Once upon a time I had a list of published family histories and other books that I wanted to consult. I kept it on my phone. This was three or four phones ago, and when that phone died, the list went with it. I never got around to re-creating the list and I only remember one book and part of one author’s name. So, I’m starting from scratch.
This time, the list will be kept in Evernote (of course). That way I can still access it from my phone, but I can also do data entry from my laptop, and the list is backed up on my computer and in the cloud. I’m not losing it this time.
I started by creating a note with a 5-column table, to track the information I will want to know for each book.
- Title
- Author
- Surnames
- Is this book at a nearby library?
- If not, which major genealogy libraries have it, and can it be borrowed via inter-library loan?
Next, I started searching through my database notes for references to books. This is when having my records online is really helpful, because I can harness the power of Google site search. I found about eight books to add to my list.
Then, I moved on to the Family History Library catalog. Rather than randomly searching for surnames, I decided to use Place-Search and look for histories, biographies, and genealogies associated with the places where my ancestors tended to congregate. Once I identified a book, I looked in WorldCat and nearby library catalogs to see if the book could be found closer to home.
Here’s the list as it stands right. I still have a lot of work to do in searching the library catalogs, but this is a good start. Now I can add books on the fly as I discover references in other research. I’m also prepared to make a quick library stop if I happen to be in the vicinity and if, and when, I make a trip to Allen County or Salt Lake City, I’ve already started my research plan.
| Title | Author | Surnames | At a nearby library? | Or at a major library? | ||
| Echoes in the mist : the Burgin family, 1677-1989 | Peggy Silvers | Burgin | No, checked WorldCat, PINES, & Chattanooga | ACPL FHL |
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| Winston of Virginia and Allied Families | Clayton Torrence | Quarles | Chattanooga | |||
| Frederick County Land Records, Liber F Abstracts 1756-1761 | Anderson, Patricia Abelard | Hinton |
Chattanooga
|
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| Three Quarles brothers |
|
Quarles |
No, checked WorldCat, PINES, & Chattanooga
|
FHL | ||
| Whites among the Cherokees : Georgia 1828-1838 (this may not be the correct book – my notes say the book is called Whites among the Indians) |
|
Ellis | Dalton | |||
| The Brookshire family |
|
Brookshire | Chattanooga | |||
| The shoe cobbler’s kin : genealogy of the Peter (Ecker) Eaker, Sr. family, vol. 2 |
|
Mull | LaFayette (also may be at Chattanooga; they don’t specify which volume) | |||
| German-speaking people west of the Catawba River in North Carolina, 1750-1800 : and some émigrés’ participation in the early settlement of southeast Missouri |
Lorena Shell Eaker
|
Lincoln County, so look for Whitener, Wilfong, Mull, etc. | Chattanooga | |||
| Murray County, Georgia, history & biographies | George White | FHL | ||||
| Old Burke County relatives : Margaret Erwin McDowell and James Thomas Walton and their Avery, Davidson, Erwin, McDowell, McEntire, Murphy, Patton and Walton families | Margaret Bickel Adams | McEntire, Patton | FHL ACPL |
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| The heritage of Burke County | Burke County Historical Society | Chattanooga | ||||
| The Heritage of Burke County. Volume II, 2001 |
Burke County Historical Society
|
Chattanooga
|
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| Burke : the history of a North Carolina county, 1777-1920, with a glimpse beyond | Edward William Phifer | Calhoun Chattanooga |
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| Gilmer County, Georgia history & biographies | George White | FHL | ||||
| The heritage of Gilmer County, Georgia, 1832-1996 | not listed on PINES, but pretty sure Dalton and maybe Chatsworth have it | |||||
| The Heritage of Blount County, Alabama | Blount County Heritage Book Committee | look for Butler, Sullins | Chattanooga | |||
| The history of Bartow County : formerly Cass | Lucy Josephine Cunyus | look for Butler, Sullins | Dalton | |||
| Bartow County, Georgia heritage book | Bartow County Genealogical Society | look for Butler, Sullins | Calhoun Chattanooga |
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Love the idea! Thanks so much for sharing it.
You’re welcome! I was amazed at how much I found and I only scratched the surface.
Can you email me what you have on the Brookshire Family? I am doing my family tree and need some assistance.
Thanks
D. L. Brookshire
Hi Doyle, I have quite a lot of information on the Brookshires – too much to email. All of my information is here on the website. Click on the Family Tree tab. You’ll see Brookshire as one of the Top 30 surnames. Click on the Brookshire link and you’ll see all the non-living people with that surname. Then just click through the links to see what I have on each person.
I’ll be glad to answer specific questions, if I can. Good luck in your research!