Compiled Sources & Where to Find Them

A CHECKLIST OF COMPILED SOURCES & WHERE TO FIND THEM©

By

Phillip Dunn, A.G.®

Introduction

No matter what family history research experience you have in using primary and original records, and regardless of how many years you've been researching your family tree, this important checklist of Compiled Sources will help you conduct more thorough and comprehensive searches for finding compiled, and/or secondary sources on family lines. In most cases, family history seekers are guaranteed a pleasant surprise and will strike ‘gold’ by occasionally discovering already completed research on in-common ancestral family lineages. And because so many of the 'repositories' to such holdings are dynamic in that they are continually adding to their collections, it worthy of our time to return regularly to learn what new additions might turn to 'gold'.

In today’s world, orderly approaches to tracking and searching in all available compiled source databases has become a complex and unwieldy task! After a thorough scouring of home sources, in closets and attics—for family history papers, copies of records, pictures and memorabilia, you are now ready to embark in earnest the next phase of your preliminary searches—for compiled sources, such as published or deposited manuscript sources on families, pedigrees, biographies and autobiographies. If you’ve just barely begun your quest to trace your family tree, first look in attic, basement, and closet shelves and boxes for family home sources that may include—family Bibles, pictures, diaries, journals, copies of vital records and certificates and records, interviews with extended family and close relatives’, searching their home records as well (even old neighbors--if living--can prove very helpful!).

Here’s a list of resources for where to find published and manuscript (compiled) sources on family surnames and lineages: 1. Online family genealogy sites, pedigrees, history sites:

 Google books at http://books.google.com

 World catalog at http://worldcat.org/. In the Subject field enter the surname or “family” like this, "Whitefield family". This searches the catalogs and displays the results from thousands of libraries at once.

 Periodical Source Index (PERSI) at People Search for a family name in over a million article titles in genealogical periodicals. Put the family name in the Surname field and click the Search button. If the Article Results List is too long, redo the search but in the Keyword field add the two-letter postal abbreviation for the state where they lived.

 Internet Archive at http://www.internetarchives.org

 Genforum www.genforum.com – has 170 million names; quarter of million a week

 Ancestry com www.ancestry.com – has largest databases of compiled data on families

 USGenweb.com – numerous aids & databases online by state & county

 Genealogy.com (FamilyFinder) - has enormous database for families

 Roots Surname Lists at http://rsl.rootsweb.ancestry.com/

 MyTrees at Kindredkonnections.com - a fabulous site for surnames

 MyHeritage.com – has over 353 million names worldwide

 GenesReunited.com - largest UK site with over 650 million UK names

 Onegreatfamily.com - has over 130 million names worldwide

 BYU’s Family History Archive at http://www.lib.byu.edu/fhc/index.php has scanned tens of thousands of free, published family histories online

 FamilySearch at www.familysearch.org (follow prompt to catalog; do a “Surname” search. This searches the world’s largest genealogical library for published works for any family surname as a main subject.

 Family History Library “Favorites” links may be viewed at www.fhlfavorites.com – see “England”; “General”; “Book search” or “England”; “General” ;”Genealogy”

 New Eng. Hist. & Gen. Soc http://www.newenglandancestors.org/ -.

 Allen Co. Indiana Public Library at http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/eresources.html

2. Repositories and libraries with online catalogues or at least an online website address and especially of which hold published family genealogies, biographies and other compiled source databases (with one and sometimes more internal or online databases):

a. Aim25 at: www.aim25.ac.uk (100 London archives)

b. Family History Library Catalog (FHLC)

c. National Archives of Canada

d. Dallas TX Public Library

e. Chicago’s Newberry Library - largest collection of published family histories

f. The National Archives (NARA) U.S.

g. The Genealogical Research Library, Toronto, Canada

h. The National Archives - UK

i. Provincial archives (Canada)

j. A2A (Archives to Arch.) at The National Archives, UK

k. The British Library, London

l. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

m. County records offices – have numerous family genealogies and pedigrees – Google for their websites and search

online catalogs or inventories

n. Local Public Libraries—often have published and/or typescript family histories

3. Compiled manuscripts or typescripts, on family histories, genealogies, biographies, and pedigrees in any country around the world, which have been deposited, generally may be located at:

a. State, provincial, local & national archives, i.e. Library of Congress; Provincial archives, National Library, Ottawa

b. Research libraries, i.e. Genealogical Research Library, Toronto, Dallas Public Library or Allen County IN – possess

important genealogical collections

c. Society archives and libraries, i.e.www.newenglandancestors.org/ and the D.A.R. – have significant records including,

biographies, family Bibles, and much more

d. University and college archives - i.e. University of York; BYU - have extensive collections

e. County and state historical societies

f. College of Arms (London), Lord Lyons (King of Arms in Scotland)

g. Large (and even very small) local public libraries have local genealogical holdings