One of the most commonly used types of documents for genealogical research is the family tree or personal family genealogy book. It is quite natural for people, who have spent a lot of their time and money performing research on their family lineage to want to show it off. Whether the motivation is to share the information with others or simply to brag about their accomplishment is inconsequential. The fact of the matter is that there are many such books available at historical and genealogical libraries.
The serious researcher should be cautioned to not accept the information contained in such books as absolute fact and truth. Not only must the truthful integrity of the author be questioned at all times, but also the factual integrity of the information must be questioned, especially if the information is not footnoted.
Personal family trees and published genealogies should be utilized much like roadsigns directing you to a destination. The information you obtain from a personal family tree or published genealogy should be crosschecked against public records by yourself, if possible.
The entire, extensive collection of books which were accumulated by Floyd G. Hoenstine, and made up the Hoenstine Library, were donated by Floyd’s daughter, Barbara, upon his death to the Blair County Genealogical Society. The collection, which covers all of Pennsylvania, including the counties that were Old~Bedford, includes many family genealogies. The books retain their numbers as had been utilized by Hoenstine, and a complete listing of them can be found in the book, Guide To Genealogical And Historical Research In Pennsylvania, 1978, and three subsequent supplements.
The following list does not include every published book devoted to personal family genealogies. Each of the genealogical and historical societies in Old~Bedford maintain very extensive collections of published and unpublished books devoted to individual family lineages. The list below, therefore, includes only the names of some of the volumes in which there are multiple family lineages covered.
