Ancestry Magazine

The Oxford Atlas of World History: Concise Edition
By Patrick K. O’Brien, General Editor. Oxford University Press, 2002. Hardcover. $45 plus s/h. Order at www.oup-usa.org/atlas.

The Oxford Atlas won’t reveal an ancestor, but it is sure to expose the times in which your ancestors lived. Not only is this atlas new, it’s also ambitious. It includes some 12,000 years of history, 450 full-color maps, a nd more than 200 illustrations and tables.

There is a decidedly contemporary look and feel to this work, which is particularly evident in its treatment of groups that received little or no attention in most earlier atlases. For example, the section on the Westward Expansion of the United States 1783—1910, summarizes the land acquisitions that expanded the American frontier at an amazing rate. It also explores the resulting displacement of Native Americans, and includes a map of their westward migration. Slave economies of the Western Hemisphere 1500—1880, gives numbers for the slave population and portrays the economies their work supported. One major section is titled The Age of Revolutions. Through text, maps, illustrations, and tables, we learn on a broad scale the succession of political and industrial turmoil between 1770 and 1914 that stimulated the emigration of many of our ancestors. Examining world events may not help us discover an ancestor, but it can motivate us into making an educated foray into more detailed accounts.

The Genealogist’s Question & Answer Book
By Marcia Yannizze Melnyk. Betterway Books, 2002. Softcover. $18.99 plus s/h. Order at www.familytreemagazine.com.

This book could just as well be titled, “The Stories Behind the Stories.” Each chapter in The Genealogist’s Question & Answer Book examines a topic that is fundamental to genealogy, such as oral history and home sources, vital and church records, censuses, immigration and naturalization records, even cemetery and funeral home records.

The stories unfold through a series of questions that might be posed by experienced researchers as well as beginners. Most chapters begin with commonplace and relatively simple questions, but soon the inquiries become a bit more challenging: “Why are some of the earliest [census] lists sometimes in alphabetical order and sometimes not?” “What is included in the DAR burial r ecords for Revolutionary War soldiers?” “Why have so few land records been lost over the years compared to other record types?” The answers are sound and informative, and will interest even the most detail-minded reader. But even after learning all the stories behind the answers, you’ll want to review the final chapter on terminology for the rest of the story.

Family Associations: Organization and Management
3rd edition, revised. By Christine Rose. Rose Family Association, 2001. Softcover. $14.95 plus s/h. Order from publisher, 1474 Montelegre Drive, San Jose, CA 92120-4831.

It is estimated that there are between 1,000 and 2,000 family associations, which represent a variety of focuses and eligibility requirements. Some exist for descendants of a surname in the United States or internationally. Others seek members who descend from a particular immigrant or perhaps immigrant brothers. Several welcome only descendants of a particular couple. This latter category includes small family groups who gather for reunions but do not have officers, bylaws, or publications.

The compiler of Family Associations: Organization and Management believes that the organizations that survive and thrive provide services to their members: a publication, research help, regular gatherings, and other benefits. Using this theme, these pages offer advice on forming an organization, cutting costs, raising funds, publishing, holding reunions, and using the Internet. Real-life examples share space with illustrations of the essential communications, e.g., fliers, renewal reminders, brochures, and press releases. A set of sample bylaws enhances the practical and instructional text. The sum total is a readable and workable blueprint to a successful family association.

New York State Towns, Villages, and Cities: A Guide to Genealogical Sources
By Gordon L. Remington. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2002. 70 pages. Softcover. $17.95 plus s/h. Order at www.NewEnglandAncestors.org.

If you seek New York ancestors, you have probably been frustrated by the lack of pre-1880 vital records. For you and for those just beginning New York research, this book should present other record opportunities. Tables give town, village, and city essentials; the county; the date of organization or incorporation; and a reference to a published history of the place, if one exists. Also noted are any transcribed church or cemetery records for the location and repository in which they may be found. A special category follows: “Town Clerk’s Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War.”

Although they do not survive for every town, the information in these underused records could be priceless, perhaps resulting in the full date and place of birth and parents’ names (including mother’s maiden name) of your ancestor.

Once your research discloses the New York residence of an ancestor, check this book. Begin by reading the introduction to glean everything possible from the table entries. Then consult the table summary for your locale. You’ll quickly be placed on the trail of potential information with the prospect of finally finding that “vital” New York evidence.

Free Blacks and Mulattos in South Carolina 1850 Census
Abstracted by Margaret Peckham Motes. Clearfield Company, 2000. Softcover. $25 plus s/h. Order at www.genealogical.com.

Twenty-nine counties comprised South Carolina in 1850 and within each county resided free blacks and mulattos. Their names, ages, gender, color, and state or country of birth were listed in the U.S. Federal Population Census of 1850, along with the occupation of any who were employed. The complete census entries for those noted as B (black) or M (mulatto) have been abstracted and are arranged alphabetically by name in Free Blacks and Mulattos in South Carolina 1850 Census.

The book references the count y of enumeration and identifies the head of household. This information, plus the dwelling number and family number, makes it easy to find the original entry in the census pages. Readers should use this information to view the original entries, thus finding all family members who lived together or in nearby houses. A name index to the non-principal surnames also indicates if those persons were white. An occupation index and place of birth index (outside South Carolina) add interest to this work.

Sandra H. Luebking, FUGA, a genealogical and historical lecturer and researcher, is the editor of FORUM Magazine and co-editor of The Archives and the revised edition of The Source.