My Corner Online

 

Genealogy Books & Videos

I am making this list as much for me as for those who visit this page because I am beginning to own enough books regarding genealogy and the history surrounding my families that I cannot remember which ones I own and I need to avoid purchasing duplicate books!

I am a deeply rooted Missourian! I never did like history, but when I can tie history directly to my ancestor, I find myself really getting into the related history that helps bring them to life.

 

French and Indians of Illinois River by Nehemiah Matson. My French ancestors married The Illinois women from the Kaskaskia band and the Cahokia band. Author Matson lived from 1816 to 1873, so this book was written long ago closer to the 1700's when the subject and theme of the book occurred. Nehemiah Matson collected tales from settlers, traders, and their descendants. There is a foreward written later that makes some corrections. If you have a paid subscription to Ancestry, this book is in their resources. It is also available from Living History of Illinois as a .pdf. download.

St. Louis Rising by Carl J. Ekberg and Sharon K. Person.  I read St. Louis Rising in 2019 and it took me forever to get through it. I am not one to like reading history. This was a difficult read, but I am glad to have read it. It is from a different perspective that St. Ang founded St. Louis and not Laclede. My ancestors would have come to St. Louis as soldiers with St. Ang. After the first chapters which were difficult, it got better more about their daily life and way of living. I learned a lot.

The Way We Were by Zachary M. "Jack" Duclos, PhD. These books are invaluable for those who have ancestors in Old Mines, Missouri. They are a great way to jump start your research. The books cover many people. I bought mine from the Old Mines Genealogy Society. As always, do not take books as fact and do your own research. Mr. Duclos sure did a lot of research and I am so thankful to him. I cannot imagine the time he put into writing these books. However, I do not see that he gives credit to source documentation, so I use his data and then look for the original source documentation to verify facts. I do find he occassionally has errors, but most commonly in relationships, such as maybe saying son-in-law when it should be another-in-law. Overall the books are awesome.

 

VIDEOS

 

Mark Walczynski provided this presentation to the Illinois State Historical Society and I found it quite educational regardin The Illinois Native Americans. I learned to call them either In8ca (Inoca) or The Illinois, and that "The Illinios are an Indian tribe; the Illini are a football team" Natalie Marie Belting. Thus far I have two Kaskaskia Indians and one Cahokia in my blood, and both are bands of The Illinois.