My Latest Hand-Me-Down Treasure

This weekend was full of ancestral surprises for me.  My father passed down a number of items from our family.  There was one special item that particularly thrilled me. My own copy of Black's Law Dictionary, 4th edition. And this one saw lifetime use by a family lawyer.

I could use a couple snow storms this winter to give me the time to sit down and enjoy this new treasure. It's so heavy I think I'll need to get a book stand so that I will be able to use it and flip through it easily.

I'm in genealogy heaven!

The Top 5 Books on My Bookshelf

These are the top five books on my bookshelf in terms of usage. They are the ones I most frequently reach for. That kind of restricts the list to work-related reference books. Not surprisingly, they have a heavy New England bent.

5. Red Book: American State, County and Town Resources, Third Revised Edition (2004), edited by Alice Eichholz

I use this book mostly for checking town and county incorporation dates in New England. But when I step out of New England in my research, I use this book as a primer to get a sense of the lay of the land in other states.

4. New England Court Records: A Resource Guide for Genealogists and Historians by Diane Rapaport

This book is a really handy reference for New England. The courts can be tricky to understand and even harder to remember the particulars of each county. This book makes it so I don't have to. And the list of repositories and their court records is priceless.

3. Genealogist's Handbook for New England Research by Marcia Melnyk

This book is just so handy. There is no one who can keep everything in their head. This is the go-to book of where and when in New England. My only issue is that the book is out of date and should really be revised. Let's hope that happens some day.

2. Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills

I use this book every time I write a report or any document that includes citations.  Random bookmarks appear throughout for things I refer to frequently.  I have also printed out clarifications that Mills has posted on the TGF or APG list and inserted those into the book as well.

1. A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries by David Allen Lambert

Yes, this truly is my mostly frequently reached for book - the one that is never put away.  I use it for planning trips as well locating cemeteries in spur of the moment stops. I write all over the book, noting when I made a visit as well as the quantity, condition and quality of the stones.  If only there were something like it for the other New England states.....

What are the Top 5 on your bookshelf?

The Bookshelf

I have a bookshelf reserved for books by or about (with one exception) family members. I don't look at it often but it makes me proud when I see it. On this shelf I find:

Edwards & Angell, A Firm History Including 1989 Update by Edward Winsor - I can't get away from these Edwards no matter what I do :) My farmers who turned into lawyers.

Pitt, January 1962, On the cover - Professor Peterson's Magic Lantern (with newspapers clippings inside clipped by my mother) - Uncle Petie, I never knew you but, oh, how you and Aunt Helen shaped my life.

Pittsburgh Festival OVERTURE Bicentennial Issue, 1958-59, with articles by Edwin L. Peterson and his disciples.

On Holy Ground, Reflections in a New England Town by Beverley F. Edwards (a birthday gift 2007)- Aunt Bev, you've had more impact on my life than you've ever realized.

Seeber Edwards 1869-1914, In Memorium - confronting, understanding and embracing the past has been one of my greatest gifts. To the next generation I leave a new Seeber who is likely to be just as charming as the last.

A Joyful Noise by Janet Gillespie - The essence of Westport and the Edwards connection. This one is not by family but is about a beloved family place.

Diapers Days of Dallas by Ted Dealey - I haven't read this book but so proud to embrace my Dealey heritage

No Life So Happy by Edwin L. Peterson (with a newspaper clipping about Peterson's course on fly-tying and a personal hand written note by him to my grandparents after his mother's death)

Synergy by Angie Sedwick - a much loved cousin

Holy Bible presented to Helen Rose Walleck by Grandma Walleck, Dec. 25, 1947

Thanks for the legacy!

A New Genre for Genealogy Books?

Not long ago I finished reading "The Journey Takers" by Leslie Albrecht. This book is unlike anything I've read before - part genealogy, part narrative non-fiction, part memoir. It was a fascinating look into Albrecht's ancestry as well as her present life. And well documented to boot.

The latest issue (Summer 2010) of American Ancestors by the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) features a book (p. 38) called "The Obermeyers: A History of a Jewish Family in Germany and America, 1618-2009" by Kenneth Libo and Michael Feldberg. I haven't read the book yet but Lynn Betlock describes it like this: "Information on early generations reflects a range of historical and genealogical sources, while twentieth-century family members are brought to life through first-person accounts and reminiscences." Part one of the book focuses on the family's life in Germany. Part two describes their more recent life in the United States.

Betlock puts into print exactly what I've been thinking about when she says "Genealogists often want their books to distill and document their research for posterity - and at the same time provide an engaging read for close family members."

More and more we are seeing this combination of the past and the present with books that are written for a wide audience but are definitely more personal in nature.

Is there a word for this new genre? If so, I'd like to know what it is.

Also, if you have read any other books that fit into this category please let me know. I think this could be the wave of the future for genealogy books.