Histories and Biographies

How to Google Family Histories and biographies for ancestry research.

Local, county and state histories detail the events and the people who played a part. These histories detail the early settlements, who held offices, who founded various towns, including when different churches were started and other valuable information. It is common to find histories written between 1870 and 1920 with biographical sketches of the individuals and families. Most of these histories were written in the west and those bordering the Great Lakes or Midwest states. These histories give insight and are helpful to the researcher since this is the region where most immigrants settled.

Google Ancestor Histories and Biographies
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What You Will Find in Histories and Biographies

The following are the type of histories you can expect to find:

Local History

The overwhelming majority of local histories address how a particular region and its citizens handled and reacted to every major state and national happening. These compilations show how a community handled everything from wars, waves of immigrants, and depressions to changing political scenery, taxation, trade, and commerce. Each of these events affects what people do, where they live, what organizations they belong to, how they earn income, and how they dispose of it. Knowing what neighborhoods developed during a particular period, realizing when specific organizations came into and went out of business, and being aware of various laws and codes and local customs and ceremonies all allow the researcher to uncover more information.

Biography

A biographical sketch can include almost any aspect of a person’s life but generally contains information about the individual’s family, education, and occupation. Thus, biographical sketches usually tell the subject’s date of birth, parent’s names, wife’s and children’s names and often their birth dates. Usually, there is some information about where they were born. Even if we are not fortunate enough to find a biographical sketch of the subject of our interest, there are other things to consider. Even if your ancestor wasn’t prominent enough to get a mention, there might be other clues to his personality in these books. Also, you may want to consider whether the subject of a biographical sketch was related to the family somehow. Frequently, groups emigrated from the “old country” together, and by learning more about one member of a pioneer group, we can also find valuable clues for others.

Institutional Histories

Look for histories of the institutions that may have relevance to your family: churches, orphanages, charitable institutions, schools, hospitals and dispensaries, cultural institutions, cemeteries, or businesses.

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Research Insight for Histories and Biographies

Start by determining when your ancestor lived. As you look for the local, county, and state histories, look for books or volumes that focus solely on biographical sketches of many from the locality. Most sketches are written about men and generally include information about the family, education, and occupation. These sketches will also tell the subject’s date of birth, parents’ names, and wife’s and children’s names. Usually, there is some comment about where they were born.

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Where to Find Histories and Biographies

Genealogy and historical societies are usually great sources for finding histories, which are invaluable as you discover the roots of your ancestors. Also, search libraries and archives.

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Google 18 Types of Ancestor Records

The following is an overview of the common 18 types of ancestor records that I have found constantly valuable in my historical and genealogy research and hundreds of other resources I have learned to research and use through the years. When I mastered researching these resources, I could quickly expand my research to other records to help me connect the pieces of my genealogy puzzle.

Google Ancestor Records
Cemetery Records Census Records Church Records
Civil Vital Records Directory Records Family Histories
Histories and Biographies Land Records Maps
Message Boards, Mailing Lists, and Wiki’s Military Records Naturalization Records
Newspaper Records Photographs Probate Records
Publications and Periodicals Ship Passenger Lists Writings of Ancestors

In my profile of each resource, I have included what you will find, how to use the resource, and research insights for each resource. I would encourage you to use this section as a starting point from which you can search out and find other genealogical tutorials, and guides that help to provide deeper insights.  The common websites that researchers first think of are Ancestry, Archives, FamilySearch, FindMyPast and MyHeritage.

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Google Other Ancestor Records

The following are other articles you may enjoy to help you Google your ancestry.

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