Product Description

Anyone interested in discovering their family genealogy should carry a copy of this book everywhere. Written by internationally recognized expert, George G. Morgan, this book is an irreplaceable resource for beginner to expert knowledge gatherers. Not only does Morgan explain how to get the search started – creating a family tree, locating and evaluating documents, selecting the appropriate hardware and software for the search – he goes steps further and dedicates an entire section to research methods and strategies where he discusses, among other topics, getting past “dead ends,” and organizing possible research travel. With an entire chapter dedicated to expanding research horizons, and appendices covering up-to-date print and online resources, this is truly a comprehensive treatment of the tools necessary to conduct a successful genealogical search.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #575471 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Review
This book pretty much covers it all … is an excellent, well-written resource... A great addition to any genealogy bookshelf! -- About.com/Genealogy

From the Back Cover

Trace your family roots back many generations with help from this easy-to-use guide. Learn to set up a family tree, locate and evaluate vital records, select the appropriate hardware and software for the search, make the most of the Internet, and much more. Inside, you�ll find invaluable research strategies, advice on getting past �brick walls,� and information on the latest print and online genealogical resources. Explore your family history--you never know what you might discover.

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• Select the appropriate family tree format.
• Create source citations for your data.
• Locate vital records and create ancestor profiles.
• Trace census, immigration, church, cemetery, and other records in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K..
• Conduct effective searches in libraries and archives and their online catalogs.
• Take advantage of all the resources available on the Internet.
• Plan a very successful research trip.
• Select hardware and software, including a genealogical database program.
• Share your findings with other family members--near and far.

About the author: George G. Morgan is the internationally recognized author of the award-winning weekly online column, �Along Those Lines��, for Ancestry.com, and the author of several genealogy books and countless articles about genealogy in publications around the world. He is president of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE), and operates Aha! Seminars, Inc., which conducts seminars for librarians and genealogical researchers.

About the Author
GEORGE G. MORGAN (Odessa, FL) is an internationally recognized expert in the field of genealogy and a widely published author of books, magazines, and journal articles.

Customer Reviews

A First Class Reference For All Genealogists
When I first began researching my genealogy in the 1980's, I made sure that I read all the "how-to-do-it" books in print. I had quickly learned that I was becoming involved in something more than looking at a census or filling out a chart. Learning from others with more experience helped me develop my research skills and saved me from a lot of trial and error learning. As genealogy has become one of the most popular pursuits, the need for guidance has grown, too. The number of those "how-to" books has increased, but some offer more than others, especially since technology has come to play such a large role in our research. This book fills a real need.

From beginning with home resources to making use of all the technology available, George gives his readers 472 pages of first class advice and information. The book is intensely readable, and the examples are clear and to the point. Both the beginner and the advanced researcher will benefit from chapters on using the Internet, locating advanced records, and following alternate paths to find the records you need.

One of the best features of the book is the chapter "Plan A Very Successful Genealogical Research Trip". When spending the time, effort, and cash to get to a research locality, we want to be as successful as possible. Planning is the key. George gives step-by-step directions to get prepared and uses practical examples to illustrate just how to do this. I know I will be more successful on my next trip because of things I learned here.

comprehensive but tedious reference
This book is certainly comprehensive... it covers the expected range of genealogy topics, from vital records to selecting technology tools and planning a genealogy research trip.

But, for all the value that thorough and linear thinking has in the field of genealogy research, Morgan's writing style is unnecessarily tedious. For example, when talking about pedigree charts, he describes how you write your own name on line number one, then actually goes out of the way to explain to us that "the next pair of lines is numbered 2 and 3" before describing to us what these next lines are all about. And though he does devote some text to technology, this is discussed mostly in separate chapters at the end and he fails to incorporate as a central theme the role technology can play in alleviating the tedium of research.

In short, this book could have been written in half as many pages without losing much on substance. It's definitely not the kind of book you can read from cover-to-cover, even chapter-by-chapter. I found the Genealogy Handbook by Ellen Galford to be a much better starting point. However, given the comprehensiveness of this book and its decent index, this book still maintains some value as a reference.

How to Do Everything with Your Genealogy
I am so pleased with this book!. It gives the genealogist concrete information on research, organizing and presenting your work. Personal examples are very helpful. I wouls recommend this book to any family historian.