Genealogy Second Edition George G. Morgan Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-0-07162535-7 MHID: 0-07-1625356 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-07-162534-0, MHID: 0-07-162534-8. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps. 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Contents at a Glance PART I Begin Your Family History Odyssey 1 Why Explore Your Genealogy? 2 Balance Traditional and Electronic Research 3 Organize and Create Your Family Tree 4 Place Your Ancestors into Context and Locate Vital Records 5 Use Census Schedules and Records to Locate Your Ancestors 6 Extend Your Research with Advanced Record Types 7 Use the Many Types of Military Service Records 8 Understand and Use Land and Property Records 9 Locate and Use Immigration and Naturalization Records PART II Research Methods and Strategies 10 Discover Where to Locate Documents About Your Family 11 Learn How to Successfully Research Your Ancestors on the Internet 12 Research and Verify Your Ancestors Using Genetic Genealogy (DNA) 13 Follow Alternative Research Paths to Locate Difficult Records 14 Plan a Very Successful Genealogical Research Trip 15 Harness Technology for Your Genealogical Research Index To the memories of three of my dearest friends, Melvin Orval Brown, Shirley Ruth Neprasch Brown, and Thomas Norman Ryder. While they have passed on and are missed, they have left this world and the genealogical community a richer place. About the Author George G. Morgan is an internationally recognized genealogical expert, lecturer, and consultant. He is president of Aha! Seminars, Inc., a Florida-based company providing continuing education to librarians in the United States and genealogy presentations to societies in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere. He also has led genealogy tours to the United Kingdom and has spoken on several genealogy cruises. He is a prolific author of eight books, including the first and second editions of The Official Guide to Ancestry.com (Ancestry Publishing), and the first and second editions of this book. He has written literally hundreds of magazine, journal, and online articles on the subject of genealogy. He currently writes online for Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter each week, for Digital Genealogist, and has written scores of articles articles for the Ancestry.com website. He is a frequent writer for Ancestry Magazine, Everton’s Genealogical Helper, Family Chronicle, Internet Genealogy, Discovering Your Family History, Family Tree Magazine, the FGS FORUM, the Association for Professional Genealogists Quarterly, and others. George is the co-host, with his partner Drew Smith, of The Genealogy GuysSM Podcast, the longest-running genealogy podcast in the world, published each week at http://genealogyguys.com. The two also have appeared in the RootsTelevision series “Down Under: Florida” at www.rootstelevision.com. He is the past president of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE) and was a director on the board of the Genealogical Speakers Guild. He currently serves as a director for the Florida Genealogical Society in Tampa and as the Public Relations/Publicity Director of the Florida State Genealogical Society. He belongs to more than a dozen other societies in the United States and the United Kingdom. George has won a number of esteemed awards, including the Genealogy Outstanding Achievement Award and the President’s Citation from the Florida State Genealogical Society, the Award of Merit from the Federation of Genealogical Societies, and an Excellence in Writing Award from ISFHWE, among others. He lives in Citrus Park, Florida, a suburb of Tampa. About the Technical Editor Drew Smith, MLS, is a librarian with the University of South Florida in Tampa, and a nationally known genealogy writer and speaker. He is the author of a regular column for Digital Genealogist magazine, and is the editor of the Federation of Genealogical Societies’ Voice newsletter. He also is the author of a new book, Social Networking for Genealogists (Genealogical Publishing Company). Since it began in September 2005, he has co-hosted the weekly “The Genealogy GuysSM Podcast” with George G. Morgan. He is a Director of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, and President of the Florida Genealogical Society of Tampa. Contents Acknowledgments Introduction PART I Begin Your Family History Odyssey CHAPTER 1 Why Explore Your Genealogy? Start at the Beginning: Yourself and Your Family Discover Sources of Information in Your Own Home Vital and Civil Records Religious Records Personal or Family Bible Photograph Albums Scrapbooks Letters Diaries and Journals Family Histories Local Histories Baby Books Marriage Books Funeral Books and Memorial Cards Identification Documents Immigration Papers Naturalization Papers Land Records Military Records Directories Religious Publications School Records Employment Records Search for the Less-Than-Obvious Items Interview All Your Relatives Consider Several Types of Interview Schedule Interviews for Best Results Ask the Right Questions Use the Right Equipment for Your Interviews Set the Tone of the Interview Don’t Forget the “Thank You” Begin to Organize What You Find Get Started CHAPTER 2 Balance Traditional and Electronic Research Be a Modern Genealogical Researcher Understand Traditional Research Discover Documentary Evidence and Where It Is Found Books and Periodicals Manuscripts Maps Indexes Histories Biographies Newspapers Documents from Many Traditional Locations and Sources Understand Electronic Research Materials Email and Mailing Lists Message Boards Web Pages Compilations and Indexes Subscription Internet Sites for Genealogy Blogs Podcasts and Vidcasts Social Networking Sites Integrate Traditional and Electronic Research Findings CHAPTER 3 Organize and Create Your Family Tree Evaluate Primary vs. Secondary Sources Birth Certificates Marriage Certificates Death Certificates Obituaries Cemetery Markers Bible Entries Recognize and Evaluate Original vs. Derivative Sources Understand Types of Derivative Sources Avoid Errors in Derivative Sources Apply Critical Thinking Skills to Your Genealogical Research Place Your Ancestors into Context Format Names, Dates, and Locations Correctly Record Names Record Dates Record Locations Work with Pedigree Charts Work with Family Group Sheets Record Multiple Family Units with a Common Spouse How to Handle Nontraditional Family Units How to Handle Adopted Children
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