Collecting Previous Research by Others Part Three: Digitized Books

This article focuses on Digitized Books. See also:
 * Part One: Home and Relative Sources
 * Part Two: Online Family Tree Collections
 * Part Four: FamilySearch Wiki Tools

Checking for previous research on your pedigree is an important step. It can save time, provide clues you might not otherwise find, help avoid duplication of effort, and help cooperation between families on research. Now, with the literal explosion of online sources, you can effectively survey online databases of what we call compiled genealogy, where the researcher has compiled original sources to present an opinion of how family groups and pedigree connections probably are most truthfully represented.

Evaluating Evidence to Determine Quality or Resolve Discrepancies
Keep in mind that every compiled genealogy you find is another researcher's opinion or interpretation of the documents he found about the family. Depending on the expertise of the researcher and the quality of available records, compiled research is subject to error. Indeed, you will frequently find disagreements between different versions of the family records you discover. You should carefully evaluate everything you find with both an open mind and a little skepticism. Here are some articles to train you to effectively evaluate the compiled research you will gather:
 * Evidence Baby Steps
 * Conclusions and Baby Steps
 * The Genealogical Proof Standard
 * Evaluate the Evidence

Digitized Books
There are two basic types of books to hunt for that contain compiled genealogies:
 * 1. Published Genealogies:  There are many, many books published by family members who compiled the genealogical research they had done, organized it into indexed families, and had it printed.
 * 2. County Histories: Late in the 19th century and the early 20th century, some companies devised a history/money-making scheme. They wrote a history of a county and invited the residents of the county to submit biographies/genealogies of their  ancestors who were early settlers of that county. They then had an automatic market for the book--the people who had contributed to it.  So it is important to search these county histories for the genealogical material included in them. The FamilySearch or Family History Library is gradually digitizing its microfilm and printed records, as permission is granted from the authors of the records. Hopefully, this process will be completeed in 2020.  Check back from time to time to see if new records are available.

Family History Books
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Other Digitized Books
Several efforts are underway to digitize older books no longer under copyright, and other copyrighted books with permission. Just like above, these three collections listed here should be searched both for published genealogies and for county histories with biographical/genealogical material.