Recommended Reading
Books
Books
Board for Certification of Genealogists. The BCG Application Guide. Washington, DC: Board for Certification of Genealogists, 2019.
———. Genealogy Standards, second edition, revised. Nashville, TN: Ancestry, 2021.
The Chicago Manual of Style. Eighteenth edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2024. The same material, plus updates and more recent content, is available as a subscription website.
Curran, Joan F., Madilyn Coen Crane, and John H. Wray. Numbering Your Genealogy: Basic Systems, Complex Families, and International Kin. NGS Special Publication No. 97. Revised edition of Special Publication No. 64. Arlington, VA: National Genealogical Society, 2008.
Eales, Ann Bruner, and Robert M. Kvasnicka, editors. Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States. 3rd edition. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 2001. | Online version free at HathiTrust.
Jones, Thomas W. Mastering Genealogical Proof. Arlington, VA: National Genealogical Society, 2013.
———. Mastering Genealogical Documentation. Arlington, VA: National Genealogical Society, 2017.
Leary, Helen F. M. North Carolina Research: Genealogy and Local History. 2nd edition. Raleigh: North Carolina Genealogical Society, 1996.
Note: the methodology is timeless and valid anywhere, some terminology is dated.
Merriman, Brenda Dougall. Genealogical Standards of Evidence : A Guide for Family Historians. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2010.
Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. 3rd edition, revised. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2017. Especially note “Fundamentals of Citation,” Chapter 2.
For continual updates and discussions visit https://www.evidenceexplained.com/
———, editor. Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Teachers, and Librarians. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2001.
———, editor. Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2018.
Book-length genealogies that meet standards can be difficult to find. Examples include the American Society of Genealogists’ Donald Lines Jacobus Award winners.
Journals
Journals
The serious genealogist learns new methodology and resources by regularly and thoroughly reading journals that offer:
– well-crafted, well-documented case studies of difficult problems that have been resolved,
– articles documenting families,
– articles showcasing unusual sources and methods,
– quality book reviews, and
– discussions of advanced methods and professional issues.
Among the most-recommended journals published in the United States are the following, which cover both U.S. and non-U.S. families. In order of age:
New England Historical and Genealogical Register
Founded in 1847, the Register publishes quarterly and is subtitled, “The Journal of American Genealogy,” signaling interests that range beyond New England. It focuses on compiled genealogies, as well as articles that solve genealogical problems or identify immigrant origins.
New York Genealogical and Biographical Record
Founded in 1870, the Record publishes quarterly compiled genealogies, problem-solving articles, transcriptions of original records, and research guidance covering what is now New York State.
National Genealogical Society Quarterly
Founded in 1912, the NGSQ publishes quarterly articles that show how to cope with name changes, burned courthouses, illegitimacies, and other stumbling blocks; how to interpret records that do not mean what they seem to say; how to distinguish among individuals of the same name; how to identify origins of immigrant ancestors; and how to research a variety of ethnic groups and in a variety of locations.
The American Genealogist
Founded in 1922 by Donald Lines Jacobus, TAG is an independent quarterly publishing carefully documented compiled genealogies and analyses of difficult genealogical problems.
The Genealogist
Founded in 1980 and now under the auspices of the American Society of Genealogists, The Genealogist publishes twice a year scholarly articles on diverse eras and populations which may not fit in other publications due to their length or other reasons.Blogs
Not all genealogical writing is formal, nor does it always fit into articles or books. Blogs by board-certified genealogists and others may showcase research skills and record sets of interest.
Blogs
Blogs
Not all genealogical writing is formal, nor does it always fit into articles or books. Blogs by board-certified genealogists and others may showcase research skills and record sets of interest.