...so I thought we could discuss some last-minute gift ideas. Or maybe you've finished your shopping and just want something to read on the long trip to grandmother's house. Either way, join me below the tangled xmas lights for a discussion of some genealogy-related* reading material.
Genealogy & Family History Community
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*See what I did there?
Non-fiction Books
Each and every one of us in the Genealogy and Family History Community has shared stories about how we got into the hobby as well as our research techniques and strategies. We also have engaged in lively discussions about how research was done in the olden days. I've written in the past about cranky genealogists of years gone by, and how much some of them spent in compiling their research. So I am pleased as punch (preferably spiked) to recommend a "genealogy of genealogy":
Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America by Francois Weil
This book, compiled by a French professor of North American history who had no previous personal interest in the subject, is a delightful look at the history of our little hobby from colonial times to the present. While it hardly seems possible to cover 400 years in fewer than 300 pages, Weil manages it: oral traditions vs. paper trails; searching out official records vs. making stuff up; development of genealogy-specific libraries and genealogy-specific publishers; fraudsters and scams; elderly maiden aunts as keepers of family lore; the rise of genealogy and historical societies; the ugly periods of xenophobia and racism; DNA and other technological breakthroughs; Alex Haley and Henry Louis Gates. Its all there, as well as discussions about popular fiction poking fun at hobbyists, and businesses cashing in on consumer goods directed at the amateur genealogists ... For example, publishers in the 18th century finally noticed that people recorded births/marriages/deaths in the margins and end pages of Bibles, and so began including specific pages for that purpose in large family Bibles.
And don't get me started on the quotes! I think we can all appreciate this excerpt from correspondence between the compilers of the 1829 Genealogical Register of the First Settlers of New England: "...it is unnecessary to say what satisfaction it affords, after having ransacked fifty libraries, spelt out the hieroglyphics of fifty antiquated records, and read all the gravestones for fifty miles, for the purpose of ascertaining a single fact--to have it suddenly imparted from an unexpected source."
But I think this quote from the 1853 novel The Potiphar Papers is my favorite: "I am lineally descended from one of those two brothers who came over in some of those old times, in some of those old ships, and settled in some of those old places somewhere." Because, really, who can argue with that? :)
My next recommendation is Tomlinson Hill by Chris Tomlinson The author, who spent years reporting on world-wide issues such as the end of apartheid in South Africa, genocide in Rwanda, and wars in the Middle East, realized he had not really come to terms with these sorts of issues as found in his own family history. He knew his ancestors had once been wealthy land-owning, slave-owning cotton farmers in Texas, and he knew the "proud" traditions that had been handed down. He also knew peripherally about the African-American family in the area with the same last name, descended from the slaves his ancestors owned--he even suspected that football player LaDainian Tomlinson might be a part that family history. But Chris Tomlinson had not previously examined what that really meant, or to what extent "white privilege" had sanitized the history "everyone knew."
So, he researched the history of both families, and wrote a book and a documentary about what he found ... the above link will take you to the project website; rather than continuing my rather incoherent ramble I think the introductory video does a much better job at conveying what is in this book:
Just one caveat, I would highly recommend getting this book in paper rather than electronic format. The paper book includes a wealth of pictures and genealogical charts for both the white and black families; for whatever reason, the electronic version does not include those visual aids, making it difficult to keep track of where some of the individual players fit in to the larger context of the story.
Fiction
Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky. A white couple in New England is surprised when their first child has African-American features, and the drama begins with DNA testing, internet searching, and relative confronting. There are several subplots dealing with issues of white privilege, class privilege, social stigma surrounding illegitimacy, nature vs. nurture, and knitting patterns (I kid you not).
To be honest, the book is a little bit Peyton Place meets Crash, with clunkier metaphors (really, knitting?). It definitely is not going to be found on anyone's list of top 100 books. However, almost everyone who dabbles in genealogy discovers something that previous generations may not have especially wanted "remembered." I think this is the sort of book that frames the context of our hobby, and how we have a responsibility to share the stories so there is better understanding. Or something.
Anyway, I know people are busy busy, so I leave it there. The floor is open for you to share your own book recommendations, family holiday traditions. But put your Festivus airing of grievances in some other diary.