AncestorNews: Quilts and Published Genealogies

When Phyllis Smith read my column on quilts, she sent me a note about a history quilt she had helped create. Phyllis and other members of the Kalamazoo chapter of the Embroiderers Guild of America created a quilt about the history of Kalamazoo, Mich.

Phyllis wrote: “Each square depicts something for which Kalamazoo is known. In the center is a bunch of celery—we were well-known for our fine celery. This quilt hangs in the upper hallway of the Ladies’ Library building. The building was the first built by a women’s club in Michigan.”

She goes on to list the Kalamazoo Stove Co., the Corset Co., the handmade cigars, the Upjohn pharmaceutical company, Kalamazoo College, the State Hospital for the Insane, Checker cabs and many other Kalamazoo highlights that appear on the quilt.

I hope we can get a picture of the Kalamazoo quilt and put it on the Internet for everyone to see. Also, I’d like to thank everyone who wrote about the cemetery Web site I created. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

Following my recent trip to Missouri, I decided to see if I could learn more about my Shore family line. I got online, and after a few hours of searching, I discovered that a book had been written about the Shores who came here from Switzerland in 1750. I managed to obtain a copy of the book, and I’m happily making my way through 800-plus pages of Shore genealogy.

Did you know that similar books have been written about thousands of surnames? So far, I’ve found books published about my Shore, Easley and Faulkenberry families. I bet something has been published about one of your lines, too. Below, I’ve outlined a few ways to find family genealogies. These search methods will cost you nothing. If you’ve found another source for locating family genealogies, write and let me know.

1. Go to Advanced Book Exchange.
www.abebooks.com
Enter your surname in the Keyword box.

2. Search the Library of Congress.
catalog.loc.gov
Use the Guided Search and enter your surname in one keyword box and enter the term genealogy in the other keyword box.

3. Use your favorite Internet search engine.
Search for keywords: your surname and genealogy and book.

4. Search the catalog of the Family History Library.
www.familysearch.org
Click on the Library tab, then the Family History Library Catalog link.

5. Use the online catalog of the National Genealogical Society.
www.ngsgenealogy.org/libprecat.htm

6. Go to Blair’s Book Service.
www.glbco.com
It specializes in genealogy and local history books.