Compiled Sources & Where to Find Them

Introduction

Regardless of your experience as a family history researcher in using primary and original records, and no matter how many years of experience in researching family trees, this important checklist of Compiled Sources will help you more comprehensively search for data already constructed on your family lines. Family history seekers are guaranteed a pleasant surprise as they strike ‘gold’ by discovering already completed research on at least one or some in-common ancestral family lineages. This list helps you to more meticulously search in secondary or what genealogists call compiled sources. It’s to help you identify, then search as many of today’s offerings for completed family genealogical (research) work which in today’s world has become a quantumly more complex and unwieldy task than ever, from library and archival catalogs and published inventories of collections, to online databases, family websites and surname-specialty sources! So, how does one keep current on all the repositories, web sites, and other places holding "compiled (or survey) sources" in order to implement this fundamental step in the research process?

The ‘lists’ of compiled sources in this article are a great start. Collectively, these literally represent family history 'silos' containing billions of ancestral names with already compiled data about them! The searches in these sources should be performed before you begin actual genealogical researching in original record sources.

The Preliminary Search Standard

Your search in "compiled sources" should include four fundamental steps:

1. Preliminary search in home sources
2. Preliminary search for compiled genealogies, biography, local history
3. Search in compiled indexes sources (and then in the original record) in the host country of settlement
4. Search in compiled indexes sources (and then in the original record) in the country of origin (works as a first-step IF surname is not too common)

Step 1. Preliminary search in home sources

Thoroughly scour all home sources (including family history papers, copies of records, pictures, old letters (i.e. with an old address), family Bibles, journals/dairies, copies of vital record certificates and church records, memorabilia, interviews with extended family and close relatives’--and ensure the searching their home premises for family records, as well as interviewing old neighbors--all of which may prove very helpful! If we do not seek these and scan all to ascertain important details about our immigrant ancestors, we cannot honestly say that our (preliminary) search is completed.

Step 2. Preliminary search for compiled genealogies, biography, local history

The preliminary search continues by requiring you to initiate the next vital step—the standard procedure—of seeking for and searching compiled sources. Such compiled sources to search for includes published or manuscript sources on families found in libraries and archives; pedigrees, biographies, autobiographies, town and local histories, and online family genealogies. To some, this is the ‘ugly duckling’ aspect of the research process but nevertheless, a vital phase of doing standard (proper) due diligence.

Like in the field of science, a post-graduate who seeks an advanced degree, or the research scientist seeking a government-sponsored grant to fund a campaign of forensic or frontier research, the proper preliminary search-protocol requires diligent and broad-spectrum searches for, and in, compiled sources to determine what’s already researched and thus far discovered in the chosen area of scientific research.

Every family history researcher—beginner or scientific—must do the same, diligently! In seeking to locate compiled sources on your family lines, it pinpoints on a ‘map’ more precisely where you’ve ‘arrived’, in your research. If you don't learn what’s already “known” or a given, about your family, how will you know where you want to go if you don’t know the current point to where you’ve progressed in your family’s historical research? If your preliminary searches stop  with closet, attic, or basement-shelf and box searches in family and home sources, then you are in danger of ignoring a whole world of additional compiled sources beckoning you to discover them. Do not restrict nor limit your chances to discover ancestry [as] compiled by competent researchers who have made a galant effort to research ancestral connections and genealogies in a comprehensive and thorough manner! To smugly fold the arms, cock the head back and think, ‘That’s all I need to know; now let’s start researching in original and primary record sources’—is naïve at least and, at worst it short-circuits the comprehensive research process (which includes a thorough investigation into obtaining all available compiled sources)!

This heavily ignored ‘Second step’ is still a viable vital step in the research process and is to be a part of the search strategy. Every researcher should employ the step to seek out and search for outside (home/family) "compiled sources" by the (especially) genuinely competent researcher[s], who've made their "findings" public. Regrettably, it is the most overlooked part of the research process, and is routinely discarded and usually is not considered standard procedure. Millions worldwide currently seek their ancestry; most of them have made some or all of their findings accessible in some form or manner. Why not expend the effort to seek and obtain these “findings”? Conversely, why would any "researcher"  turn the nose up at someone else's documented compilations who clearly have lavished  an intense passion, thousands of hours of research work, and if not, sacrificed thousands of dollars to appropriately document their genealogy! For those who may argue that the compilations of others aren't worth the time spent to "find" them, due to "mistakes" or fuzzy data and/or conclusions, we should ask: Why would any true genealogist or passionate family history buff discard this standard of seeking and searching in compiled sources outside the home, by narrowly considering that no one else is “qualified” to research? For every thousand family history compilers who may generate fuzzy genealogical ‘data’, there are many very competent researchers and writers who have credibly researched and written a well-polished, or professional-level family history compilation. It is especially for these latter "credible" compilations of competent researchers of which make it worthy of our time spent to seek-out,  review and assimilate their data.

So, here’s the ‘Second step’ every researcher should employ in the research process—but it is also the most overlooked part of the research process and not always considered standard procedure.

Find and Search “Compiled Sources”: A  List

Here’s a great place to start for a "list" of resources of where to begin to find online, or published and manuscript (compiled) sources on family surnames and lineages:

Online family genealogy sites, pedigrees, family history, etc. sites:

 World catalog at http://worldcat.org/. In the 'Subject field enter the surname and “family” like this, Prescott Family. This searches the catalogs and displays the results from thousands of especially U.S. libraries at once.

 Periodical Source Index (PERSI) at http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/hqoweb/library/do/persi/search/people People Search] allows searches for a family name in over a million article titles in genealogical periodicals. 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.

 Google books at http://books.google.com - type in the surname and another key word such as the locality, i.e. town, or county or state/province

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

 FamilySearch at www.familysearch.org (follow prompt to the Family History Library Catalog; do a “Surname” search. This searches the world’s largest genealogical library for i.e. published works for any family surname as a main subject).

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

 Ancestry.com – has about the largest database listings of compiled data on families

 USGenweb.org or Canadagenweb.org or BritishIslesgenweb.org–numerous aids & databases online by state & county

 Genealogy.com (FamilyFinder) - has enormous databases (300m entries) for families

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

 MyTrees at www.Kindredkonnections.com - a fabulous site for surnames

 www.MyHeritage.com  – has over 353 million names worldwide

 www.GenesReunited.com - the largest UK site with over 650 million UK names

 www.Onegreatfamily.com  - has over 130 million names worldwide

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

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

 Guild of One Name Studies or www.one-name.org. – with nearly 8,000 UK surnames registered

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

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

 Google on 1) family “surname”, 2) “family history” or “genealogy” and 3) “town” or “city” name

 Ancestor Hunt at www.ancestorhunt.com has numerous databases and links to databases for those seeking compiled data on families; a great website

 Daughters of The American Revolution (DAR) has one of the most exhaustive listings for family Bibles available (online) anywhere; visit periodically for new listings; at http://www.dar.org/library/online_research.cfm  

 Roots UK at www.rootsuk.org  has census and family links

 World Vital Records at www.worldvitalrecords.com with over a billion record entries

 Distant Cousin at www.distantcousin.com  has a considerable database of linked families

 Family History Library Favorites at www.fhlfavorites.info; search name of British country, then “General” then under “Genealogy” and “Biography” etc.

 Ancestral Findings at www.ancestralfindings.com  has several offerings worth searching

 Foot Note at www.footnote.com works with government agencies and may provide considerable amounts of data on families

 Heritage Quest at http://www.heritagequestonline.com/hqoweb/library/do/index; great and extensive listing of online resources for genealogists

 Gen Serve at http://www.genserv.com/ is a large gateway website with 1000’s of website links to it

 Rootsweb.com at www.rootsweb.com is a well known site providing a search of nearly 300 million names with already completed data

Repositories and libraries

Search those libraries and prepositoriesholding the largest collections of compiled sources with online catalogs. Many of them especially hold published or manuscript family histories, genealogies, biographies and other compiled family and local histories (and many of which may have one and often more—internal alpha-arranged listing or index or related database[s]). If an publication is found, often you can order it through the Inter-Library Loan Service.

Here’s a list of actual repositories and libraries possessing the best collections for genealogists--including the above sources as well as town and local histories, biographies, newspaper gleanings, and more:

 Family History Library (FHL) – collections

 National Archives of Canada – large collections of original record sources

 New England Historical & Genealogical Society – magnificent collections

 Dallas TX Public Library

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

 The National Archives (NARA) U.S. – enormous national records collections

 The Genealogical Research Library, Toronto, Canada – significant Canadian

 The National Archives - UK

 Provincial archives (Canada)

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

 The British Library, London

 Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

 County records offices – have numerous family genealogies and pedigrees – Google for their websites and search online catalogs or inventories

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

 Aim25 at: www.aim25.ac.uk  (100 archives within 25 miles of London)

 Public Libraries in UK (may hold some local family histories, genealogies, biographies)

General List of Repositories, Archives, Libraries and Societies

Compiled sources manuscripts or typescripts on family histories, genealogies, biographies, and pedigrees tend to find their way into any country around the world, which have been deposited, generally may be located at:

 State, provincial archives

 County or local Archives

 National Archives, i.e. U.S. National Archives, of Canada and The National Archives, UK

 Library of Congress; and the UK equivalent--British Library, London

 Research libraries, i.e. Genealogical Research Library, Toronto, Dallas Public Library or Allen County IN – have important genealogical collections

 State or county or regional historical societies have libraries or reading rooms, i.e.www.newenglandancestors.org/ and the D.A.R.–have significant records including, biographies, family Bibles, and much more

 University and college archives - i.e. University of York; BYU Lee Library-- with extensive and significant collections

 County or township genealogical societies

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

 Large to very small local public libraries often have rich local genealogical holdings

Step 3: Search compiled sources or indexes in the host country of settlement

Top indexes to original record sources to search can be found in the following record sources (clue: first search for "indexes" to each record-type; i.e. just about all 50 states and most Canadian Provinces now have some indexes available online. And nearly all have at least manuscript indexes to most of the following record-types!):

 vital (esp. death & marriage certificates; sometimes birth; i.e. see wiki.familysearch.org or fhlfavorites.org --see US/Can/ UK , etc.)

 church (see fhlfavorites, familysearch.org--search IGI and/or its FHLC [online catalog]

 obituaries (see fhlfavorites under i.e. USA)

 passenger lists (10% or less give specific birthplace; ancestry.com has largest database of immigrants)

 census (FindMyPast.com, Ancestry.com)

Other "indexed" original records may include:

 naturalization (FHLC, Naturalization Indexes--USA

 tombstones

 local (county & county) histories

 military

 deeds

 

Step 4: Search in indexes (and in the original record) sources in the country of origin

After tracing for and obtaining the specific place of origin, researchers can then access the following indexed sources to England's major genealogical records and with confidence, identify the name[s] of ancestors to find them in these sources:

 civil Registration

 city/county directories 

 church records

 newspapers

 census

 wills

 military

 church records

 marriage indexes 

 society: member interests

 county surname collections