By Jill Ball.

After reading Shauna’s recent post I decided to write another genealogy ABC, focusing on books. Throughout my genealogy journey hundreds of books have supported me, many are listed on my Librarything and/or Goodreads pages. Please join me as I remember some.

A is for …(Road) Atlases
When we hit the research road, we follow a paper map in addition to GPS devices. Road Atlases are easier to handle than a large map and provide a lot of detail. We have purchased several, for the UK, Europe and the US, which fit nicely into a suitcase.

B is for …The Big Genealogy Blog Book
An oldie but goodie when stuck for blogging inspiration. A  blogger I met at Rootstech in 2011 was Amy Coffin who wrote The Big Genealogy Blog Book, that she self-published.

C is for … Camden: Farm and Village Life in Early New South Wales
My convict ancestors, Patrick Curry and Ellen Moore, lived in Camden NSW. Camden: Farm and Village Life in Early New South Wales by historian, Alan Atkinson, is a treasured tome on my bookshelf. With 70 pages of notes, a bibliography and index, this work provides a springboard to research in the Camden area. 

D is for …Ah, Dungog : a brief survey of its charming houses & historic buildings
I have stories about my 3x Great-Grandparents Denis Tierney and Elizabeth D’arcy and family from The Maitland Mercury. At The National Library of Australia, I perused ‘Ah, Dungog : a brief survey of its charming houses & historic buildings‘ and enjoyed looking at the images within which showed me Dungog’s environment.

E is for …Esther : the extraordinary true story of the First Fleet girl who became first lady of the colony
In 2019 I attended a lecture by Jessica North author of Esther : the extraordinary true story of the First Fleet girl who became first lady of the colony. I procured and enjoyed this book that told of a strong woman and expanded my understanding of the early years in the colony in Sydney. Read my report here.

 F is for …The Family Historian’s Enquire within
A reference book I use regularly is ‘The Family Historian’s Enquire within’ by English genealogist, Janet Few. Janet refers to this book as a “Help Desk”, and that is how I use it.

G is for …The Genetic Strand
Published in 2007 The Genetic Strand describes how author, Edward Ball, explored his family history through DNA. Although DNA science has moved on since I read this book, I recognise this title for sparking my interest in DNA research.

H is for …Heraldry
To learn about heraldry I didn’t consult a fat tome from the Library’s reference section I grabbed a Ladybird book, ‘Learnabout Heraldry’. Fifty years ago, as the Children’s Librarian in a public library, I learnt the value of the children’s non-fiction section for adults to learn about unfamiliar subjects.

I is for …In search of the Pennant Hills
Published by The Pennant Hills Local Studies Group ‘In search of the Pennant Hills : a history of the settlements known as Pennant Hills on the Pennant Hills Range 1788 to 1906’ was a labour of love for its three authors. This book oozes quality, its overall design, the research behind the work and words that share the story are superb. You can purchase it from Hillstory.

J is for …A journal of a tour of discovery across the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, in the year 1813
This little book describes the 1813 Journal of Gregory Blaxland, one of the trio of explorers who forged a way over the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. ‘A journal of a tour of discovery across the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, in the year 1813’ was interesting to me as one of my convict ancestors, James Westbrook, was a brickmaker on William Cox‘s road over the Blue Mountains. An eVersion of this book is available.

K is for …Kilbegnet (Ireland) to Trunkey (N.S.W.)
I can’t remember much about this book, ‘Kilbegnet (Ireland) to Trunkey (N.S.W.) : the story of Hugh and Mary Carney and their Australian descendants’, viewed at The National Library of Australia in 2010. Remember to always seek out reliable sources to validate clues and convert them into facts.

L is for … The Lake
We moved to Lake Macquarie seven years ago and I wanted to learn about the history of our new location. Author, Scott Bevan published ‘The lake : exploring a splendid sheet of water‘ in 2020. For each location Scott shares a history of the area and its people. Into his narrative he weaves interviews with local characters. See here to source copies of this book.

M is for …Migrants
Most Australians have immigrants in their ancestry. I am interested in the stories of my ancestors and others who came from distant lands. You can see a list of migrant stories on my Goodreads account.

N is for …Not just Ned : a true history of the Irish in Australia
I once visited an exhibition, ‘Not just Ned’,  at the National Museum of Australia and then blogged about that visit here. I splashed out and purchased the catalogue from the exhibition. ‘Not just Ned : a true history of the Irish in Australia‘ is an attractive and informative book that helps me recollect the things I learnt at the exhibition.

O is for …Old Scottish clockmakers from 1453 to 1850
After discovering that ancestor, James Gowans, was a clockmaker in Scotland we wanted confirmation. James wasn’t famous by any means; he was just a man plying his trade in rural towns. When I heard of the existence of ‘Old Scottish Clockmakers from 1453 to 1850’, I searched for a copy. The Internet Archive pointed me to one which I have downloaded from The California Digital Library Collection. On page 169 I found a one-line entry for James Gowans that confirmed he was a Clockmaker in East Linton.

P is for …Pioneer registers
In pre-internet days Pioneer Registers were used in Australia to publish details of early arrivals (pioneers) in a particular region. They provided a means for unknown cousins to contact each other. I remember having great success tracking down cousins via the ‘Pioneer register : Dubbo and western region of NSW’ published in 1989. These resources are valuable. 

Q is for …Questions
Do you go to Google for a quick fix, or do you seek your answer in a book? It is worth the effort to find a book that has been well-researched, properly referenced and probably written by an expert. One can use online catalogues to find the right book to answer your question. You might consider: The Books and Libraries Category on Trove, WorldCat, and The Internet Archive.

R is for …The Rochdale Reminiscences of Henry Brierley BA. LLD.
Published in 1923 this little book relates stories from times when the Ball Family resided in Rochdale, Lancs.  As I have been researching the Brierley line for a cousin this work has been invaluable. Many of Brierley’s works can be found for sale on Abe Books

S is for …Sydney cemeteries : a field guide
Lisa Murray’s 399-page paperback guide to Sydney cemeteries is generously endowed with colour photographs. Its small format makes it suitable to tuck into a bag for a cemetery tour. The glossary, bibliography and index assist with access to content and provide guidance for further reading. Each cemetery entry provides a history and description, a list of notable burials and more information and photographs, plus some entries have maps.

T is for …To minister : the story of War Memorial Hospital, Waverley, 1918-1988
I hunted through second-hand sites for ‘To minister : the story of War Memorial Hospital, Waverley, 1918-1988’, a book which would have limited appeal. The Hospital is of interest to me as it is where I started my life’s journey over seventy years ago. See what I wrote in a blog post in 2012 when the book was delivered.

U is for … Undecided
Of all the letters in the alphabet I found this the most challenging so I will ignore U.

V is for …Vinnies
Students and staff at my Alma Mater, St Vincent’s College, called our school Vinnies. I was delighted, when on returning to the College for our 50 year reunion, we alumni were each given a gift, ‘St Vincent’s College Potts Point 1858-2008 : 150 years of catholic education‘. This book gave me a deeper understanding of my alma mater. 

W is for …The White Star Line
I discovered, ‘The White Star Line : an illustrated history 1870-1934’ by Paul Louden-Brown, when visiting The Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool, England. The book contained many images and details of White Star Line ships.

X is for … Xinran
Xinran is a British-Chinese author and journalist. I read her best-selling book, ‘The Good Women of China’, soon after it was published in 2002. This book made an impression on me as it gave me an insight into another culture and the plights and successes of its women.

Y is for …Your ancestors in their social context
I haven’t picked up, ‘Your ancestors in their social context : proceedings of the 13th Australasian Congress on Genealogy and Heraldry, Adelaide 2012‘, for many years. This weighty paperback contains papers from the 2012 AFFHO Congress. The collection of Conference Proceedings on my shelves might have answers for some of my questions!

Z is for …Ziba came on a boat
‘Ziba Came on a Boat’, beautifully illustrated by Robert Ingpen with words by Liz Lofthouse, is a children’s picture book. As she journeys from Afghanistan to a new land on a crowded vessel, Ziba reflects on fond memories of the home she left. A reading of this delightful work is available on Youtube.