BAXTER, Angus 1912-

PERSONAL: Born June 8, 1912, in Bristol, England; immigrated to Canada, 1953; son of William (a company director) and Joyce (Cantle) Baxter; married Nan Pearson, June 19, 1943; children: Susan Baxter Barcsay. Education: University of Bristol, B.A., 1933. Hobbies and other interests: Travel (has visited more than eighty countries).

ADDRESSES: Home—5 Katherine St., Lakefield, Ontario K0L 2H0, Canada.

CAREER: Writer and genealogist. Seccombe House, Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, vice president of publishing and marketing, 1953–71. Lecturer; guest on television and radio programs. Military service: British Army, 1939–46; became lieutenant colonel; received Order of the Red Cross of Belgium.

MEMBER: Ontario Genealogical Society, Society of Genealogists.

AWARDS, HONORS: In Search of Your European Roots: A Complete Guide to Tracing Your Ancestors in Every Country in Europe was chosen one of the four best reference books published in 1986 by the American Library Association.

WRITINGS:

In Search of Your Roots: A Guide for Canadians Seeking Their Ancestors, Macmillan (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1978, revised edition, 1984.

In Search of Your British and Irish Roots: A Complete Guide to Tracing Your English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish Ancestors, Morrow (New York, NY), 1982, 4th edition, Genealogical Publishing Co. (Baltimore, MD), 1999.

Tracing Your Origins, Methuen (New York, NY), 1983.

In Search of Your European Roots: A Complete Guide to Tracing Your Ancestors in Every Country in Europe, Macmillan (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1984, 3rd edition, Genealogical Publishing Co. (Baltimore, MD), 2001.

In Search of Your German Roots: A Complete Guide to Tracing Your Ancestors in the Germanic Areas of Europe, Genealogical Publishing Co. (Baltimore, MD), 1987, 4th edition, 2001.

Angus Baxter's Dos and Don'ts for Ancestor-Hunters, Genealogical Publishing Co. (Baltimore, MD), 1987.

In Search of Your Canadian Roots, Genealogical Publishing Co. (Baltimore, MD), 1989, 3rd edition published as In Search of Your Canadian Roots: Tracing Your Family Tree in Canada, McClelland & Stewart (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1999, Genealogical Publishing Co. (Baltimore, MD), 2000.

SIDELIGHTS: Angus Baxter has helped countless people to explore their heritage with his books that offer tips on tracing one's ancestry, with titles such as Tracing Your Origins, In Search of Your European Roots: A Complete Guide to Tracing Your Ancestors in Every Country of Europe, and In Search of Your Canadian Roots: Tracing Your Family Tree in Canada. In the course of his books, he frequently relates humorous anecdotes about both his successes and failures in tracing his own family heritage. Much of Baxter's work has been kept current by multiple revised and updated editions.

Born in England, Baxter now makes his home in Canada. His book In Search of Your Canadian Roots is typical of his work in the genealogical field. Reviewing that title, a Booklist reviewer commented on some of the outstanding features of Baxter's work, including his "orderly approach," his "commonsense wisdom," and the "helpful tips" offered to neophyte genealogists. Baxter lends new researchers a helping hand by creating an imaginary family, and then showing how someone would go about researching the background of that family. The reviewer concluded: "Baxter's appreciation for research and his love of history are evident in all his books. His identification of sources and practical suggestions for accessing and using them should be helpful to all researchers, regardless of their level of expertise." Elaine M. Kuhn also recommended the book in her Library Journal assessment, calling it "a very useful introduction to general Canadian research."

Baxter once told CA: "I am enthusiastic about ancestor-hunting and have been ever since I stumbled around in 1950 when I started to trace my forebears. Now I can look back over seven centuries of detailed knowledge about the Baxters and their houses and farms in a remote valley in the Lake District of England. One of my ancestors founded a free grammar school in 1703 with the proviso that 'the Latin and Greek tongues be taught.' This led to a local saying: 'Nowadays in Swindale they plow the fields in Latin and shear the sheep in Greek.' Another ancestral discovery that amused me was the fact that my grandfather was known as 'Whisky Willie.' I have one thing in common with him and it is not his first name!

"I receive at least one letter a day from somewhere in the world asking for help and advice in solving a difficult genealogical problem. I always reply, although I've been heard to say, 'I wish they would pay the return postage.' On the other hand, I get much pleasure from later letters of thanks that tell of distant ancestors and long-lost cousins found as the result of my advice.

"Ancestor-hunting is fun. As you go back, open your heart and mind to the past—don't be content with names and dates and births and deaths—find out what they did, how they lived, what part they played in the life of their town or village. These are the leaves for the bare branches of the family tree."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 1, 1994, reviews of In Search of Your Canadian Roots: Tracing Your Family Tree in Canada, In Search of Your European Roots: A Complete Guide to Tracing Your Ancestors in Every Country in Europe, and In Search of Your German Roots: A Complete Guide to Tracing Your Ancestors in the Germanic Areas of Europe, p. 542; June 1, 2000, Mary Ellen Quinn, review of In Search of Your Canadian Roots, p. 1960.

Library Journal, July, 1991, Raymond S. Wright III, review of In Search of Your German Roots, p. 86; December, 1991, Judith P. Reid, review of In Search of Your British and Irish Roots: A Complete Guide to Tracing Your English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish Ancestors, p. 130; February 15, 1995, Judith P. Reid, review of In Search of Your European Roots, p. 148; May 15, 2000, Elaine M. Kuhn, review of In Search of your Canadian Roots, p. 80.