For the House Historian’s Bookshelf

Genealogists love books. So for the family historian on your gift list here are some suggestions:

“Plymouth County, Mass. Probate Index 1686-1881,” transcribed by Ralph V. Wood Jr., C.G. (Picton Press, Box 1111, Camden, Me. 04843: $36.50 postpaid). This index lists all 29,000 probate files of Plymouth County and covers almost 200 years. An outstanding new source, it will enable you to check for the existence of probate files and then order copies by mail. Arranged alphabetically by surname, then first name, it gives the year, place, type of case and docket number.

“Tracing Your Family Tree,” by Jean A. Cole and Michael Armstrong (J.M. Armstrong Publishing, 141 Great Whyte, Ramsey, Huntingdon, Cambs., PE17 1 HP. England: $7.80 surface mail or $10.30 airmail). Packed with helpful tips for research in England’s records, this will help you understand what records are available and how to locate them. Best of all, the publisher will accept checks in U.S. dollars.

“Genealogies in the Library of Congress: A Bibliography,” two volumes, edited by Marion J. Kaminkow (Genealogical Publishing Co., 1001 N. Calvert, Baltimore, Md. 21202: $205 postpaid for two-volume set). This should be the first work of reference consulted by a genealogist, as it tells what has already been published. The 20,000 entries, arranged by surname, include published as well as unpublished genealogies. These entries refer not only to American and English works, but also to genealogies from Germany, France, Scandinavia, Spain and many other countries.

Also available from the publisher are companion books to this set: “Second Supplement, 1976-1986, to Genealogies in the Library of Congress: A Bibliography” ($93 postpaid); “A Complement to Genealogies in the Library of Congress: A Bibliography” ($98 postpaid); and the five-volume set of “United States Local Histories in the Library of Congress: A Bibliography” ($308.50 set postpaid).

“A Researcher’s Library of Georgia History, Genealogy and Records Sources,” by Robert Scott Davis, Jr. (Southern Historical Press, Box 738, Easly, S.C. 29641-0738: $49.25 postpaid). Material in this book spans Georgia for most of its 250-year history and includes some of the best genealogical material to be found on Georgia ancestors from Colonial times through the Civil War.

“Periodical Source Index,” edited by Michael B. Clegg and Curt B. Witcher (Allen County Public Library Foundation, Box 2270, Ft. Wayne, Ind. 46801: $35 postpaid). The Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne is a popular genealogical source, and with this publication you have at your fingertips an index to more than 1,500 genealogy and local history periodical titles that can be found there. The periodicals are available in many other libraries also, but without an index to what periodicals contain, research can be tedious and frustrating.

“Greenbrier County, (West) Virginia Records,” Vol. 1, transcribed by Larry G. Shuck (Iberian Publishing Co., 548 Cedar Creek Drive, Athens, Ga. 30605-3408: $24 postpaid). Greenbrier County originally encompassed a huge area. Included in this new book are early survey records, early court minutes, court record books (1828-35), district court records of Botetourt, Kanawha, Montgomery and Greenbrier counties, and deeds from Sweet Springs, Va., courthouse.

“Pioneer Irish in New England,” by Michael J. O’Brien, LL.D. (Heritage Books, 1540E Pointer Ridge Place, Suite 300, Bowie, Md. 20716: $20 postpaid). This book contains a wealth of data on about 600 Irish men and women who were in America before 1700.