THE C. G. BRISEE GENEALOGY LIBRARY
BY ADRIAN BRISEE
My library is an informal research library; it’s main purpose is to feed my websites. As such, it is for people who just want another place to be able to research without driving to Omaha or Des Moines and have a bit of fun while researching. (You can drink your coffee while researching.)
My father was a genealogist since he was a teenager. Because I traveled a lot, I picked up books for him when I could find them. He did surname studies, which by nature uses a lot more books than straight line genealogy. But I did something I should not have, I actually started looking at the books I was buying for him. Because, then, I started buying them for myself to study my maternal lines. When my library had taken over our house south of Albany, New York, we purchased the former Irwin, Iowa school building. It was also about the time my father got sick, so he gave me his library and files to put in the new library.
You will find many New York and New England books in the collection, because it fell within the scope of our research. Since the move to Iowa, we have collected a good number of Iowa resources, focusing on centennial books of cities and churches all over Iowa. (See our card catalog…Wear a bib, as you may be drooling.) I also get a lot of one-of-a-kind records and sources. (I was just notified that my third set of original church records was shipped out this morning.)
We are here most weekends, but call ahead to make sure at 712-782-6800. The rooms the stacks are in aren’t heated, so consider this a fair-weather research library. There are also stairs; since this is our home, we are not ADA compliant. Bring your computer, bring your scanner, bring snacks. We may just have that missing piece of the puzzle you are looking for.
AB