Many individuals and organizations have gone through record collections and compiled the information into books. The process is often very time-consuming as the individuals transcribe hundreds of records.
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society (NYG&B) collects New York records and publishes their lists in their periodicals.
Lucious Barbour compiled early Connecticut vital records, known as the Barbour collection, which can be found on FamilySearch.
Roger P. Minert has consolidated church records of German immigrants, and his collection is available at the FamilySearch Library.
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Advantages and disadvantages of using booksAdvantages and disadvantages of using books
The transcription process is prone to errors. Each new copy allows room for human error. A transcriber may misread the old handwriting or make typos in their transcription. Some transcribers "correct" the spellings. Some transcribers are more careful than others. There's no guarantee that everything was copied. Transcribers often copy the names, dates, and places, leaving everything else. A researcher may gain more information and have more confidence in the accuracy by seeking out the original record.
Compiled books are often easier to find than original records. Many have indexes, which make it easy to determine if an ancestral family is listed in the book. When an event is found recorded in a book, there is usually enough information to aid in finding the original record.
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How to find booksHow to find books
Many compilations were collected at local and state levels. Many have been digitized and can be found online.
Digital books can be searched in:
- Internet Archive
- Google Books
- FamilySearch Digital Library
- FamilySearch Card Catalog
- Cyndi's List--Books
- Cyndi's List--Biographies
Books that have not been digitized can be found by contacting the local historical or genealogical societies or the local library.
MyHeritage has book collections, which include a compilation of thousands of published books, including family, local, and military histories; city and county directories; school, university, and hospital reports; church and congregational minutes; and much more.
How to use the books to find original recordsHow to use the books to find original records
The least information that can be gained from a published source is a date and a place for an event. Knowing this can make finding the original record much easier than seeking the record with only guesses. Many compilations indicate where the records came from. The details of the source data in the compilation depend on how thorough the compilers were. Some compilations include a user guide explaining how to use the compilation and directions on finding the original records.
See alsoSee also
Explore more about United States book recordsExplore more about United States book records
- Off the Shelf: The Unexplored Potential for eBooks in Genealogy webinar on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Digital Books and Sites for Genealogists webinar on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Utah Newspapers and Digitized Books webinar on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Finding Books Online. Library of Congress