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, basements and attics—for family history memorabilia, copies of records, pictures, etc., you are now ready to embark in the next phase of your preliminary searches—for compiled sources. Compiled sources include published or deposited manuscript sources on families, pedigrees, biographies/autobiographies and local histories.

Compiled Sources

Compiled sources include the following two groups of preliminary sources to seek after, first:

Home Sources

If you’ve just barely begun your quest to trace your family tree, the first step is to 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, old letters, even interviews with extended family and close relatives’, searching their home records as well (old neighbors--if living--as well may prove very helpful!).

Compiled Sources

The second group of compiled sources is also your second step for searching preliminary sources. Always seek to search those places, websites, repositories, libraries and societies holding published and/or manuscript copies of family information. Such compilations can and often do exist. The quality and/or professionalism in the already concluded research may vary from a scant skeletal view riddled with mistakes to a poorly researched and supposed historical treatise with enormous errors, false or incorrectly drawn research conclusions, to the opposite end of the spectrum--a comprehensive genealogical and historical view of a family surname--all immaculately completed, very thoroughly and scientifically (professionally) researched, with a well written, and polished publication to show for it. Such compiled sources may be as complete as it possibly could be, as if you had researched and produced it yourself! These compiled sources can provide family genealogies, pedigrees, individuals' biographies or autobiographies, or local and community histories.

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 <a href="http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/hqoweb/library/do/persi/search/people">People Search</a> 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.

 <a href="http://www.internetarchives.org ">Internet Archive</a> - online archives for thousands of book scans i.e. family histories

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

 [www.ancestry.co. Ancestrycom] – has significant databases of compiled data on families

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

 [www.Genealogy.com GenealogyCom] (FamilyFinder) - has enormous database for families

 [Roots Surname Lists</a> 

 [[1] MyTrees at Kindredkonnections] - a useful site containing surname compilations 

 [www.MyHeritage.com MyHeritage] – has over 353 million names worldwide

 GenesReunited - the largest UK site with over 650 million UK names  

 [ OneGreatFamily - has over 130 million names worldwide

 BYU’s Family History Archive - has scanned tens of thousands of free, published family histories online

 [www.familysearch.org FamilySearch] (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.

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

 [http://www.newenglandancestors.org/ New England Historical &Genealogical Society

 Allen Co. Indiana Public Library

2. Repositories and libraries with online catalogues:

Online repository and library catalogues reveal their local and family histories collections and holdings so that you will know whether you can find and access completed (already compiled) data on a possible published family genealogy, biography and other compiled sources. Occasionally, holdings may include transcription, indexes and/or databases (with access to one and sometimes more in-house or even online databases). See below the list indicating the general types or kinds of institutions where compiled collections reside, worldwide and make it a habit to periodically check and re-check to determine new acquisitions of family surname compiled sources in their respective collections:

   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. Types of Institutions That Generally Provide "Compiled Sources" Worldwide:

Compiled manuscripts or typescripts, on family histories, genealogies, biographies, and pedigrees in any country around the world, generally have been deposited or 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

National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C.