Making a Research List of Published Family Histories

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.

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