Histories, Memories, and Biographies refers to a historical record collection subject category in the MyHeritage Collections Catalog. This category refers to writings that tell the story of a place, a group, or a person. These publications can be written by an individual, a group (including a family association), or an organization using their knowledge and experience, information they have curated from sources, and/or oral history interviews.
This collection is different than others in that when searching on a specific ancestor's name, you may not receive any "hits." We expect to find a document with our ancestor's name when searching record categories. However, this collection can be relevant even when it does not include the name of an ancestor.
Definitions
Histories
Histories are books that provide chronological documentation of an event, a place, or people. Genealogists use histories to better understand where their ancestor was from, an event or activity they took part in, such as a war, or a group of people their ancestor was a member of. Histories may not name an ancestor specifically but should be used to better understand the historical time period they were a part of. Histories may also provide information about an ancestor’s FAN Club (Friends, Associates, and Neighbors).
Memories
Memories refer to books written by someone who has experienced a specific place, event, or activity. These autobiographical books may focus on their experience growing up or their life.
Biography
A biography, the earliest literary genre in history,[1] is written by an individual about another individual or group of individuals. A biographer may find the information in the writings of those they, in turn, write about, interviews, newspaper stories, histories, and other publications.
Genealogical benefits of histories, memories, and biographies
Publications such as local histories, genealogies, and biographies can benefit the researcher in many ways. A book written about a family can provide unknown information, including new-to-you ancestors. Similar to online family trees, these books can provide clues that should be followed up on.
A local history may help you better understand your ancestor's place in time, which can help in locating new records.
A biography, even if it isn't about your ancestor but instead someone in their FAN Club (Friends, Associates, and Neighbors), can help you as you consider your ancestor's experiences. For example, a biography about a leader your ancestor served under in a war will help you fill in the blanks in their timeline and understand where they were during their wartime service.
Publications you find in Histories, Memories, and Biographies are different from other genealogical records in that they may not yield results by searching on your ancestral name. You will need to read, skim, or consult the index of a publication to determine its worth to your research. In addition, you will need to analyze the work before using it for your genealogy.
Analyzing Histories, Memories, and Biographies
Whenever you use a publication for your genealogical research, you will want to analyze it just as you would any other record. When we look at records, we often consider who the informant is to ascertain their knowledge of the information they provide. Similarly, with publications, we want to ask about the author, question their knowledge, and where they found the information they write about.
Some questions to consider include:
- Who is the author?
- What is the author's credibility?
- How does the author know what they are writing about?
- Who is the publisher? Are they a credible publisher?
- What sources did the author cite?
- How reliable are the sources used?
- What other sources can be used to verify the information, if needed?
- What year was the book published? How far, time-wise, is it removed from the events it describes?
- What information seems to be missing?
- What questions do you have after reading the work?
Histories, Memories, and Biographies collection
MyHeritage's Histories, Memories, and Biographies collection includes local histories and general histories, biographies, and family histories.
You can search or browse from the collection's homepage by choosing a subcategory and/or a location found on the left side of the web page.
Remember that you can search by an ancestral surname or a specific ancestor's name. However, there can be information in this collection that is relevant to your genealogy research that does not name your ancestor specifically. For example, a history of your ancestor's county or state can provide historical context, including information about the local churches and schools but may not name your ancestor.
Start your search by entering an ancestral surname or a specific ancestor's name but then try a search by location to exhaust relative sources in this collection fully.
Search histories, memories, and biographies
Explore more about Editing Histories, Memories, and Biographies
- Histories, Memories and Biographies record collection at MyHeritage
References
- ↑ Lichtheim, Miriam. Ancient Egyptian Literature, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006, vol I, p 3.