Customer Reviews

Red Book: American State, County & Town Sources, Third Edition

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So you're making a little progress in your family history research, having interviewed most of your older relatives. NOW you need to begin looking at the records created in the localities where your ancestors once lived! For US researchers, the RED BOOK is an essential reference book!

NEED TO KNOW -- WHEN a county was created? WHERE the probate records are kept? WHAT the migration patterns were? IF there are surviving church records of christening, marriage and burial? HOW the county boundaries changed over the years?

The RED BOOK has the answers! I always turn to it when helping someone at our local LDS Family History Center. The RED BOOK gets you quickly up to speed on what to expect when researching a particular state.

This one is on my "A" list!!! Myrt

I purchased this book by accident, actually. I already had the Handybook for Genealogists and considered the two to be too close in content to justify the expenditure. I received an offer for the purchase of the Red Book at a discount and jumped on it, only to realize later what I had done. I thought about returning it, once it arrived.

However, after sitting down and doing a side-by-side comparison of the two books, I realized that there is some very different information between the two. Both are quite useful, and if I ever question information in one (come on, that's what we DO) I have a second source to confirm the first. I find myself reaching for this book time after time, and not just to confirm info from the Handybook. There are certain things I find easier to understand in the Red Book, not to mention the different perspective offered.

This book is, simply put, indispensible!

Genealogists receive initial contact addresses for records in all 50 states and an idea of what information is kept where! I have used mine to pieces. However it's due for an update to include emails and websites.

Even though the Internet contains a wealth of genealogical information, this book is still a valuable asset. There are so many states and counties that do not have information on-line that to ignore this resource is like ignoring road signs when you're lost.
Jan 2010: Still true. The Internet is catching up with many local municipalities. But money restrictions keep many counties on the far end of the digital spectrum. Please use this guide to get you in contact with many genealogy resources. The price of a stamp and four weeks may be all that stands in your way of discovering a long lost relative.

This is a book I keep at my fingertips. When I need to research a state I am not familiar with this is my first stop. It has maps and provides an outline of all the resources available. I only wish they went one level deeper and provided information on when towns were incorporated.

This book is loaded with facts. If a researcher needs information from several states to track down an ancestor, this book has it all. The book is organized by state and gives the sources in each state for specific local records. One of the most useful features is its bibliographic reference on background sources for more detailed information on individual states.
Casual researchers who need information from only one state would probably find this book to be "too much information".

A must have for the family historian. Gives all the details needed to figure out not only the place, but where it legally was in time. Book in excellent condition, well organized.

I devote about 30 hours a week working on my genelogy. This book is invaluable to me.

While this book is a bit pricey, it is worth it. Took me awhile before I bought it but a great reference book for my library.

This book is a great resource. It tells the genealogist where to search for virtually any vital records.