Tracing Your Irish Ancestors. Third Edition
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\ Library JournalBaxter, the author of several "In Search of" books, returns with an updated version of his guide to Canadian genealogical research. As in the earlier editions, Baxter covers the basics of research. He also provides an interesting overview of major group migrations to Canada; discusses the importance of using LDS Family History Centers, the National Archives of Canada, and major records sources such as censuses, church records, and registers; and touches briefly on coats of arms. Baxter then devotes several chapters to each province's available records, archives, genealogical societies, cemeteries, and libraries. A bibliography at the end of the book provides general histories and genealogical readings. The book does not delve as deeply into source materials as does a provincial handbook like Brenda Dougall Merriman's Genealogy in Ontario (Ontario Genealogical Society, 1996. 3d ed.), but it does provide a very useful introduction to general Canadian research. Highly recommended for all collections. Grenham's new edition builds on its predecessor's excellent coverage of Irish genealogical sources. As in the first edition (LJ 1/93), a brief introduction to initiating a research project is followed by a discussion of the major sources. Although Grenham broadened the scope of this edition to include information about the holdings of the Family History Library and other repositories in Ireland, libraries should not discard the first edition, as it contains a large amount of data not to be found in the second. For instance, the new edition includes listings of Roman Catholic parish records rather than the Church of Ireland parish records listings that were part of the first edition. Informationabout manuscripts in the Genealogical Office and a list of family histories located in the National Library of Ireland are also omitted. Libraries that own James Ryan's outstanding Irish Records (Ancestry, 1997) will still want to purchase this book for its updated information. Recommended for all collections. Milner, a professional researcher and speaker, and Jonas, president of the British Isles Family History Society, offer their combined expertise to those in search of their English heritage. Geared more toward beginners than Mark Herber's Ancestral Trails (LJ 3/1/98), this starts with an excellent review of the basics of research and the procedures to acquire information from stateside libraries, LDS Family History Centers, and the Internet. Several chapters then address specific, complex sorts of records. Copious examples give readers an idea of what to expect. Icons point out tips, reminders, and case studies, and brief bibliographies for further reading are found throughout the book. For its thorough introduction and its direct approach to sometimes challenging records, this book is highly recommended for all libraries.--Elaine M. Kuhn, Allen Cty. P.L., Ft. Wayne, IN Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\\\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalWritten by a professional Irish genealogist at the Genealogical Office in Dublin, this book is the product of more than a decade of professional research. It focuses on tracing ancestors in Ireland and, while designed for researchers at different levels of experience, its intent is to provide help even for the ``hard-bitten veteran.'' It is organized into three parts: Part 1 addresses the most basic genealogical sources (civil, census, church, and land records); Part 2 discusses more advanced tools (wills, emigration, deeds, newspapers, directories, and the Genealogical Office in Dublin); Part 3 offers a reference guide to a wide range of more fugitive resources (county source lists, printed family histories, church records, and research services, societies, and repositories). Revised editions could profit from more readable maps, more complete and current bibliographical references, an enlarged scope that includes Irish research in the United States and Canada, and a comprehensive bibliography of published sources. Still, the book provides a good beginning as a replacement for Margaret Dickson Falley's Irish and Scotch-Irish Ancestral Research (self-published, 1962). Grenham's book is by far the best work available on Irish genealogy and is essential for individuals and institutions researching the subject. For a comprehensive collection development article on genealogy, see the reviewer's ``Branching Out into Genealogy,'' LJ 11/1/92.--Ed.-- Judith P. Reid, Library of Congress\ \ \ Internet BookwatchJohn Grenham's Tracing Your Irish Ancestors appears in its second edition to provide a revised, expanded edition on Irish heritage. New to this edition are a listing of all known copies of Roman Catholic records and details of the Family History Centres of the Mormon Church.\ \
