of examples. Especially recommended for beginning genealogical researchers, "Adventures in Genealogy" has much of value for even the more seasoned and experience genealogical research. A great read, "Adventures In Genealogy" should be a part of every personal and community library's Genealogical Studies reference collection and supplemental reading list.

Words cannot even explain how excellent this book is. Quoting right off the bat from Goethe's famed Elective Affinities, page one, this exquisite book flows onward throughout history like a gently French stream, meandering to its delightful conclusion.

Paula K. Byers (editor), African American Genealogical Sourcebook (1995) is an excellent general reference book - but, at $95, also the most expensive. Its strength is that is gathers the expertise of several specialists; each chapter is written by an expert with specialized knowledge of different types of records and historical eras. There are numerous illustrations and examples. The separate contributions are expertly edited and transitioned, so that the book moves smoothly from chapter to chapter. The result is an authoritative book of uniformly high quality from cover to cover.

This was a great workbook for kids to do their family history and to begin recording the present.
Ms. Law sent me a copy to several years ago so I could introduce a multidiscipline unit in a Virginia Middle school. It was a lot of help for them and made them feel very special. As a "white boy" it was a great way to cross racial barriers so that it was about them and their history.
Thanks again Nova, I would love to hear from you again.

Dave Cornelius
Churchland Middle School

the african country who sspeak english in some of these country which had been occupead by english colony

From thousands of court cases in Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk Counties, Massachusetts, dating from 1636 to 1700, Melinde Sanborn has extracted the names of all deponents and witnesses whose ages are given in the court records of those counties. Depositions provided in early court records are among the richest sources of personal information surviving from New England's first century, and Ms. Sanborn argues that "so many people in early New England were deponents for one reason or another that no biography or genealogy can be complete without a search through court records to see if a pertinent deposition exists."

For this early period, the single most useful bit of evidence included in the depositions is the age of the deponent. While most depositions vary in quality from being virtually useless to providing corroboration of marriages, wills, and deeds, ages alone provide incontrovertible value to the genealogist. Sometimes the age of a deponent was very important to a particular case. Men over sixty, for example, were often brought into court to support the claims of the ancient boundaries of litigants' property. Likewise, many older women who were experienced midwives were called upon to offer opinions on the timeliness of a birth in a fornication case.

Also, one of the most common errors in genealogical work is confusing two or more individuals of the same name. If senior or junior or tertius is not used, it is very difficult to assign events to the correct individual. Frequently, fathers and sons with the same given name came to court together, but with stated ages they are easily differentiated. Men with the same name and of the same generation can be another problem, but again a deposition with a specific age given can make all the difference.

With this index--which lists the names and ages of 11,000 deponents, and the year and source of the court records--researchers can quickly determine whether it is worthwhile to track down the original court record.

Goochland County, Virginia, was carved out of Henrico County in 1728 and was the parent, direct or indirect, of the following nine other Virginia counties arranged in order of formation: Albemarle, Cumberland, Chesterfield, Amherst, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Powhatan, Nelson, and Appomattox. The Goochland County marriage register upon which this work is based was originally compiled by the staff of the Virginia State Library from marriage bonds and ministers' returns, with an admixture of marriage references in Deed Books and Order Books for the period concerned.

Mrs. Williams' transcription of the register is a convenient reference tool, referring to some 3,000 brides and grooms and to another 2,000 associated persons (parents, sureties, and witnesses) mentioned in the register. The marriages are arranged alphabetically by the surname of the groom, with the date of the bond, name of the bride, names of parents, witnesses, and sureties, date of the marriage, name of the officiating minister, and page number of the original marriage register. There is a separate index to brides and another to all other persons mentioned in the text, so that, for research purposes, virtually nothing is wanting.

Public record but was easier and quicker to order. Arrived very soon after ordered.