Genealogy for the first time: Research Your Family History

by Laura Best

Here's everything you need to know to start researching your family ancestry. Designed to inspire and encourage anyone interested in learning about his family background, this comprehensive guide offers a basic introduction to the primary methods and sources used in genealogy work. Begin by organizing and evaluating the information that is readily available to you, such as documents and photographs in your possession. Explore fundamental research techniques such as keeping a research log, interviewing relatives, making charts, citing sources, and using the Internet. Find out how to utilize more advanced methods to find information such as using census records, maps, cemeteries, church records, land, tax, and military records, early newspapers, immigration records and passenger lists, and naturalization and citizenship records. Suggestions are also included for preserving, displaying, and using your findings. Plenty of photographs, charts, and lists help you embark on your journey of discovery.

112 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2003

About the author

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Reviews

[Krissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

No Earth shattering epiphanies here. That said, some of the blank charts that are placed in here look promising. I intend on using a couple of the charts shown to help me better organize my findings.

I liked that the author dedicated this book to her two Grandmothers and placed pictures of them at the end. It was a nice touch.

Library Book.

[AdultNonFiction Teton County Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lynn 929.1 Best
If you are just starting a search for your family tree or are working with children on the tree, this will give you some ideas. It is basic and a scrapbook style is used.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many helpful tips for beginning genealogists and long-time researchers. This book breaks down the process into several easy-to-read chapters with a variety of tips. It has very nice graphics and some interesting ideas on charting your research.

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book for genealogy beginners -- nice use of illustrations and pictures, as well as tips on how to approach this big project!

[Jelayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Perfect for the beginner in to genealogy and great for those of us who have been researching for a while now. This book helped me break down several brick walls. The only down side is I wish the charts were easier to copy. Many charts were easy to recreate on my computer or find simular charts online. So I did not take away a star for that. I love that she explains things so simply and easy to understand. This book covers a large range of topics. From where to find information, how to enter it on forms, how to evualate it and how to set up a filing system. It even talks about using a computer to aid your research.