{"id":400,"date":"2013-01-23T09:59:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-23T15:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/family-history-through-the-alphabet-books\/"},"modified":"2013-07-18T19:23:58","modified_gmt":"2013-07-19T00:23:58","slug":"family-history-through-the-alphabet-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/family-history-through-the-alphabet-books\/","title":{"rendered":"Family History Through the Alphabet \u2013 Books"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/lh5.ggpht.com\/-uAXSHakV5o0\/UP3X1zqMDtI\/AAAAAAAAHo8\/BpMN02Sld7M\/s1600-h\/Family-History-Through-the-Alphabet5.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Family-History-Through-the-Alphabet\" alt=\"Family-History-Through-the-Alphabet\" src=\"http:\/\/lh5.ggpht.com\/-BZIx0cOzy2s\/UP3X2aN6v-I\/AAAAAAAAHpE\/r91UGWLiZcA\/Family-History-Through-the-Alphabet_.jpg?imgmax=800\" width=\"304\" height=\"200\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>For 26 weeks I will take you on a family history journey through the alphabet, one letter at a time.\u00a0 I have decided that each post will be educational in nature, focusing on topics related to resources, methodology, tools, etc.\u00a0 Although the challenge is complete, there are still some people who are finishing up and Alona, the host, is encouraging others to participate anyway.\u00a0 Additional information on the challenge, can be found at <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gouldgenealogy.com\/2012\/05\/take-the-family-history-through-the-alphabet-challenge\/\"><em>Take the \u2018Family History Through the Alphabet\u2019 Challenge<\/em><\/a><em>.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/lh4.ggpht.com\/-w6vmI1nTRyo\/UP3X2gS8SVI\/AAAAAAAAHpM\/sHxYRb2bz-o\/s1600-h\/b5.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"b\" alt=\"b\" src=\"http:\/\/lh4.ggpht.com\/-P9LxaiVgIEg\/UP3X3iacn5I\/AAAAAAAAHpU\/3BM8_2L7h3c\/b_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800\" width=\"75\" height=\"73\" align=\"right\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a>Books are important in genealogy for several reasons.\u00a0 First, they are a source of education on the subject of genealogy and its many subtopics.\u00a0 Then of course there are the research-related books that include indexes to records, transcripts and abstracts of records, family histories and compiled genealogies, as well as books related to history (e.g., general history about a country, region, state, county, or town; historical events, such as a war; or a time period, such as The Great Depression).\u00a0 In this post, I\u2019ll share a list of genealogy references I recommend, how to find research-related books, and a few other tips along the way.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Genealogist\u2019s Reference Shelf<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The following seven books are must-haves for anyone with an interest in genealogy research.\u00a0 Between these seven books, you will learn tips and techniques for general genealogy research and analysis, how to find and use various record types, and how to deal with documentation, from collecting to abstracting to citations.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/The-BCG-Genealogical-Standards-Manual\/dp\/0916489922\/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y\" target=\"_blank\">BCG Genealogical Standards Manual<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogical.com\/products\/Evidence%20Explained%20Citing%20History%20Sources%20from%20Artifacts%20to%20Cyberspace%20%20Second%20Edition\/3843.html?ref=1923\" target=\"_blank\">Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace, Second Edition<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Genealogical-Proof-Standard-Christine-Rose\/dp\/0929626192\/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1\" target=\"_blank\">Genealogical Proof Standard: Building a Solid Case, 2nd Edition<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogical.com\/products\/Professional%20Genealogy\/3844.html?ref=1923\" target=\"_blank\">Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researcher, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians<\/a> (Don\u2019t be intimidated by the title. This book is for everyone, not just professionals!)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Red-Book-American-Sources-Edition\/dp\/1593311664\/ref=pd_sim_b_1\" target=\"_blank\">Red Book: American State, County &amp; Town Sources, Third Edition<\/a> (This book is available in hardcopy, but is also deconstructed and available through the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/wiki\/index.php?title=Red_Book:_American_State,_County,_and_Town_Sources\" target=\"_blank\">Ancestry.com Wiki<\/a>.)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogical.com\/products\/The%20Researchers%20Guide%20to%20American%20Genealogy\/2362.html?ref=1923\" target=\"_blank\">The Researcher\u2019s Guide to American Genealogy, Third Edition<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogical.com\/products\/The%20Source%20A%20Guidebook%20of%20American%20Genealogy\/8104.html?ref=1923\" target=\"_blank\">The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, Third Edition<\/a> (This book is available in hardcopy, but is also deconstructed and available through the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/wiki\/index.php?title=The_Source:_A_Guidebook_to_American_Genealogy\" target=\"_blank\">Ancestry.com Wiki<\/a>.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The books below are also great references for specific genealogical topics.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Courthouse-Research-Family-Historians-Genealogical\/dp\/0929626168\/ref=pd_sim_b_8\" target=\"_blank\">Courthouse Research for Family Historians: Your Guide to Genealogical Treasures<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Land-Property-Research-United-States\/dp\/159331325X\/ref=tmm_pap_title_0\" target=\"_blank\">Land &amp; Property Research in the United States<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogical.com\/products\/Reading%20Early%20American%20Handwriting\/5513.html?ref=1923\" target=\"_blank\">Reading Early American Handwriting<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Walking-Your-Ancestors-Melinda-Kashuba\/dp\/1558707301\/ref=la_B001K8LXTS_1_1_title_0_main?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1358633523&amp;sr=1-1\" target=\"_blank\">Walking With Your Ancestors: A Genealogists Guide to Using Maps and Geography<\/a> (This book is out-of-print, so you may have to look for it at your local library or purchase a used copy.)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Cemetery-Research-Sharon-DeBartolo-Carmack\/dp\/1558705899\/ref=la_B001JSBCTK_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1358633644&amp;sr=1-2\" target=\"_blank\">Your Guide to Cemetery Research<\/a> (This book is out-of-print, so you may have to look for it at your local library or purchase a used copy.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition to these resources, there are plenty of books available on other topics, including ethnic research (e.g., German, Irish, etc.).<\/p>\n<p>And while books are still a great source of information, many publishers are turning to short reference guides on a specific topic.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ngsgenealogy.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">National Genealogical Society<\/a>\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ngsgenealogy.org\/cs\/research_in_the_states\" target=\"_blank\">Research in the States<\/a><em><\/em> series offers practical advice for researching in a particular state.\u00a0 While not all states are currently available, they have 18 and I believe their plan is to have one for each state.<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Treelines \u201cGetting Started Stories\u201d Contest End Tomorrow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogical.com\/?ref=1923\" target=\"_blank\">Genealogical Publishing Co.<\/a> carries two lines of guides:\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogical.com\/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&amp;search_in_description=1&amp;criteria=Title&amp;keyword=Genealogy+at+a+Glance&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;ref=1923\" target=\"_blank\">Genealogy at a Glance<\/a><em><\/em> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogical.com\/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&amp;search_in_description=1&amp;criteria=Title&amp;keyword=QuickSheet&amp;x=33&amp;y=11&amp;ref=1923\" target=\"_blank\">QuickSheet<\/a><em><\/em>.\u00a0 These guides cover a variety of topics including Italian genealogy, Revolutionary War, African American genealogy, cluster research, and problem analysis.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.legacyfamilytree.com\/?Click=119421\" target=\"_blank\">Legacy Family Tree<\/a> recently came out with their <a href=\"http:\/\/www.legacyfamilytreestore.com\/SearchResults.asp?Cat=71&amp;Click=119421\" target=\"_blank\">Legacy QuickGuideTM<\/a><em><\/em> series, covering many different topics from preserving family heirlooms to Canadian genealogy to land records.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For a listing of some other reference books, check out my Goodreads <a href=\"http:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/review\/list\/8774517?shelf=genealogy-general-reference\" target=\"_blank\">Genealogy General Reference<\/a> list.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Finding Research-Related Books<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are so many books out there that contain transcripts and abstracts of records, as well as indexes to records.\u00a0 Also of use to the genealogist are compiled genealogies and family histories and the various history books as I described above.\u00a0 These books are often hard to find and many times are hidden among genealogy or local history collections in public and society libraries.\u00a0 Fortunately, the internet has made finding these books a little easier.\u00a0 Here are a few ideas to help you find these gems.<\/p>\n<p><strong>WorldCat<\/strong> \u2013 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldcat.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">WorldCat<\/a> is a online catalog of collections from participating libraries.\u00a0 It\u2019s a good place to search for books to see what\u2019s available.\u00a0 Each book listing provides a list of libraries that have that book in their collection.\u00a0 Here\u2019s an example.\u00a0 Let\u2019s say I want to see if there are books that contain cemetery records for Oakland County, Michigan.\u00a0 I used the search string <em>cemetery oakland county michigan<\/em> and found 72 results.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldcat.org\/search?qt=worldcat_org_all&amp;q=cemetery+oakland+county+michigan\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"WC1\" alt=\"WC1\" src=\"http:\/\/lh5.ggpht.com\/-ggb-aw6PtqQ\/UP3X4PqjmNI\/AAAAAAAAHpc\/SiTWE6wTvXc\/WC1%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800\" width=\"504\" height=\"216\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The second entry is for Mt. Hope Cemetery, which is a cemetery of interest.\u00a0 When I look at the listing for the book, I can see what libraries near me have the book.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldcat.org\/title\/mt-hope-cemetery-oakland-county-michigan\/oclc\/17002845&amp;referer=brief_results\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"WC2\" alt=\"WC2\" src=\"http:\/\/lh5.ggpht.com\/-b3HjMfz_7FY\/UP3X4en6FNI\/AAAAAAAAHpk\/iAot3o4-_l0\/WC2%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800\" width=\"505\" height=\"190\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the nearest library is 138 miles away. But if one of these libraries circulates this book, I may be able to get it through inter-library loan at my local library. The listing also tells me the publisher of the book, which happens to be the Pontiac Area Historical and Genealogical Society.\u00a0 I may be able to contact them and see if they have the book available for sale.<\/p>\n<p>If I found a book that had been published prior to 1923, I would try to see if I could find a digitized copy through <a href=\"http:\/\/archive.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Internet Archive<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/books.google.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Google Books<\/a>, or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hathitrust.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">HathiTrust<\/a> (more on these sites in a few moments).\u00a0 Or I might see if I could find a used copy to purchase from websites like <a href=\"http:\/\/amazon.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/ebay.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">eBay<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/half.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Half<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The other nice thing about WorldCat is that you can create an account and save books of interest to your account (you can even create lists to categorize your books, for an example, you can view my profile page <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldcat.org\/profiles\/juliemc77\/lists\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Genealogical and Historical Societies<\/strong> \u2013 Many research-related books, especially the books that are indexes to records or that contain transcripts or abstracts of records, are compiled and published by genealogical and historical societies in the interest of preserving records and history.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s say that I do extensive research across the state of Colorado.\u00a0 I might check out the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cogensoc.us\/\" target=\"_blank\">Colorado Genealogical Society website<\/a> to see what <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cogensoc.us\/cgspublications.html\" target=\"_blank\">publications<\/a> they have that may help me in my research.\u00a0 If I find something of interest, I could do one of a few things:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Purchase the book from the society.<\/li>\n<li>Search WorldCat (discussed above) and see if I can get the book from a nearby library or through inter-library loan.<\/li>\n<li>Search for a used copy to purchase.\u00a0 (Note:\u00a0 While I\u2019m all for supporting genealogical and historical societies by purchasing their books, sometimes I simply cannot afford the price tag.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Don\u2019t forget the check out national, regional, state, county, and town societies to see what books the may have published.\u00a0 If they don\u2019t have a website, call or email them.\u00a0 They should have a listing of publications that are for sale, even if they have to send it to you via snail mail.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Internet Archive, Google Books, and HathiTrust<\/strong> \u2013 These websites contain digitized copies of books that are no longer under copyright.\u00a0 Their scope is very broad, meaning that the digitized books cover more than genealogy and history.\u00a0 While you certainly can find books by using keywords, I find that it\u2019s usually better to have a title to search on.\u00a0 But, absent a specific title and looking for books on the history of Ontario County, New York, I searched on the string <em>ontario county new york history<\/em> on each of the websites.<\/p>\n<p>On <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hathitrust.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">HathiTrust<\/a> I received four results.\u00a0 The first one certainly looks promising.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/catalog.hathitrust.org\/Search\/Home?checkspelling=true&amp;type=all&amp;lookfor=ontario+county+new+york+history&amp;submit=&amp;type=all&amp;sethtftonly=true\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Hathi1\" alt=\"Hathi1\" src=\"http:\/\/lh6.ggpht.com\/-MV5hAmvMhik\/UP3X4_NBo2I\/AAAAAAAAHps\/tSu1x0uJGkk\/Hathi1%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800\" width=\"507\" height=\"351\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>On <a href=\"http:\/\/books.google.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Google Books<\/a>, using the same string <em>ontario county new york history<\/em>, I received 262,000 results, although the first three on the list were very relevant.\u00a0 A modified search string of <em>&#8220;ontario county&#8221; and &#8220;new york&#8221; and history<\/em> narrowed it down to 45,100 results.\u00a0 Like with any Google search, you may need to play around with search terms to narrow the field to the most relevant results.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=ontario+county+new+york+history&amp;btnG=Search+Books&amp;tbm=bks&amp;tbo=1\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"GB1\" alt=\"GB1\" src=\"http:\/\/lh4.ggpht.com\/-UcoCdId0eyY\/UP3X5n6U_pI\/AAAAAAAAHp0\/IPb5XJsq9TE\/GB1%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800\" width=\"507\" height=\"436\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Also, keep in mind that Google Books contains information on non-digitized books in addition to those they have digitized, so it\u2019s also good for finding books on a subject, even if it\u2019s not digitized.\u00a0 And, if you are a Google user, you can create bookshelves and save the books you find.<\/p>\n<p>On <a href=\"http:\/\/archive.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Internet Archive<\/a>, using the original search string of <em>ontario county new york history<\/em>, I received 16 results.\u00a0 All look promising, but there are duplicates (this happens when more than one institution digitizes the same book).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/archive.org\/search.php?query=ontario%20county%20new%20york%20history\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"IA1\" alt=\"IA1\" src=\"http:\/\/lh3.ggpht.com\/-5RdN6jKKb5w\/UP3X6OdluII\/AAAAAAAAHp8\/sjfbn3-T9F8\/IA1%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800\" width=\"502\" height=\"432\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Family History Books<\/strong> \u2013 If I remember correctly, this project used to be hosted through Brigham Young University.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/books.familysearch.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Family History Books<\/a> is now available through <a href=\"https:\/\/familysearch.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">FamilySearch<\/a> and continues to grow by leaps and bounds having now partnered with institutions beyond BYU and the Family History Library.\u00a0 Unlike the three website we just discussed, this website contains digitized books specific to family history.\u00a0 The collection includes compiled genealogies, county and local histories, gazetteers, and even genealogy magazines and how-to books.<\/p>\n<p>Using the same search for books related to the history of Ontario County, New York, I used the same general search string <em>ontario county new york history<\/em> and received 6,705 results.\u00a0 Many of the results seemed irrelevant.\u00a0 So I tried using quotation marks and the word <em>and<\/em> (then the + sign) and while the results narrowed down considerably, there was still a lot of irrelevant results.\u00a0 So I used the search string \u201contario county\u201d and came up with 598 results.\u00a0 This of course broadened it beyond a county history, but the results were at least centered on Ontario County (in and out of New York).\u00a0 The website is in Beta, so maybe there will be some improvements to the search in the future.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/books.familysearch.org\/primo_library\/libweb\/action\/search.do?dscnt=0&amp;scp.scps=scope%3A%28DCMS-FHD%29&amp;frbg=&amp;tab=default_tab&amp;dstmp=1358809394698&amp;srt=rank&amp;ct=search&amp;mode=Basic&amp;dum=true&amp;indx=1&amp;vl%281UIStartWith0%29=contains&amp;vl%28freeText0%29=%22ontario+county%22&amp;fn=search&amp;vid=FHD_PUBLIC\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"FHB1\" alt=\"FHB1\" src=\"http:\/\/lh3.ggpht.com\/-FYoVcQhlWo0\/UP3X66Ze_gI\/AAAAAAAAHqE\/kGqFq8IkKzU\/FHB1%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800\" width=\"501\" height=\"390\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I did try the advanced search once I was able to get an idea of how the subjects were constructed (originally my subject searches were going nowhere).\u00a0 That narrowed down the pool considerably to any subject that contained \u201cNew York, Ontario.\u201d\u00a0 I wish it was set up like the FHL card catalog; I think that would make finding things much easier, but perhaps I just haven\u2019t played around with it enough.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/books.familysearch.org\/primo_library\/libweb\/action\/search.do?dscnt=0&amp;vl%281UI0%29=contains&amp;vl%2852089658UI0%29=lsr12&amp;vl%2852089659UI1%29=any&amp;vl%281UI1%29=contains&amp;scp.scps=scope%3A%28DCMS-FHD%29&amp;vl%2852089158UI3%29=all_items&amp;frbg=&amp;tab=default_tab&amp;dstmp=1358809713206&amp;srt=rank&amp;ct=search&amp;mode=Advanced&amp;dum=true&amp;indx=1&amp;Submit=Search&amp;vl%28freeText0%29=new+york+ontario&amp;vl%28freeText1%29=&amp;fn=search&amp;vid=FHD_PUBLIC&amp;vl%2852089660UI2%29=all_items\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"FHB2\" alt=\"FHB2\" src=\"http:\/\/lh4.ggpht.com\/-gmPVZOEnlIY\/UP3X7VIFfeI\/AAAAAAAAHqM\/A1AGjU6u8MM\/FHB2%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800\" width=\"501\" height=\"389\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Search Engines<\/strong> \u2013 Another way to find book titles is to do an internet search using your favorite search engine.\u00a0 For example, I wanted to see what books exist for the War of 1812.\u00a0 I\u2019m looking for general references to learn more about the war itself, not tied to anything in particular, so I used the search string <em>\u201cwar of 1812\u201d book<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=war+of+1812+book&amp;ie=utf-8&amp;oe=utf-8&amp;aq=t&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;client=firefox-a#hl=en&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;hs=L36&amp;tbo=d&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&amp;sclient=psy-ab&amp;q=%22war+of+1812%22+book&amp;oq=%22war+of+1812%22+book&amp;gs_l=serp.3..0l4.67124.68819.0.69092.2.2.0.0.0.0.83.157.2.2.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.85nIExpB4No&amp;pbx=1&amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&amp;bvm=bv.41248874,d.aWM&amp;fp=b31687ff2a7cb08a&amp;biw=1366&amp;bih=680\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Google\" alt=\"Google\" src=\"http:\/\/lh6.ggpht.com\/-DrjnsHghbrI\/UP3X734t_2I\/AAAAAAAAHqU\/rLft3W1xXwQ\/Google%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800\" width=\"505\" height=\"566\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While my Google search returned books for sale at Amazon and those digitized by Google (or others), there were some interesting search results.\u00a0 One of the first ones was an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=3&amp;cad=rja&amp;ved=0CGwQFjAC&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Farticles.washingtonpost.com%2F2012-03-23%2Fentertainment%2F35446243_1_war-uss-enterprise-british-security&amp;ei=Xsj9UO7aLMaSqgHwlIH4Aw&amp;usg=AFQjCNEjS5qLUQUd0b9BBA24rhVWGnuESA&amp;bvm=bv.41248874,d.aWM\" target=\"_blank\">article in the Washington Post<\/a> that talked about three different books on the subject.\u00a0 I also found a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.warof1812.ca\/1812book.htm\" target=\"_blank\">War of 1812 website<\/a> that had a listing of several books, with links to the Amazon descriptions, as well as reviews.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where to Purchase Books<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Popular books, such as genealogy \u201chow-to\u201d books, can be purchased through many retailers both online and at the brick and mortar stores.\u00a0 My favorites are <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Barnes and Noble<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Treelines \u201cGetting Started Stories\u201d Contest End Tomorrow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogical.com\/?ref=1923\" target=\"_blank\">Genealogical Publishing Co.<\/a> specializes in genealogy and history books.\u00a0 In some cases these books are new or recently published books, while other times they are reprints of those previously-out-of-print books such as compiled genealogies.<\/p>\n<p>For hard-to-find or out-of-print books, used copies may be the only way to go.\u00a0 You can purchased used books through <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ebay.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">eBay<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/half.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Half<\/a>.\u00a0 I like Half because I can set up a wish list and I will be notified by email when a book is posted for sale.\u00a0 I can usually find a good deal this way.\u00a0 With eBay you can save your searches and get notified by email when a new item matching your search becomes available.<\/p>\n<p>And don\u2019t forget the genealogical and historical societies we discussed above!<\/p>\n<p><strong>One Final Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Several months ago, I was introduced to a website called <a href=\"http:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Goodreads<\/a>.\u00a0 It\u2019s similar to a website that I was previously familiar with called <a href=\"http:\/\/www.librarything.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">LibraryThing<\/a>.\u00a0 While I joined LibraryThing, I didn\u2019t really get into it and never invested the time in it.\u00a0 Things may have changed in the last few years since I visited it, so it may be something you\u2019d like to explore.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, I really got into Goodreads.\u00a0 I found it very easy to keep track of my own book inventory, as well as books that I want to read but do not own (for instance I have tags for where I can obtain the book such as Amazon or the library).\u00a0 I also get to keep track of the progress I make on a book I\u2019m reading, as well as provide a rating and a review when I\u2019m finished.\u00a0 Keeping an inventory also helps me to not buy a book I already own (or borrowed from a library and read), which I have done in the past.<\/p>\n<p>But the best thing I\u2019ve found is that I can see what my friends are reading (or want to read).\u00a0 I get to see how they rated a book and what they thought of the book if they provided a review.\u00a0 I\u2019ve discovered several genealogy-related books that I may not have otherwise found, and I can quickly add them to my \u201cWant to Read\u201d list.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m still working on getting my inventory logged.\u00a0 It takes some time, but I do a little bit each day.\u00a0 And I also created tags so I know if I own the hardcopy, the Kindle version, or a PDF (such as those I\u2019ve downloaded from Internet Archive and Google Books).\u00a0 This way I know what I have and more importantly, where it is!<\/p>\n<p>If you are using Goodreads and we are not friends already, feel free to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/user\/show\/8774517-julie\" target=\"_blank\">friend me<\/a>.\u00a0 Same goes for those who decide to start using the site in the future.\u00a0 Earlier in this post I provided a link to my Genealogy General Reference book list; you do not have to be a Goodreads member to view it.\u00a0 You can visit my <a href=\"http:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/user\/show\/8774517-julie\" target=\"_blank\">profile<\/a> and peruse all of my bookshelves, but here are a few links to my genealogy-related shelves in case you\u2019re interested.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/review\/list\/8774517?shelf=genealogy-general-reference\" target=\"_blank\">Genealogy General Reference<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/review\/list\/8774517-julie?format=html&amp;shelf=genalogy-italian\" target=\"_blank\">Genealogy Italian<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/review\/list\/8774517-julie?format=html&amp;shelf=genealogy-german\" target=\"_blank\">Genealogy German<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/review\/list\/8774517-julie?format=html&amp;shelf=genealogy-irish\" target=\"_blank\">Genealogy Irish<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/review\/list\/8774517-julie?format=html&amp;shelf=writing-genealogy\" target=\"_blank\">Writing Genealogy<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/review\/list\/8774517-julie?format=html&amp;shelf=familyhistory-memoir-bio\" target=\"_blank\">Family History-Memoir-Bio<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/review\/list\/8774517-julie?format=html&amp;shelf=historical-fiction\" target=\"_blank\">Historical Fiction<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/review\/list\/8774517-julie?format=html&amp;shelf=historical-nonfiction\" target=\"_blank\">Historical Nonfiction<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I hope you got some good ideas and tips from this blog post.\u00a0 If you have ideas you\u2019d like to share, I&#8217;d love to hear them, so drop me a comment!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For 26 weeks I will take you on a family history journey through the alphabet, one letter at a time.\u00a0 I have decided that each post will be educational in nature, focusing on topics related to resources, methodology, tools, etc.\u00a0 Although the challenge is complete, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[27,25,300],"tags":[350],"class_list":["post-400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-to","category-genblog","category-resources-genblog","tag-family-history-through-the-alphabet","cat-27-id","cat-25-id","cat-300-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3HcLI-6s","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=400"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2864,"href":"https:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400\/revisions\/2864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/genealogy.julietarr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}