On the Road--Again?

Maybe it's cabin fever, maybe its Covid isolation reaction, whatever, I've felt an urge to look at travel and tourism guides!

Read any good local histories lately? Maybe you’ve found a glowing biography of your ancestor’s brother in a 19th century mug book. You know the type—”George came to Smithtown with his parents and five brothers and sisters when he was three years old.” Precocious, wasn’t he? If the book had named the parents and siblings, you might have some proof of family connection, albeit secondary. But some editor determined that non-resident parents and siblings were not essential to the story.

Local histories provide invaluable tidbits of information. Imagine reading that your ancestor was the first white child born in Houston County, Minnesota, or that the elderly chief of the nearby tribe always found a warm welcome at your family’s home on a snowy night.  

A recent search for US tourist travel books at books.google.com revealed some astonishing and invaluable resources:

How did they get there in 1851?

Many of you have stories of how your family migrated from one place to another--some trans-continental--in the 19th century.  But do you really know how they traveled?  The  Traveller's and Tourist's Guide through the United States of America, Canada, Etc. by W. Williams is a marvelous resource describing the routes, time schedules and prices for traveling in 1851 including information for train travel on the East Coast, covered wagon to Oregon or across the isthmus to get to California gold fields.  The book is available at books.Google.com for download. 

Or in 1878?

In 1878 Henry T. Williams  published The Pacific Tourist, an Illustrated Trans-Continental Guide of Travel--with more fantastic descriptions of routes, scenic highlights and rules for travel.  Great information for fleshing out your family history and delightful entertainment!

New England in 1916

In the SoKing News, Vol. 32 No. 1, Summer Quarter 2016, there is a review of Porter Sargent’s 1916 Handbook of New England. What a hoot! Mr. Sargent set out to “cover a field as yet unoccupied. No single book exists which serves to acquaint visitor and resident alike with New England as a whole.” This book is the precursor to AAA and TripAdvisor.

Visualize an automobile of 1916 vintage. Now visualize a gravel or macadam road snaking into the distance, perhaps crossing a similar thoroughfare in a sleepy village. Add the vision of your touring ancestor with guidebook in hand following Mr. Sargent’s directions to get from point A to point G with notes about points B through F in between. This 860+ page volume achieved just that. But the first 60 some pages introduced New England—its history, topography, industry and people—in a delightfully informative and often tongue in cheek manner.

Your search at books.Google.com is not limited to historic U S books. 

Was your ancestor an angler?

The Angler and Tourist's Guide  to the Rivers, Lakes and Remarkable Places in the Northern Counties of Scotland is another entertaining and enlightening resource.  Have fun!






Whether your ancestors were from New England or other parts of the world, don’t overlook the local publications that add so much detail to the character of your family.

Happy travels, if only from your armchair!

MaryLynn Strickland