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Essential Skills for The Occasional Genealogist: Beyond-beginner Genealogy Skills for Busy Family Historians
Do you want to learn how to effectively and efficiently track, analyze, plan, and report your genealogy research?
Genealogists often find themselves strapped for time, struggling to balance their passion for family history with the demands of everyday life. In this book, professional genealogist, and chronic Occasional Genealogist, Jennifer Dondero shares her expertise to help hobbyist genealogists maximize their limited time and achieve meaningful progress in their research.
Follow the story of Gene and her friend Jenni as they tackle the essential skills and techniques that go beyond the beginner level. Discover the tips, shortcut, and templates that allow you to overcome challenges and understand how to keep growing your family tree. Delve into the importance of clues and explore multiple strategies to uncover more sources.
In this book, you will learn:
How to stay focused on solving a brick wall.
The skills to get started in genealogical analysis.
How to create a genealogy research plan.
The difference in solving a problem versus other genealogy research.
This book will equip you with the essential skills to bust through brick walls and make continual progress in your genealogical journey. Expand your knowledge with research strategies that go beyond beginner. Get your copy now!
Genealogists often find themselves strapped for time, struggling to balance their passion for family history with the demands of everyday life. In this book, professional genealogist, and chronic Occasional Genealogist, Jennifer Dondero shares her expertise to help hobbyist genealogists maximize their limited time and achieve meaningful progress in their research.
Follow the story of Gene and her friend Jenni as they tackle the essential skills and techniques that go beyond the beginner level. Discover the tips, shortcut, and templates that allow you to overcome challenges and understand how to keep growing your family tree. Delve into the importance of clues and explore multiple strategies to uncover more sources.
In this book, you will learn:
How to stay focused on solving a brick wall.
The skills to get started in genealogical analysis.
How to create a genealogy research plan.
The difference in solving a problem versus other genealogy research.
This book will equip you with the essential skills to bust through brick walls and make continual progress in your genealogical journey. Expand your knowledge with research strategies that go beyond beginner. Get your copy now!
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 27, 2023
108 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 26, 2024
Switching to another book on this topic. I am interested in the subject but I believe another book will have a clearer approach.
March 15, 2025
Too much fluff. I found myself skimming to learn some skills that I haven’t been using. I need a book that focuses on the how to and not on the side stories. Too distracting for me.
November 3, 2023
Description, i.e., the blurb …
Genealogists, especially those of us who aren’t professional genealogists, always feel we either don’t have enough time or we didn’t wisely use the time. Jennifer Dondero must live in my house somewhere near my genealogy office because she has MY issues down to a “T”. This book is all about getting us “occasional” genealogists to focus our time and energies in the right direction. WITHOUT telling us we have to do exactly like she does. So before I even write my review, I highly recommend this book. The full title is “Essential Skills for The Occasional Genealogist: Beyond-beginner Genealogy Skills for Busy Family Historians”.
My review …
Jennifer (I feel I can call her that since I was a Beta reviewer of “Essential Skills…”) uses a story format between Jenni and her friend Gene about various skills. Don’t skip over these stories. Within them are all sorts of tidbits and how-tos, even templates.
If I had been the author’s age when she got into genealogy, I think I would have done what she did — become a certified genealogist. I first learned of The Occasional Genealogist via her blog and participated in a pre-launch use of one of her courses. I have found her to be so giving and open to helping.
I highly recommend this book. A beginner would be able to use it as well but it is 100% down this genealogist’s alley. I am far from a beginner at genealogy. I guess I might be intermediate or lower advanced level. But get “rabbit trailed” all the time.
I purchased the Kindle version and put the “hard-copy” version on my Christmas wishlist. No, you don’t need both and for me, I would rather have a printed reference when I’m working with my online genealogy. But having it in Kindle format will be handy when I’m at the library, etc.
This book has JUST been published (27 Oct 2023) and today (2 Nov ’23) it is #1 New Release in Research Reference Books on Amazon. Way to go Jennifer! I won’t free up much time for genealogy until after Christmas when I’ll start using my “present” — I’ve been a very good girl this year so I know I’ll get it.
My worst genealogy fault — not using a Research Log. Maybe Jennifer can FINALLY get me using one.
Rating: 5 stars
Cover: Exactly right. If you know her blog, you’ll instantly recognize it.
Pages: 240
Publish Date: 27 Oct 2023
#EssentialSkillsforTheOccasionalGenealogist #JenniferPattersonDondero #JenniferDondero
Genealogists, especially those of us who aren’t professional genealogists, always feel we either don’t have enough time or we didn’t wisely use the time. Jennifer Dondero must live in my house somewhere near my genealogy office because she has MY issues down to a “T”. This book is all about getting us “occasional” genealogists to focus our time and energies in the right direction. WITHOUT telling us we have to do exactly like she does. So before I even write my review, I highly recommend this book. The full title is “Essential Skills for The Occasional Genealogist: Beyond-beginner Genealogy Skills for Busy Family Historians”.
My review …
Jennifer (I feel I can call her that since I was a Beta reviewer of “Essential Skills…”) uses a story format between Jenni and her friend Gene about various skills. Don’t skip over these stories. Within them are all sorts of tidbits and how-tos, even templates.
If I had been the author’s age when she got into genealogy, I think I would have done what she did — become a certified genealogist. I first learned of The Occasional Genealogist via her blog and participated in a pre-launch use of one of her courses. I have found her to be so giving and open to helping.
I highly recommend this book. A beginner would be able to use it as well but it is 100% down this genealogist’s alley. I am far from a beginner at genealogy. I guess I might be intermediate or lower advanced level. But get “rabbit trailed” all the time.
I purchased the Kindle version and put the “hard-copy” version on my Christmas wishlist. No, you don’t need both and for me, I would rather have a printed reference when I’m working with my online genealogy. But having it in Kindle format will be handy when I’m at the library, etc.
This book has JUST been published (27 Oct 2023) and today (2 Nov ’23) it is #1 New Release in Research Reference Books on Amazon. Way to go Jennifer! I won’t free up much time for genealogy until after Christmas when I’ll start using my “present” — I’ve been a very good girl this year so I know I’ll get it.
My worst genealogy fault — not using a Research Log. Maybe Jennifer can FINALLY get me using one.
Rating: 5 stars
Cover: Exactly right. If you know her blog, you’ll instantly recognize it.
Pages: 240
Publish Date: 27 Oct 2023
#EssentialSkillsforTheOccasionalGenealogist #JenniferPattersonDondero #JenniferDondero
March 20, 2024
Wish there were more hacks shortcuts tips
This was a really good overview of a thoughtful research process. The author got into some "cheats" but I was hoping to lean more into them. I have developed some not noted in the book so I'm sure she has more! For example I have a standard battery of searches for every ancestor and as such I don't need to record that I've done them just the unique ones.
This was a really good overview of a thoughtful research process. The author got into some "cheats" but I was hoping to lean more into them. I have developed some not noted in the book so I'm sure she has more! For example I have a standard battery of searches for every ancestor and as such I don't need to record that I've done them just the unique ones.
April 7, 2024
Lots of information, I personally could have used a few more "have your x (notes/report/etc) look like this", or possibly I just needed a more of a beginner book/one that shows how to use digital notes & the ways to save information digitally (or even written). A book that will be referred to.
February 1, 2025
This book has helped me to understand how to take notes and do research that has helped me to make sure I am putting the correct person in my tree so I don’t get off track and it has helped me get through brick walls in my research.
September 11, 2025
The fictional story style did not work for me.
October 19, 2023
Essential Skills for the Occasional Genealogist: Beyond-beginner Genealogy Skills for Busy Family Historians is a fantastic introduction for anyone interested in building a family tree to understand better where they came from and learn about their ancestors’ lives. Jennifer Dondero does a wonderful job walking the reader through the steps to do “great” genealogy research.
Jennifer names and organizes many basic concepts that occasional genealogists may not realize they do and some that they must do to begin their family history research. Her easy-to-follow game plan is designed to work for any genealogy problem, aka - brick walls, including examples from her experience as a professional genealogist. Dondero shares proven research techniques through a delightful story of two hobbyists doing family research who help each other through some genealogy problems.
This book is for anyone interested in doing family research. It’s eye-opening to read about everything that goes into doing great genealogy by breaking it down into manageable sections. It is readable and includes free templates to help anyone get started, especially those of us who are occasional genealogists!
This information helps fix research mistakes! The secret is keeping a research log to help organize the mountains of information genealogists sift through. The storytelling format walks readers through the pitfalls impatient genealogists fall into; redoing research is common because documenting isn’t done correctly from the beginning.
Doing genealogy since 1972; I wish I had discovered this information when I began my family history research 50+ years ago! Thank you, Jennifer Dondero, for your wisdom and insight! (less) [edit]
Jennifer names and organizes many basic concepts that occasional genealogists may not realize they do and some that they must do to begin their family history research. Her easy-to-follow game plan is designed to work for any genealogy problem, aka - brick walls, including examples from her experience as a professional genealogist. Dondero shares proven research techniques through a delightful story of two hobbyists doing family research who help each other through some genealogy problems.
This book is for anyone interested in doing family research. It’s eye-opening to read about everything that goes into doing great genealogy by breaking it down into manageable sections. It is readable and includes free templates to help anyone get started, especially those of us who are occasional genealogists!
This information helps fix research mistakes! The secret is keeping a research log to help organize the mountains of information genealogists sift through. The storytelling format walks readers through the pitfalls impatient genealogists fall into; redoing research is common because documenting isn’t done correctly from the beginning.
Doing genealogy since 1972; I wish I had discovered this information when I began my family history research 50+ years ago! Thank you, Jennifer Dondero, for your wisdom and insight! (less) [edit]
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews