Genealogical Fictions examines how the state, church, Inquisition, and other institutions in colonial Mexico used the Spanish notion of limpieza de sangre (purity of blood) over time and how the concept's enduring religious, genealogical, and gendered meanings came to shape the region's patriotic and racial ideologies.

Completely updated for today's search tactics and blockades, The Everything Family Tree Book has even more insight for the stumped! Whether you're searching in a grandparent's attic or through the most cryptic archiving systems, this book has brand-new chapters on what readers have been asking for: Genetics, DNA, and medical information Surname origins and naming Appendix on major genealogical repositories, libraries, and archives Systems for filing and organizing The latest computer software Land, probate, and estate records Chock-full of tips the competitors don't have, this is the one-stop resource for successful sleuthing!

Get Your Research in Order! Stop struggling to manage all your genealogy facts, files, and data--make a plan of attack to maximize your progress. Organize Your Genealogy will show you how to use tried-and-true methods and the latest tech tools and genealogy software to organize your research plan, workspace, and family-history finds. In this book, you'll learn how to organize your time and resources, including how to set goals and objectives, determine workable research questions, sort paper and digital documents, keep track of physical and online correspondence, prepare for a research trip, and follow a skill-building plan. With this comprehensive guide, you'll make the most of your research time and energy and put yourself on a road to genealogy success. Organize Your Genealogy features: • Secrets to developing organized habits that will maximize your research time and progress • Hints for setting up the right physical and online workspaces • Proven, useful systems for organizing paper and electronic documents • Tips for managing genealogy projects and goals • The best tools for organizing every aspect of your ancestry research • Easy-to-use checklists and worksheets to apply the book's strategies Whether you're a newbie seeking best practices to get started or a seasoned researcher looking for new and better ways of getting organized, this guide will help you manage every facet of your ancestry research.

A recent Maritz Poll reported that 60% of Americans are interested in their family history. And with good reason. Through genealogy, you can go back into history to meet people who have had more influence on your life than any others -- your ancestors. And the better you get to know your ancestors, the better you will get to know yourself: the who's and what's and why's of you. Barbara Renick, a nationally-known lecturer on genealogy, tells the uninitiated researcher the steps needed to find out who their ancestors really were, and brings together for even the more experienced genealogical researchers the important principles and practices. She covers such topics as the importance of staying organized and how to go about it; where and how to look for information in libraries, historical societies, and on the internet; recognizing that just because something is in print doesn't mean it's right; and how to prepare to visit the home where your ancestors lived. Genealogy 101 is the first book to read when you want to discover who your ancestors were, where they lived, and what they did.

According to the hundreds of emails and multiple great comments on my YouTube channel that I have received, people have been asking me the almost identical question, as to how would they go about tracing their family's genealogical background by records. Some of these people have stated that they have attempted to start their own research, but they tend to quit abruptly due to the lack of supporting instructions or directions as to where they should look next. Also, I took notice to many people stating that they have since researched the information and sources that I have previously presented, concerning those famously known genealogy DNA testing companies, who are blatantly and consistently producing fictitious test results, but promoting the results as if they are creditable and factual records of information, surrounding your actual genealogical historic background. When that is absolutely not true. Those constant contacts from people that I have received, led me to put together this very informative instructional reference book that will assist those in need of guidelines, as to how the beautiful journey of learning and researching one's historic background should go step by step from start to finish.

This important book examines the motives that drive family historians and explores whether those who research their ancestral pedigrees have distinct personalities, demographics or family characteristics. It describes genealogists’ experiences as they chart their family trees including their insights, dilemmas and the fascinating, sometimes disturbing and often surprising, outcomes of their searches. Drawing on theory and research from psychology and other humanities disciplines, as well as from the authors’ extensive survey data collected from over 800 amateur genealogists, the authors present the experiences of family historians, including personal insights, relationship changes, mental health benefits and ethical dilemmas. The book emphasises the motivation behind this exploration, including the need to acknowledge and tell ancestral stories, the spiritual and health-related aspects of genealogical research, the addictiveness of the detective work, the lifelong learning opportunities and the passionate desire to find lost relatives. With its focus on the role of family history in shaping personal identity and contemporary culture, this is fascinating reading for anyone studying genealogy and family history, professional genealogists and those researching their own history.