Finding Biographical Information

Ethnic

Bibliography

Stuhr-Rommereim, Rebecca. Autobiographies by Americans of color 1980-1994: an annotated bibliography. Troy, New York: Whitston, 1997. 
LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC CT220.Z99 S78 1997x
--Lists 499 autobiographies of persons of African, Asian, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Native American heritage with brief summaries. Reprints of pre-1980 works are included but usually not annotated. Index includes countries of origin, topics, occupations and names, but not titles.

Continued by Autobiographies by Americans of color, 1995-2000 : an annotated bibliography which lists 674 autobiographies including items missed in the earlier volume.  Includes some persons of Middle Eastern heritage.   

Collective Biography

European immigrant women in the United States : a biographical dictionary / Judy Barrett Litoff, Judith McDonnell, editors.New York : Garland Pub., 1994. xiv, 357 p.
Widener | WID-LC | E184.E95 L58 1994           

Includes 239 biographies of deceased women who immigrated since the American Revolution.  Each biography has a substantial source list, often giving archival sources. Biographee list by area of activity and a short name/topic index.

African American

Indexes

Spradling, Mary Mace. In Black and white: a guide to magazine articles, newspaper articles, and books concerning more than 15,000 Black individuals and groups. 3d ed. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research Co., c1980.
LOCATION: Widener: RR 4781. 41.57 Library has: 2 v.

References to biographical information about some 15,000 individuals and groups throughout the world. Includes many citations to newspaper articles (including papers from Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, San Francisco, New York, Boston, Toronto, etc.). Index of occupations and bibliography of books, magazines, and newspapers cited.  1st ed., 1971.  Supplement has 6,797 additional entries 238123. Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index.  

See also Abajian’s Blacks in selected newspapers, censuses and other sources: an index to names and subjects and its Supplement, which index 19th and early 20th century newspapers, censuses, and city directories. Strongest on, but by no means limited to, the western U.S.  

Bibliography

Brignano, Russell C. (Russell Carl). Black Americans in autobiography: an annotated bibliography of autobiographies and autobiographical books written since the Civil War. Rev. and expanded ed. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1984.
LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC E185.96.Z99 B74 x, 1984

Lists in two sections full autobiographies and other life writings (diaries, personal narratives, etc.) with occupation, organization, geographic, chronological, and title indexes.  

Collective Biography

African American biographical database [computer file] : AABD. [Alexandria, Va.?] : Chadwyck-Healey, Inc., c1997- Networked Resource | E185.96 .A43

Over 40,000 articles from about 300 works of collective biography previously available on microfiches in Black biographical dictionaries, 1790-1950, indexed by Black biography, 1790-1950: a cumulative index.  Profiles search searches the index entries which include name, place of birth, birth/death dates, occupation, religion, gender, source; Full text search searches the biographical articles themselves.

African American national biography

Over 4100 largely deceased persons but with some major living figures. Otherwise utilizes American National Biography 165571 standards. Includes about 1000 biographies from the American National Biography 165571.  Includes many persons on whom no biographical work has previously been done.  Signed 900 to 3000 word articles with source lists.  General index, followed by list by areas of activity and index by birthplace. List of “prizewinners, medalists, members of Congress, and judges”.  Online version available in Oxford African American Studies Center 617497  which currently includes about half of the print entries with the rest to be added soon. Additional biographies not in the print ed. will eventually be added to the Oxford African American Studies Center bringing the total to around 10,000.  Joint production of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research of Harvard University and the Oxford University Press.  A selection of 600 biographies was published as African American lives (2004) (283924).

African American lives / editors, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham.  NY: Oxford University Press, 2004, 1025 p.

Over 600 largely deceased persons but with some major living figures. Otherwise utilizes American National Biography standards. Signed 900 to 3000 word articles with source lists.  Includes “List of Subjects by Category or Area of Renown”.  Full index. Articles selected from the forthcoming African American National Biography which is projected to include 10,000 biographies in the online ed. and 5,000 biographies in the print version, including about 1000 from the American National Biography.  Will include many persons on whom no biographical work has previously been done.  For more information see the website http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~aanb/.

African American lives omits many figures in the traditional standard source, Logan’s Dictionary of American negro biography which includes persons dying before 1970.  Rich source lists. Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index.

Notable Black American women. Detroit: Gale Research, c1992-1996.
LOCATION: Widener: RR4781.41.69 Library has: 2 v.

Includes around 1100 women (about half living) with birth dates 1686-1970. Each entry has a source list (which includes archival sources) and many have portraits. There is an "Area of endeavor" list and a detailed subject index in each volume.  There is no geographic index in vol. 1, although vol. 2 has one that does not cover vol. 1.  Third volume includes cumulative indexes.

Notable Black American men and Notable Black American men Book II  are similar to Notable Black American women.  Both Notable Black American women  and Notable Black American men are indexed in Biography and genealogy master index 160047 and full text in Biography Resource Center.

Biography Resource Center: African Americans, the biographies in almost 60 volumes of six Thomson Gale reference sources: 

A subset of Biography Resource Center

Contemporary

Who's who among African Americans. New York : Gale Research, c1996- v. ; Widener | RR 4781.45.10 Latest | E185.96 .W52 

About 10,000 entries in the first edition, increased to over 20,000 in the 19th ed. (2006).  Terminal obituaries section, and geographic and occupational indexes.  Information  largely collected by questionnaires to the biographees.  Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index 160047. Full text in Biography Resource Center (12th (1998) – 19th (2006)).

An earlier work, Who's who in colored America : a biographical dictionary of notable living persons of Negro descent in America (ed. 1, 1927 -7, 1950), includes geographical and vocational listings.  Full text in African American biographical database 160234   NIS

Who's who among Black Americans. 1st-8th ed.; 1975/76-1994/95. Detroit [etc.] Gale Research, Inc. [etc.]. LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC E185.96.W52 Earlier RR 4781.45.10 Latest  Indexed in 160047 Biography and genealogy master index 160047

Asian-Americans

Bibliography

Collective Biography

Notable Asian Americans / Helen Zia and Susan B. Gall, editors ; foreword by George Takei. 1st ed. New York : Gale Research, c1995. xxxviii, 468 p. 

Widener | RR 4781.21.52    OK In

Biographies of 250 individuals, living and deceased. Indexes by occupation, ethnicity, name/subject. Articles have references; about 40 have portraits. Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index 160047. Full text in Biography Resource Center.  160013  See also the similar Distinguished Asian Americans: a biographical dictionary. 286670   

Contemporary

Who's who among Asian Americans. Detroit : Gale Research Inc., c1994. 1 v. 

Widener | WID-LC | E184.O6 W48x Earlier Widener | RR 1515.52 Latest    OK In

Includes about 6000 U.S. citizens or individuals living in the U.S. with 

origins in about 20 Asian and Pacific Island countries. Geographical, 

occupational and ethnic/cultural heritage indexes.  Only one ed. published. Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index 160047 NIS   

Hispanic Americans

Collective Biography

Dictionary of Hispanic biography. New York: Gale Research, c1996. 

LOCATION: Widener: RR 1731     NIS     OK In 2ndary Primary in Lat Am

Includes about 470 biographies with source lists, some with portraits, of living (about 70%) and deceased persons, from the 15th century to the present. Covers individuals from Spain (61), North America (187) and Latin America (222) from a wide range of occupations.  Occupation, nationality/ethnicity and subject indexes.  Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index 160047. Full text in Biography resource center  160013 and  in Spanish, Portuguese 280864 , and Latin American biographical archive.  

Meier, Matt S.  Notable Latino Americans: a biographical dictionary    OK In

Includes 127 biographies largely of living but with some 19th and early 20th century figures.  Articles have good source lists, featuring periodical articles. Photograph with most entries. Brief name/subject index and lists of biographees by occupation and by ethnic subgroups. Cubans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans predominate. Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index 160047. Full text in Biography resource center 160013.  

Mexican-American coverage expanded in Meier’s similar Mexican American biographies : a historical dictionary, 1836-1987 125190 which has list of other collective biographies in the preface. Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index 160047.  

Matt S. Meier’s Notable Latino Americans: a biographical dictionary. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1997. LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC E184.S75 M35 1997   NIS

Meier, Matt S. Mexican American biographies : a historical dictionary, 1836-1987 / Matt S. Meier. New York : Greenwood Press, 1988. ix, 270 p. 

Widener | WID-LC | E184.M5 M454 1988     NIS    OK In ZA

Notable Hispanic American women. 1st ed.- Detroit: Gale Research, c1993- LOCATION: Gutman Education: Ref. E184.S75 N68          NOT GRS

Indexed in 160047 Biography and genealogy master index 160047. Full text in Biography Resource Center and in Saur Spanish, Portuguese 280864 , and Latin American biographical archive. 90954010

Latinas in the United States : a historical encyclopedia / edited by Vicki L. Ruiz and Virginia Sánchez Korrol. Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c2006. 3 v. (

Widener  |  WID-LC    |  E184.S75 L35 2006   

Mendez Mendez, Serafín. And Gail A. Cueto. Notable Caribbeans and Caribbean Americans : a biographical dictionary. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2003, 465 p.

Widener | WID-LC | CT329 .M46 2003    OK In 2ndary

Contemporary

Contemporary Hispanic biography : profiles from the  international Hispanic community.   Detroit : The Gale Group Inc., c2002-      

Widener | Harvard Depository | F1407 .C66x     OK In 2ndary

Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index 160047. Full text in Biography Resource Center

Who's who among Hispanic Americans. 1st ed. (1991-92)-3rd ed. (1994-95). Detroit, MI: Gale Research, c1991-c1994. LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC E184.S75 W56x

Latest ed. (3rd,  1995) covers over 5000 individuals.  Two pages of obituaries. Geographic, occupational, and ethnic/culture heritage indexes. Indexed (1st-3rd eds.) in Biography and genealogy master index 160047.

Jewish

Collective Biography

Polner, Murray. American Jewish biographies. New York: Facts on File, inc., [1982]. LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC E184.J5 A38 1982 

Includes about 400 page-length biographies of living persons. Some entries with references. Name/subject index includes areas of activity. Full text in Jewish biographical archive. 280876 

The Concise dictionary of American Jewish biography / Jacob Rader Marcus, editor ; Judith M. Daniels, associate editor. Brooklyn, N.Y. : Carlson Pub., 1994. 2 v. ; 

Widener | RR 1515.47.3 Widener | WID-LC | E184.J5 C653 1994    BC565        OK In     

Brief (2-15 lines) information on over 24,000 deceased individuals from colonial times to the mid1980s. Gives dates, education, occupation, major employers, and references to sources.  Full text in Jewish biographical archive. 280876 Drawn from around 25 books and periodicals (in some cases newspaper obituaries), including Who's who in American Jewry. (1926, 1928 (full text in Jewish biographical archive), 1938) 382307. Does not index Who's who in American Jewry 114270 (1980) which includes about 6000 biographies and is indexed in Biography and genealogy master index, 160047 with full text in Jewish biographical archive. 280876 

Who's who in American Jewry. 1980. Los Angeles, CA., Standard Who's Who. LOCATION: Widener: Harvard Depository E184.J5

Jewish women in America : an historical encyclopedia / edited by Paula E. Hyman and Deborah Dash Moore ; sponsored by the American Jewish Historical Society. NY: Routledge, 1997. 2 v. Widener | WID-LC | DS115.2 .J49 1997x   OK  

Includes 800 biographies of women (in addition to institutional and topical essays) from 1654 to the present emphasizing deceased but including some living persons. Each entry has good source list; many have portraits. Long name/topic index and list of biographees by area of activity. Also as CD-ROM. Full text in Jewish biographical archive. 280876