Product Description

Since 1984, The Source has set the standard for family history references, winning the ALA "Best Reference" award and earning the top spot on Family Chronicle's "Top 10 Genealogical Books" list. As it's name suggests, it is the industry's most comprehensive guide to the full spectrum of genealogical resources in America! Each chapter in this new edition is a mini seminar written by an expert in a specific genealogical field that shows what sources are available, how to find them, and most importantly, how to use them.

The Internet has changed the genealogical landscape in the ten years since The Source's last revision. The many contributors to this volume explore these new online sources and place them in context with timeless family history research principles. New or updated chapters include chapters dedicated to computers, the American colonial era, references and guides, and more.

Whether you're a brand new genealogist trying to figure out where to begin, or a seasoned expert who's hit the proverbial brick wall The Source has the answers. Not only will it help you effectively use every imaginable type of genealogical record found in America, but you'll also learn how to take advantage of time-tested and cutting-edge research techniques, as well as ways to use your existing data as a springboard to more ancestral discoveries.

Learn where to find and how to use vital resources like:

- Databases, indexes, directories and other finding aids
- Birth, death and cemetery records
- Marriage and divorce records
- Census records Church records
- Court records Land & Tax records
- Military records Business and employment records
- Additional chapters focus on tracking ethnic origins using immigration records and other resources for Native American, African American, Hispanic, and Jewish-American research

This new third edition includes the following features and more:

-Edited by Loretto Dennis "Lou" Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Leubking, two of the most respected leaders in the field of family history.
-Each chapter's author is among the elite experts in their individual fields of study.
-Each chapter is structured like a mini-seminar, with advise, tips, and direction from a qualified expert in the field.
-Four new chapters have been added.
-Each chapter now includes information on key Internet sites to help you with your family history.
-The Foundations chapter gives an informative overview of how to do a family history research.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #219613 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 992 pages

From Booklist
Genealogists and other historical researchers have valued the first two editions (1984, 1997) of this work, often referred to as "the genealogist's bible." The new edition continues that tradition, and many libraries will want to acquire it. This time around, technological advances have drastically altered genealogical research. Computers and the Internet make many sources more accessible and more easily searched, and genetic data has entered the scene.

Intended as a handbook and a guide to selecting, locating, and using appropriate primary and secondary sources, The Source also functions as an instructional tool for novice genealogists and a refresher course for experienced researchers. More than 30 experts in this field--genealogists, historians, librarians, and archivists--prepared the 20 signed chapters, which are well written, easy to read, and include many helpful hints for getting the most out of whatever information is acquired. For example, the undated photograph on page 9 of a Mexican village can be roughly dated by knowing that the volcano in the background was active for only a few years, 1943-52.

There are four new chapters: "Computers and Technology," "General Reference and Guides," "Colonial English Research," and "Colonial Spanish Borderland Research." Three chapters were rewritten ("Business, Institution and Organization Records," "Church Records," and "African-American Research"), and all of the others have been updated to reflect new sources and new techniques. Each chapter ends with an extensive bibliography and is further enriched by tables, black-and-white illustrations, and examples of documents. Eight appendixes include the expected contact information for groups and institutions that persons studying genealogy and history need to find, such as family associations, historical societies, and archives.

Any library serving patrons interested in local history or genealogy will want to add this new edition to its collection. Sally Jane
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Now in a newly revised edition, The Source: A Guidebook Of American Genealogy continues to be the primary reference work in its field. This new edition of The Source is intended to identify and describe the rich body of original research now available, and to facilitate the use of these so that family history can be preserved and enjoyed. Every chapter in this edition has been updated and fine-tuned based on the past 14 years of continuing research and scholarship. Because of the dramatic changes that have taken place in the field of genealogical research several chapters have been completely revised and two new chapters added ("Twentieth-Century Research" and "The Foundations of Family History Research". Whether a novice genealogist just starting out, or an experienced expert with years in the field, The Source is a "must" for all personal, genealogical society, and public library collections. -- Midwest Book Review

Review
"The role of The Source is to take much of the complexity out of the family history process. It is both a handbook and a guide to the primary sources of genealogy; an extraordinary resource of genealogical knowledge, without peer in the fields of family history and genealogy. It is a one-volume library of genealogical research knowledge."

Customer Reviews

Great Reference book
A welcome addition to my genealogy library. The source is just what the name implies.

Perspective of The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy (Third Edition)
The Source: A Guidebook Of American Genealogy (Third Edition) If you are at all seriously interested in doing genealogical or family history research, this book should be in your library - and should definitely not sit on the shelf. I've been studying, learning about and doing this kind of research for seven years and in that period have read countless books, watched lots of videos, worked through many tutorials and spent hours and hours looking for my ancestral and family connections. I have found The Source to be absolutely the best repository of information about where to find the sources, how to do the work, and - especially - how to use the Internet in this work. Chapters are written by experts in the areas covered, the material is well written and the editors have done an outstanding job of putting it all together in a way that makes sense and flows. There is so much wisdom and information here I find myself taking notes as I read. Absolutely great! A "must have" for serious genealogists - and for anyone really wanting to learn how to find the people in their families who have gone before and left a legacy that helps define who we are.

Genealogy
This book is an excellent source for genealogical investigation.

My only complaint is that it arrived slightly damaged (a crushed front cover corner).