Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-26
q - 1GENEALOGYC=1

All communications for this depart
ment should be addressed to the sec-e-
tary of the society, Elder Joseph F..
Smith, Jr.. care OF Historians Office
Salt Lake City, Utah.
INFORMATION.
We left our readers last week In II
library with copy of the American
index in their hands. We read the
preface to that book also last week
and thus learned why it was published
and It's value to us. Now, let us In
quirc further; If the seeker desires 10
hunt for an American family. he VIII
turn In his American Index to that
name; suppose ii were Howe, which is
quite an extensive American family.
He Will turn to the HIS and there find
Howe listed. Following the name viii
be number of references; American
Ancestry /. 40; iv. ia; V. Sc: vi, l4S; VII.
1856: viii, 36. 3S; Y, 2Oi; xii 5S. New
England Hist, and Gen Reg iv G3-5
Savage's Genealogical Dictionary Il,
1876. and others.
Now. what do these numbers and
names mcan asks the puzzled seeker?
First. let the seeker put down In his
small paper tab all that is recorded
above. Then. he is through with The
Index. and has his work before hlm
Take the Index back to the librarian,
as 1t is extremely thoughtless not to
say selfish TO keep n book for hours
lying beside you when IL is needed us
much as is an Index by all who come.
Let us begin our research with he
reference to SavaGe's Genealogical Die
tlonary. This book was one OF the
earliest aids to American genealogists
ever prepared 1t is now looked upon
with some suspicion, as the author in
some instances, took liberties with
facts; that is. he assumed relationships
from circumstantial evidence. But
nevertheless, there is a mass of most
valuable information for all American
early families In these four volumes
Savage undertook to publish an outline
sketch of the early New England fami-
lies especially, with some others of
early records and he did it extremely
we'll. He gives much space to the old
Puritan and Pilgrim families. and each
book is written in alphabetical or
der. so does not need an index. For In
stance, we would find the name of
Howo in volume III just where H would
come naturally in the alphabet saw
age gives the names of several Howe
cmigrants, and adds much lnforma-
tion regarding them all. He also indi-
Gates plainly just where he (Mr. Saw
age) secured his own information, ana
this enables the seeker to search the
original sources. IN case he Is in any
doubt, or needs further light. The
seeker must now open his notebook.
and first dating it and adding his own
name and address, with the name of
the heir in whose instance the work is
done. he now sets to work copying in
the proper form the Information he
finds in Savage. That is. he is not to
record the information he gets exactly
as he finds IT, but puts 1t in the form
already taught him in former articles
in this department He should write.
of course, the name of the book "Sav-
ages Genealogical Dictionary" across
the top of the page, and then set down
the first man and his wife, writing
"children" under them, then proceed 20
record the children given In the book
Never add names indiscriminately for
that brings such confusion that no one
mo matter how expert-can ever fnd
order or arrange the names in order
later The very first entry as we'll as
the last. in your penciled notebook.
must be set down in its proper order.
with each date and fact set in exact
position just as has been cXplai7e1
here time and again.
After the seeker has copied all the in
formation OF the names. given in Saw
age. numbering them all properly. .hc
will next turn to the books given in
his references taken from the index.
He will find that each book has been
indicated by at least one number. may
be by two. That is, the reference 70
Savage had II, 1875 after it, and that
meant vol. 2, pages 473 to i76 inclu-
sive.
After all the books named In these