Proven Methods for Scaling the Inevitable Brick Wall Complications arising from incomplete or missing records, census irregularities, individuals of the same name, and burned courthouses can stop even the most experienced genealogists dead in the tracks. Learn to break through those brick walls with The Family Tree Problem Solver, which dissects researcher's common problems in case studies with straightforward solutions. You will: Go straight to the answers you need without wading through theory or irrelevant record overviews Find explanations and case studies that will help you overcome your obstacles and move forward in your genealogy Learn what NOT to do to avoid hitting brick walls in the future. The Family Tree Problem Solver is the best and most accessible book on the market about breaking down brick walls. The mysteries of research before 1850, collateral relatives, and court and land records are thoroughly explored and applied to your research problems. And it's all brought to you by genealogy's most popular publications, Family Tree Books and Family Tree Magazine!

Family genealogy research has grown exponentially over the past decade, making it an area worthy of scholarly inquest. Tracing Family Lines: The Impact of Genealogy Research on Family Communication, by Amy M. Smith, explores the connection between women and genealogy by examining the ways inherited familial narratives and data work to position women within American culture. Although studies of women’s lives are on the rise, the standpoint(s) of women has historically been marginalized, particularly as women continue to be relegated to domestic and family care. Through researching these standpoints, we are better able to see the political constructions of sexist oppression, as well as the ways genealogy offers a possible site for resistance. Interviewing women who are engaged in the act of researching their own family genealogy provides insight into their motivation for doing so. In documenting the family communication that surrounds the genealogical data, as well as studying the family organizational structure, this study contributes to the existing research regarding family history and family narrative. As many of these women are members of local genealogical societies, they are also able to address aspects of community membership, and the positioning of women within these organizations. As women and genealogy are both under-researched, Tracing Family Lines illuminates the experiences of women genealogists, to understand the impact of genealogical data upon family communication, and to explore family genealogy as a site of feminist resistance to the socio-political marginalization of women.

This is a step-by-step guide to using the wealth of online records to trace your family tree from your own computer, without the need to travel to national and regional record offices. Whether you are a novice or an experienced genealogist, and whether you plan to devote just a few hours of your time or embark on a life-time hobby, this book will guide you through the mass of records available - birth, marriage and death, the census, and much, much more - so that you can trace your line back hundreds of years. You will also learn how to upload your results to the internet, both to preserve your family's heritage and to connect with relatives, so that you can exchange photos and reminiscences. Contents: Welcome!; 1. What the internet offers the genealogist; 2. How to start; 3. Finding records of birth, marriage and death; 4. Using census records; 5. Other major sources; 6. Military; 7. Wills and where to find them online; 8. Migration; 9. Newspapers; 10. Occupations; 11. The poor and workhouse records; 12. Noble ancestors; 13. Directories; 14. School and university records; 15. Working with the wider context; 16. Family medical history; 17. DNA; 18. Working with names; 19. Recording your family tree; 20. Online recording options; 21. Problems of online trees; 22. Finding living relatives; 23. Genealogical miscellany; 24. Accent and dialect; 25. Final; Key websites; Index

Are you interested in tracing your family background? How fantastic would it be if your family can be traced back to an ancient royal lineage? When most people hear the term genealogy, they jump to conclusions telling themselves "it's too difficult and complex." But it does not have to be a daunting chore. Genealogy can be such a fun, exciting and rewarding experience. And sharing the information you gather with friends and family members will give you a feeling like no other. Genealogy Simplified is designed to be utilized as a guide to getting you well under way to tracing your heritage and to help you discover family roots you may not know you had. You will learn the basics of how to begin gathering information, where to look, how to assemble a family tree as well as the do's and do not's about genealogy in a non-invasive understandable way. You will learn many helpful tips & tricks and how to avoid common mistakes people make when building their family tree. Here are just some of the things you will discover in "Genealogy Simplified:" - How to research & trace your history... - How to locate & evaluate original records... - How to effectively organize your research materials... - How to research death records, naturalization records, social security records, land records, maps, & more... - How to locate missing people... - How adoption may play an important role in relation to your family history... - How to utilize social media & the Internet to help you in your research... - Common mistakes people make when doing genealogical research & how to avoid them... - Free websites & resources you can use to build your family tree... - And much more!

The process of exploring your family history and roots is a moving and meaningful quest. It affects heart and soul, as well as providing an intellectual challenge to piece all the information together. GROWING YOUR FAMILY TREE is the first book to promote the experiential aspects of family history. It gives sound, practical advice on researching your family history, but also promotes the emotional, spiritual and creative elements of the task, helping to lift genealogy out of its earlier dry an formal setting, into a more meaningful and accessible activity which can enrich a person's identity. Advice and information includes: * How to write up your family history * How to make a heritage corner or trail in your home * A consideration the nature of ancestry, family lines and our inner connection with our ancestors * How to organise your research and keep moving forward

Genealogy is increasingly popular these days. The popularity of the television show “Who Do You Think You Are” and the plethora of websites and books on the subject (this book included) attest to the popularity of understanding the present by uncovering the past. Just one hour of television viewing can bring you several commercials for Ancestry.com, and that’s just one genealogy service. There are magazines, blogs, podcasts, and even degree programs about genealogy. Genealogy has become big business, worth over $1.6 billion - that’s billion with a “b” - in 2012 alone. Why this sudden fascination with tracing our roots? Some people say it’s because the modern world is in such a state of confusion and flux that the past, that golden realm where all of the bad things are over and everything has already happened, can see like a much safer place to put our attention. I actually think that in our drive to be more self-aware, we have discovered that to know who we are, we really need to know who we’ve been and where we come from. There is so much that can be learned from researching your family’s past, not just about the people who came before you, but also about the world as it once was. A family tree is history writ small, showing the effects of larger events on individuals, and sometimes the influence of individuals on larger events. It’s a personalized form of history, with a bit of old-fashioned detective work thrown in for good measure. It’s a treasure hunt and a mental puzzle, and the thrill of discovering some new nugget of information is a very real thing. As you go back in time with your family names and dates, you’ll make little stops in different eras of history, like a time traveler. Take each of these stops as opportunities to look out the windows of the house of the family that you’re building. Let’s say that you were born in 1969. You don’t have any clear memories of that year, obviously. What was happening in your town that year? In your state? In your country? The year you were born was the end of the turbulent 1960s, a decade of change. The Vietnam War was being fought, and the conflict was being televised for the first time. Did you have relatives fighting at Khe Sanh? Did they come back? Was it your father? Your older brother? Was your cousin neighbor a hippie, while the rest of your family supported the government? Or was it the exact opposite? Look out the window at 1969. Try to get to know it, and understand how the history of that year colored who you became. Now look at your mother. Suppose that she was born in 1946. That was the year after World War II ended, at the start of the Baby Boom. She was born only months after the first nuclear weapon was detonated over Japan. Your mother was one of those children who were taught to duck and cover in the 1950s during the darkest days of the Cold War. How did that affect her outlook on life? Did she have uncles who went to war, or did her father fight? Where did she live? How many siblings did she have? Look at 1946 and get to know it. Do this process at every stop on your family tree, and you will find yourself building a truly epic generational saga. You don’t have to be a Kennedy or a family in fiction to have dramatic stories in your family tree...and we’re still only two generations into the line. Your ancestors traveled long and far to get you to where you are, and to make you into the person you are today. We have many characteristics that come from the people in our families who came before us, things that go beyond eye color and the texture of our hair. About the Expert Jody Cummings is an amateur genealogist who has been researching her family tree for more than 13 years. She earned a B.A. in History, Spanish and Anthropology from the Michigan State University Honors College and has published several novels under the name J. A. Cummings. HowExpert publishes quick 'how to' guides on all topics from A to Z by everyday experts.

Written by two of the country's top genealogists, this is the first book to explain how new and groundbreaking genetic testing can help you research your ancestry According to American Demographics, 113 million Americans have begun to trace their roots, making genealogy the second most popular hobby in the country (after gardening). Enthusiasts clamor for new information from dozens of subscription-based websites, email newsletters, and magazines devoted to the subject. For these eager roots-seekers looking to take their searches to the next level, DNA testing is the answer. After a brief introduction to genealogy and genetics fundamentals, the authors explain the types of available testing, what kind of information the tests can provide, how to interpret the results, and how the tests work (it doesn't involve digging up your dead relatives). It's in expensive, easy to do, and the results are accurate: It's as simple as swabbing the inside of your cheek and popping a sample in the mail. Family lore has it that a branch of our family emigrated to Argentina and now I've found some people there with our name. Can testing tell us whether we're from the same family? My mother was adopted and doesn't know her ethnicity. Are there any tests available to help her learn about her heritage? I just discovered someone else with my highly unusual surname. How can we find out if we have a common ancestor? These are just a few of the types of genealogical scenarios readers can pursue. The authors reveal exactly what is possible-and what is not possible-with genetic testing. They include case studies of both famous historial mysteries and examples of ordinary folks whose exploration of genetic genealogy has enabled them to trace their roots.