Our ancestors and other relatives may have left us some good genealogy facts if they contributed to a biographical sketch in a city, county or other local history.
Those histories with biographical sketches in them, usually written and submitted by the subject, are often called “mug books.” Local histories are also a great source of background information about an area — the older, the better.
Histories with biographical sketches have proved invaluable to me in solving many a family riddle. The two sets I use the most, “Memoirs of Georgia” (1895) and “Memorial Record of Alabama” (1893), include lengthy biographical sketches arranged by county.
Whether you think your relative would have been the subject of a sketch or not, always check. It's not always the rich and famous. I found via ancestry.com a sketch on the McMurrain family published in the 1890s where the subject named his parents. If out west, the people often tell the saga of how they got there.
One of President Jimmy Carter’s relatives, whose mother’s maiden name was disputed, had a biographical sketch published in Texas in 1906 that his family had forgotten about. It settled the dispute.
The July-August issue of Family Tree Magazine, on newsstands now, has a workbook supplement on local histories by Rick Crume, outlining many places to search for online copies of these histories. I always search Google first, then the familysearch.org catalog, as they can link you to a large number.
Crume also suggests hathitrust.com, as well as some sites available via subscribing libraries, such as Heritage Quest, Archives Unbound (cengage.com) and Accessible Archives (accessible.com). Check WorldCat (worldcat.org) for titles.
Beyond the reference desk
The Georgia Archives reference staff will speak at the July 8 Lunch and Learn lecture on "Beyond the Reference Desk," discussing ongoing projects in the department. It will be at noon and is free; bring your own lunch. For further information, check georgiaarchives.org or call 678-364-3710.
South Carolina workshop
The South Carolina Genealogical Society summer workshop will be held July 15-16 in Columbia at the South Carolina Archives. For speakers, costs and registration, see scgen.org. Early deadline is June 30.
