United States
(Historical Events, General Reference and National Records)
To contact a resource owner, click on the link at the end of the citation.
US Historical Events & Genealogy
"1860 Census of 'The Free Inhabitants of Indian Lands West of Arkansas.'" compiled by: Ellsworth & Emler, 1984. SL5
"American Medical Directory." Ninth Edition. American Medical Association 1925. A register of legally qualified physicians of the United States, Alaska, Canal Zone, Hawaii, Philippine Islands, Puerto Rico, Canada and Newfoundland. JM14
"American Naturalization Processes & Procedures, 1790-1985." John J. Newman. Indiana Historical Society, 1985. History of naturalization, procedures required, who could be naturalized, and records. M36
"Amerikan Suomalaisia (America's Finnish People)." Werner Nikander, Finnish College in Hancock, Michigan, 1927 Description: Biographical information, including some photos, of Finnish immigrants and American-born Finns living in areas of the U.S. during early 1900s. LT2
"Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700. 7th Ed. By Frederick Lewis Weis. Pub. 1995. KN
"Biographies of Western Photographers." Carl Mautz, Carl Maulz Publishing, 1997. A reference guide to photographers working in the 19th century American West. Helpful in dating/determining location of those photographs which include the photographers imprint. AG2
"Biographical Dictionary of American Science." Elliott, Clark A., Greenwood Press, 1979. Contains short biographies of men and women who contributed to science and mathematics in the US. Birthdates range from 1609 to 1867. Information commonly includes birth date and place, death dates, parents, other relatives, education and field of study, and accomplishments. A wide range of scince/math contributors is included, from those who were self taught observers with ordinary educations (and possibly no education) to highly educated and trained scientists. KJ1
"A Biographical Dictionary of Early American Jews, Colonial Times through 1800." Joseph R. Rosenbloom, University of Kentucky Press, 1960. "Every person identifiable as a Jew in America before 1800 is included in in this dictionary." SAM
"Encyclopedia of American Biography." Winfield Scott Downs, The American Historical Society, Inc., 1938. This wonderfully published work contains over 1,000 biographies of Americans from the turn of the 20th century. Each biography is quite lengthy and many contain an acommpanying photo of the individual. The book contains an index of names which I'm currently working on developing in digital forum. This book contains 490 pages. I believe this book is out of copywrite. I have not found The American Historical Society Inc. I don't think it exists anymore. At least the organization that created this book. More about Encyclopedia of American Biography: on this archived Ancestry World Forums post. Sample Entry from book: Hon. Alexander Sweek. DN
"Genealogy and Local History, catalogue no 600: Emigrants crossing the plains." Goodspeeds book shop. State by state information on families. WH
"In Black & White." Mary Mace Spradling. A Guide to Magazine Articles, Newspaper Articles, and Books Concerning More than 15,000 Black Individuals and Groups. MD3
"Marriage Notices 1785-1794 (whole United States)." Charles Knowles Bolton-Higginson book company-1900. Marriage notices, some with great information. [This books is now freely available from Google Books.]
"Register of Graduates and Former Cadets of the US Military Academy (West Point) 1802-1979," Association of Graduates USMA. Please send both first and last name. A date of expected graduation is not necessary. NHS
Titanic Passenger List. MB3"United States Army Headgear 1855-1902." Catalog of United States Army Uniforms in the Collection of the Smithsonian Institution, II. Author: Edgar M. Howell, Library of Congress Catalog , National Museum of History and Technology. Brings the story of the evolution of headgear in the U.S. Army from just prior to the Civil War (Photographs and descriptions). K28
"U.S. NAVAL FIGHTING SHIPS FROM BEGINNING TO WW II." DANFS [Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships] ....and many more volumes of research books of my own library various Ship history.......and tid bits of info on U.S. American fighting ship....and "some" Liberty ships.....[Liberty ship info is very slight at the present time....research is on going in that area]. BS9
"The Voyageur." Minnesota Historical Society, 1955. Includes brief biographical notations and anecdotal blurbs on explorers, fur-traders, settlers and Metis individuals, primarily well-known persons. KB2
"Whitaker's Almanack for 1913." Joseph Whitaker London, 1913. "Containing an account of the astronomical and other phenomena, a vast amount of Information respecting the government, finances, population, commerce and general statistics of the various nations of the world with special reference to the British Empire and the United States." There is NO surname index in this reference book. You must be able to tell me that your ancestor was, for example, a baronet, a knight, an MP, a Civil Servant, worked in a Naval Dockyard, was an officer in the Army or Navy or held a position of some importance in a public school, religion, or national organisation if I am to be able to find him. DW5
Mayflower
I have created a separate page for Mayflower resources.
Colonial Periods (pre-1783)
"Adventures, Cavaliers, Patriots: Ancestors Remembered." The National Society of the Colonial Dames in the State of Maryland, Electronic Prepress, 1994. 290 pages. Vignettes of ancestors of Colonial Dames in Maryland. Dames must be descended from a "Colonial/Revolutionary" era ancestor who provided designated service to the country in one of the original 13 colonies. Therefore, ancestors referenced could be from any of these states. KMS
"Civil, Military and Professional Lists of Plymough and Rhode Island Colonies." by Ebenezer W. Peirce; Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD; 1995 This book only contains the names of those men who were professionals of the Plymouth and Rhode Island Colonies: where and when settled in practice of clergymen/doctors/lawyers; names residences and dates of commissioned officers; names, residences and dates of election/appointment of civil officers of colonial government. CG3
"Colonial Families of the Southern States of America." By Stella P. Hardy, 1911 (1958). Southern Families whose Colonial forefathers were established in the Colonies before the formation of the thirteen original States. JMC2
"Colonial Families of the United States of America." George Norbury Mackenzie. In which is given the History, Genealogy and Armorial Bearings of Colonial Families who settled in the American Colonies from the Time of the Settlement of Jamestown, 13th MAy 1607,to the Battle of Lexington, 19th April,1775. Edited by George Norbury Mackenzie, LL.B., pub. Genealogical Pub. Co. Inc., Baltimore, MD 1966, 1995 [originally pub. Baltimore, 1912]. Lineages of early families in the U.S. - submitted material - extensive lineages but did not require verification of material. There are 7 volumes to this resource. DL1
"The Complete Book of Emigrants: 1661-1669." Coldham, Peter Wilson, Genealogical Pub. Co., Inc. 1990. A comprehensive listing compiled from English public records of those who took ship to the Americas for political, religious, and economic reasons; of those whe were deported for vagrancy, roguery, or non-confomity; and of those who were sold to labour in the New Colonies. RK1
"Denizations and Naturalizations in the British Colonies in America, 1607-1775." Lloyd deWitt Bockstruck. The persons listed were all of non-British origin and became British citizens, and includes the colony in which they were naturalized. In some cases the information contains their origin. Examples: "He was a German", "He was a Jew", etc. Some entries say where in the colonies the individual had been living. Alphabetized lists, so no separate index. MLS
"Founders of Early American Families: Emigrants from Europe 1607-1657." Revised Ed. By Meredith B. Colket, Jr. Pub. 1985. KN
"Scottish Soldiers in Colonial America," Part I and II. David Dobson, Clearfield Company, Inc; 1997. Lists name of Scottish soldiers that served in the Colonies. Lists name, rank and regiment, sometimes the father, were stationed, if wounded and when, some additional information on some. A9
"Seventeenth Century Colonial Ancestors of Members of the Nat'l. Soc. Colonial Dames." Compiled by Mary Hutton. Lists ONLY by name, with DOB, DOD, m., and type of service-NO other info in book. JMC2
"Soldiers in King Philip's War Being a Critical Account of the War With A Concise History of the Indian Wars of New England From 1620-1677." Author: George Madison Bodge A.B. Publisher: No publisher listed, Originally published in Boston, 1906; Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1967, 1976. The book opens with a brief recap of the Pilgrim's War and Pequod War from 1620 - 1675. The majority of the book documents King Philip's War from 1675 - 1677. The chapters are divided by names of the company commanders, with information about individuals who served under them in lists, letters and event narratives. Please give as much info as you have. Dates of birth and/or death, state the person lived in and company commander's name if you know would be very helpful! Please note the dates of these wars when making your request to see if it would even be possible in the window of time for them to have fought in these wars. JVA
Revolutionary War
"The Border Warfare of New York, During the Revolutionary War, or The Annals of Tryon County." William W. Campbell, Baker & Scribner, 1849; reprinted by Heritage Books, 1992. Quoted verbatim from the back cover: "This is the pioneer history of the border wars of New York during the American Revolution. The information was gathered from statements of those involved in the Revolutionary War, 'the then aged men and women scattered along the valley of the Mohawk and the head-waters of the Susquehanna,' with whom it was the author's 'good fortune to sit down and listen to the stories of their trials and their triumphs'. Additional sources were manuscripts of the Committee of Safety on the borders and the correspondence of the 'principal actors'." "This work contains an account of the main events which occurred on the frontier of New York during the revolution, particularly the Cherry Valley. It relates the following: early settlement of New York, history of the Indians and relations with them, prominent families, committees of safety, military campaigns and battles, the Mohawk Valley, German settlements, incidents of capture or massacre by Indians." "Appendixes include biographical sketches, speeches, letters and documents such as the following: speech of Mohawk chiefs to the magistrates of Albany in 1689; sketch of the life of Sir William Johnson; sketch of Skenando, the white man's friend; an address to the New York Historical Society, 'The Direct Agency of the English Government in the Employment of the Indians', invoice of scalps taken by the Senecas; centennial address by William W. Campbell, Cherry Valley, July 4, 1840." KH3
"DAR Patriot Index (Centennial Edition)." 3 Volumes. NSDAR. The information in the books will name the Patriot, his date of birth & death; spouses's name (if known) and the State which he served from and his rank of service. Contain names of Revolutionary Patriots, both men and women whose service between 1775-1783 has been documented for DAR membership. Send full name of ancestor, spouse's name-if known,any dates or state of residence. GT1
"DAR PATRIOT INDEX, Bicentennial Edition." with spouse index. Listing of Patriots who have been documented by members of the NSDAR to have done some sort of service, military or otherwise for the Revolutionary Cause. Does not contain those who have not been documented by a DAR. So not all who served are included. Also gives the state from which the man served, his rank if military, where he died and the name of his wife. The spouses book has it listed by the surname of the wife. CBC
"The Day is Ours." William M Dwyer. November 1776 to Janurary 1777. An inside view of the battles of Trenton and Princeton. How a Ragged Rebel Army stood the storm. WRK
"The Histories of the Scotch-Irish and of the Presbyterians in the Revolutionary War. The Battles of King's Mountain and the Cowpens." JG7
"Origins of the American Revolution." John C. Miller/ Little, Brown and Company - Boston/ 1943. Covers economic and political background in both England and the Colonies pre-Revolutionary War through the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Surnames mentioned: Adams, Allen, Arnold, Ayres, Barre, Barrington, Beckford, Bedford, Bentham, Bernard, Biddle, Blackstone, Bland, Botetourt, Boucher, Bouquet, Braddock, Burgoyne, Burke, Burnaby, Camden, Carmarthen, Carroll, Catherine the Great, Cavendish, Chalmers, Chandler, Chatham, Chauncy, Child, Chiswell, Choiseul, Church, Clinton, Colden, Conway, Cooper, Coxe, Crevecoeur, Cromwell, Crowley, Curwen, Dalrymple, Dartmouth, Dashwood, Deane, Delancey, Dickinson, Dinwiddie, Drayton, Duane, Duche, Dudington, Dulany, Dunmore, Egmont, Eliot, Engels, Farmer, Fauquier, Fithian, Forbes, Fox, Franklin, Frelinghuysen, Gadsden, Gage, Galloway, Gee, Germain, Gerry, Gilbert, Grafton, Grenville, Hamilton, Hampden, Hancock, Hawley, Henry, Hewes, Hillsborough, Hollis, Hood, Hooper, Howe, Hughes, Husbands, Huske, Hutchinson, Ingersoll, Izard, James, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lamb, Laud, Laurens, Lee, Leonard, Livingston, Locke, Loudon, Lovell, Lynch, Macauley, McCaulloh, McDougall, MacKenzie, Madison, Mansfield, Martin, Marx, Mason, Maury, Mayhew, Mercer, Meserve, Mifflin, Monk, Montague, Montgomery, Moore, Morris, Murray, North, Oliver, Otis, Paine, Partridge, Paxton, Penn, Pinckney, Pitcairn, Pitt, Pownall, Preston, Price, Priestley, Putnam, Pym, Quincy, Randolph, Reed, Revere, Rhodes, Richardson, Robinson, Rockingham, Routledge, Ruggles, Rutledge, Sabin, Scott, Seabury, Sears, Sewall, Sharpe, Sheffield, Shelburne, Shinner, Smith, Smyth, Steele, Stiles, Stockton, Stuart, Thacher, Thomson, Tooke, Townshend, Tyron, Walpole, Ward, Warren, Washington, Watson, Wedderburn, Wentworth, Whately, Wheelock, Whipple, Wilkes, Wilson, Winthrop, Wolfe, Wright, Wythe, Yorke, Young. K9
"Revolutionary Pensioners." A transcript of the pension list of the United States for 1813. Clearfield Co. 1995. Lists state name rank and pension. SLJ
Frontier Era 1790-1796
"American Militia in the Frontier Wars, 1790-1796." Murtie June Clark, Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. 1990. Lists many frontier era militia, although not exhaustive. It will provide locations for further research for any names discovered. Please submit first and last name of individual you are seeking. Limit your requests to three. Specific to these states: Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. M16
Civil War
I have created a separate page for the Civil War, combining general listings and individual states' listings.
World War I
"Heroes All!" Harry R. Stringer (Editor) Fassett Publishing Co., Washington, D.C. Copyright, 1919. As of 1919, The United States Government had three military honors with which it rewarded it's soldiers and citizens who served with marked distinction in time of war. They are the Congressional Medal of Honor, The Distinguished Service Cross and the Distinguised Service Medal. The Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross are awarded for Valor; the distinguished Service Medal for conspicuous service in a position of great trust and responsibility. The names recorded in this book are soldiers and citizens of the United States and of the Allies whom were bestowed the medals in the three categories for extrodinary heroism in action and meritorious service in the line of duty during WWI. K28
"War Roster -- Company D, 324th Infantry 1917-1919, 81st Division." The State Co. Printers is all that is listed. No copyright listed. Roster of men in this division and the story of their part in the War. JWH
"Wings of Honor - American Airmen in World War I." by James J. Sloan, Jr. Published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd. PA 1994. A compilation of all (?) United States pilots, observers, gunners and mechanics who flew against the enemy in the War of 1914-1918. Gives names and dates of service at the Front, in the Squadrons and at the Naval/Marine Corps Air Stations, plus those Americans who served in the air directly with the British and French from the beginning of the War until November 11, 1918. CAR
World War II
See also under Louisiana, White Co., TN.
"Behind the Lines." Written by Russell Miller, published by New American Library. The Oral History of Special Operations in World War II. The Special Agents of World War II were a breed apart. This is their story as it has never been told before - in their own words. KK1
"Grandpa, What Did You Do In World War Two?" "A Short, True Story" By Joe Curtis, Ex-Sergeant in the 84th Infantry Division - RailSplitters. Not Copyrighted to my knowledge. War in Germany for a man on the ground. Very detailed. I have transcribed it from an original type written copy. LS7
"I learned to fly for Hitler." Author: Joe Volmar. Publisher: Dundee, Mich. : Kron Publications, 1999. This is an eye-witness account of World War II inside Nazi Germany as seen through the eyes of a 14 year old American-reared youth who returned to his Vaterland in 1941. The book describes the transformation of a naive Boy Scout to a goose-stepping Hitler Youth in just a few months. It reveals little-known facts that should be fascinating to any reader, especially those interested in the history of World War II and its political and cultural implications.
You'll read about mere children made into soldiers overnight to fight for Hitler's maniacal quest for victory. The author soloed in a glider at age 15 and was pressed into anti-aircraft service while still in High School. As his glider training progressed, he was chosen to participate in a program preparing him to fly the infamous rocket-powered fighter, the Me-163. The massive Russian offensive in January 1945 abruptly ended his training and sent him fleeing across the Baltic Sea to avoid capture by the Russians. Wounded, beaten and demoralized, the author experienced VE Day and was immediately employed by U.S. Forces because of his bi-lingual talents. SC
"This Man's Navy: From Prairie Fields to Battleship Quarters." Written by Melvin Beckstrand and Susanne Retka Schill. Publisher: Retka Press (April 2005). ISBN-10: 0976654709. ISBN-13: 978-0976654704. Melvin Beckstrand was hunting fox on horseback near Warwick, N.D., the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. Two weeks later he was in the U.S. Navy. Two months later he was on board the biggest battleship in the U.S. Navy--the USS Washington.
Sixty years later, Mel's journal gives a glimpse of the life of a North Dakota Farm boy turned sailor. With a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye, he describes boot camp, riotous train rides with high spiritied new recruits and getting lost on the huge ship. Things became more serious when the battleship aided the British Navy in the North Atlantic and sailed through the Panama Canal and into the battles of the South Pacific.
As an ordinary sailor, Beckstrand barely knew where he was, and never really knew why. Co-author Susanne Retka Schill gives us that context, filling in the dramatic history--the history writ large--behind this journal of a common sailor--history writ small. Published on the 60th anniversary of the end of the war, the journal gives and important first person account of war as seen through the eyes of a young man raised far from the sea. SC
"Would you remember this?: A diary, August 23, 1943 to December 7, 1945, the 7th Field Hospital, ETO, World War II." Ray Knight (Author). Publisher: R. Knight (1992). ASIN: B0006F1T86. A published journal of a non-combatant US soldier serving only a few miles from the front lines in World War II Europe in one of the first air-evac hospitals in history. It follows the author from training in Scotland, D-Day preparations along the English Channel, air raids in Normandy, the fierce siege of Metz, the fresh aftermath of Bastogne, further into Germany, then back home to the US.
Though published in 1992, the manuscript was assembled in 1945 while still in Europe under the approval of the author's commanding officer and contains verbatim record of his "in-situ" emotions and thoughts. Its vignettes of what life was like within sight of the explosions and fighting at the front, but only experienced second-hand from a surging stream of wounded men, are the predecessor to the show "M*A*S*H". A few pictures are included. SC
Korean War
See under Louisiana.