Indexes are the essential search tool for genealogists, and this timely book fills a conspicuous void in the literature. Kathleen Spaltro and contributors take an in-depth look at the relationship between indexing and genealogy and explain how genealogical indexes are constructed. They offer practical advice to indexers who work with genealogical documents as well as genealogists who want to create their own indexes. Noeline Bridge's chapter on names will quickly become the definitive reference for trying to resolve questions on variants, surname changes, and foreign designations. Other chapters discuss software, form and entry, the need for standards, and the development of after-market indexes.

This work evolved out of a love for my ancestors, one being John Whitelaw, the Covenanter Monkland Martyr, who was executed for his religious beliefs in Edinburgh, 1683. While searching for his records I came across reference to thousands of other Scottish Covenanters. This Index lists those Covenanters found in some books written about the period between 1630 and 1712.There are many, many more Covenanters, whose names need to be added to this work, and, God willing, I will do it. The Covenanters were steadfast in their Presbyterian beliefs and refused to take an oath unto the King stating that he was the head of the church. They believed that Christ was the Head of the Church and their loyalty to this belief allowed them to lay their lives down for it. The Royalists and Dragoons, who were seeking to bring them into obedience to the King, relentlessly chased the Covenanters from glen to glen. This disregard for their civil rights was brutally carried out basically in the Lowlands of Scotland. Many of their records were destroyed along with their lives and their stories only live in family lore and books that were written about them. I have extracted some of their names and created The Scottish Covenanter Genealogical Index, which is by no means complete, but is a work in progress.

Researching your genealogy online is like being a kid in a candy store. So many neat things catch your eye that it’s difficult to decide which one to try. That’s where Genealogy Online For Dummies, 5th Edition comes in. This completely practical handbook helps you become a smart, discriminating researcher from the moment you start your investigation. Unlike other genealogy books, this easy-to-use guide does more than show you how to access and use online resources; it lays out a sensible organized process you can follow to make your research more efficient and achieve your genealogical goal faster. You'll learn how to start your research before you go online, understand traditional methods of genealogy, identify Web sites that will be most helpful to your research, get vital information and statistics from government records, and much, much more Discover how to: Use basic online and offline research techniques Develop a plan for your research Integrate Internet resources to achieve your genealogical goal Create Web sites where family members can make contact Access domestic records for births, deaths, immigration, and more Research ethnic ancestry through international records Verify what you find Protect your research Complete with a companion CD-ROM packed with valuable genealogy software, Genealogy Online For Dummies puts you in touch with all of the tools, resources, methods, and know-how you need to make your research into your family history a total success.