Written in a clear and graceful style, this classic work describes the principles of genealogical research, the evaluation of evidence, and the relationship of genealogy to chronology, eugenics, and the law; it discusses early nomenclature, royal ancestry, the use of source material, and the methods of compiling a family history. It is, in short, the very foundation of scientific American genealogy -- a manifesto of methods, aims, and principles.

Originally published: Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books, 2000.

Author Brenda Dougall Merriman takes readers through the genealogical process of research and identification, while examining how the genealogical community has developed standards of evidence and documentation, what those standards are, and how they can be applied.

From family trees written in early American bibles to birther conspiracy theories, genealogy has always mattered in the United States, whether for taking stock of kin when organizing a family reunion or drawing on membership—by blood or other means—to claim rights to land, inheritances, and more. And since the advent of DNA kits that purportedly trace genealogical relations through genetics, millions of people have used them to learn about their medical histories, biological parentage, and ethnic background. A Nation of Descendants traces Americans' fascination with tracking family lineage through three centuries. Francesca Morgan examines how specific groups throughout history grappled with finding and recording their forebears, focusing on Anglo-American white, Mormon, African American, Jewish, and Native American people. Morgan also describes how individuals and researchers use genealogy for personal and scholarly purposes, and she explores how local businesspeople, companies like Ancestry.com, and Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s Finding Your Roots series powered the commercialization and commodification of genealogy.

Includes sections "Reviews of books" and "Abstracts of archive publications (Western and Eastern Europe)."

Americans’ long and restless search for identity through family trees illuminates the story of America itself, according to François Weil, as preoccupation with social standing, racial purity, and national belonging gave way to an embrace of diversity in one’s forebears, pursued through Ancestry.com and advances in DNA testing.

This book is designed to teach you how to read and understand the handwriting found in documents commonly used in genealogical research. It explains techniques for reading early American documents, provides samples of alphabets and letter forms, and defines terms and abbreviations commonly used in early American documents such as wills, deeds, and church records.