The 56th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy asks to tell about the "10 Essential Books in My Genealogy Library".
I have a large wall unit in my office which houses a lot of things including my genealogy books. Often, I have books laying open or stacked on my desk as well. Does this count as a library?
Anyway, here is my current list of the 10 essential books I need to do my family history.
1. Parishes & Registration Districts in England & Wales by Dr. Penelope Christensen, Heritage Productions, Toronto, 2001.
I cannot be without this book when I am researching my English and Welsh lines of the family. This book gives you the registration district needed for civil registration birth, marriage and death entries. It lists every village, town and city in the pre-1974 counties. When I can't figure out what the name of the town, I will look in this book for the answer.
2.The Phillimore Atlas & Index of Parish Registers, 3rd edition, edited by Cecil R. Humphrey-Smith. Butler & Tanner Ltd., London, 2003.
Same reasons I gave above plus it has wonderful maps of the counties. It cost quite a bit, but I feel it is worth every penny.
3. Tracing Your Family History, Internet Linked New Edition by Anthony Adolph. Collins, London, 2005.
A wonderful introductory book especially if you are researching UK ancestors. Although some of the links are no longer valid, the overall information is thoroughly explained. A good, general UK reference book to have on hand.
4. The Canadian Genealogical Sourcebook by Ryan Taylor. Canadian Library Association, Ottawa, 24.
What I like about this book is that it not only lists resources for all of Canada, it also has chapters for each of the provinces and territories containing information about the provincial archives as well as the available records. A good Canadian reference book.
5. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace by Elizabeth Shown Mills. Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, 2007.
This is the book I use when I enter sources into my family history files. It has little sticky flags all over it. It is underlined, highlighted and the spine is starting to develop a crack. 'Nuf said.
6. United Empire Loyalists. A Guide to Tracing Loyalist Ancestors in Upper Canada by Brenda Dougall Merriman. Global Heritage Press Inc., Campbellville, Ontario, 2006.
A good resource for explaining how to trace Loyalist ancestors and where to find the records in order to do that. As genealogist for my local branch of the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada, I refer to this book when I get stuck while working on a certificate application.
7. Red Book. American State, County and Town Sources, edited by Alice Eichholz, Ph.D., CG. Ancestry, Provo, Utah, 2004.
As a researcher who is accustomed to English and Canadian research, I don't do that much US research. However, this is the book I refer to when I do.
8. White's Directory of Lincolnshire and Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire. These are actually books on CD from Archive CD books.
These have been wonderful for finding my Lake and Crawford ancestors in Lincolnshire, England. Very easy to use.
9. Index to Upper Canada Land Books [electronic resource]: February 1787 to February 1841, edited by Susan Smart. The Ontario Genealogy Society.
This wonderful resource used to only be available in book format. The complete set contained 9 volumes, costing more than $30.00 each. Now it is available on one CD - all 9 volumes. This is a must for researching Loyalist ancestors. It makes my life so much easier!
10. BCG Genealogical Standards Manual.
I have lost my copy of this essential reference book,and have had to order a new one. I expect it to arrive by the end of next week. This book is essential for the current genealogical course (Analysis & Skills Mentoring - Part 2) I am taking. It is also a good reference to book to have on hand anyway.
Some or all of this list is likely to change over time as I continue researching my family, and of course, buy more genealogy books.
