Family Histories
An essential step in genealogical research is checking to see if anyone has already researched your family tree. If you find that someone has already worked on a branch of your family tree, it can provide important information that will be helpful as you continue your research. It doesn't mean that the job is over. It's essential to verify work done by others. It's also possible that more information has become available since the work was initially done. If you do find that someone has already climbed a particular branch on your family tree, though, it can give you a great start.
Library Catalogues
You can often identify published family histories by searching electronic library catalogues. If we don't have a particular family history here at VPL, it may be possible to borrow from another library through interlibrary loan.
For Canadian family histories, Library and Archives Canada's Voilà (formerly, AMICUS) library catalogue is very useful, as you can search the catalogues not only of Library and Archives Canada but also of other Canadian libraries. Conduct a Subject Keyword search by entering the name of the family you are researching, as in this example: Robinson family. To order a print or digital reproduction of material in the collection at Library and Archives Canada, please visit their Copy services web page. Note that there may be restrictions to access some documents.
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah also has a large collection of family histories and genealogies. You can search the FamilySearch Catalog by selecting Surnames to find titles that may be of interest. Some titles are also available digitally at no charge in FamilySearch's growing Digital Library.
At VPL
Selected family history bibliographies available at the Vancouver Public Library are listed below. For additional titles, search our catalogue. Using the Keyword search, enter genealogy bibliography as your key words.
Canada
Bibliographie annotée d'ouvrages généalogiques au Canada = Annotated Bibliography of Genealogical Works in Canada, 6 vol. (1987)
by Kathleen Mennie-de Varennes
Ref. 929.1X M54b
Bibliographie des ouvrages généalogiques au Québec, 1980-1990 (1997)
by Jacqueline Faucher-Asselin
Ref. FRE 929.3714 B58f
Genealogy and Local History to 1900: A Bibliography Selected from the Catalogue of the Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions, CIHM = Genealogie et Histoire Locale d'Avant 1900: Une bibliographie tiree du catalogue de l'Institute canadien de microreproductions historiques, ICHM (1995)
by Brian J. Gilchrist
Ref. 929.371X G46g
United States
There are two particularly useful series available at VPL.
Library of Congress
The series of titles listed below was published by the Library of Congress beginning in 1972:
Genealogies in the Library of Congress: A Bibliography (1972)
edited by Marion Kaminkow
Ref. 929.1X L69g
Genealogies in the Library of Congress: A Bibliography. Supplement, 1972-1976 (1977)
edited by Marion Kaminkow
Ref. 929.1X L69g Supp.
A Complement to Genealogies in the Library of Congress: A Bibliography , 2 vol. (1981)
edited by Marion Kaminkov
Ref. 929.1X K15c
Genealogies in the Library of Congress: A Bibliography. Second Supplement, 1976-1986 (1987)
Library of Congress
Ref. 929.1X L69g Suppl. 2
Genealogies Catalogued by the Library of Congress Since 1986: With a List of Established Forms of Family Names and a List of Genealogies Converted to Microfilm Since 1983 (1991)
Library of Congress
Ref. 929.1X L69gc
Genealogical Books in Print
This series was published under various titles beginning in 1975:
Genealogical Books in Print (1975)
edited by Netti Schreiner-Yantis
Ref. 929.1X G32
Genealogical & Local History Books in Print, 1976-1992, 2 vol.
Ref. 929.1X G32
- The first of the two volumes is titled Volume 2. Published in 1976, it is a supplement to Genealogical Books in Print.
- The second of the two volumes, titled the 3rd edition, was published in 1981. It repeats and supplements information provided in Volume 2, but does not duplicate the content of the original Genealogical Books in Print.
Note: No 2nd edition was published. The 4th edition and two supplements to the 4th edition were published from 1985-1992. They are not owned by VPL.
British Isles
Bibliography of Irish Family History and Genealogy (1974)
by Brian De Breffny
Ref. 929.2X D28b
A Catalogue of British Family Histories, 3rd. ed. (1976)
by T. R. Thomson
Ref. 929.2X T48c
The Genealogist's Guide: An Index to Printed British Pedigrees and Family Histories, 1950-1975 (1977)
by Geoffrey Battiscombe Barrow
Ref. 929.2X B27g
Scottish Family Histories (1986)
compiled by Joan P.S. Ferguson
Ref. 929.2X F35s
Scottish Family History: A Guide to Works of Reference on the History and Genealogy of Scottish Families (1978)
by Margaret Stuart
Ref. 929.1X S93s
Online Resources
Start with Google. Using the example of Robinson, a simple approach is to Google "Robinson family tree", "Robinson genealogy" or "Robinson family history". You can experiment by adding first names, spousal names, or geographic locations to your search strategy. You can also search Google Books. In some cases, you'll find full digitized text of family histories. Try one of the search strategies shown above.
RootsWeb provides a variety of tools, such as Message Boards for thousands of specific surnames and the RootsWeb Surname List has been designed specifically to facilitate the sharing of information.
As useful as the Internet is, it's important not to overlook published sources. Many family histories were written and published decades ago and provide information that cannot be found online.
