In pre-internet days, genealogists would salivate when they located a published family history pertaining to their own ancestors. I have distinct memories of finding books written about my Scripture family, the Knapps, and many others.

It also used to be that one had to visit a library – or many libraries – in person in order to be able to read these histories.

Today, many people don’t do their own research. Information is copied and pasted with little thought to its accuracy. Some of those mistakes could be avoided by reading a published family history that is 150+ years old. Yes, there are many books published in the 1800s that can support or debunk family lore!

Granted, some books are limited in scope, covering perhaps the lines of only the eldest son in each generation or even just one man, part of a larger family, and his descendants. However, other family histories are so complete that, in one or more giant volumes, every descendant, male and female, is traced as far as possible. A number of these books even include photographs of some of the notable family members.

Yet, I never hear anyone talking about great information they’ve found in one of these books!

I’ve used many such books in my research, so I’d like to share several to give an idea of what might be found.

I mentioned my Knapp family. Arthur Mason Knapp published a 77-page book in 1909:

The Descendants of Samuel Scripture of Groton, Massachusetts: [90 pages]

Some Descendants of John Shepley, Salem, Massachusetts, Immigrant, 1635: [44 pages]

A History of the Stanwood Family in America: [350 pages]

The Coleman Family, Descendants of Thomas Coleman of Nantucket: [48 pages]

A contribution toward a genealogy of all Torreys in America: [230 pages]

Last, but not least, a book by myself, which is accessible on FamilySearch: The Williams Family of Cumberland County, Virginia, 187 pages when published and which today is 244 pages long:

Many of the copyright-free books were published in the 1800s, but there are many excellent family histories published in the 1900s right up until today. Those books will mostly be under copyright restrictions for many years, but are well worth checking WorldCat and major genealogy libraries to locate a copy.

Just because a book was published in 1850, don’t ignore it, thinking there is no good information to be found. Some of these smaller one-name publications include details such as occupation, descriptions of land owned, hints to ancestral homes, militia service (not necessarily war service) and town offices held. Bits of information like these aren’t always easily found.

Some of the books published in the latter half of the 20th century, but pre-internet, even include data on living persons.

Of course, just as with online trees, just because it’s “published” doesn’t mean it is 100% accurate. Genealogists need to do due diligence, but family histories really are treasure not to be overlooked.

I see to be on a common theme here, talking about underused resources, following yesterday’s post on Special Collections.

I’m also a bit astounded because in pre-internet days, family histories were a godsend to anyone getting started in genealogical research or looking to crack some brick walls.

Today, on the other hand, I rarely hear anyone mention a great find in a family history book, which is a shame.

Upfront, understand that, in some respects, a published family history, whether ancient or recent, is no more to be accepted as truth as those ubiquitous family trees with a zillion errors in them.

Not to be overlooked, though, is the possibility that a family historian might (1) have personally known the ancestor you’re currently researching, especially if the book was written in the 1800s (2) that same family historian might have had access to non-publicly held records, documents and even photos and (3) a more modern family historian might have had a network of researchers helping and contributing to the family history.

Two of my favorite websites for locating family histories are, not surprisingly, FamilySearch, and Internet Archive. However, if I’m not successful at those sites, I try a general online search for “surname + family history,” and I’ve had some success with that technique. Remember, though, that those general online searches have more chance of success with a surname like Stufflebean rather than Williams.

The weakness in many early – 1800s – family histories is a lack of cited documentation. Sometimes, though, the author will state something like “County records have been helpful,” which directs the reader to checking out county deeds, court and probate records, which can be properly cited. At other times, a seemingly innocuous clue like “the grandfather was born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia” can help extend your own original research.

Family histories were probably most popular in the late 1800s, after the U.S. Centennial in 1876 and then rose again with the 1976 Bicentennial celebration. However, many family histories were written in between those dates.

Many of the family histories written by 1927, but not all, are out of copyright and can often be found in digital format online.

Don’t assume, though, that just because a book was written after 1927, or even at the turn of the 21st century, that it can’t be accessed online. It all depends on the author. I did extensive research on my Astle and Adams families and on my husband’s Whitmer and Williams families and self-published booklets and a book. I’ve also given permission to FamilySearch to make my donations viewable online from home. Some other authors have done the same.

The only “cost” involved is a few minutes of search time.

Don’t be one of those people who mindlessly copy and paste information without doing any of your own research. You’re missing out on 99% of the fun of genealogical research and increasing the odds that you’ve pasted errors into your family tree. There are thousands of family histories out there and, odds are, your family will be in some of them.