Chapter 11:Compiled Sources

and Newspapers

The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy by Val D. GreenwoodPresented by Serena Snowfield

Types of Compiled Sources• Family histories and genealogies• Local histories• Compiled lists (dictionaries,

directories, etc.)• Biographical works• Genealogical and historical

periodicals• Compendium genealogies• Special manuscript collections

Family Histories & Genealogies

• Bring together valuable data from many different sources.

• Need to verify stated “facts” with primary sources.

• Even inferior works might have helpful clues.

Family Histories & GenealogiesKaminkow, Marion J., Genealogies in the Library of Congress: A Bibliography With Supplements and the Complement to Genealogies in the Library of Congress (Genealogical Publishing Co., 2001).Also available as a Google eBook

Library of Congress Local History & Genealogy Reading Room: The Collectionshttp://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/lhgcoll.html

Local Histories

• Include town, county, and regional histories.

• Important feature: the biographical section (also called “mug books”).

• Can’t find your ancestor? You might find an in-law or descendant instead.

• Contain useful information about an area’s history.

Local Histories

“No genealogist knows all he should about research in any given area until he knows something of that area’s history.”

Greenwood, p. 187

Local Histories

Filby, P. William, A Bibliography of American County Histories (Genealogical Publishing Co., 1985)Also available as a Google eBook.

Library of Congress: Resources for Local History and Genealogy by State http://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/bib_guid/states/states_intro.html

Online County Histories, Biographies & Indexes http://www.genealogybranches.com/countyhistories.html

Compiled Lists

• Types include dictionaries, directories, lists, registers, etc.

• Compiled from several (usually original) sources.

• Considered reliable, though not always complete.

Biographical Works

• Found in almost every library.• Usually deal with people who

achieved some degree of prominence.

• Don’t pass up because your ancestors were “common folks.”

• Most of the data are provided by the subjects themselves and are reliable.

Biographical Works

Slocum, Robert B., Biographical dictionaries and related works: an international bibliography of collective biographies, bio-bibliographies, collections of epitaphs (Detroit : Gale Research Co., 1967, with supplements, and vol. 2, 1986).

Genealogical & Historical Periodicals• Range from scholarly journals to

low-budget family publications.• Many are published on a restricted

basis.• Don’t overlook “general circulation”

magazines that are not genealogical in nature.

Genealogical & Historical Periodicals

PERiodical Source Index (PERSI)Available online at Ancestry.com ($) and Heritage Quest; hard copies in some libraries.

Library of Congress – Genealogical Periodicals: A Guide for Research : Periodical Indexeshttp://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/bib_guid/genperioperi.html

Jacobus, Donald Lines, Index to Genealogical Periodicals Genealogical Publishing Co., 2010 – reprint 3 vols

Genealogical & Historical Periodicals

Genealogical Periodical Annual Index (GPAI) – published annually since 1962. Many volumes available for purchase on CD at HeritageBooks.com.

Compendium Genealogies

• Usually comprehensive treatises with abstracts of information.

• Notoriously inaccurate; data usually not from original sources.

“…to compress the lineages contained in thousands of individual family genealogies into a single volume.”

Greenwood, p. 196

Special Manuscript Collections• Unpublished materials found in

libraries, historical societies, and archives.

• Often difficult to locate.• Some are microfilmed.• Search the NUCMC under

“genealogy,” as well as surnames of interest, localities, lawyer’s papers (esp. in “burned” counties), military commanding officers’ papers.

Special Manuscript CollectionsLibrary of Congress: National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC)http://www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc

NUCMC List of Participating Repositories: Fiscal Years 1959-present (replaces the geographical guide)http://www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc/repositorieslist.html

DAR Library: Special Collectionshttp://www.dar.org/library/speccol.cfm

Newspapers

• Useful source from the geographical area where your ancestor lived.

• Did not always report “the facts,” especially older newspapers.

• Details are sometimes sketchy.• Current newspapers are helpful for

finding living relatives in locations where your ancestors lived.

Newspapers

Types of information to look for:– Obituaries– Birth announcements– Marriage/engagement announcements– Legal/probate notices– Notes of thanks– “Who is visiting” notices– Other news items

Newspapers

Brigham, Clarence Saunders, History and bibliography of American newspapers, 1690-1820 : including additions and corrections, 1961 (Archon Books, 1962)

Rowell's & Ayer's American Newspaper Directory PDF'shttp://www.loc.gov/rr/news/news_research_tools/ayersdirectory.html

Googlehttp://www.google.com

Newspapers

Chronicling America (26 states)http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov

Online Historical Newspapers (by Miriam J. Robbins)https://sites.google.com/site/onlinenewspapersite

ProQuest (connect through some libraries)http://www.proquest.com/en-US

GenealogyBankhttp://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk

NewspaperArchive (free for SCGS members)http://www.newspaperarchive.com

Limitations of Compiled Sources• Accessibility and availability –

limited publication and lack of indexes make items difficult to find.

• Reliability – scientific research methods seldom used; clerical errors in copied materials.

• Completeness – Compiled without thorough research.

• Documentation – Sources missing or from other compiled sources.

Additional Resources

FamilySearch Wiki: A Checklist of Compiled Sources & Where to Find Themhttps://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/A_Checklist_of_Compiled_Sources_%26_Where_to_Find_Them

Library of Congress: Local History & Genealogy Reading Room http://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/

WorldCat: The world’s largest network of library content and services http://www.worldcat.org

Additional Resources

FamilySearch: Family History Archiveshttp://lib.byu.edu/fhc/index.php

Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center Cataloghttp://smartcat.acpl.lib.in.us/?skin=genealogy

NGS Book Loan Collection at the St. Louis County Libraryhttp://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/library_book_loan_collection

Additional Resources

Meyerink, Kory L., Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records (Ancestry Publishing, 1998).

Pfeiffer, Laura Szucs, Hidden Sources: Family History in Unlikely Places (Ancestry Publishing, 2000).

Google Bookshttp://books.google.com/books