21 December 2012

Why No Index and Why You Can "Well Afford to Read the Book"

Orville Merton Kile said in 1958 what many genealogists would love to say today when he explained why his book lacked an index:

"Those who use the book as a part of the research for ancestors can well afford the relatively few hours necessary to read the entire book and gain a general picture of the family history and thus perhaps discover where they fit in. That would scarcely seem to be too much to ask as against the research of the writer extending over a ten year period..."

That quote and the image that follows come from page 171 of his "A Partial History of the Kyle, Kile, Coyle Family In America: With Some Scotch, Irish, And English Background."
Kile, Orville Merton, 1886-. A Partial History of the Kyle, Kile, Coyle Family In America: With Some Scotch, Irish, And English Background. Baltimore: Print. by Waverly Press, 1958.


For a discussion of how I can "get by" using this image and quote, see our earlier blog post, "Can I Use the 1958 Kile Genealogy and Unbecoming Genealogical Conduct."