HISTORY AND GENEALOGY

few years ago I visited my local Family History Center for the first time.  I explained to the woman in charge that I was a student at the National Institute of Genealogical Studies (http://www.genealogicalstudies.com).  She took me under her wing and proceeded to teach me about genealogy.  The first thing she said I needed to know is HISTORY, HISTORY, HISTORY…. She is right, of course. Our ancestors’ lives were shaped by the events around  them—the wars, the advent of new transportation, epidemics, natural disasters and more.

I have taken her advice and have been trying to brush up on history ever since.  The History Channel (http://www.history.com) has some wonderful shows including the Hatfields & McCoys, Mankind, How the States Got Their Shapes and The Men Who Built America. PBS (http://www.pbs.org) has fascinating television shows such as The Dust Bowl and The Abolitionists.

When I visit my local Barnes & Noble, I always check out the history magazines including History Magazine (http://www.history-magazine.com) and BBC History Magazine (http://www.historyextra.com).

And then there are books, endless books. My local library had a used book sale last week and some of the treasures I brought home were:

• Wedding of the Waters: The Erie Canal and the Making of a Great Nation by Peter L. Bernstein

http://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Waters-Canal-Making-Nation/dp/0393327957

• The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough

http://www.amazon.com/Johnstown-Flood-David-McCullough/dp/0671207148

• Slaves in the Family by Edward Ball

http://www.amazon.com/Slaves-Family-Edward-Ball/dp/0345431057

• Surviving the Confederacy: Rebellion, Ruin, and Recovery--Roger and Sara Pryor During the Civil War by John C. Waugh

http://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Confederacy-Rebellion-Recovery-Roger-During/dp/0151003890

• Jefferson's Children: The Story of One American Family by Shannon Lanier

http://www.amazon.com/Jeffersons-Children-Story-American-Family/dp/0375821686

• The Plantation Mistress: Woman's World in the Old South by Catherine Clinton

http://www.amazon.com/Plantation-Mistress-Womans-World-South/dp/0394722531

• Black Southerners, 1619-1869 (New Perspectives on the South) by John B. Boles

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Southerners-1619-1869-Perspectives-South/dp/0813101611

• Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick

http://www.amazon.com/Mayflower-Story-Courage-Community-War/dp/0143111973

• Pioneer Women: Voices from the Kansas Frontier by Joanna Stratton

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Women-Voices-Kansas-Frontier/dp/0671447483

• The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History by John M. Barry

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Influenza-Deadliest-Pandemic-History/dp/0143036491/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325706170&sr=1-1

Now, if I only had time to read all these books.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY:

Dover Publications, Mineola, New York, Electronic Clip Art, 1989.

Dover Publications, Mineola, New York, Electronic Clip Art, Old-Fashioned Nautical Illustrations, 2002.

Dover Publications, Mineola, New York, Electronic Clip Art, Civil War Illustrations, 2003.

Dover Publications, Mineola, New York, Electronic Clip Art, Old-Fashioned Silhouettes, 2001.

Dover Publications, Mineola, New York, Electronic Clip Art, 1100 Pictorial Symbols, 2007.