The Red Book – A Genealogy Tool

The Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources published by Ancestrypublishing and edited by certified genealogist, Alice Eichholz, Ph.D.   is a useful research tool that is found in the Genealogy room at the Covington library. The book points the family history researcher in the right direction for locating records for genealogical pursuits and it follows a consistent, clear format.  All fifty states are organized alphabetically each beginning with a concise history leading up to its statehood. The format for each of the 50 states follows the below sequence listed from left to right:

Vital Records        Census records        Background sources        Maps        Land records       Probate (succession)         Court        Tax        Cemetery        Church        Military records

The book details the locality of the above records on county and parish levels, as well as state and national levels for each of the fifty American states. 

There are also two sections titled Periodicals, Newspapers, and Manuscript Collections as well as Archives, Libraries, and Societies where the researcher will be afforded more information.  A Special Focus Category is further included for each state where relevant topics such as Immigration, African American and Native American research tips are included. Further a County Resources  or Parish resources in Louisiana is included that tells of the localities of where many of the records are kept for each of the fifty American states. 

The last page of that state's item shows a chart which alphabetically lists each county or parish giving the date it was formed, the dates which the vital records are available at county levels, and lists the dates the land, probate, and court records are available in its simple chart form. The chart further conveys if the county courthouse had ever burned in a fire, or experienced another natural disaster, giving that date which aids one in knowing causes of lost records.  In Louisiana parishes are affiliated as the political areas for recording marriage and court records and knowing when those dates are available for each parish can quickly save you time. 

Overall, this expansive guide is a great go to tool to help aid the family history researcher and is useful for both the beginning and experienced genealogical researcher.