Where Can I Find a Book About My Ancestors

 

Uncle Peg’s Chronicles

October 12, 2023

“Where Can I Find a Book About My Ancestors?”

 

This photo made me smile this week. This is my nephew, Joseph Booth, in Jordan.

 

 

Not much genealogy and history this week. I am in preparation mode for the Saturday meetin’ of the genealogy society, which I am facilitating. And, I had big plans this week for my little car that spends most of its time in my driveway, and bless her heart, she broke. Coil spring sprung out of its socket. So, I thought I’d share just a few tidbits with you and try and do better next week. I do have quite an information dump, just no time to straighten it out.

 

GRATITUDE

 

I did something different. I took last week’s “Looking Ahead,” removed all names of living people, and posted it into the New Brunswick Genealogy Society Facebook group. Wow, what a long conversation thread that started. What a pick-me-up it was. And, I found a Francis Holmes descendant looking for assistance. Grateful to my group, of which Annmarie and Carolyn are also members.

 

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS (WAS) . . .

 

Oh, the pictures. Snatched without permission.

 

Joseph Booth (my nephew, son of Pat Moore Booth, Charles R line), of Maine and pictured above, is deployed in Jordan. Occasionally he gets some time off to explore, and the historian in him takes him exploring in many old places. That’s him in the photos above, making me smile.

 

Eric and Aun Holmes (son of Glenn Holmes, William Holmes line), of California, travelled around Europe for a celebration of their tenth anniversary. Glenn and Mitzi kept the twins and have now returned home to Washington, exhausted but happy.

 

 

Kristin Holmes (sister of Glenn, William Holmes line), of Hawaii is taking a tour of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. No pics of her, but I liked this one of the Grand Concourse Restaurant, once a train station.

 

 

 

KATHERINE’S POETRY

(Continued from the chronicle of September 28.) The author, Katherine Eggleston Junkerman Holmes, was the wife of Fenwicke Lindsay Holmes, son of William Nelson Holmes, grandson of Daniel Holmes. I don’t know much about her. She was born in Mississippi in 1874, and married Fenwicke in 1919, becoming a mother to his adopted son, Louis. I don’t know her date of death. The link will take you to a brief biography. William N Holmes line. You can read the short book at https://archive.org/details/fragranceoflove00junk

 

Here is my brief talk for our Saturday genealogy meeting, which is themed “Y^e SEB Booke Faire.” What shows up in red (in the email, perhaps the blog) are the books I will hold up in Vanna White style.

Where Can I Find a Book About my Ancestors?

Today’s workshop theme is books, and when I refer to books, I am specifically referring to genealogy, family history, and history books. A book can be a duotang, a journal, a binder, a compilation printed at Staples, as well as a beautifully bound volume.

Donald Lines Jacobus, a historian and genealogist who published “Genealogy as Pastime and Profession,” about genealogical research back in 1930, said this: “For this is genuine research, unearthing clues, facts, and records from diverse sources, and fitting them together into a coherent whole . . . A majority of those who hunt ancestors never graduate from the library stage of research, and unfortunately this is true even of many who enter the professional class. A genealogist of repute, wrote as follows, ‘When I enter a genealogical room and see the many workers industriously copying from the printed records, I have a feeling almost of dismay, realizing that each one is perhaps adding to the already hopeless tangle of twisted pedigrees.’”

Although I do look at books, I understand what he was saying. He gave an example of how unethical publishing companies of that era sought out writers who catered to the whims of some of their clients – to insert royals and famous public figures who provided them with an awesome pedigree. I also understand that books are not original sources providing primary evidence. Sometimes, though, that is all we can find. They describe our ancestors’ time and place, giving insights into their lives beyond vital statistics. So, like Jacobus, I urge caution as you read a book. Use it for clues and understanding of their lives, but recognize that every fact needs verifying. Old town records have errors. My family history that I printed in 2014 contains errors. There is the human factor, and we can and do make mistakes. As time goes by, new information is discovered that changes or challenges what we thought we knew. Unknown to Jacobus, DNA can lead us along a different path altogether. Given these cautions, I would not discourage you from library research. I will tell you where I find books that aid in my research and storytelling. You may look for different books, but perhaps these methods will give you some clues as to where to find them.

Attics, Boxes, and Drawers

You are one of the keepers of your family history. Make that known. I administer a private family Facebook page and I post and email my family members regularly. Newsletters, even if just a Christmas letter, are helpful. Why do I suggest this? One, relatives may not know the importance of their books, photographs, diaries and letters, and like my mother, throw things in the trash. I recovered her birth certificate and a high school history assignment dated October, 1939. What she managed to throw out, I can only wonder. Or, they might know the significance of what they possess, but not know who might want it. If you don’t tell them, who will?

Family and Acquaintances

 

This is the guest book for my great-great uncle and aunt’s fishing lodge in Portage Vale, dated 1909 to 1915. My cousin, Karl, had no need for it and gave it to me, because he knew I was working on our genealogy and family history. It has names, autographs, and a few details about the lodge. By comparing it to archived newspapers, I was able to match some details about people to the dates in the book. It is important enough that Daphne Wetmore put copies of it on our website.

It took me many years and a cousin, Fenwicke, to locate a copy of a particular Holmes history compiled in the mid-1920s, albeit full of genealogical errors. In it, I learned of the birth of a twin who died as a toddler. He has a name, but no grave site that I know of. Recently, I was able to confirm the birth of these twins at our website’s Anglican church records. I have studied every person in this booklet, and written out the corrections in footnotes to amend it.

In one of my weekly chronicles to my cousins, I mentioned a particular book, “Ancestry of Elizabeth Barrett Gillespie,” compiled by Paul Prindle, that I often see in reference to my Holmes ancestors. I could not locate a copy, but when I did see it for sale, even though unavailable, it was priced in the hundreds of dollars. Annmarie, also a genealogist, went on a quest to find it. She did, at a reasonable cost, no less. I am so happy to include Prindle’s compilation in my collection, and so grateful to Annmarie.

Keep your eyes and ears open for local authors and compilers. I made the acquaintance, several years back, of a New Brunswick author, John Elliott. You may know him. I purchased a copy of his “Annidale,” not because I hail from that community, but one nearby. His book about cheese factories is for sale at a little store, the Cornhill Farmhouse in Cornhill, and the Kings County Museum. He is still writing.

I connected with Les Bowser through our society meetings, and have a copy of his “Search for Heinrich Stieff.” Like most people who hail from here, I am a Steeves descendant. This should still be in bookstores. Like John, Les is still writing.

At a genealogical fair in Charlottetown, I met author and genealogist Bruce Murray, brother of Anne Murray. He was one of the speakers, and I chatted with him at length beforehand. He autographed my copy of his book, “Piau – Journey to the Promised Land,” about his Acadian roots.

 Bookstores, Museums, Online Book Stores,

Secondhand Bookstores, and Thrift Stores

 

Sometimes it’s just good luck, but if you are not visiting these places and keeping an eye out on the internet for books that suit your personal family history, you won’t find them. You do have to put some effort into it.

My library shelves hold several books that I purchased from local thrift and antique stores. For $5, I purchased this interesting book, “Diseases of Children,” published by a Dr. Edwards in 1881, about how to treat childhood diseases. Ever read a death certificate and wondered what that cause of death meant? Of course, you can google and generally find the definition, but this book gives a personal glimpse into the quirky causes, symptoms, treatments and cures well before penicillin was available. It adds to my knowledge, especially if I want to write about a child who died too young.

At local thrift stores, I located The Connecticut Town and The Roots of American Civilization. These are history books that explain what life was like for my colonial ancestors. I was particularly interested in indentured service of children, as this seems to be what a particular child in my family was. That just scratches the surface of the information in these books.

I kept reading about a particular author, but it took me some time to find her book. Jeanne Majdalany wrote what I call my Stamford Bible: “The Early Settlement of Stamford, Connecticut.” I finally found it at a used book site online. It was previously in a library, as shown in a stamp on the flyleaf. It was in great shape, indicating that it had not been used much, but now it shows my considerable wear and annotations.

I searched high and low for this biography of Dr. Ernest Holmes by his brother, Fenwicke Holmes, my collateral uncle figures. I knew before I purchased it that it was genealogically flawed, but full of family stories. I found it at an online bookstore and paid $50 for it, many years back. I wouldn’t pay that sum for every used book I find, but to me, this book is priceless.

One other resource is Zoom meetings by historical societies. I belong to Facebook groups in places where my ancestors lived, and often learn about upcoming meetings. I attended one on how to read old handwriting. This is of particular interest to me as I love transcribing. They recommended “Paleography for Family and Local Historians,” which I found at amazon. Self-taught in paleography during the pandemic, this book could have been a help, and now I have learned more about the transcription process.

I have found some fascinating online books by googling topics, authors, and specific books. The more you can narrow down your subject, the more apt you are to find what you are looking for. I am writing about a man who died in 1645, for a future article for Generations. His probate is at Familysearch and Archive.org. In it, he made references to my ancestor, Francis Holmes, and that is why I searched for more information. I found very little, but what I found was helpful. At Archive.org, I located “American Woodworking Tools” by Paul Kebabian and Dudley Witney. In a section dealing with colonial era tools, there was a reference to Lotham’s will. That’s the only source I could find, but it dresses up my article nicely.

Bibliographies and Footnotes

There are many old books on line applicable to family research. I find most at Ancestry, Familysearch, and Archives.org. It is important to note someplace the link, for sometimes these books seem difficult to find and easy to lose again. We must be mindful of quoting what is not in public domain. Sometimes, I see a quote or reference to an ancestor in a recent book – recent being the 70 years since the author’s death. I want to use it but, how badly? I have, in the past, contacted a publisher, told them what I wanted to quote, and asked permission. I received the permission long after I had printed my book without including the quotes. I believe it is okay to link to an online source in your writing. But, what if you can’t or don’t want to do that?

Most books of a historical nature contain quotes from previously written sources. Ethical writers cite their sources in footnotes and bibliographies. Use them. Put the source into a search engine. I usually use title +author, compiler, or era. Before I became a genealogist who likes to write, I never gave footnotes, bibliography, introduction and acknowledgements a second glance. Now I scour the book for them. What you often find is the source that predates public domain laws. 

Why not write a letter or email to a relative? Start a family Facebook group? Comb through used book stores locally and when you travel. Pull a history or genealogy book off your shelf and thumb through it. Or, type a mysterious ancestor into a search engine and see what you can find. Your ancestors just might be in a book.

~

Have a great week, folks. I will try to do better for next Thursday. Oh, and by the way, if you want a copy of my 2014 book about our Holmes ancestors, I can send you a pdf copy. Just ask.