Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-19
GENEALOGY q


All communications for this depart
ment should be addressed to tho Sec
retary OF tho society. Elder Joseph F.
Smith. Jr.. care OF historians office,
Salt Lake City. Utah.
THE GENDALOGIST AT WORK.
We will assume this week that all
our readers have carefully noted the
instructions given for the past three
weeks, and that they are now rcady 10
enter a genealogical library. IT will
be we'll to pay strict attention to these
instructions, for some day. IL not now.
they VIII prove of Infinite value
The first thing for the seeker to
know, Is what he wants to know 1t
is not expected that he Will go into a
library and ask the librarian or at
tendant to spend an hour or so con-
Vorsing with him. giving him the A.
i. C.'s of library searching The maxi
Ing and using of libraries has become
quito science in civilized countries,
and all the school children become
moro or less familiar with the methods
OF procedure. But when n geneal-
oSist goes into a genealogical or oven
public library, ho requires extra In
Struction, and special information We
up his mind that he Is to search for
only one line of his ancestors; he has
written down all the information he
already has, and has prepared HIM
self with n notebook of proper size,
pencils. and n tab of scratch paper
Now, when he goes Into the library, lot
him look about him carefully; he will
see in n moment who are the attend
ants. and who arc callers like him
self The first rule he Is to learn and
observe for himself, is that libraries
are places TO study. not talk. II he
has much talking to do. let him go
where talking does not disturb others
or speak very softly indeed. When the
seeker discovers who Is the librarian
let him look about and see how others
get their books. There are two meth
ods employed In the best libraries OF
the country. One is, to write out on
n slip or card furnished by the
library the names of the books wanted,
and an attendant comes and gets the
slip. then brings the books Another
method is for the seeker to apply to
tho attendant for a slip on which tho
name OF the seeker Is written. and
then he may seck his own books, if he
knows whore to find thom A good
rule to follow In all cases of procedure
OF this kind is for the seeker to select
person who is apparently familiar
with the place and Its methods and
then watch that person and Initiate
what he does. In the case OF our own
library. the patient librarian keeps her
temper admirably and answers over
and over and over the Same questions
day after day to new seekers These
articles are to help both her and the
seeker. so that all may know a little
moro than they now do, and thus
avoid troubling her so much while the |
seeker gets on much more quickly. AS |
a matter of fact our society has pro-
vided a series of classes In the Church |
schools where much OF this informa-
tion Will be given: also there arc |
weekly meetings OF the Womnn's aux |
iliary held In tho Lion House on We'd |
neSday afternoons where these inStruc- |
tions are given to all who desire them |
To proceed. the seeker may nsk the |
librarian in any library for information |
about the family name he Is desiroas |
OF working upon, The librarian will |
put into the seekers hands Munsers
index. II II be on the American side.
or the English guide, II 1t bo from the |
English side.
Now in order to acauaint ourselves
with the contents and value of any
imperative that we shall read first Of
all the preface or introduction, which
the author of the book has prepared
to give us the reasons for writing tho
book. and tho value OF use to which
the book may be put: so now. we win
examine books of genealogical refer
ence. and give them to you herein. SO
that you may be prepared to use them
properly. Tho American Index first
claims our attention:
Munsel's Index has the title. .Riblio-
graphfa Genealogical Americana: An
Alphabetical Index to American Gene
aloglcs and Pedigrees. Contained in
State. County and Town Histories.
Printed Genealogics, and Kindred
Works. BY Daniel s Dursie. LIbrarian
State Historical Society of Wisconsin
Published by Joel Munsel & Sons, Al