The Quest to Find the Past
Genealogy & History
Something is lost when a book goes out of print. Readers get the best and more accurate version of history when the book is written close to the event. 18th and 19th century books usually includes a population of writers you “experienced it.” An example today is that the review of the Kennedy files includes those of us who watched the tragedy on television. The big news played day after day. It is a rather odd experience speaking with those persons born after 1960. Thus, memory is a rather compelling force. The things that I am reading about it today — (example:) the phone call of President Johnson to Mrs. Kennedy) remains quite clear in my own memory. Why are the details of the Kennedy more memorable than the funeral of my own grandfather? Because newspapers published the details, and it was played out on the television day after day after day! Not so long ago, I walked into an antique shop in Brunswick, Georgia, and there was a stack of newspapers concerning the Kennedy funeral!
In Colonial times, personal libraries were preserved in the homes of prominent or wealthy persons.
Take Asa Griggs Candler (1851–1929 ), a powerful and influencial businessman, philanthropist, mayor of Atlanta, and founder of the Coca-Cola Company — his preservation of books ended up in the first official Atlanta building in 1926.
All printed books are not that fortunate, however. As far as we know, the earliest and most rare preservation of early scrolls were housed in the Library in Alexandria. When Moses took his famous trip into Egypt and pretended that his wife was his sister, it is believed that he shared his work with astrologers. The exact date of its destruction is not certain, but it is believed to have occurred between 270 and 275 AD.
In my own State of Georgia, the Macon Memorial Library contains a splendid collection of genealogical and historical books and records. Also, The Cobb County Library in Marietta, Georgia.
Yet, genealogists and historians are only privy to one ancient record written back 1066 AD during the days of King William I of England known as the Domesday Book. That is the cut-off for tracing families further back in time!
Meanwhile, genealogists strive to connect the dots of untold numbers of generations.
Genealogy & Historical Books Online:
The out-of-print book collection on georgiapioneers.com provides genealogists and historians with a vast amount of forgotten information in the following States:
Alabama
Arkansas
Arizona
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
West Virginia
Also, the following countries:
Denmark
Finland
Norway
Sweden
England
Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Click on the link below to become a member of georgiapioneers.com