Ancestry Magazine

The author views the New York State Probate Records, Our Quaker Ancestors: Finding Them in Quaker Records, and The Amateur Historian's Guide to Medieval & Tudor London.

New York State Probate Records: A Genealogist’s Guide to Testate and Intestate Records

By Gordon L. Remington. New England Historic Genealogical Society. 2002. 161 pages. Softcover. $19.95 plus s/h. Order at <www.newenglandancestors.org>.

The author of New York State Probate Records, a professional genealogist, maintains that the richness of New York probate records more than compensates for a paucity of vital records. Whether the person died with (testate) or without (intestate) a will, there are potentially scores of pages pertaining to the family or property settlement. Finding these records is the subject of this book. Contact information is given for each of New York’s sixty-two county surrogate courts and other r epositories in which original probate records are located. A listing for each county shows formation date and parent county, the county seat and contact details, and what records are available elsewhere on microfilm or in print. The historical rules of inheritance for various governing periods (from New Netherland through the State of New York) are also given.

Our Quaker Ancestors: Finding Them in Quaker Records

By Ellen Thomas Berry & David Allen Berry. Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. 1987 (4th printing 2002). 136 pages. Hardcover. $19.95 plus s/h. Order at <www.genealogical.com>.

At the direction of founder George Fox (1624—1692), the Quakers began early to keep accurate and detailed records of all activities. This practice simplifies genealogical research for those who have ancestry among The Religious Society of Friends. Even moves between geographical boundaries can be traced by finding all vital statistics for entire families, along with extant minutes of monthly meetings. Searches are further eased by an abundance of published abstracts, although supplemental research in original records is advocated.

The location and content of Quaker records both in and outside of the United States fill most of the pages of Our Quaker Ancestors. But don’t overlook the essential background information on the denomination’s history and organization and the patterns of migration by its people. The fact that this 1987 guide is in its fourth unrevised printing attests to the book’s significance and the relative stability of the Quaker record-keeping and maintenance system.

The Amateur Historian’s Guide to Medieval & Tudor London

By Sarah Valente Kettler and Carole Trimble. Capitol Books, Inc. 2001. 309 pages. Softcover. $20.00 plus s/h. Order at <www.amazon.com>.

The Tower, Guildhall, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Newgate Prison, Westminster Pala ce, and the London Dungeon are just a sampling of sites covered by this pathfinder The Amateur Historian’s Guide to Medieval & Tudor London.

After tracing your London ancestor, use this book to view his or her city. Retrieve dates of historical events and building construction (1066—1603) from its timeline. Locate medieval and Tudor sites on its overview map. Read the descriptions of multiple sites and note their access information. Wonder at the “did you know” commentaries on historical persons associated with each site. Finally, follow the excursion plans for one, two, three, or five-day trips. If you’re fortunate, you’ll see all the remaining seventeenth century sites and view what’s on display as well in the London Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery, the British Museum, and the British Library. Or, you could just enjoy an effortless virtual tour with a cup of Earl Gray at your side and the opened book in your hands.

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