A companion to the PBS television series: Ancestors, a ten-part series celebrating the significance of family history.

A guide to conducting genealogical research, focusing on the role of electronic databases, computer programs, and Internet resources in revolutionizing the process of tracing family histories. Includes charts, forms, exercises, Web site addresses, and bibliographies.

Embarking on a quest to uncover your ancestry? Finding Your Family Tree is the perfect genealogy guide to have at your side, with special research techniques for underrepresented groups. Genealogy offers you the opportunity to understand who you are through your family history. With this knowledge, you can embrace your identity, understand your own health and wellness, reconnect with your roots and family origins, and find an overall sense of wholeness. Finding Your Family Tree: A Beginner’s Guide to Researching Your Family Tree is an ideal starting point for your own journey of self-discovery. Your are eager to learn your ancestry, but in these disconnected times it can be hard to figure out on your own. With author and expert genealogist Sharon L Morgan as your guide, you can explore even the thorniest family tree. Sharon shows you how to embrace the world of genealogical research and provides guidance for underrepresented groups, such as African Americans and Native Americans, and anyone else who is interested in connecting with their family background. In this engaging, accessible guide on how to do family research, you’ll find: Tips and tricks for using major online and offline research sources—without falling for false leads. Techniques for overcoming common research obstacles. Special attention to the challenges of genealogical research for groups that are underrepresented in the historical record. Sample research documents and useful visuals on how to interpret old records. Beyond exploring the practical challenges of researching your family history, this book will show you what’s most exciting about this research—the unique family stories and histories you’ll discover, but also the essential truths that bind and connect us all.

In this easy-to-use reference guide, family historian Grace DuMelle provides the means to trace Chicago connections like a pro. She shows not just what to research, but how to research. Without wading through preliminaries, readers choose any of the self-contained chapters that focus on the questions beginners most want answered. Other chapters cover the nuts and bolts of the mechanics that are the key to making a family's past come alive, with highlights summarizing important points. In finding Chicago ancestors, readers will better understand not only their family's history, but also their involvement in the history of a great American city. Midwest Independent Publishers Association Book Award - 1st Place - Hobby/How- To Illinois Woman's Press Association Book Award - 1st Place - Instructional Nonfiction National Federation of Press Women Book Award - 3rd Place - Instructional Nonfiction The Chicago Roots of Your Family Tree For almost 175 years, a great metropolis on the shores of a freshwater sea has sent a siren call to immigrants internal and external, giving most Americans some kind of link to the City of Big Shoulders. Whether your people came west from New England in the early days of settlement, or north from Mississippi in the Great Migration; whether they sailed from Sweden and Sicily, or flew from Budapest and Prague; whether they settled here permanently or temporarily, this easy-to-use reference guide will help you document them. Family historian Grace DuMelle provides the means to trace your Chicago connections like a pro. She shows you not just what to research, but how to research. Without wading through lots of preliminaries, choose any of the self-contained chapters that focus on the questions beginners most want answered and jump right in! Where do I start? When and where was my ancestor born? When did my ancestor come to America? What did my ancestor do for a living? Where did my ancestor live? Where is my ancestor buried? Other chapters cover the nuts and bolts of the mechanics that are the key to making your family's past come alive, with highlights summarizing important points: Examples of documents such as death certificates, church registers and U.S. census entries. Chicago-area research facilities: what they have and how to access it. Researching using newspapers, machines and catalogs. Sources for specific ethnic research. Sources for long-distance research. In finding your Chicago ancestors, you will not only better understand your and your family's history, but also your and your family's involvement in the history of a great American city.

Presents easy-to-understand strategies for researching family roots online. Featuring detailed explanations, each chapter teaches you how to navigate popular genealogy websites, decipher census data and other online records, and connect with other family members to share your findings. The book also includes tips on using free databases and genealogy apps.