Ancestry Magazine

To be a genealogist is to love libraries. The two are inseparable as peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, or burgers and fries. However, despite a love of libraries, many genealogists do not make full use of all the resources their local library has to offer. If you are one of the many genealogists who make a beeline for the genealogy section and spend all of your research time there, you are missing out on some great resources located in other parts of the library.

The reference section, in particular, holds a treasure trove of information that can enhance your knowledge and appreciation of the wider world in which your ancestors lived. The reference books listed here are just a few of the many you will discover.

In describing the Dictionary of American History, the words “classic” and “indispensable” are often used. This essential reference set, the latest edition of which has t en volumes, was first published in 1940 and has recently been revised and updated. The most current edition was undertaken to include not only recent events in American history but also recent changes in historical interpretations of past events. With 4,443 entries, this is by far the most complete and comprehensive reference tool of its kind.

Entries are arranged alphabetically and cover events, places, movements, trends, and institutions from pre-colonial days to the present. Although important and influential people are noted in many of the entries, separate biographical entries are not included. Entries vary in length from several paragraphs to several pages. Shorter entries consist mainly of factual data whereas longer entries include facts as well as interpretive analysis. At the end of every entry is an updated bibliography for those wishing to do further research on any given topic. In addition to text entries, this edition contains more than 120 black-and-white photos and more than 250 maps. Readers wishing to optimize their use of this resource will want to use the last volume of the set, which is a comprehensive, detailed keyword index to the entire set.

As elementary school children, most of us learned that “gold, God, and glory” were the three main reasons behind the exploration and settlement of the land we now call the United States of America. Of these three elements, religion played a pivotal role in the development of American history, one that cannot and should not be understated.

The Routledge Historical Atlas of Religion in America by Bret E. Carroll does a masterful job of convincing readers that America’s religious history cannot be separated from its larger, overall history. By focusing on broad themes such as Native American religions, Puritanism, the Great Awakening, and missionary outreach efforts, the author successfully weaves key spiritual events, personalities, and movements into the larger American themes of immigration, migration, geographic regionalism, and cultural pluralism.

Especially helpful in relating the story of America’s dynamic and ever-evolving religious past are the more than fifty full-color maps, which are exceptional in their clarity and simplicity. A detailed chronology at the end of this work serves as a useful ready reference timeline of significant events in the religious history of the United States.

Although America has been a melting pot of cultures since her earliest days, it is only within the last several decades that she has embraced and celebrated her diverse and varied ethnic heritage. Genealogists and family historians who wish to learn more about their ethnic and/or Old World roots would do well to look at the Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. This three-volume set profiles some 101 ethnic groups that comprise a significant part of the population of the United States at the present time. Included in these profiles are three ethno-religious groups: Jews, Amish, and Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Also included are profiles of thirteen Native American groups.

Entries typically include a brief history of the country of origin and reasons for emigration (if applicable), settlement patterns, assimilation and acculturation experiences, customs and traditions, religious practices, family and community dynamics, political involvement, and individual and group contributions to American society and culture. Each entry ends with a listing of specialized media forums (e.g., radio and television programs), a listing of museums and research centers, and a short, selective bibliography for those wishing to do further readin g about their ethnic heritage.

Genealogists and family historians are acutely aware of how immigration has shaped the history of the United States. Equally important, however, are the innumerable internal migrations that have continually shaped and reshaped the American landscape over time. Indeed, as the author notes, “migration is everywhere in the American experience.”(It) has become part of the very fabric of the nation’s identity.”

The Atlas of American Migration by Stephen Flanders is an essential tool for researchers. It defines, explains, and analyzes the various internal migrations that have occurred in America from its beginnings up to the present day. This atlas, which consists of ten chronological/thematic chapters, contains more than 150 maps, charts, tables, and diagrams that, along with the informative text, help readers to grasp the complexities of and reasons behind the constant movement of the American people. In addition to the main text and graphics are many sidebar articles that further enhance the reader’s understanding of the subject at hand. Among the topics featured in sidebar articles are firsthand accounts of migration experiences, highlights of laws and treaties affecting migration, and synopses of notable migration events such as the Middle Passage of black slaves to America in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and the Japanese Internment Program of World War II.

Few genealogists or family historians are content to collect only the bare facts about their ancestors. Most try to seek out supplemental information beyond birth, marriage, and death dates in order to ascribe meaning and significance to their ancestors’ lives. Similarly, mere facts of history are meaningless unless they are placed within a larger framework of national or world events.

Timetables of American History by Laurence Urdang is an interesting, informative, and entertaining book that serves as a refreshing alternative to standard history textbooks. Formatted in a sort of grid pattern with dates (in chronological order) listed vertically in the margins and subject headings listed horizontally across the top of the page, readers are afforded a panoramic perspective of events that were happening concurrently in America and in the world at large. Major subject headings into which events are sorted include history and politics, the arts, science and technology, and a miscellaneous category. While all genealogists and family historians will enjoy this book, those planning to publish their research as a family history book will find it to be an invaluable resource.

The humorist Will Rogers, in speaking proudly of his humble roots, once noted, “My ancestors didn’t come over on the Mayflower, but they met them at the boat.” Genealogists and family historians who, like Rogers, descend from Native American stock will find the Atlas of the North American Indian by Carl Waldman to be a source they will turn to time and again for enlightenment about any and all aspects of Native American life and culture.

As much an encyclopedia as an atlas, Waldman’s book takes a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to exploring and explaining the lifeways of America’s first peoples, from prehistory to contemporary times. The text and the numerous graphics skillfully blend many fields of study, including history, geography, anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, religion, and politics, resulting in a well-rounded picture of Native American life in America. In addition to several useful appendixes, there is a detailed glossary of terms as well as an extensive bibliography for those wi shing to do even further research on their Native American roots.

Family historians who are eager to learn more about their New York ancestors’ lives and times will want to read The Historical Atlas of New York City: A Visual Celebration of Nearly 400 Years of New York City’s History by Eric Homberger. This fun and informative cartographic tour through the city’s long and colorful history is divided into eight chronological chapters. Each chapter begins with a brief overview of the period and then explores the major social, cultural, political, and economic events that characterized that era. Skillful combinations of text, charts, diagrams, historical photos, and detailed, full-color maps explain these various events. This effective mixing of media led one reviewer to exclaim that the atlas “may be as close to a printed CD-ROM as paper can get.”

Although this book deals specifically with New York City, the following topics discussed in The Historical Atlas of New York City are typical of what you may find in atlases covering the places your ancestors lived. Consider how similar events affected your ancestors’ lives.

• Wartime conditions. The British made New York City their colony headquarters during the Revolutionary War. Although the war brought no major battles to city, residents lived in a state of unrest, including a fire that destroyed half of the city.
• Commerce. Beginning in 1862, New York City was home to A.T. Stewart’s department store. Eight stories tall and filling one city block, Stewart’s was the world’s largest retail store and the place where the well-to-do shopped and the poor worked.
• Public Transportation. The elevated railway system provided efficient transportation through the congested city and to residential areas. But the controversial “el” left noise, dirt, and lower property values in its wake.
• Public Housing. Tenements are an essential part of New York City’s heritage. The answer to a severe housing crisis due to the influx of immigrants, the overcrowded tenements were breeding grounds for disease and crime.
• Entertainment. Brooklyn’s Coney Island opened in 1887 and offered the masses low-brow entertainment and fresh air—a rare commodity for many city dwellers.

The next time you plan a visit to your local library, make sure that a visit to the reference section is on your to-do list. There you will find many unique and informative resources that will add new depth and meaning to the search for your ancestors. You’ll find that it will be time well spent.

Diane Dittgen has been active in the field of genealogy for the past twenty-five years. She has done extensive teaching, lecturing, and writing on genealogical as well as historical topics. She has her master’s degree in library science from Florida State University and is currently working on an advanced degree in American history, also at FSU.