The Five Books Every (Mildly Serious) Genealogist Should Own

     When we first start researching our family history, we usually go into it blindly, counting on Ancestry hints and our stories to help us build a tree; this is exactly how I started doing my own family history. But in every mildly serious genealogists experience, there comes a time when trusting those hints evolves our tree into a tangled mess, when we realize so much of the information contradicts itself or is just plain not logical. I realized this when Ancestry hints led me to a child who was supposedly born to an eight year old mother- possible, yes, but very highly unlikely. That's when we start trying to learn more about how genealogy works, and what we can do to improve the accuracy of our information. 

    When we start this process, inevitably we reach for books. In this post,  I present five books that every mildly serious genealogist in the US needs to have available to them at a moment's notice. These are the books that I use nearly every day in my own research work; this is not an inclusive list by any means! There are a number of books that I highly recommend that genealogists own, but these are the five books that help build a solid foundation for research, research that is accurate and reliable, and most importantly of use to current and future researchers.

1. Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills. This book is the gold standard in genealogy citation building. Almost every genealogist or family historian on the planet has stared at a claim on Ancestry or FamilySearch in frustration and screamed, "But how do you know that?!" The basis for any good research, in any field, is providing sources for your evidence, and this book will help you do that. This book will teach you how to cite your evidence correctly, so that other researchers (and you!) can go back and see exactly what sources you used to draw a conclusion. This book will help you cite your information accurately and clearly. If you can only afford one book for your research, make it this one.

   

 2. Genealogical Proof Standard by Christine Rose. This book is simply the best for understanding how to make sense of the information that we have, and often times conflicting information, and how to prove your case. The subtitle of the book is "Building a Solid Case," and that's exactly what Rose helps you do. This book explains how to critically evaluate information, how to handle anecdotal information, and how to resolve conflicting information.

    3. The Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Ed. Alice Eichhholz. How do you know when your state or county began to register vital records? What libraries and collections are available to you? What historical and genealogical societies are in your area of research? This book will tell you all these things, and so, so much more. This book breaks down what records are available on a county to county basis, where you can go to get them, and where you can write or call for help with your research. Organized by state, this book will tell you exactly what you need to know to obtain records and contact local research organizations. There are also sections for special categories of research, such as African-American records and territorial records. This book is an absolute treasure trove of information vital to every genealogist and family historian!

    4. The Census Book: Facts, Schedules and Worksheets for the US Federal Censuses, by William Dollarhide. Since so much genealogical research hangs on information derived from the census, this book is a valuable research tool. I use this book frequently, and find it an invaluable resource for census research. Dollarhide has provided a thorough overview of the US Federal Census, including a year by year explanation of census categories, what information is provided to us on the census, and how to interpret that evidence, even conflicting information. He also delves into the Census Special Schedules, including the US Indian Schedules, and the Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Schedules. He even provides a section for the 1890 Veterans Schedule, which is our only surviving portion of the 1890 Federal Census. If you frequently depend on the census, this is the book for you.

    5.Land and Property Research in the United States, by E. Wade Hone. This is one book I waffled on including, not because it's not an extremely valuable source, but because it's perhaps a little specific. In the end I included this book because so many researchers miss the wealth of information that land and property records contain, because they don't understand how to use these sources. Land and property records, including tax records, are so incredibly helpful, and so neglected by researchers, including myself. This book eased the way for me to get into property research, and is a pretty comprehensive survey (hah!) of the types of records available, even getting into land and territory held by the British, French, Mexico, and Spanish in the US. Hone's book also includes Land Office maps for each state, which is an amazingly helpful source, especially for people researching westward bound and homesteading ancestors.

 

    This is not a comprehensive guide to genealogy books, by any means! An exhaustive list would be very, very long indeed. As you may have noticed, there are no books on genetic genealogy here, nor are there books on several other topics: records outside of the US, military records, naturalization and immigration, or church and privately held records. Rather, I intended to give a few of the most important books that a genealogist can branch out into once they begin to get slightly more serious about their trees. At some stage, I do intend to write a post about books that are helpful and important for the absolute novice. 

    

    As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on the above books, and what books you consider helpful for research. I would really like to hear what books have been especially helpful to you.