If you have been following the GenealogyBlog over the last two days, then you are already aware that Family Roots Publishing has just released 9 new William Dollarhide Name Lists books. And, these books are all on sale for a short introductory period. Well, an introduction to a new series would not be complete without at lease one volume from the series standing in review. Herein, we look at Alabama Name Lists 1702-2006, with a selection of National Name Lists, 1600s – Present.
As this is the first book to be reviewed in the series, it seems relevant to examine just how these name lists books can be useful to genealogists. Pulling from the Preface, I will let Bill’s words do the explaining:
“Virtually all recorded events from a person’s life originated near the place the person lived, and the old records are usually still stored there today. Finding the place, therefore, is a matter of finding the local jurisdiction of the state, county, city, town, village, or local district.
An important step in finding the place of residence for a person is the use of published censuses and other name lists. A census or name list identifies the names of residents of an area from various local, state, and national sources. Thus, any name list is a place-finder.
Once a researcher has the exact place of residence, the next step is to visit the library and archives catalogs available to see what published information is available related to that place. The bibliography of name lists in this book was compiled from the most important library and archives catalogs in America – plus the vast resources of the Internet were scoured for identifying the most useful name lists online.”
Additionally, Dollarhide states that census records are often considered the main name list for use by genealogists. However, there are plenty of other names lists available. In this book, on Alabama, names lists are detailed in the following categories (with 400 links for the state of Alabama):
- State Census Records
- State and County Court Records.
- Directories. Town, City, or County Directories
- State Militia Lists State Veterans & Pensioners Lists
- Tax Lists
- Vital Records
- Voter Lists
Likewise, the National Names Lists have these categories (244 entries in all):
- Federal Census Records
- Immigration Lists
- U.S. Military Lists
- U.S. Veterans Records
- U.S. Pension Records
- National Vital Record
In another post, Leland adds this commentary on the value of name lists and what this book has to offer:
Name lists are key to success in any genealogical endeavor. Name lists, be they national, state, county, or even city or town in scope, can help nail down the precise place where one’s ancestor may have lived. And if that can be done, further records, usually found on a local level, will now be accessible to research. But success depends on knowing where the ancestor resided. This is where Dollarhide’s Name List guides can make the difference.
Not only does this volume give a detailed bibliography of Name Lists available for the state, but links to websites, FHL book & microfilm numbers, archive references, maps, and key historical information make this volume invaluable to the researcher looking to extend their lines and fill in the family tree.
This new series is bound to be a big hit with genealogists. The introductory offer is also difficult to pass up. If you order a print copy of the book you not only get 15% off, but you also will receive a FREE copy of the eBook version in .PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format. The .PDF version is fully hyperlinked to take you quickly to each site, and can be viewed on any device or computer supporting Acrobat files, which is virtually every computer, laptop, tablet, and smart device on the market.
Order your copy of Alabama Name Lists 1702-2006, with a selection of National Name Lists, 1600s – Present while the deals are good, from Family Roots Publishing; Temporary Price: $16.11 for both the paper and electronic versions together. Or, get the eBook version alone for just $12.50.