Monday, December 23, 2013

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR GASCONADE COUNTY, MISSOURI

The following titles in the collection of the St. Louis Public Library contain genealogical or historical information about Gasconade County, Missouri, or relate the history of one or more Gasconade County families.

Title: The 1860 U.S. census and post office informat:ion, Gasconade County, Missouri.
Author/Compiler: Kohrman, George Emmit.
Local Call Number: 929.3778 GASCONADE [GENEALOGY ROOM]
Publication Date: 1979.
Format: Books.

Title: 1864 State census, Gasconade County, Missouri.
Author/Compiler: Parkin, Robert E.
Local Call Number: 929.3778 GASCONADE [GENEALOGY ROOM]
Publication Date: 1980.
Format: Books.

Title: Family maps of Gasconade County, Missouri : with homesteads, roads, waterways, towns, cemeteries, railroads, and more .
Author/Compiler: Boyd, Gregory A. (Gregory Alan).
Local Call Number: 912.778 [GENEALOGY ROOM]
Publication Date: 2008.
Format: Books.

Title: Gasconade County cemetery survey.
Author/Compiler: Gasconade County Historical Society.
Local Call Number: 929.3778[GENEALOGY ROOM]
Publication Date: 1985.
Format: Books.

Title: Gasconade County history, Owensville, Missouri.
Author/Compiler: Gasconade County Historical Society.
Local Call Number: 977.861 Vol [ 1] [GENEALOGY ROOM]
Publication Date: 2000.
Format: Books.

Title: Gasconade County, Missouri marriage records, books A-C, 1821-1873.
Author/Compiler: Blattner, Teresa.
Local Call Number: 929.3778 GASCONADE[GENEALOGY ROOM]
Publication Date: 1995.
Format: Books.

Title: Gasconade County, Missouri, marriages, 1822-1850.
Author/Compiler: Turpin, Tom.
Local Call Number: 929.3778 GASCONADE[GENEALOGY ROOM]
Publication Date: 1984.
Format: Books.

Title: Hermann.
Author/Compiler: Graveman, Dianna, et.al.
Local Call Number: 977.861 [GENEALOGY ROOM]
Publication Date: 2010.
Format: Books.

Title: History of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford and Gasconade counties, Missouri : from the earliest time to the present; together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and numerous family records; besides a valuable fund of notes, original observations, etc.
Local Call Number: 977.8 [GENEALOGY ROOM]
Publication Date: 1888.
Format: Books.

Title: Missouri Bible and cemetery records : Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, and Jefferson Counties.
Local Call Number: 929.3778 [GENEALOGY ROOM]
Publication Date: 1973.
Format: Books.

Title: Plat book of Gasconade County, Missouri.
Author/Compiler: Hixson (W.W.) & Company.
Local Call Number: 912.778 [GENEALOGY ROOM]
Publication Date: 1995.
Format: Books.

Title: A walking tour of the early homes and businesses of Hermann.
Author/Compiler: Melsha, Donald L.
Local Call Number: 977.861 Vol [ 1] [GENEALOGY ROOM]
Publication Date: 2007.
Format: Books.

Questions? Ask a Librarian!

Friday, December 20, 2013

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR IRON COUNTY, MISSOURI

The following titles in the collection of the St. Louis Public Library contain genealogical or historical information about Iron County, Missouri, or relate the history of one or more Iron County families.

Title: 1876 census of the county of Iron, state of Missouri .
Author: Preissle, Edward. Preissle, Millie.
Local Call Number: 929.3778 IRON [GENEALOGY RM]
Publication Date: 1984
Format: Books

Title: Deguire dit La Rose and Allied families: the French ancestry of Emma Deguire of Iron County, Missouri.
Author: Jackson, Belford Darrell, 1938-
Local Call Number: 929.2 [GENEALOGY RM]
Publication Date: 2011
Format: Books

Title: History of southeast Missouri : Embracing an historical account of the counties of Ste. Genevieve, St. Francois, Perry, Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Madison, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Dunklin, Scott, Mississippi, Stoddard, Butler, Wayne, and Iron, and including a department devoted to the preservation of personal, professional and private records.
Author: Goodspeed Publishing Co.
Local Call Number: 977.8 [GENEALOGY RM]
Publication Date: 1955
Format: Books

Title: Inman families of Barron Hollow, Iron and Madison County, Missouri.
Author: McClure, Jeanette Henson.
Local Call Number: 929.2 [GENEALOGY RM]
Publication Date: 2009
Format: Books

Title: Iron County, Missouri marriages.
Author: McClure, Jeanette Henson. Camden, Eugene.
Local Call Number: 929.3778 IRON Vol [9 & 10] [GENEALOGY RM]
Publication Date: 1999
Format: Books

Title: Iron County, Missouri memories.
Author: McClure, Jeanette Henson.
Local Call Number: 929.3778 IRON Vol [1 & 2] [GENEALOGY RM]
Publication Date: 2000
Format: Books

Title: Iron County, Missouri, the index of the Record of Wills, book A, 1857-1888, book B, 1889-1907, and the death records, 1883-1886.
Author: McClure, Jeanette Henson.
Local Call Number: 929.3778 IRON [GENEALOGY RM]
Publication Date: 2009
Format: Books

Title: Listings of Iron County, Missouri, cemeteries.
Author: McClure, Jeanette Henson.
Local Call Number: 929.3778 IRON [GENEALOGY RM]
Publication Date: 1982
Format: Books

Title: Missouri Bible and cemetery records : Crawford, Franklin, Iron, Jefferson and Washington Counties.
Local Call Number: 929.3778 [GENEALOGY RM]
Publication Date: 1972
Format: Manuscript

Title: Missouri DAR Genealogical Records Committee report, 1988: cemeteries of St. Francois and Iron counties, Missouri .
Author: Murdick, (Mrs.) William G., Daughters of the American Revolution. Missouri Society.
Local Call Number: 929.3778 [GENEALOGY RM]
Publication Date: 1988
Format: Books

Questions? Ask a Librarian!

Thursday, December 19, 2013

THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE

INTRODUCTION

The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive of World War II. It began on 16 December 1944, when German forces broke through Allied defenses in the Ardennes. The German drive was intended to seize Antwerp, split Allied forces in the west, and bring about the surrender of one or more Allied armies. Bad weather (bitter cold and heavy snow) hampered Allied air and supply operations, although it also hindered German movements. Improved weather conditions allowed Allied forces to reinforce weak points in their lines, and to resume air operations against German offensive positions and supply lines.

American forces suffered nearly 90,000 casualties during this German offensive, including 19,000 soldiers killed in action.

Wikipedia article on The Battle of the Bulge

LIBRARY LOCATIONS:

Central Library—History, Geography, & Travel (HG)
Central Library—Stacks (ST)
Buder Branch—(BU)
Carpenter Branch—(CP)
Schlafly Branch—(SC)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ambrose, Stephen E. Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany, June 7, 1944--May 7, 1945. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1997. ST,BU,CP, SC—940.5421

Astor, Gerald. A Blood-Dimmed Tide: The Battle of the Bulge by the Men Who Fought It. New York: Donald I. Fine, 1992. HG—940.5421431

Goolrick, William K, and Ogden Tanner. The Battle of the Bulge. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1979. ST—940.5421

Hastings, Max. Armageddon: The Battle for Germany, 1944-45. New York: A.A. Knopf, 2004.HG, BU—940.5421

Kershaw, Alex. The Longest Winter: The Battle of the Bulge and the Epic Story of WWII's Most Decorated Platoon. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2004. HG, BU—940.421934

MacDonald, Charles B. A Time for Trumpets: The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge. New York: Morrow, 1984. ST—940.5421

McManus, John C. Alamo in the Ardennes: The Untold Story of the American Soldiers Who Made the Defense of Bastogne Possible. Hoboken, N.J: J. Wiley, 2007. HG, BU—940.5421

Neill, George W. Infantry Soldier: Holding the Line at the Battle of the Bulge. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000. HG—940.5421431

Nobécourt, Jacques. Hitler's Last Gamble: The Battle of the Ardennes. London: Chatto & Windus, 1967. ST—940.92

Schrijvers, Peter. The Unknown Dead: Civilians in the Battle of the Bulge. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2005. ST—940.53161

Whiting, Charles. Massacre at Malmedy: The Story of Jochen Peiper's Battle Group, Ardennes, December, 1944. New York: Stein and Day, 1971. ST—940.547

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

THE RAPE OF NANKING

A massacre of horrific proportions took place beginning on 13 December 1937 when the Japanese army overthrew the ancient city of Nanking, China. Japanese soldiers then proceeded to rape, torture, and murder an estimated 200,000-300,000 Chinese civilians. Thousands more would likely have been slaughtered if European and American civilians working in Nanking had not created a “Safety Zone” where survivors could take shelter.

LIBRARY LOCATIONS

Central—Entertainment, Literature, & Biography (ELB)
Central—History, Geography, & Travel (HGT)
Central—Stacks (ST)
Buder Branch (BU)
Carondelet Branch (CO)
Carpenter Branch (CP)
Julia Davis Branch (DA)
Kingshighway Branch (KI)
Machacek Branch (MA)
Schlafly Branch (SC)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chang, Iris. The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. New York, NY: Basic Books, 1997. HGT,BU,CO,CP,KI,MA—951.042

Chang, Ying-Ying, and Iris Chang. The Woman Who Could Not Forget: Iris Chang Before and Beyond the Rape of Nanking. New York: Pegasus, 2011. CP,DA,SC [B—CHANG]

Fogel, Joshua A. The Nanjing Massacre in History and Historiography. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. HGT—951.136

Honda, Katsuichi, Frank Gibney, and Karen E. Sandness. The Nanjing Massacre: A Japanese Journalist Confronts Japan's National Shame. Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe, 1999. HGT—951.042

Kamen, Paula. Finding Iris Chang: Friendship, Ambition, and the Loss of an Extraordinary Mind. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 2007. ELB [B—CHANG]

Piccigallo, Philip R. The Japanese on Trial: Allied War Crimes Operations in the East, 1945-1951. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1979. ST—341.69

Rabe, John, and Erwin Wickert. The Good Man of Nanking: The Diaries of John Rabe. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1998. ST,DA,KI—940.5308

Tanaka, Toshiyuki. Hidden Horrors: Japanese War Crimes in World War II. Boulder, Colo: Westview Press, 1996. ST—940.5405

Zhang, Kaiyuan. Eyewitnesses to Massacre: American Missionaries Bear Witness to Japanese Atrocities in Nanjing. Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe, 2001. CP—940.53

GEORGE ARMSTRONG CUSTER

George Armstrong Custer was born December 5, 1839, in New Rumley, Ohio. He graduated from West Point in 1861 (one year early because of the looming Civil War). He was ranked last in his class, due in part to a propensity for playing pranks on his classmates that earned him numerous demerits. After distinguishing himself as a cavalry officer during the Civil War, he died on June 25, 1876 in Montana Territory during an engagement with a greatly superior force consisting of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indians.

LIBRARY LOCATIONS:

Central Library—History, Geography, & Travel (HG) Central Library—Stacks (ST) Kingshighway Branch (KI) BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barnes, Jeff. The Great Plains Guide to Custer: 8 Forts, Fights, and Other Sites. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2012. KI—978.02

Barnett, Louise K. Touched by Fire: The Life, Death, and Mythic Afterlife of George Armstrong Custer. New York: Henry Holt, 1996. ST—B CUSTER

Custer, Elizabeth B. Boots and Saddles; or, Life in Dakota with General Custer. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1961. ST—B CUSTER

Custer, George A, Elizabeth B. Custer, and Marguerite Merington. The Custer Story: The Life and Intimate Letters of General George A. Custer and His Wife Elizabeth. New York: Devin-Adair, 1950. ST—B CUSTER

Custer, George A. My Life on the Plains, Or, Personal Experiences with Indians. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1962. ST—970.5

Custer, George A. Wild Life on the Plains and Horrors of Indian Warfare. New York: Arno Press, 1969. ST—970.810924

Elliott, Michael A. Custerology: The Enduring Legacy of the Indian Wars and George Armstrong Custer. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007. HG—973.82092

Monaghan, Jay. Custer: The Life of General George Armstrong Custer. Lincoln, Neb: University of Nebraska Press, 1971. ST-B CUSTER

Urwin, Gregory J. W. Custer Victorious: The Civil War Battles of General George Armstrong Custer. Rutherford: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1983. ST-973.73

Wert, Jeffry D. Custer: The Controversial Life of George Armstrong Custer. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996. ST-B CUSTER

Whittaker, Frederick. A Complete Life of Gen. George A. Custer. New York: Sheldon, 1876. ST-B CUSTER

CHECKLIST FOR BEGINNING GENEALOGISTS

PART FIVE

Potential Useful Information about People You Are Researching

Knowing any of the following types of information about an ancestor can often help us acquire further information about that person:

Age at time of death
Awards/decorations
Baptism/christening date
Birthdate
Birthplace
Children
Churches/Synagogues/Mosques
Clubs/associations
Country of birth
Criminal history/incarceration
Death date
Ethnicity
Health
Immigration date
Maiden name
Martial status
Naturalization date
Occupation
Parents
Physical description
Place of death
Place(s) of residence
Professional associations
Real estate/home ownership
Religion
Siblings
Schools/colleges
Spouse(s)
Unions (labor organizations)
Veteran status

Have questions? Ask a Librarian!

Monday, December 2, 2013

CHECKLIST FOR BEGINNING GENEALOGISTS

PART FOUR

Places Where Records/Documents/Photographs/Artifacts Can Be Found (continued)

Items of potential interest can turn up in many different places:

Library of Congress
Map stores
Military museums
Military record centers
Museums
National Archives
National Personnel Records Center
Newspaper offices
Public libraries
Regional branches of the National Archives
Schools
State archives
State libraries
Union (labor organization) offices
Your house/houses of relatives

Have questions? Ask a Librarian!

PERIODICAL SPOTLIGHT: FAMILY CHRONICLE

Their November/December 2013 issue features these articles:

Wide-Angle Census Searches (scan the whole neighborhood, not just the people you searched for)

Forwarding Addresses from the Past (a closer look at letters, postcards, and other documents that provide addresses)

Christmas Cards: a New Christmas Tradition (they can sometimes provide genealogical clues as well as great memories)

Special Collections: a Source Worth Exploring (a look at special collections of libraries and other institutions)

Finding My Family from Wales: Where to Begin? (Welsh ancestors research strategy)

Wooden Shoe Genealogy, Part II: Grounding Your Family in the Netherlands (researching those Dutch and Frisian ancestors)

The Empire of Death (review of a new book about ossuaries and charnel houses)

Dating Old Photographs Through Fashion (style clues can help you date family photos)

The Strangling Angel: Diptheria (it almost certainly killed at least one of your ancestors)

This VC is Still a Mystery, a Century Later (John Leak was a war hero, but what about his life before the war?)

You can read this magazine (and other issues of this title) in the Genealogy Room at Central Library (St. Louis).

Genealogy pages on the SLPL website

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

PERIODICAL SPOTLIGHT: FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE

Family Tree Magazine

Their December 2013 issue features these articles:

Going Home (the new Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp, Belgium)

Thanksgiving Then and Now (differences in food; utensils; entertainment; and attire)

Typewriter (they used to write using these things!)

Great State Sites (75 outstanding state-specific websites)

Teaming Up (brick walls topple faster if two of you are whacking away at them)

Workbook: Passenger Lists (getting all the info you can from these records)

Trace Your Filipino Roots (a beginner’s guide to tracing ancestors from the Philippines)

Incredible Journeys (tips for making that trip to the ancestral homeland a dream and not a nightmare)

Talk the Talk (genealogists, like other specialists, like to use acronyms and abbreviations)

Holiday HeritageFest (how to include family history in holiday gatherings)

City Directories (tips for efficient use of these resources)

Translation Tools (guide to online translation tools)

Canvas Photo Printing Services (online services that offer printing of photos or family trees on canvas)

Software Review: Storylava (thumbs up—or thumbs down?)

Using NARA’s Online Public Access Search (it will make searching their website much easier—once you get used to it)

You can read this magazine (and other issues of this title) in the Genealogy Room at Central Library (St. Louis).

Genealogy pages on the SLPL website

Monday, November 25, 2013

CHECKLIST FOR BEGINNING GENEALOGISTS

PART THREE

Places Where Records/Documents/Photographs/Artifacts Can Be Found

Items of potential interest can turn up in many different places:

Antique shops
Archives
Boards of Education
Bookstores
Businesses
Cemeteries
Churches
City halls
Clubs & associations
Colleges & universities
Coroner's office
County courthouses
Courthouses
Department of Corrections
Family History Library
Family reunions
Flea markets
Funeral homes
Genealogical societies
Genealogy workshops & conferences
Government agencies
Highway departments
Historical societies
Houses of relatives
Internet

Friday, November 22, 2013

CHECKLIST FOR BEGINNING GENEALOGISTS

PART TWO

Records/Documents with Potential Significance for Genealogists (continued)

The following types of record can provide valuable information for the person just beginning his/her genealogical research:

Holiday cards
Homestead land records
Hospital records
Immigration records
Insurance records
Jail/prison records
Labor union records
Land records
Letters
Licensing board records
Lineage societies
Manuscripts
Maps
Marriage records
Medical records
Mental institution records
Military discharge papers
Military enlistment papers
Military service records
Militia records
Mortality schedules
Naturalization records
Newspapers
Obituaries
Orphanage/foundling home records
Passenger records
Passports
Patriotic society records
Pension records
Personal property records
Phone books
Photo albums
Photographs
Plantation records
Poor farm records
Professional association records
Railroad records
Regimental histories
School records
Scrapbooks
Ship photos
Social Security records
Tax records
Trade catalogs
Veterans' organization records
Will and probate records
WPA (Works Progress Administration) records
Yearbooks

Have questions? Ask a Librarian!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

CHECKLIST FOR BEGINNING GENEALOGISTS

PART ONE

Records/Documents with Potential Significance for Genealogists

The following types of records can provide valuable information for the person just beginning his/her genealogical research:

Account books
Adoption records
Address books
Animal bounty records
Alien internment records
Alien registration records
Almshouse/asylum records
Apprenticeship/Indenture records
Baby books
Bank records
Bankruptcy records
Baptism records
Bible records
Birth records
Bounty land records
Cattle brands/estray records
CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) records
Cemetery & burial records
Census records
Christening records
Church records
City & county directories
Class photos/class reunions
Club records
College & university records
Confirmation records
Coroner's records
County histories
Court records
Deeds & mortgages
Diaries
Divorce records
Dog license records
Draft registration & conscription records
Employment records
Family histories
Family photos
FBI/police records
Financial records
Fraternal organization records
Funeral cards
Government agency records
Graduation records
Guardian records

Have questions? Ask a Librarian!

THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG

Historical Background

Lincoln and other Northern politicians wanted General George B. McClellan to follow up the narrow Union victory at Antietam with another, more substantial victory over General Robert E. Lee's army. When McClellan failed to set his army in motion, Lincoln replaced him with General Ambrose Burnside.

Burnside knew he had two choices: strike off for the fertile Shenandoah Valley, and disrupt Lee's food supplies and supply routes, or cross the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg, Virginia and set off towards Richmond. Because a move towards Fredericksburg would keep the bulk of the Union Army between Lee and Washington, D.C., Burnside chose to set off in that direction.

Results of the Battle

CSA- 78,000 troops available for battle
608 men killed in action or mortally wounded
4,116 men wounded
653 men captured or missing in action
5,377 casualties total (7% of total troops engaged)

USA- 117,000 troops available for battle
1,284 men killed in action or mortally wounded
9,600 men wounded
1,769 men captured or missing in action
12,653 casualties total (11% of total troops engaged)

The Battle of Fredericksburg was a clear statistical victory for the CSA, although General Lee regretted not being able to more greatly hinder his opponent's retreat across the Rappahannock River. It was also a clear strategic and tactical triumph for General Lee, whose placement of artillery and infantry made it well-nigh impossible for Burnside to actually take those positions. But it didn't end Union attempts to move towards Richmond- those would resume with a vengeance in the spring of 1863.

Abbreviations

HG—History, Geography, & Travel Room (Central Library)
ST—Stacks (Central Library)

Books about the Fredericksburg Campaign and Battle

Catton, Bruce. Glory Road: The Bloody Route from Fredericksburg to Gettysburg. London: White Lion Publishers, 1977. ST-973.74

Cullen, Joseph P. The Battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House, Where a Hundred Thousand Fell. Washington: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, 1966. ST-973.73

Fredericksburg. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1997. ST-973.733

Goolrick, William K. Rebels Resurgent: Fredericksburg to Chancellorsville. Alexandria, Va: Time-Life Books, 1985. ST-973.733

Henderson, G F. R. The Campaign of Fredericksburg, Nov-Dec., 1862: A Tactical Study for Officers. London: Chatham, Gale & Polden, 1891. ST-973.73

Mackowski, Chris, and Kristopher D. White. Simply Murder: The Battle of Fredericksburg. S.l.: s.n., 2012. HG-973.733

Stackpole, Edward J. Drama on the Rappahannock: the Fredericksburg Campaign. Harrisburg, Pa: Military Publishing Co., 1957. ST-973.73

Sutherland, Daniel E. Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville: The Dare Mark Campaign. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998. ST-973.733

Whan, Vorin E. Fiasco at Fredericksburg. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1961. ST-973.73

Wren, James, and John M. Priest. From New Bern to Fredericksburg: Captain James Wren's Diary : B Company, 48th Pennsylvania Volunteers, February 20, 1862-December 17, 1862. Shippensburg, PA: White Mane Pub. Co, 1990. ST-973.748

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

PERIODICAL SPOTLIGHT: ISGS QUARTERLY

Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly

Their Fall 2013 issue features these articles:

Wish You Were Here: Travelers’ Postcards Sent to Illinois (article by postal historian James R. Miller)

Peter Miller’s Civil War Years (Miller served in the 79th Illinois infantry, Co. E)

William Stewart Harvey, 1851-1880 (article about life and family of this Scottish immigrant)

Fitting Tributes: Military Headstones, Certificates, and Stamps (article about acquiring free government grave markers, Presidential Memorial Certificates for vets, and the Civil War Sesquicentennial Stamp Series)

Faces From the Past—Identifying Photos With Marge Rice (ISGS member Rice collects unclaimed family photos in hopes of reuniting them with the right family—five such finds reproduced here)

Confessions of a Hero-Appreciating Genealogist (article about genealogist Charlotte Goldthwaite)

Family Bible Collection (transcribed entries from Riggs; Blane; Clarke; Allen; Sykes; Bates; Hindman; and Herbert family bibles)

The Steve Neal Reading Room Collection at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library (article about the ALPL’s open stacks area, named for Chicago Sun-Times columnist Steve Neale)

New Headstones for Civil War Veterans (lengthy article about securing free government grave markers for Civil War vets buried in Lyonsville Cemetery, Lyons Twp., Cook County, IL)

You can read this magazine (and other issues of this title) in the Genealogy Room at Central Library (St. Louis).

Genealogy pages on the SLPL website

Thursday, October 24, 2013

PERIODICAL SPOTLIGHT: NGS MAGAZINE

NGS Magazine

Quarterly publication of the National Genealogical Society. Their July-September 2013 issue features these articles:

Online Newspapers (covers both free and subscription sites featuring digitized newspapers)

Creating Memoirs (as the author notes, if you don’t stop researching long enough to write up the story of your own life, you will deprive your descendants of this important record)

Finding Facts to Support a Family Tradition (many families have a family “legend”—and these family traditions are sometimes [at least partially] true)

Five Tips for Starting Research in a New Locale (a little time spent researching that new locale can save you hours of dead-ends and genealogical dry wells)

Native Americans on the Trail of Tears, Part I—Census Rolls Relating to Indian Removals, 1817-1857 (information about existing records of these removals)

Headstone Records for US Military Veterans, Part II—Records for Headstones Requested 1925-1985 (article about government headstones requested for veteran burials in private cemeteries during the period noted)

Family Bible Collection (transcribed entries from Riggs; Blane; Clarke; Allen; Sykes; Bates; Hindman; and Herbert family bibles)

It You Build It… (creating genealogical websites, blogs, and online family trees)

German Town Anniversary Books (there may well be a celebratory book about a significant anniversary of the German town your ancestors came from—article describes five such books the author has managed to acquire)

History, Content, and Format of German Church Records (church records are often the only sources of information about the lives of German commoners prior to 1800)

Big Data and Genealogy (what Big Data is, and why it’s going to be increasingly important to anyone with an interest in genealogy)

You can read this magazine (and other issues of this title) in the Genealogy Room at Central Library (1301 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103).

Genealogy pages on the SLPL website

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

WELL-GROUNDED: CEMETERY RECORDS & RESEARCH

INTRODUCTION

The Genealogy Room collection includes many books of cemetery records, plus numerous books on cemetery research. This list includes just a few of our titles on these subjects.

The following online article is a good introduction to cemetery research for novices:

Tiptoeing Through the Graveyard

ABBREVIATIONS

DA—Julia Davis Branch
GEN—Genealogy Room (Central Library)
ST—Stacks (Central Library)
STL—St. Louis Room (Central Library)

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Amsler, Kevin. Final Resting Place: The Lives and Deaths of Famous St. Louisans. St. Louis, MO: Virginia Publishing Co, 1997. STL—929.5097786

At Rest in Wildwood: Burial Sites, History of Cemetery Traditions, and Stories of Our Passing : Wildwood, St. Louis County, Missouri. Wildwood, MO: Wildwood Historical Society, 2005. GEN—929.3778

Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo. American Cemetery Research. Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2012. GEN—929.1

Cemeteries of the U.S.: a Guide to Contact Information for U.S. Cemeteries and Their Records. Detroit, Mi: Gale Research, 1994. GEN,DA—929.373

Cemetery Records of Missouri. Chilicothe, Mo: Elizabeth P. Ellsberry, 1965. GEN—929.3778 HOLT

Cemetery Relocations by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas. St. Louis: St. Louis Genealogical Society, 1977. GEN—929.377

Gibson, Eleanor. Fenton, Missouri Area Cemeteries. Fenton, Mo.: DAR, Olde Town Fenton Chapter, 2012. GEN—929.3778 SAINT LOUIS

Hamilton, Esley, and Pat H. Baer. The Cemeteries of University City. University City, MO: Historical Society of University City, 1998. ST,STL—929.377866

Holt, Dean W. American Military Cemeteries: a Comprehensive Illustrated Guide to the Hallowed Resting Places of the United States: Including Cemeteries Overseas. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1992. GEN,DA—353.0086

McElhiney, Mary J, Emma R. Porter, and Gertrude P. Johnson. Genealogical Records: Inscriptions Personally Transcribed from the Tombstones in Old Family Burying Grounds and in the Public Cemeteries in St. Charles, Montgomery, Warren, Lincoln and St. Louis Counties, Missouri. S.l.: Edna McElhiney Olson, 1970. GEN—929.3778 SAINT CHARLES

Missouri Bible and Cemetery Records: Crawford, Franklin, Iron, Jefferson and Washington Counties. S.l.: s.n., 1972. GEN—929.3778

The National Cemetery, Jefferson City, Missouri. Jefferson City, Mo. (P.O. Box 715, Jefferson 65102): Mid-Missouri Genealogical Society, 1981. GEN—929.3778 COLE

Old Cemeteries, St. Louis County, Mo. 6 vols. St. Louis: St. Louis Genealogical Society, 1982--. GEN—929.3778 SAINT LOUIS

Old St. Louis County Cemeteries, Missouri. St. Louis, Mo: Daughters of the American Revolution (St. Louis Chapter), 1952. GEN—929.3778 SAINT LOUIS

Ostertag, John A, and Enid Ostertag. Tracing Roots in the Missouri River Valley from Kansas City to St. Louis, Mo: A Directory of 20 Counties Bordering the Missouri River for Genealogists, Historians, Tourists : Early Histories, Courthouse Records, Research Libraries, Genealogical and Historical Societies, College Histories, Cemetery Records, Museums, Tourist Attractions. St. Joseph, Mo: Ostertag, 1988. GEN—929.3778

Pearson, Thomas A. St. Louis Cemetery Lists and Death Registers, 1764-1999: A Selected, Annotated Bibliography of Materials in the Collection of the St. Louis Public Library. St. Louis, MO: St. Louis Public Library, 2001. ST,GEN—929.3778

Tombstone Talks: Landmarks Tour of Bellefontaine Cemetery, October 25, 1970. St. Louis, Mo.: Landmarks Association of St. Louis, Inc, 1975. ST,STL—920.077

Monday, October 14, 2013

MILITARY RECORDS: A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

INTRODUCTION

Military records are often the best source (and, on occasion, the only source) of information on an American ancestor. The books in this list can help you understand what records are available and how to access those of interest.

ABBREVIATIONS

DA—Julia Davis Branch
GEN—Genealogy Room (Central Library)
MA—Machacek Branch
ST—Stacks (Central Library)

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Carter-Walker, Fran. Searching American Military Records. Bountiful, Utah: American Genealogical Lending Library, 1993. GEN—929.1

GI Tracks: Understanding U.S. Military Records. Salt Lake City, UT: Heritage Consulting and Services, 1998. GEN—929.1

Grundset, Eric, Briana L. Diaz, Hollis L. Gentry, and Jean D. Strahan. Forgotten Patriots: African American and American Indian Patriots in the Revolutionary War : a Guide to Service, Sources and Studies. Washington, D.C: National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, 2008. GEN—973.74

Kirkham, E K. Some of the Military Records of America, Before 1900: Their Use and Value in Genealogical and Historical Research. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Co, 1964. GEN—929.373

Knox, Debra J. WWII Military Records: A Family Historian's Guide. Spartanburg, SC: MIE Pub, 2003.GEN--940.546773

McManus, Stephen, Thomas Churchill, and Donald Thompson. Civil War Research Guide: A Guide for Researching Your Civil War Ancestor. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2003. ST,GEN—973.7072

Military Service Records: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC: National Archives Trust Fund Board, National Archives and Service Administration, 1985. ST,GEN—016.3556

Neagles, James C. Confederate Research Sources: A Guide to Archive Collections. Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry Pub, 1986. GEN--026.9737

Neagles, James C. U.S Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Present. Salt Lake City, Utah: Ancestry, 1994. GEN—929.30973

Quillen, W D. Mastering Census & Military Records. Cold Spring Harbor, NY: Cold Spring Press, 2012. GEN-929.1

Scott, Craig R. Revolutionary War Genealogy Research. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Pub. Co, 2011. GEN—929.1

Schubert, Frank N. Voices of the Buffalo Soldier: Records, Reports, and Recollections of Military Life and Service in the West. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2003. DA—355.008996

Schweitzer, George K. Civil War Genealogy: A Basic Research Guide for Tracing Your Civil War Ancestors, with Detailed Sources and Precise Instructions for Obtaining Information from Them. Knoxville, TN: G.K. Schweitzer, 2003. ST,GEN—973.74

Seeley, Charlotte P, Virginia C. Purdy, and Robert Gruber. American Women and the U.S. Armed Forces: A Guide to the Records of Military Agencies in the National Archives Relating to American Women. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992. ST—355.082

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

PERIODICAL SPOTLIGHT: FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE

Lots of articles of interest in their October/November 2013 issue:

Rediscovering Slave Burial Sites (a new project is cataloging such locations)

Cutting Teeth (how your ancestors cared for their teeth)

Migration Melodies (how did they get from there to here?)

Burned Out? (a five-step plan to rebuild your tree from archival ashes)

Time-Saving Tech Tools (17 apps and online tools for organization and time management)

Death Records Workbook (what are they; how do you find them; and what other types of record can provide death info)

Going to Church (a guide to German church records)

Movie Moments (converting old home movies to digital format)

Top Free Sites for Online Newspapers (includes a guide to digital yearbooks)

You can read this magazine (and other issues of this title) in the Genealogy Room at Central Library (1301 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103).

Genealogy pages on the SLPL website

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

PERIODICAL SPOTLIGHT: FAMILY CHRONICLE

Family Chronicle: the How-to Guide to Tracing Your Ancestors

If you’ve never read an issue of this bi-monthly magazine, I think you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Each issue features articles designed to help you research ancestors from a particular country, state, or locality; work with particular types of records; or generally become a better, more skillful genealogist.

For example, the September/October 2013 issue features these articles (to name just a few):

Five Reasons Why the Records Aren’t in the Courthouse (some reasons are obvious, others not so much)

Wooden Shoe Genealogy: Finding Your Dutch and Frisian Ancestors, Part I (Frisians reside in the northern parts of the Netherlands and Germany and—naturally—speak Frisian)

How to Find Dead People in Chicago (in cemeteries, of course)

Processioners’ Books (a closer look at a record with roots in medieval England)

Follow the Luther Trail (discovering your Lutheran ancestors)

You can read this magazine (and other issues of this title, plus numerous other genealogy periodicals) in the Genealogy Room at Central Library (1301 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103).

Genealogy pages on the SLPL website

FINDING YOUR ROOTS

If you're interested in genealogy, you've probably seen one or more episodes of the Who Do You Think You Are? TV series. You may have missed Finding Your Roots, however. This 10-part series, hosted by renowned cultural critic and Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., delved into the genealogy and genetics of famous Americans, combining history and science in a fascinating exploration of race, family and identity in today's America. Professor Gates uncovered captivating stories and surprises in the family trees of Kevin Bacon, Robert Downey, Jr., Branford Marsalis, John Legend, Martha Stewart, Barbara Walters and Rick Warren, to name just some of the series' celebrity guests.

St. Louis Public Library owns this series on DVD, and cardholders can reserve it via our online catalog:

SLPL Catalog

SO MANY BLOGS, SO LITTLE TIME...

St. Louis Public Library does sponsor quite a few other blogs, you know:

St. Louis Public Library Blogs

THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS

INTRODUCTION

The Cuban missile crisis was a 13-day confrontation in October 1962 between the Soviet Union and Cuba on one side and the United States on the other. It is widely believed to be the occasion when the Cold War nearly morphed into a full-scale nuclear conflict.

Cuban Missile Crisis—Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_missile_crisis

ABBREVIATIONS

BU—Buder Branch
CP—Carpenter Branch
DA—Julia Davis Branch
HG—History, Geography, and Travel (Central Library)
MA—Machacek Branch
SC—Schlafly Branch
SS—Social Sciences (Central Library)
ST—Stacks (Central Library)

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Allison, Graham T. Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis. Boston: Little, Brown, 1971. ST—327.73

Blight, James G, and David A. Welch. On the Brink: Americans and Soviets Reexamine the Cuban Missile Crisis. New York: Hill and Wang, 1989. BU—973.922

Brugioni, Dino A, and Robert F. McCort. Eyeball to Eyeball: The Inside Story of the Cuban Missile Crisis. New York: Random House, 1991. ST,BU—973.922

Chang, Laurence, and Peter Kornbluh. The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962: A National Security Archive Documents Reader. New York: The New Press, 1992. ST—973.922

Dobbs, Michael. One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. HG,ST,BU,CP,MA,SC—972.91064

Frankel, Max. High Noon in the Cold War: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. New York: Ballantine Books, 2004. SS—327.47093

Garthoff, Raymond L. Reflections on the Cuban Missile Crisis. Washington, D.C: Brookings Institution, 1987. ST—972.91064

George, Alice L. Awaiting Armageddon: How Americans Faced the Cuban Missile Crisis. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2003. HG—973.912

Kennedy, Robert F. Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis. New York: W.W. Norton, 1969. SS,BU—327.73

May, Ernest R, and Philip Zelikow. The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis. Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1997. HG,BU—973.922

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

WAR BENEATH THE WAVES

INTRODUCTION

Sometime in the spring of 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the U.S. Navy to patrol shipping lanes to Europe. By July, U.S. warships were convoying for protection against German U-Boats, and by September were attacking German submarines when necessary (see the book below by Michael Gannon for more information). In November, the Neutrality Act was partly repealed to allow continuing U.S. military aid to Britain.

Submarine Warfare (Wikipedia article): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_warfare

ABBREVIATIONS

DA—Julia Davis Branch
HGT—History, Geography, and Travel (Central Library)
MA—Machacek Branch
ST—Stacks (Central Library)

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bekker, Cajus. Hitler's Naval War. Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday, 1974. ST—940.5459

Calvert, James F. Silent Running: My Years on a World War II Attack Submarine. New York: J. Wiley, 1995. ST—940.5426

Fluckey, Eugene B. Thunder Below! The USS Barb Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1992. ST-940.545974

Galantin, I J. Take Her Deep!: A Submarine Against Japan in World War II. Chapel Hill, N.C: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1987. ST—940.5451

Gannon, Michael. Operation Drumbeat: The Dramatic True Story of Germany's First U-Boat Attacks Along the American Coast in World War II. New York: Harper & Row, 1990. ST—940.5451

Lowder, Hughston E, and Jack Scott. Batfish, the Champion "Submarine-Killer" Submarine of World War II. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1980. ST—940.5451

O'Kane, Richard H. Wahoo: The Patrols of America's Most Famous World War II Submarine. Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1987. ST,MA—940.5451

Ruhe, William J. War in the Boats: My World War II Submarine Battles. Washington [D.C.: Brassey's, 1994. ST—940.5426

Werner, Herbert A. Iron Coffins: A Personal Account of the German U-Boat Battles of World War II. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969. ST—940.5421

Wheeler, Keith. War Under the Pacific. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1980. DA—940.5451

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA

The Battle of Chickamauga took place in northern Georgia on 19-20 September 1863. Confederate General Braxton Bragg faced off against Union General William S. Rosecrans. Rosecrans and two wings of his army were driven from the field early on during the second day, but a determined delaying action led by General George H. Thomas allowed most of the Union Army to escape to the safety of nearby Chattanooga, Tennessee. Chickamauga is considered a Confederate victory, since the Union Army was driven from the battlefield, but the Union Army retained control of Chattanooga, which was used as a base during the successful campaign to capture Atlanta during spring and summer 1864.

Battle of Chickamauga: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chickamauga

Library locations:

BU—Buder Branch
ELB—Entertainment, Literature, & Biography (Central Library)
HGT—Hisotry, Geography, & Travel (Central Library)
MA—Machacek Branch
ST—Stacks (Central Library

Baumgartner, Richard A. Blue Lightning: Wilder's Mounted Infantry Brigade in the Battle of Chickamauga. Huntington, W. VA: Blue Acorn Press, 1997. ST—973.7359

Bowers, John. Chickamauga and Chattanooga: The Battles That Doomed the Confederacy. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 1994. ST—973.735

Broadwater, Robert P. General George H. Thomas: A Biography of the Union's "Rock of Chickamauga". Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co, 2009. ELB—B THOMAS

Chickamauga. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1997. ST,BU,MA—973.7359

Cleaves, Freeman. Rock of Chickamauga: The Life of General George H. Thomas. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1948. ST-B THOMAS

Cozzens, Peter. This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1992. ST—973.735

Korn, Jerry. The Fight for Chattanooga: Chickamauga to Missionary Ridge. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1985. ST,BU—973.7359

McElroy, Joseph C. Chickamauga. Cincinnati: Earhart & Richardson, Printers and Engravers, 1896. ST—973.76

Spruill, Matt. Guide to the Battle of Chickamauga. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1993. ST—973.735

Wills, Brian Steel. George Henry Thomas: As True as Steel. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2012. ELB—B THOMAS

Woodworth, Steven E. Chickamauga: A Battlefield Guide with a Section on Chattanooga. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1999. HGT—973.7359

Woodworth, Steven E, and Grady McWhiney. A Deep Steady Thunder: The Battle of Chickamauga. Fort Worth: Ryan Place Publishers, 1996. ST—973.735

Saturday, September 7, 2013

ANCESTRY.COM CARD CATALOG

NOTE: You can use Ancestry.com for free at Central Library and our branches!

Sure, you can search within all Ancestry.com's databases for a particular person, but you’ll often get better results if you search within a specific database, rather than trying to search all of Ancestry at once. To do so, hover over SEARCH in the top menu bar and click on CARD CATALOG.

Now type MISSOURI into the title box (case does not matter in any of the search queries mentioned in this post). My search brought up 282 hits: click on a listed database to search within that database.

Let’s say you are searching for databases with info specifically relating to St. Louis, Missouri. What’s the best way to frame your Ancestry Card Catalog query?

o Doing a title search for ST. LOUIS MISSOURI gets 5 hits.
o Doing a title search for SAINT LOUIS MISSOURI gets 2 hits.
o Doing a title search for SAINT LOUIS gets 5 hits.
o Doing a title search for ST. LOUIS gets 35 hits.

Seems we have a clear winner! However, when using the Ancestry Card Catalog we can also do KEYWORD searches.

o Doing a keyword search for SAINT LOUIS MISSOURI gets 9 hits.
o Doing a keyword search for ST. LOUIS MISSOURI gets 78 hits.
o Doing a keyword search for SAINT LOUIS gets 11 hits.
o Doing a keyword search for ST. LOUIS gets 111 hits.

Once again, seems we have a clear winner, although the contest is a little closer this time.

Now, what if you’re searching a rural county rather than a big city?

o Doing a title search for BOONE COUNTY MISSOURI gets 4 hits.
o Doing a title search for BOONE MISSOURI also gets 4 hits.

It seems to barely matter if you include the word COUNTY in your query, so feel free to omit it (unless you’re searching a very common county name like WASHINGTON or JEFFERSON).

Speaking of Jefferson, you can also check Ancestry Card Catalog to see if it contains any databases specific to a particular city or town.

o Doing a title search for JEFFERSON CITY MISSOURI gets 4 hits.
o Doing a title search for JEFFERSON MISSOURI gets 5 hits (one of which pertains to Jefferson County, Missouri—but Jefferson City is county seat of Cole County).

You’re unlikely to get hits for relatively small cities and towns, but a query in Ancestry Card Catalog only takes a few seconds, so checking won’t take long regardless.

Happy ancestor hunting!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

DOWNLOADABLES AT SLPL

Have a library card, but can't get to one of our locations as often as you would like? Take a look at our Downloadables page:

St. Louis Public Library offers several types of downloadable and digital materials to enhance the electronic library experience. With a valid library card, patrons have the option to download eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, Movies and even free music. The number of titles we offer increases daily -– check often for new titles!

Go to SLPL Downloadables Page

Recommendations for new materials are always welcome; please contact our Digital Library Services department.

TRACING YOUR TREE: HOW-TO BOOKS

The following guides to tracing your family tree are just a sample of the many books added to the St. Louis Public Library collection during 2012. These and other genealogy how-to guides can be located using the SLPL Online Catalog:

http://www.slpl.org

Doing the following Subject search in our catalog will return literally hundreds of genealogy how-to guides:

genealogy handbooks

Abbreviations:

GEN-Genealogy Room, Central Library
BU—Buder Branch
CB—Cabanne Branch
DA—Julia Davis Branch
SC—Schlafly Branch

A list of library locations with addresses and hours of operation may be found here:

http://www.slpl.org/slpl/library/article240098545.asp

Need help with a perplexing genealogical puzzle? You can contact us by phone or email:

webref@slpl.org
314-241-22888

Barkley, Carolyn L. Family History Library Research. Genealogical Publishing Co., 2012. 929.1—GEN

Bettag, Claire Mire. French Genealogy Research. Genealogical Publishing Co., 2012. 929.1—GEN

Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo. American Cemetery Research. Genealogical Publishing Co., 2012. 929.1—GEN

Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo. Italian Genealogy Research. Genealogical Publishing Co., 2012. 929.1--GEN

Finding Your Roots [videorecording] Disc 1 / with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.; a film by Kunhardt McGee Productions, Inkwell Films, and WNET ; in association with Ark Media. PBS Video, 2012. 929.1072073—BU;CB (DVD)

The Genealogist's Census Pocket Reference : Tips, Tricks & Fast Facts to Track Your Ancestors / from Allison Dolan and the editors of Family tree magazine.Family Tree Books, 2012. 929.1--GEN

Genealogist's Handbook for New England Research / edited by Michael J. Leclerc.New England Historical Genealogical Society, 2012. 929.374--GEN

Gormley, Myra Vanderpool. Cherokee Genealogy Research. Genealogical Publishing Co., 2012. 929.1--GEN

Goulty, James. Second World War Lives : a Guide for Family Historians. Pen & Sword Family History, 2012. 929.1--GEN

Grenham, John. Tracing Your Irish Ancestors : the Complete Guide. Genealogical Publishing Co., 2012. 929.1--GEN

Hendrickson, Nancy. Discover Your Family History Online: a Step-by-Step Guide to Starting Your Genealogy Search. Family Tree Books, 2012. 929.1--DA

Humphrey, John T. Pennsylvania Genealogy Research / by John T. Humphrey. Genealogical Publishing Co., 2012. 929.1--GEN

Jolly, Emma. Tracing Your British Indian Ancestors : a Guide for Family Historians. Pen & Sword Family History, 2012. 929.1--GEN

May-Levenick, Denise S. How to Archive Family Keepsakes : Learn How to Preserve Family Photos, Memorabilia & Genealogy Records. Family Tree Books, 2012. 929.1--SC

McGinnis, Carol. Virginia Genealogy Research. Genealogical Publishing Co., 2012. 929.1--GEN

Meyerink, Kory L. U.S. Federal Census Records. Genealogical Publishing Co., 2012. 929.1--GEN

Mitchell, Brian. Irish Genealogy Research. Genealogical Publishing Co., 2012. 929.1—GEN

Morgan, George G. How to Do Everything Genealogy. McGraw-Hill, 2012. 929.1—BU

Quillen, W. Daniel. Mastering Census & Military Records. Cold Spring Press, 2012. 929.1—GEN

Quillen, W. Daniel. Mastering Family, Library & Church Records. Cold Spring Press, 2012. 929.1—GEN

Rose, Christine. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Genealogy. Alpha Books, 2012. 929.1—GEN

Smolenyak, Megan. Hey, America, Your Roots are Showing : Adventures in Discovering News-making Connections, Unexpected Ancestors, Long-hidden Secrets, and Solving Historical Puzzles. Citadel Press, 2012. 929.1--BU

Thursday, August 29, 2013

SQUEEZING YOUR SOURCES

The following program is co-sponsored by St. Louis Public Library and Madison County Genealogical Society, and is free and open to the public.

Squeezing Your Sources: Getting All the Info You Can From Military Service and Pension Records

Join us as Tom Pearson, Subject Specialist in the Genealogy Room of the St. Louis Public Library, discusses ways to extract all the info you possibly can from compiled military service records and pension records.

Date: Thursday, 12 September 2013
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Community Room, Edwardsville Public Library, 112 South Kansas, Edwardsville, IL 62025.

PLANNING A VISIT?

Kids/grandkids back in school? Maybe now is the perfect time to plan a visit to the SLPL Genealogy Room!

Central Library
Genealogy Room, 3rd Floor
1301 Olive Street
St. Louis, MO 63103
314-241-2288
webref@slpl.org
http://www.slpl.org/

Hours: M-Th-- 10 AM-9 PM
Fri-Sat-- 10 AM-6 PM

Parking: You should be careful about feeding that meter! They are checked regularly on weekdays and Saturdays. Parking meters are not checked in downtown St. Louis, however, on Sundays and after 7 PM.

You can also park at one of the numerous all-day parking lots near the Library. Prices vary.

We also offer limited free parking on our lot at the nw corner of 15th & Olive Streets (directly behind the Campbell House Museum). You can pull right onto the lot, but will need a token you pick up at one of the entrance service desks in order to exit from the lot.

Security procedures: You will need to be buzzed into the Genealogy Room. Press the white button to the right of the door and state your purpose for visiting. Come in after we give you the OK.

You may bring a bag, briefcase, or pack that you can fit under your chair. You may bring notebooks, pens, and pencils (we prefer that you use pencil while using our books). You may bring a bottled water or soda—no open cans or cups, and no food is allowed.

You may bring a laptop or netbook (you will need an SLPL library card in order to access the Internet—out-of-town visitors can get a temporary guest card). Numerous outlets are available in the Genealogy Room.

Reference databases: You may access various reference databases for free in the Genealogy Room (you don't need a library card to do so). Such databases include (but are not limited to) Ancestry.com; HeritageQuest.com; Fold3.com; Historical Post-Dispatch (1874-1922); and Sanborn Maps (Missouri only). Some of these databases may be accessed from home if you have an SLPL library card.

Collection: We concentrate on the State of Missouri, and states and countries that furnished large numbers of persons to this state. That means the collection is quite good for most states east of the Mississippi River, and many Western European countries. We also own an extensive collection of printed family histories. Our microfilm collection includes census materials, passenger lists, military records, native American tribal rolls, city directories, plus local newspapers, vital records, and cemetery records. You can use our catalog to search for materials of interest prior to visiting the Library.

SLPL Catalog

Copies: People using our microfilm collection can either print paper copies or save images to a flash drive (you must supply your own flash drive).

There is a photocopier in the Genealogy Room for making copies from books or magazines (15 cents per copy). You can also take photos of items from our collection provided such images are strictly for personal use (no flash, please), but we ask that you obtain permission before using such photos in a printed publication or on a website, blog, or other digital publication.

Dining/Amenities: You can currently purchase food or drink in the Library, but Downtown St. Louis provides a great online guide to the nearly 200 restaurants in downtown St. Louis (many within easy walking distance of the Library).

Downtown St. Louis Amenities Guide

Have a question?

Ask a Librarian!

THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM (17 SEPTEMBER 1862)

Note: Wikipedia article on the Battle of Antietam (17 September 1862):

LINK

Abbreviations include:

Library branches:

BU: Buder Branch
DA: Julia Davis Branch
DI: Divoll Branch
KI: Kingshighway Branch
MA: Machacek Branch
SC: Schlafly Branch

Central Library locations:

HG: History, Geography, & Travel Room
ST: Stacks

Bailey, Ronald H. The Bloodiest Day: The Battle of Antietam. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1984. 973.733—ST; BU

Cannan, John. The Antietam Campaign. New York: Gallery Books, 1990. 973.7336—ST

Frassanito, William A. Antietam: The Photographic Legacy of America's Bloodiest Day. New York: Scribner, 1978. 779.9—ST

Hartwig, D S. The Battle of Antietam and the Maryland Campaign of 1862: A Bibliography. Westport, CT: Meckler, 1990. 016.973336—ST

Johnson, Curt, Richard C. Anderson, and Joseph M. Hanson. Artillery Hell: The Employment of Artillery at Antietam. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1995. 973.7336—ST

Luvaas, Jay, and Harold W. Nelson. The U.S. Army War College Guide to the Battle of Antietam: The Maryland Campaign of 1862. Carlisle, Pa: South Mountain Press, 1987. 973.7336—ST

McPherson, James M. Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. 973.7336—ST

Murfin, James V. The Gleam of Bayonets: The Battle of Antietam and the Maryland Campaign of 1862. New York: T. Yoseloff, 1965. 973.7336—ST

Priest, John M. Antietam: The Soldiers' Battle. Shippensburg, PA: White Mane Pub. Co, 1989. 973.7336—ST

Sears, Stephen W. Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam. New Haven: Ticknor & Fields, 1983. 973.7336—ST

Thursday, August 22, 2013

DIGITAL SANBORN MAPS

The SLPL website provides Library cardholders access to various reference databases. One of these, ProQuest Information and Learning's Digital Sanborn Maps, 1867-1970, offers digital access to large-scale maps of various American towns and cities. Digitized Sanborn Maps allow for greater flexibility of use and improved viewing possibilities compared to the earlier microfilm versions of these maps. Users have the ability to easily manipulate the maps, magnify, and zoom in on specific sections. The SLPL website provides access to the Missouri portion of this collection:

LINK

Coverage varies widely for included cities and towns (“coverage” here meaning when a particular map was prepared or updated). Here, for example, is the coverage provided for Missouri cities and towns beginning with the letter A:

Adrian (Bates Co.)—Apr 1894-Apr 1924
Agency (Buchanan Co.)—Nov 1922
Alton (Oregon Co.)—July 1923
Anderson (McDonald Co.)—Sept 1920-Sept 1928
Appleton City (St. Clair Co.)—Oct 1885-Oct 1935
Armstrong (Howard Co.)—Aug 1917-Aug 1928
Ash Grove (Greene Co.)—July 1893-June 1931
Atlanta (Macon Co.)—Mar 1918
Auxvasse (Callaway Co.)—May 1902-Jan 1925
Ava (Douglas Co.)—July 1914-Mar 1935

Coverage for St. Louis City and a sampling of nearby cities is as follows:

St. Louis City—Mar 1903—Dec 1952
Kirkwood—Feb 1928-Nov 1949
O’Fallon—Nov 1912
Pacific—July 1886-Jan 1929
St. Charles—May 1886-Oct 1947
St. Peters—Nov 1912-Sept 1917
Ste. Genevieve—Feb 1894-July 1945
Valley Park—Jan 1926

The list of available Missouri cities and towns is extensive—why not visit our website and see for yourself?

LINK

Monday, August 12, 2013

ARCHANGEL: ALLIED INTERVENTION IN RUSSIA, 1918-1920

The North Russia Intervention was part of the Allied intervention in Russia after the October Revolution. The intervention brought about the involvement of foreign troops (U.S.; U.K.; Canada; and France) in the Russian Civil War on the side of the White movement. The Whites opposed the Bolsheviks (who deposed the Tsar and seized power in late 1917). The northern campaign officially lasted from June 1918 to March 1920. Around 14,000 troops were involved on each side; Allied forces suffered 750 casualties while the Bolsheviks suffered 2,150 casualties.

Abbreviations include:

Central Library locations:

BG: Business, Government, Law, and Literature
ST: Stacks

Albertson, Ralph. Fighting Without a War: An Account of Military Intervention in North Russia. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Howe, 1920. ST—940.91

Bradley, J F. N. Allied Intervention in Russia. New York: Basic Books, 1968. ST—940.414

Brinkley, George A. The Volunteer Army and Allied Intervention in South Russia, 1917-1921: A Study in the Politics and Diplomacy of the Russian Civil War. Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1966. ST—947.08

Davis, Donald E, and Eugene P. Trani. The First Cold War: The Legacy of Woodrow Wilson in U.S.-Soviet Relations. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2002. BG—327.7304709

Dobson, Christopher, and John Miller. The Day They Almost Bombed Moscow: The Allied War in Russia, 1918-1920. New York: Atheneum, 1986. ST—947.0841

Foglesong, David S. America's Secret War against Bolshevism: U.S. Intervention in the Russian Civil War, 1917-1920. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1995. ST—947.0841

Goldhurst, Richard. The Midnight War: The American Intervention in Russia, 1918-1920. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1978. ST—940.4147

Silverlight, John. The Victors' Dilemma: Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War. New York: Weybright and Talley, 1971. ST—947.084

Somin, Ilya. Stillborn Crusade: The Tragic Failure of Western Intervention in the Russian Civil War, 1918-1920. New Brunswick, N.J., U.S.A: Transaction Publishers, 1996. ST—947.0841

Unterberger, Betty M. America's Siberian Expedition, 1918-1920: A Study of National Policy. Durham, N.C: Duke University Press, 1956. ST—947.084

CURRENT & HISTORICAL LOCAL NEWSPAPERS IN SLPL REFERENCE DATABASES

SLPL reference databases can be accessed here by our cardholders:

SLPL Reference Databases

You will need a valid SLPL library card and a PIN to access these reference databases.

Getting a Library Card

Setting and Using Your PIN

HISTORICAL AREA NEWSPAPERS AVAILABLE

St. Louis Dispatch [1874-1877]
St. Louis Evening Post [1878]
St. Louis Post-Dispatch [1878-1879]
St. Louis Post Dispatch [1879-1922]

CURRENT LOCAL AREA NEWSPAPERS AVAILABLE

Missouri

Chesterfield Journal [Oct 2004-Feb 2009]
Hazelwood-Bridgeton Journal [Oct 2004-Apr 2008]
Kirkwood-Webster Journal [Oct 2004-Feb 2009]
North County Journal—NW ed. [Oct 2004-Sept 2011]
North County Journal—Overland ed. [Oct 2004-Sept 2011]
North Side Journal [Oct 2004-Apr 2008]
Northeast County Journal [Oct 2004-Sept 2008]
O’Fallon Journal [Oct 2004-Apr 2011]
Oakville-Mehlville Journal [Oct 2004-Jul 2007]
Overland-St. Ann Journal [Oct 2004-Sept 2008]
South County Journal [Oct 2004-current]
South Side Journal [Oct 2004-Apr 2011]
Southwest City Journal [Oct 2004-Jan 2009]
Southwest County Journal [Oct 2004-Jan 2009]
St. Charles Business Record [Mar 2001-Mar 2009]
St. Charles Journal [Oct 2004-current]
St. Louis American [Feb 2006-current]
St. Louis Countian [Mar 2001-Mar 2009]
St. Louis Daily Record [Mar 2001-Mar 2009]
St. Louis Post-Dispatch [Jan 1988-current]
St. Peters Journal [Oct 2004-Apr 2011]
Tri-County Journal [Oct 2004-Jan 2009]
Wentzville Journal [Oct 2004-Feb 2009]
West County Journal [Oct 2004-current]

Illinois

Belleville News-Democrat [Oct 2000-current]
Edwardsville Intelligencer [Jun 2000-current]
Edwardsville Journal [Oct 2004-Feb 2009]
St. Clair County Journal [Oct 2004-Sept 2011]

Note: Current newspapers are also available for other cities in other states.

Also available and of possible interest to genealogists/local historians in the HISTORY REFERENCE CENTER database:

America’s Civil War [Jul 1996-current]
Civil War Times [Dec 1996-current]

Friday, August 2, 2013

THE BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA (6 AUGUST 1945)

Note: Wikipedia article on the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki:

LINK

Abbreviations include:

Library branches:

BU: Buder Branch
KI: Kingshighway Branch
SC: Schlafly Branch

Central Library locations:

HG: History, Geography, & Travel Room
ST: Stacks

Alperovitz, Gar. Atomic Diplomacy: Hiroshima and Potsdam: The Use of the Atomic Bomb and the American Confrontation with Soviet Power. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1965. ST—327.73047

Barker, Rodney. The Hiroshima Maidens: A Story of Courage, Compassion, and Survival. New York, N.Y: Viking, 1985. ST,BU—940.5426

Hachiya, Michihiko, and Warner Wells. Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician, August 6-September 30, 1945. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1955. ST,BU—940.92

Hersey, John. Hiroshima. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1989. BU,KI,SC—940.5425

Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Physical, Medical, and Social Effects of the Atomic Bombings. New York: Basic Books, 1981. ST,BU—940.5426

Kurzman, Dan. Day of the Bomb: Countdown to Hiroshima. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1986. ST,BU—940.5425

Lifton, Robert J. Death in Life: Survivors of Hiroshima. New York: Random House, 1968. ST—155.935

Maddox, Robert J. Weapons for Victory: The Hiroshima Decision Fifty Years Later. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1995. ST—940.5425

Rotter, Andrew J. Hiroshima: The World's Bomb. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. ST—355.825119

Walker, Stephen. Shockwave: Countdown to Hiroshima. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2005. ST,BU—940.5425

Wyden, Peter. Day One: Before Hiroshima and After. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1984. ST—940.5426

AIR WAR OVER GERMANY

During World War II, American bombers dropped 1,463,423 tons of munitions on German cities and military installations during 74,818 sorties. Such duty was extremely hazardous; 9,949 American bombers and 79,265 American military personnel were casualties of the air war over Germany.

Abbreviations include:

Library branches:

BU: Buder Branch
CP: Carpenter Branch
MA: Machacek Branch
SC: Schlafly Branch

Central Library locations:

CE: Central Express
HG: History, Geography, & Travel Room
ST: Stacks

Ambrose, Stephen E. The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s over Germany. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. 940.544973 [most locations]

Freeman, Gregory A. The Last Mission of the Wham Bam Boys: Courage, Tragedy, and Justice in World War II. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. HG,CE, SC—940.5405

Grayling, A C. Among the Dead Cities: The History and Moral Legacy of the WWII Bombing of Civilians in Germany and Japan. New York: Walker & Co, 2006. HG—940.544973

Kennedy, Paul M. Engineers of Victory: The Problem Solvers Who Turned the Tide in the Second World War. New York: Random House, 2013. HG, CE,BU,CP,MA,SC—940.54

Makos, Adam, and Larry Alexander. A Higher Call. New York: Berkley Books, 2013. CP,MA—940.5440922

Middlebrook, Martin. The Battle of Hamburg: Allied Bomber Forces against a German City in 1943. New York: Scribner, 1981. ST—940.5421

Mrazek, Robert J. To Kingdom Come: An Epic Saga of Survival in the Air War over Germany. New York: NAL Caliber, 2011. HG,CE, BU, SC—940.5421347

Neillands, Robin. The Bomber War: The Allied Air Offensive against Nazi Germany. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2001. ST—940.544941

Nichol, John, and Tony Rennell. Tail-end Charlies: The Last Battles of the Bomber War, 1944-45. New York: T. Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, 2006. ST—940.544941

Nossack, Hans E, and Joel Agee. The End: Hamburg 1943. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004. ST,BU—940.421351

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

I FIGHT MIT SIGEL

I will be giving my presentation, "I Fight Mit Sigel: Researching Your German-American Civil War Ancestors" to the Madison County Genealogical Society on Thursday, 8 August 2013 at 7:00 p.m. This group meets in the basement Community Room at Edwardsville Public Library, 112 South Kansas, Edwardsville, IL. 62025.

This program is co-sponsored by St. Louis Public Library, and is free and open to the public.

MCGS website

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

JFK AND THE MOSQUITO FLEET

PT (Patrol Torpedo) boats were small fast vessels used by the U.S. Navy during World War II to attack larger Japanese naval vessels and cargo barges. Navy men called them the Mosquito Fleet; the Japanese called them Devil Boats. PT boats were armed with several torpedoes and two .50 caliber machine-guns, plus (in some cases) a 20 mm cannon. The crews of 12-17 men relied on the element of surprise, their vessel’s speed, and its small silhouette to avoid being targeted by the enemy.

Duty on a PT boat could be hazardous indeed; 99 of 531 (19%) were sunk by the Japanese, including PT 109 (famously commanded by Lt. [jg] John F. Kennedy). Kennedy’s boat was rammed by a Japanese destroyer and cut in half during the night of August 2, 1943. Of his crew of 13, two men died during the collision, while one was badly burned (but survived).

Abbreviations include:

Library branches:

BU: Buder Branch
CB: Cabanne Branch
MA: Machacek Branch

Central Library locations:

BG: Business, Government, & Law Room
EL: Entertainment, Literature, & Biography Room
HG: History, Geography, & Travel Room
ST: Stacks

Ballard, Robert D, and Michael H. Morgan. Collision with History: The Search for John F. Kennedy's PT-109. Washington, D.C: National Geographic Society, 2002. ST--940.545973

Breuer, William B. Devil Boats: The PT War Against Japan. Novato, CA: Presidio, 1987. HG--940.5426

Bulkley, Robert J. At Close Quarters: PT Boats in the United States Navy. Washington, D.C: Naval History Division, 1962. ST--940.92

Donovan, Robert J. PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001. ST--940.92

Dunnigan, James F, and Albert A. Nofi. Victory at Sea: World War II in the Pacific. New York: William Morrow and Co, 1995. MA,ST--940.5426

Marston, Daniel, and Daniel Marston. The Pacific War Companion: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima. Oxford: Osprey, 2005. HG-940.5426

O'Brien, Michael. John F. Kennedy: A Biography. New York: Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, 2005. BU,EL--B KENNEDY JOHN

Polmar, Norman, and Samuel L. Morison. PT Boats at War: World War II to Vietnam. Osceola, WI: MBI Pub, 1999. BG—359.3258

Strahan, Jerry E. Andrew Jackson Higgins and the Boats That Won World War II. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1994. ST—B HIGGINS

Tregaskis, Richard. John F. Kennedy and PT-109. New York: Random House, 1962. CB—940.92

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

THE BATTLE FOR TARAWA (20-23 November 1943)

In this first major U.S. offensive in the critical central Pacific area, the Marine Corps and Navy faced stubborn resistance by well-prepared Japanese defenders. In 76 hours of fighting, the Marines incurred 1,009 KIA and 2,101 WIA, while the Navy suffered 687 KIA. The Japanese suffered 4,690 KIA (only 17 Japanese soldiers surrendered).

Abbreviations include:

Library branches:

BU: Buder Branch
CP: Carpenter Branch
KI: Kingshighway Branch

Central Library locations:

HG: History, Geography, & Travel Room
ST: Stacks

Alexander, Joseph H. Utmost Savagery: The Three Days of Tarawa. Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute Press, 1995. CP, ST—940.5426

Baldwin, Hanson W. Battles Lost and Won: Great Campaigns of World War II. New York: Harper & Row, 1966. BU—940.92

Chatfield, Gail. By Dammit, We're Marines!: Veterans' Stories of the Heroism, Horror, and Humor in World War II on the Pacific Front. Paragould, AR: Wyndham House Pub., Div.of Cloud Peak Pub, 2008. BU—940.54526

Drez, Ronald J. Twenty-five Yards of War: The Extraordinary Courage of Ordinary Men in World War II. New York: Hyperion, 2001. BU, KI—940.5308421

Rogal, William W. Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Beyond: A Mud Marine's Memoir of the Pacific Island War. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co, 2010. HG—940.545973

Russ, Martin. Line of Departure: Tarawa. Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday, 1975. ST—940.5426

Stockman, James R. The Battle for Tarawa. Washington: Historical Section, Division of Public Information, headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 1947. ST—940.92

Werstein, Irving. Tarawa, a Battle Report. New York: Crowell, 1965. ST—940.92

Wheeler, Richard. A Special Valor: The U.S. Marines and the Pacific War. New York: Harper & Row, 1983. ST—940.5426

Wukovits, John F. One Square Mile of Hell: The Battle for Tarawa. New York: NAL Caliber, 2006. HG—940.5426681

Saturday, June 29, 2013

ADDITIONS TO THE COLLECTION—GENEALOGY (2012)

Bettag, Claire Mire. French genealogy research. REF—GENEALOGY 929.1

Boehning, Ross William. Boehning family research index. REF—STACKS 929.3778 vols. 1 & 2

Boyd, Gregory A. (Gregory Alan). Family maps of LaGrange County, Indiana : with homesteads, roads, waterways, towns, cemeteries,railroads, and more. REF—GENEALOGY 912.772

Boyd, Gregory A. (Gregory Alan). Family maps of Polk County, Missouri : with homesteads, roads, waterways, towns, cemeteries, railroads, and more. REF—GENEALOGY 912.778

Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo. American cemetery research. REF—GENEALOGY 929.1

Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo. Italian genealogy research. REF-GENEALOGY 929.1

Coldham, Peter Wilson. Maryland and Virginia convict runaways, 1725-1800: a survey of English sources. REF—GENEALOGY 929.375

Daughters of the American Revolution. Olde Town Fenton Chapter (Fenton, Mo.). Fenton, Missouri area cemeteries / prepared by Olde Town Fenton Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution / [edited by Eleanor Gibson]. REF—GENEALOGY 929.3778

Gormley, Myra Vanderpool. Cherokee genealogy research. REF—GENEALOGY 929.1

Grenham, John. Tracing your Irish ancestors : the complete guide. REF-GENEALOGY 929.1

Hendrickson, Nancy. Discover your family history online : a step-by-step guide to starting your genealogy search. REF—GENEALOGY 929.1

Humphrey, John T. Pennsylvania genealogy research. REF—GENEALOGY 929.1

Meyerink, Kory L. U.S. federal census records. REF—GENEALOGY 929.1

McGinnis, Carol. Virginia genealogy research. RE—GENEALOGY 929.1

Mitchell, Brian. Irish genealogy research. REF—GENEALOGY 929.1

Morgan, George G. How to do everything genealogy. REF—GENEALOGY 929.1

National Society Sons and Daughters of Antebellum Planters, 1607-1861. Lineage Book, 2011. REF—GENEALOGY 929.3

Rose, Christine. The complete idiot's guide to genealogy. REF—GENEALOGY 929.1

Sykes, Bryan. DNA USA: a genetic portrait of America. CIRC—GENEALOGY 599.9350973

Weant, Kenneth. Civil war records. Finding aid to Missouri Enrolled Militia infantry regiments and Union troops. REF—GENEALOGY 929.3778

Weant, Kenneth. Missouri Intelligencer excerpts, 1820-1929 / compiled by Kenneth E. Weant. REF—GENEALOGY 929.3778

SICILY AND THE WAR IN ITALY

The following books discuss the Allied conquest of Sicily and the Italian Peninsula during World War II. Abbreviations include:

Library branches:

BU: Buder Branch
CO: Carondelet Branch
CP: Carpenter Branch
DA: Julia Davis Branch
SC: Schlafly Branch
WA: Walnut Park Branch

Central Library locations:

HG: History, Geography, & Travel Room
ST: Stacks

Atkinson, Rick. The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944. New York: Henry Holt, 2007. HG—940.54215

Botjer, George F. Sideshow War: The Italian Campaign, 1943-1945. College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 1996. ST—940.54215

D'Este, Carlo. Bitter Victory: The Battle for Sicily, 1943. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1988.ST—940.5421

Franklin, Robert J. Medic! How I Fought World War II with Morphine, Sulfa, and Iodine Swabs. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. BU—940.5475092

Gibran, Daniel K. The 92nd Infantry Division and the Italian Campaign in World War II. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland, 2001. DA—940.541273 Hargrove, Hondon B. Buffalo Soldiers in Italy: Black Americans in World War II. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland, 1985. ST, WA—940.5412

Kershaw, Alex. The Liberator: One World War II Soldier's 500-Day Odyssey from the Beaches of Sicily to the Gates of Dachau. New York: Crown, 2012. BU, CO, SC—940.541273

Neillands, Robin. Eighth Army: The Triumphant Desert Army That Held the Axis at Bay from North Africa to the Alps, 1939-1945. Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press, 2004. HG—940.541241

Parker, Matthew. Monte Cassino: The Hardest-Fought Battle of World War II. New York: Doubleday, 2004.HG, CP—940.5421562

Wallace, Robert. The Italian Campaign. Alexandria, Va: Time-Life Books, 1978.ST—940.5421

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

LAST IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE

Books about the St. Louis Browns baseball team (1902-1953):

Abbreviations:

Central Library locations:
ELB—Entertainment, Literature, & Biography Room
STL—St. Louis Room
ST—Stacks

Branch libraries:
BU—Buder Branch
CO—Carondelet Branch
CP—Carpenter Branch
DA—Julia Davis Branch
DI—Divoll Branch
KI—Kingshighway Branch
MA—Machacek Branch
SC—Schlafly Branch
WA—Walnut Park Branch

Bjarkman, Peter C. Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Team Histories. Westport, CT: Meckler, 1991. ST, STL, BU, CO, CP, DA, DI, KI, MA, SC—796.35764

Borst, Bill. Ables to Zoldak. St. Louis: St. Louis Browns Press, 1988. ST, STL—796.35764

Borst, Bill. The Best of Seasons: The 1944 St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Browns. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co, 1995. ST, STL, BA—796.35764

Borst, Bill. The Brown Stocking. St. Louis: St. Louis Browns Press, 1985. ST, STL, BU, CP—796.35764

Borst, Bill. Last in the American League: An Informal History of the St. Louis Browns. St. Louis, Mo: Krank Press, 1978. ST—796.35764

Borst, Bill. Still Last in the American League: The St. Louis Browns Revisited. West Bloomfield, Mich: Altwerger and Mandel Pub. Co, 1992. ST, DA—796.35764

Borst, Bill. We Could Have Finished Last Without You: The St. Louis Browns, 1902-53. St. Louis, MO: Krank Press, 1985. ST, STL—796.35764

Caillault, Jean-Pierre. A Tale of Four Cities: Nineteenth Century Baseball's Most Exciting Season, 1889, in Contemporary Accounts. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co, 2003. ST—796.35764

Dickson, Paul. Bill Veeck: Baseball's Greatest Maverick. New York: Walker & Comp, 2012. ELB—B-VEECK

Godin, Roger A. The 1922 St. Louis Browns: Best of the American League's Worst. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland, 1991. ST—796.35764

Golenbock, Peter. The Spirit of St. Louis: A History of the St. Louis Cardinals and Browns. New York: Spike, 2000. ST, STL, CB, CO, CP, DA, MA, SC, WA—796.3576409

Hawkins, John C. This Date in Baltimore Orioles & St. Louis Browns History. New York: Stein and Day, 1983. ST—796.35764

Heidenry, John, and Brett Topel. The Boys Who Were Left Behind: The 1944 World Series between the Hapless St. Louis Browns and the Legendary St. Louis Cardinals. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006. ST, STL, BU, SC—796.35764

Heller, David A. As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub, 2003. ST, STL, BU, CO—796.35764

Hetrick, J T. Chris Von Der Ahe and the St. Louis Browns. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 1999. STL, MA—796.35764

Mead, William B. Even the Browns. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1978. ST—796.35764

O'Neill, Dan, William E. Mathis, and Ellie Jones. Sportsman's Park: The Players, the Fans & the Game : 1940-1965. Chesterfield, MO: Mathis-Jones Communications, 2007. STL, BU, CP, WA—Oversize 796.3576409

Peterson, Richard F. The St. Louis Baseball Reader. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2006. ST, STL, BU, CP, DA, KI, SC—796.35764

Steinberg, Steve. Baseball in St. Louis, 1900-1925. Charleston, S.C: Arcadia Pub, 2004. ST, STL, BU, CO, CP, DA, DI, MA, SC—796.35764

Van Lindt, C. One Championship Season: The Story of the 1944 St. Louis Browns. New York: Marabou Pub, 1994 STL, BU, KI—796.35764

PARKING AT CENTRAL LIBRARY

Beginning on 1 July 2013, the City of St. Louis will start to enforce parking violations in the downtown area on Saturdays. The meters will be checked between the hours of 8 AM and 7 PM.

Library users will still normally have the option of parking on the lot we own located at 15th and Olive Streets (directly behind the Campbell House Museum). You can drive directly onto the lot, but will need to pick up a token at the circulation desk in the Great Hall (2nd Floor) in order to exit the lot.

Meters will still not be checked on Sundays (the first floor only of Central Library is open on Sundays from 1 PM-5 PM).

Thursday, June 13, 2013

THE WORLD WAR AND MISSOURI, 1917-1918

The following books about World War I are all located at Central Library (1301 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63013).

Abbreviations:

ST--Stacks (ask at any service desk)
STL--St. Louis Room (3rd Floor)
HGT--History, Geography, & Travel Room (3rd Floor)
ELB--Entertainment, Literature, & Biography Room (2nd Floor)
B--Biography

Bornemann, L H, and Jill Borage. Hometown Heroes: War Memories Through Their Eyes. St. Louis, Mo: Sappington-Concord Historical Society, 2003. ST, STL—977.866

Detjen, David W. The Germans in Missouri, 1900-1918: Prohibition, Neutrality, and Assimilation. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1985. ST, STL—977.8

DeWitt, Petra. Searching for the Roots of Harassment and the Meaning of Loyalty: A Study of the German-American Experience in Missouri During World War I. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Dissertation Services, 2005. ST—977.800431

Ferrell, Robert H. Collapse at Meuse-Argonne: The Failure of the Missouri-Kansas Division. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2004. HGT—940.436

Ferrell, Robert H. Unjustly Dishonored: An African American Division in World War I. Columbia, Mo: University of Missouri Press, 2011. HGT—940.403

Gibbs, Christopher C. The Great Silent Majority: Missouri's Resistance to World War I. Columbia, Mo: University of Missouri Press, 1988. ST, STL—940.31

History of the Missouri National Guard. Jefferson City, 1934. ST—353.9

Kenamore, Clair. From Vauquois Hill to Exermont: A History of the Thirty-Fifth Division of the United States Army. St. Louis: Guard Publishing Co, 1919. ST—940.91

Shay, Michael E. Revered Commander, Maligned General: The Life of Clarence Ransom Edwards, 1859-1931. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2011. ELB—B EDWARDS

Triplet, William S, and Robert H. Ferrell. A Youth in the Meuse-Argonne: A Memoir, 1917-1918. Columbia, Mo: University of Missouri Press, 2000. ELB-B TRIPLET

Wright, William M, and Robert H. Ferrell. Meuse-Argonne Diary: A Division Commander in World War I. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2004. ST—940.436

Friday, May 24, 2013

CIVIL WAR GENERALS--G. A. CUSTER

Before he met his destiny on that fateful day on the Great Plains, George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876) served as an aggressive (and generally effective) Union Army cavalry commander:

Barnett, Louise K. Touched by Fire: The Life, Death, and Mythic Afterlife of George Armstrong Custer. New York: Henry Holt, 1996. ST—B CUSTER

Custer, Elizabeth B, and Arlene Reynolds. The Civil War Memories of Elizabeth Bacon Custer: Reconstructed from Her Diaries and Notes. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1994. CP--973.7092

Custer, George A, and John M. Carroll. Custer, in the Civil War: His Unfinished Memoirs. San Rafael, Calif: Presidio Press, 1977. ST—973.7

Hatch, Thom. Clashes of Cavalry: The Civil War Careers of George Armstrong Custer and Jeb Stuart. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2001. ST--973.82092

Hatch, Thom. The Custer Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Life of George Armstrong Custer and the Plains Indian Wars. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2002. HGT--973.82092

Kinsley, D A. Favor the Bold: Custer: the Civil War Years. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1967. ST—B CUSTER

Monaghan, Jay. Custer: The Life of General George Armstrong Custer. Lincoln, Neb: University of Nebraska Press, 1971. ST—B CUSTER

Urwin, Gregory J. W. Custer Victorious: The Civil War Battles of General George Armstrong Custer. Rutherford: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1983. ST—973.73

Wert, Jeffry D. Custer: The Controversial Life of George Armstrong Custer. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996. ST—B CUSTER

Whittaker, Frederick. A Complete Life of Gen. George A. Custer. New York: Sheldon, 1876 [repr. 1993]. ST—B CUSTER

HONORING YOUR HEROES

With the approach of Memorial Day, many remember loved ones they have lost, and reflect on heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Finding ways to express our love, admiration and respect for such remarkable individuals can be a challenge. The St. Louis Public Library Foundation's Tribute Fund offers a unique opportunity to honor and remember a loved one.

For a donation of $35 or more, a bookplate bearing the name of the honoree is placed in a new volume in the Library's collection. Gifts to the Tribute Fund are used to purchase new books and materials for the Library. For more information, visit slplfoundation.org.

Monday, May 20, 2013

CIVIL WAR GENERALS--JEB STUART

James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart, 1833-1863 (Confederate general)

ST—Stacks [Central Library]
HGT—History, Geography, & Travel Room [Central Library]

Davis, Burke. Jeb Stuart: The Last Cavalier. New York: Rinehart, 1957. ST—B STUART

Garnett, Theodore S, and Robert J. Trout. Riding with Stuart: Reminiscences of an Aide-De-Camp. Shippensburg, PA: White Mane Pub. Co, 1994. ST--973.7455

Hatch, Thom. Clashes of Cavalry: The Civil War Careers of George Armstrong Custer and Jeb Stuart. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2001. ST--973.82092

McClellan, H B. I Rode with Jeb Stuart: The Life and Campaigns of Major General J.E.B. Stuart. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1958. ST--973.73

Rhea, Gordon C. The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern, May 7-12, 1864. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1997. HGT--973.736

Thomas, Emory M. Bold Dragoon: The Life of J.E.B. Stuart. New York: Harper & Row, 1986. ST—B STUART

Thomason, John W. Jeb Stuart. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1930. ST—B STUART

Trout, Robert J. They Followed the Plume: The Story of J.E.B. Stuart and His Staff. Mechanicsburg, Pa: Stackpole Books, 1993. ST--973.7455

Wert, Jeffry D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause: A Biography of J.E.B. Stuart. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008. ST—B STUART

Wittenberg, Eric J, and J D. Petruzzi. Plenty of Blame to Go Around: Jeb Stuart's Controversial Ride to Gettysburg. New York: Savas Beatie, 2006. HGT--973.7349

You can search for books and other materials about various subjects of interest on our website:

http://www.slpl.org/

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

GERMAN IMMIGRATION TO THE U. S., 1683-1978:

1683--First permanent German settlement in U.S. is founded at Germantown, PA.

1683-1820--Emigration from Germany during this period is caused mainly by religious persecution & economic hardship. Emigration includes a large number of Protestants from the Palatinate (southwest Germany).

1700-1800--Many German Protestants settle in Pennsylvania, New York, and Virginia. German Catholics begin arriving in Maryland. Approximately 200,000 Germans emigrate to U.S. during this period, and 70,000 of them settle in PA.

1708-1710--Most intense winter in memory begins in Germany in October 1708 and continues until April 1709. The intense cold destroys fruit trees and vineyards. Many Germans leave southwest Germany for London. British government originally encourages settlement of German Protestants in Ireland, but later encourages their settlement in America. Groups of German settlers leave England in 1710 bound for the Carolinas and New York.

1775-1783--Large numbers of Hessians (German soldiers hired out by their monarchs to the King of Great Britain) serve in the British Army during the American Revolution. At least 12,000 desert and remain behind in America and Canada.

1789-1800--French Revolution rocks Europe; various European wars occur during this time period.

1803-1815--Napoleonic wars; France more or less constantly at war with one or more other European powers, including Prussia & Austria.

1821-1871--Emigration from Germany during this time period is caused mainly by economic hardship and war. Emigration includes large numbers of persons from Alsace-Lorraine, Baden, Hessen, Rheinland, and Wurttemberg (southeast Germany).

1848--Revolutions in Europe begin. Various German principalities rebel, although rebellion is probably most widespread in Baden.

1849--After the revolutions fail, revolutionaries flee to Zurich, London, and America.

1850--Hamburg passenger lists begin. Hamburg and Bremen become popular places to emigrate from because city fathers realize that money can be made feeding and housing emigrants while they wait to sail, and by making them pay a tax to emigrate. Bremen is more popular, because it has a reputation for treating emigrants better than does Hamburg.

1851--The advent of the steamship in the 1850s cuts trans-Atlantic travel time from 43 days (sailing ship) to 13 days.

1854--250,000 Germans arrive at U.S. ports.

1862-1865--Germans who serve in the Union Army can become American citizens after 1 year of residency in the U.S. States like Pennsylvania and New York actively recruit Army volunteers in Germany, paying their passage and enlistment bounties.

1866--Prussia defeats Austria in Seven Weeks’ War.

1870-1871--Many men flee Germany to avoid serving in the Franco-Prussian War. German Empire founded in 1871.

1871-1914--Emigration to the U.S. becomes more common from all parts of Germany.

1880--200,000 Germans arrive at U.S. ports.

1890--Large German-born populations are living in NY, PA, OH, IL, MN, WI, and MO. 70,000 German-born persons are living in Deep South, including 15,000 in New Orleans. More German citizens are living in New York City than live in Hamburg, Germany.

1920--Between 1820 and 1920, more than 5,500,000 Germans emigrate to U.S., more than any other nationality including the Irish (4,400,000).

1944--Nearly all existing Bremen passenger lists are destroyed during Allied bombing raid on October 6, 1944. All that remains are some records for 1907 and 1913-1914.

1978--A study shows that nearly 7,000,000 Germans settled in U.S. between 1820 and 1977.

The following books are available in the Genealogy Room at St. Louis Public Library (Central Library, 3rd Floor). This list includes just a few of the books, microfilm sets, and reference databases in our collection that can be of use to the person researching German ancestors. We can check books/microfilm sets that are indexed (or arranged in alphabetical order by surname) for you; just email us at webref@slpl.org.

Colletta, John P. They Came in Ships: A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor's Arrival Record. Orem, Utah: Ancestry, 2002. [Genealogy Room—929.1]

Glazier, Ira A, and P W. Filby. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. 67 vols. Wilmington, Del: Scholarly Resources, 1988. [Genealogy Room—929.308931]

Glazier, Ira A. Germans to America: Series II. 7 vols. Wilmington, Del: Scholarly Resources, 2002. [Genealogy Room—929.308931]

Hansen, Claus B. Passenger Liners from Germany, 1816-1990. West Chester, Pa: Schiffer Pub, 1991. [Stacks-Oversize—387.2432]

Smith, Clifford N. From Bremen to America in 1850: Fourteen Rare Emigrant Ship Lists. Baltimore, Md: Reprinted for Clearfield Co. by Genealogical Pub. Co, 1987. [Genealogy Room—929.343]

Smith, Clifford N. Reconstructed Passenger Lists for 1850: Hamburg to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, and the United States. McNeal, Ariz: Westland Publications, 1980. [Genealogy Room—929.343]

Smith, Clifford N. Reconstructed Passenger Lists for 1851 Via Hamburg: Emigrants from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Scandinavia, and Switzerland to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the United States, and Venezuela. McNeal, Ariz: Westland Publications, 1986. [Genealogy Room—929.343]

Strassburger, Ralph B, and William J. Hinke. Pennsylvania German Pioneers: A Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals in the Port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co, 1966. [Genealogy Room—929.343]

Yoder, Don. Pennsylvania German Immigrants, 1709-1786: Lists Consolidated from Yearbooks of the Pennsylvania German Folklore Society. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co, 1980. [Genealogy Room—929.3748]

Zimmerman, Gary J, and Marion Wolfert. German Immigrants: Lists of Passengers Bound from Bremen to New York [dates], with Places of Origin. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co, 1985. [Genealogy Room—929.343]