Genealogy Books

Long Distance Genealogy by Christine Crawford-Oppenheimer is a great guidebook for those us living away from our ancestral homes or for those who'd like a refresher on getting the documents needed for your research.. Quoting from the back cover, the author shows techniques for "locating and obtaining documents through correspondence, library research, interlibrary loans, Family History Centers, archival repositories, microfilm, and the Internet". This is a publication of Betterway Books and includes all their best features: clear illustrations, well chosen examples, and informative writing. Especially good are all the examples given of well written letters that will help you receive the information you need.

I checked this book out of the library because I'm doing my VA/MD family research from WA state. I now have to have my own copy, the information in this book is invaluable whether you are researching family that is across country or right in your very own state. The sample letters are a tremendous time-saver. Highly recommend this title.

I've been doing research from home for several years, and just got this book to see if it had any new ideas. I'm so glad I did! The author provides the kind of guidance that I haven't found in any other book -- extremely useful specifics that tend to be glossed over in other 'beginner' books. In addition, the author writes in such a clear, well-organized, and 'conversational' manner, the book is easy and pleasant to read. I've learned things from this book that have made it more than worth the price, and I can't recommend it highly enough. If I had to give up all my beginner- to intermediate-level genealogy books but one, this is the one I'd keep.

I first got this book from the library and it's one of the best genealogy books out there. The book tells you how to obtain documents, what to write, what section of the county offices to write to (although you have to look up individual addresses yourself); how to ask how cost of copies, etc..

For example it tells you what to ask for when wanting a copy of an ancestor's will - ask for "an estate file", then it gives you an example of what to write when asking for the cost and then the follow up letter after obtaining the cost.

It's a great book and I ended up buying a copy for myself.

I am a big fan of Douglas Richardson. I have his prior book in this series, 'Plantagenet Ancestry'. Since I discovered that I was a direct descendent of Geoffrey Plantagenet, I am related to almost everyone in that entire book, and its a big book! In researching this book, I found out that I am also related to many Magna Charta signers. I have only had time to lightly peruse "Magna Charta Ancestry" but have already discovered many connections to my existing data. Douglas Richardson is a thorough researcher, I trust his efforts because his source citations are impeccable, and he readily states instances where there may be doubt. Since I have traced most of my direct family lines to Colonial America, Mr. Richardson's books are a great way to extend those lines back to Europe. When I do find conflicting information from material gathered from other sources, Douglas Richardson is invariably right, he is extremely careful in his research. All genealogies contain errors, but Mr. Richardson's books contain very few! I can hardly wait for the other books in this series!

Magna Carta Ancestry: .... is excellent -- very readable in material and format. I'm delighted to have it and thank those who made it available. I highly recommend it.

In 2004, Richardson, a highly regarded specialist in royal and peerage genealogy with numerous published articles to his credit, brought out the first volume in a planned series -- _Plantagenet Ancestry,_ which tracked the descents of some 190 immigrants to the North American colonies from the Plantagenet monarchs of England, and which weighed in at 945 pages. This second installment is 150 pages thicker, and there are at least two more volumes in development, on descents from early feudal barons, and from the Emperor Charlemagne.

Any high school graduate knows the term "Magna Carta" (the "Great Charter") but most have probably only a hazy understanding of its key role as the foundation of the English legislative system (and therefore of our own), and that it established the principle that even the king, the highest authority in the land, was subject to the law. The baronial party that forced King John to sign the document in 1215 didn't trust him to live up to the limitations and conditions it laid down, and so they elected from among their own number twenty-five barons to monitor and enforce compliance. Of these twenty-five Sureties, seventeen had descendants past four generations; of those, there were two father-son pairs (Richard and Gilbert de Clare, earls of Hertford, and Roger and Hugh Bigod, earls of Norfolk), leaving fifteen distinct families that were ancestral to 238 17th century North American colonists. As with the first volume, the author's careful organization of a large mass of complex data makes this a comparatively easy book to use, either for ready-reference or for extended reading. All descendant families are organized alphabetically, numbered generationally from the Magna Carta Surety, with emphasis on patrilineal descents. This is not a listing of all descendants in each generation; grandchildren without descendants themselves, for instance, are excluded. Citation of sources -- mostly the original sources -- is very extensive and the bibliography runs to nearly 100 large-size pages.

With such a wide-ranging project, with so many sources being perused, one might hope for new discoveries, and there are many included in the book. Some, of course are minor corrections, but at least a dozen are noteworthy, especially as they affect the Bohun, de Verdun, Grey, Hastings, Pole, FitzMaurice, and Mowbray families.

As with _Plantagenet Ancestry,_ after borrowing it for review, I bought a copy of this one for myself and I shall be waiting eagerly for subsequent volumes in the series.

In my opinion Douglas Richarson has provided a well researched book. It will be a main source of reference for years to come.
I was hoping to see more "new lines", but I guess the reality is there just is not that many lines out there that have not been researched. The $100.00 US price tag was well worth spending. L.R. Anderson,

I read this book for an introductory cultural anthropology course I took for personal enrichment. Although it does not at all explore the conflict between Israelis & Palestinians, it did give me some astounding insights into why conflicts in that region of the world seem so intractable to Westerners. It reveals how personal and political identities are created in societies and cultures that are tribal and oral. It challenges easy assumptions that writing things down is simple and desirable, and that talking produces political peace.

This book is a scholarly ethnography with the footnotes and discussion of theory and methodology requried in such books, and it is not a leisurely, easy read. But the diligent reader is rewarded with some eye-popping realizations about a culture that is very different from ours, some beautifully evocative tales from the Bedouin tradition, and even some flashes of perhaps unintended humor in Shryock's accounts of his present-day efforts to track down the 'truth' in a setting that makes the American red-state/blue-state rift blur into a pale shade of lilac.

I am an admitted egghead who enjoys academic writing more than the average person, but I intend to read this book again now that I am beyond the requirements of the college course that first brought it to my attention. Perhaps Sec. of State Rice might also enjoy it?

The author does an excellent job of skirting the volatile plausibility of transcribing oral histories to the written word. For anyone wanting to understand both the intricacies and basic histories of the Jordanian Balga Bedouin, it is a fascinating read. Having a Jordanian father and a Palestinian mother, I especially enjoyed Shryock's investigation into their age-old rivalries. Tribalism is alive and well, as Shryock adeptly shows, and he brings it to us in clear and cunning detail.

Andrew Shryock is the oldest of five boys. All the brothers are very close and that is why I, his youngest brother, am very proud of his work. All the brothers will be home for Christmas and will anticipate reading his work of art. Andrew is a great writer as well as a great person. Number Five, Benjamin Shryock.

Andrew Shryock captures the fragmented nature of oral histories among the Bedouin tribes of a Jordanian region known as the Balga. This text, which is actually an ethnography, brings into relief greater concepts of history that are often not obvious. The histories that Andrew collects have never been written, except a few segments in travelogues. This brings to mind questions about the unsubstantiated faith in written historical texts. Andrew illustrates that it is possible to interrogate the oral histories in the same way other historians interrogate archival data. Questions of the source of the document, the identity of the author, the comparison of data with other sources creates a "complete reality" of history. While Andrew flirts with this definition of history in chapter one when he compares the data he retrieves from oral histories to data found in archives, he also opens several other issues entirely. The oral histories of the Balga tribes are by their very nature fragmentary and disjointed. They do not lend themselves to a uniform, linear universal whole history. Instead, they provide only highlights. This brings to mind a question of validity for so-called modern history. How much is filled in like the archeologist filling in the gaps in crumbled structures? Is it possible that the Balga tribes' oral histories, untouched by the pressure of conformity, be closer to historical truth than the modern version whose rough edges have been hewn squarely into a proper line? Andrew also illustrates the uses that are not directly historical. Oral histories contribute a part to building political clout and are propagated because of political clout. Moreover, the oral histories play a part in identity forming for young members of the tribes. They relate to their place in the universe, not only in the tribe, but also in relation to other tribes, Jordanian politics and the world at large, based on how they see themselves in relation to the oral histories. For these two purposes, the non-textual aspect of the oral histories is part of their significance, part of their social power. It brings into question classic historical texts all over the world. Exactly how historically accurate is everything we call history? An excellent piece of work, it's easy to see why it won scholastic awards.

I was so excited to see my Grandfather's name in print; Reginald Marshall Worby. It is too bad that he died before the printing of this book.

My Grandfather was at St. Augustine with Perry's father. I have been in contact with Perry via email.

I can now understand why my Grandfater cried when he was telling me about his experiences as a boy. I am sure my Grandfather purposely left a lot out of his stories, things he was trying to forget. I did a paper on his life story when I was in highschool, it makes me sad to know that so many of these children were treated so cruely.

My Grandfather did eventually find his family, he was one of the lucky ones as many families are still looking for their roots.

Thank you Perry!!!

Perry Snow book has opened my eyes to my own families past and thanks to Perry his love for his father and in his words for the home children,I am pleased to say i have recieved a confirmation on my own grandmother that she was know to Barnardos am expecting something soon..Thank you Perry Snow your father would be proud ..And i hope all read NEITHER WAIF NOR STRAYS..It is our stolen idenitys.God Bless you Perry

Powerful! A must read for anyone who suspects they may have a Home Child or Orphan Train Rider ancestor. Mr. Snow gives hope for researching these lost ancestors. Too many people do not know that these children were placed on both sides of the US/Canadian border. Mr. Snow's analysis of the psychological effects should help Home Children and their descendants to understand how this shameful scheme shaped their lives. My thanks to Mr. Snow.

A truly amazing story. It makes a person who is aware of their family background and lineage realize what it means not to have one, and that one's identity and heritage is too easily taken for granted. A good read of a untold part of our history. George J.

I was awed by the courage and resilience of Mr. Snow. I was moved by this story and the impact it has had on many Canadians. Well worth a read. Liz J.

Very highly recommended to all genealogy researchers, whether novice or expert, New England Court Records: A Research Guide For Genealogists And Historians by Diane Rapaport (former trial lawyer with a B.A. in History and a J.D. degree in Law) is an in-depth 470-page collective study of the locations and contributions of New England's facilities and resources which would historians and genealogical researchers to better understand the history and citizenship of New England. Introducing the reader to a detailed description of each facility, along with contact and location information, and employing an easy-to-use format exploring a state, county, and city/township locator reference ideal. A major work that could well serve as a template for other regions of the country, New England Court Records is a thoroughly "user friendly" reference ideal for the purposes of genealogists and local historians researching the New England area.

This is a timely and wonderful reference work. For those interested in uncovering information about seventeenth-century New England ancestors, this is an excellent resource guide. As many family researchers know, court records for the 1600s are one of three important sources of genealogical information, the others being vital records(town and church)and wills. The early settlers were litigious, being able to file their complaints easily and cheaply in the courts, without lawyers. Hence, there is a wealth of family information in these court files -- often highly amusing.

Rapaport, a former trial lawyer, has worked for years as a legal practitioner with court records. This thorough and important work on a little known subject, outside the legal profession, will become a standard for genealogists and historians. For the first time, we have an extensive but readable guide to the intricacies of the often surprising riches found in court records. She provides an overview of the American legal system, the specifics of New England courts, types of court records, and where to look for them in each of the states, county by county.

This book is a must-purchase for any serious genealogical library, personal or professional.

It is so well organized, it will be handy for many future projects. I am impressed with its depth of coverage and its human tone with what could be an unfriendly presentation. Thanks immensely for putting this reference into the hands of those of us scrambling for answers to our New England genealogical puzzles.

This book is just what it is called: an atlas. It does not give advice or information about irish history, genealogy, or anything of the sort (which is what I had mistakenly hoped for). It is a very, very detailed atlas of the counties, parishes, and every other conceivable subdivision of the land of Ireland over the last 200 years. It could be a valuable resource for anyone who has their genealogical research within Ireland already. If you are like me, and have traced the family to the boat ride but no further, this will not help you quite yet.

Thank you still to the author for the extensive research that must have gone into this!

This book doesn't give me all the answers I needed, but it has been a trememdous help in getting closer to finding my Irish Ancestors. Worth adding to my bookshelf.

Now in a new and expanded second edition, A New Genealogical Atlas Of Ireland by genealogical expert Brian Mitchell has added maps detailing the location of Roman Catholic parishes in all thirty-two counties of Ireland, and Presbyterian congregations in the nine counties of Northern Ireland. A complete geographical picture of the three major religious dominations in Ireland during the middle years of the 19th century is another newly added feature. An invaluable reference and guide for doing genealogical research for an Irish ancestry, A New Genealogical Atlas Of Ireland continues to be an indispensable, core addition to personal, professional, and genealogical society reference collections.

Now in an updated second edition, genealogy research expert Brian Mitchell's A New Genealogical Atlas Of Ireland is a very straightforward, accessible reference, presenting maps of each Irish county. Each county has five maps: one depicting the Church of Ireland parishes, one showing the baronies and Church of Ireland dioceses, one of the poor law unions and parishes included within probate districts, one of Roman Catholic parishes and dioceses, and a fifth set of maps for the nine counties of Northern Ireland shows Presbyterian congregations. Since civil registration for everyone in Ireland didn't begin until 1864, A New Genealogical Atlas Of Ireland is an extremely useful reference for tracing ancestors who lived prior to 1864. An invaluable contribution to genealogical reference and resource materials.

t' de flo' wid y

This is the best out there on the market! Although I had to wait longer for the package to arrive because the original package got lost in the mail.

I got this book to help if any difficulties came up working with this program. So far I really havn't needed it but plan on keeping it handy just in case. A helpful guide.

I have used the Family Tree Maker software for many years... find it very user friendly, especially for newcomers to the hobby. Yet, even for an experienced researcher, it has all of the bells & whistles I need. I did not update to the 2008 version, as it was a total remake, and lacking many of the tools that I use on a regular basis.

I purchased this handbook initially as a trouble shooting guide, in case I did run into a problem. However, I was happily surprised to learn about capabilities of the program that I was unaware of, in spite of having used it for such a long period of time and on a daily basis!

This book is great! If you are new to genealogy and the FTM software, it will take you by the hand, and guide you through step by step on getting started. If you're an experienced researcher, it will give you tips & techniques for research you may be unaware of, or have forgotten.

I highly recommend it!

Very informative. User friendly. Well written and well organized. Lots of illustrations to go along with the text.

This collection of poetry is easy to understand, flows with a power only a strong woman could provide and carries a message that pleads with the reader, calls to the reader and challenges the reader. The Message is important, and the viewpoint Xennia brings to it is personal, and optomistic. In two parts, Xennia brings her own flowing poetry to the reader in selections that reach into her own heart, and exposes the pain, frustration and success of her life. The Anthology is made of selections that reflect the feelings of other men and women. A cocktail party with these writers in attendance would be the highlight of a social season.
Karl Leuba

I remember at a poetry reading back in 2000, Xennia asked me if I wanted to contribute some poems about race to a collection she was organizing. I went home that night and wrote a few based on the first things that came into my head when I though of writing about "race"... and I handed them to her the next week. She said she liked them, and that was that. I didn't realize that this book ever got published until today. I don't own it, but I remember hearing Xennia's poetry at the readings, and it was awfully powerful. Will this review be helpful to you? It should be... Xennia is a wonderful poet... Buy the book.

One Drop To Be The Color Black is a very important piece of American History! I find myself refering to different stories in the book. Great conversation piece. Wonderful for teaching!

The title of the book "One Drop to be Color Black" is quite touching especially considering the "One Drop Theory" that claims that `it takes only one drop of non-white ancestry for person to be classified black. The connotation you get from this book is that "one drop black" changes everything. A combination of whites is considered pure and perfect. Once you add black the whole thing changes. This notion implies that "black" is extraordinary, though it is demeaned.

The author with this book embarks in a hard endeavor of attempting to demystify racism. Racism is one of the socially constructed terms and practices that many people are uncomfortable to talk about. The author projects to the readers the courage and zeal to enlighten others with her experiences as "one of the persons classified as black" because of the interracial interactions in her family. She also reveals her interest in the daily cause events, which some of the people may have taken for granted.

The author's friends contribute with their rich experiences also complement the author's courage. It takes a highly motivated and strong woman to come forth as this author has done.

Evidently the author thought well about this collection of poetry to counteract racism and various race perceptions.

Online Roots by Pamela Boyer Porter, and Amy Johnson Crow is the companion book to Genealogy 101 also published by the National Genealogical Society (NGS). This is a must have book. Like the 101 book this is packed full of more resources than you can even process in one sitting or read. The first chapters are a repeat of some basics like interviewing your oldest living relatives and record their stories and info. Then gather all documents and records around your home and immediate family. Then compile your tree and gather the vital documents.

Now enter the internet. The internet or web is a vast window into so many areas of research that can help your find ancestor's names and possibly their port of entry and country of origin for the emigrant ancestors. There are many chapters that help you flesh out the names and dates. This book reminds you that each of those names is a person with a life that deserves to be remembered. They had a job, family, successes and failures. So with chapters like Wading Deeper, Visiting the Courthouse, Finding clues to Military service and discovering Ancestors at work and worship, you find different avenues you never thought of to put flesh on the bones of your pedigree. Read the history of the area they are from and discover why they moved there or left. Read about the jobs or booms in the area and get a better understanding of the life your ancestor lived. Maybe you will find court papers from a trial or divorce. Maybe you will locate land deeds or bills of sale for items in a town. Each thing may give a clue to finding the next generation or even clarifying a mystery in the family lore.

This was definitely a great book to read through for a novice like myself to start planning, but I can see this book will also become a companion and reference book as I climb my own family tree. As I take each branch I will use this book to ensure I flesh out as many details as I can before skipping to the next. I think this tool will help ensure that I pass on a full, interesting and informative family history and not just a list of names and dates to my kin now and unborn.

I have to admit this book was a bit overwhelming for someone trying to get a handle on geneology, and just focusing on certain of his lineage without too many frills. This is not a criticism, however, since this book is supposed to be a reference book more than anything else, and the author is trying and succeeding in giving us as much information as she can. I did read it from cover to cover to get the lay of the land, and found it well-written, thorough, and careful in its exposition of the subject. It was recommended by the more general Geneology 101, and was a good follow-up. This book took 101 a step further in showing us how to take max advantage of the net and save some foot steps.

It was interesting to me that the author pursued so much detail about so much of her extended family, such as great-great uncles, and third cousins once-removed. I also was intrigued by her effort to get supporting information about the areas her forbears lived in, the geographical properties, the commerce going on there, the character and feel of the area, etc. It is more than I would want to go after, at least just starting; though it would be fun to have some of this background.

The biggest tips are to sign-up for a paid online service like ancestry.com, and to join a geneological society, even if only an online bulletin board set-up. Indeed, all roads seemed to end at ancestry.com as I found out. I would start out on a free website sited in the book, looking for something specific, and would be led to ancestor.com, with its notice of a 14-day free trial. Now that I've read Geneology 101 and Online Roots, I'll probably take advantage of that offer.

She also strongly recommended looking for work someone else has already done on your family tree. There are sites where you can get this, and again it looks like ancestry.com is the biggest. She also recommended free tutorial websites before getting started, and that might have been the best advice of all.

I believe I'm ready to start my journey and I'll update this review when I see how it goes.

This work is one of the first that seems to approach the use of the internet as a great tool, while still supporting and instructing standard research techniques. Easy to follow and loads of examples make this book a useful helper with my own family research.
The variety of online sites is enhanced with actual case studies and sample screens for beginners. I would recommend this book for a novice or experienced researcher.

Regular readers of my reviews (here and elsewhere) will know that I cast a chary eye on books that purport to introduce the reader to the miracle of "Internet genealogy." I've read and reviewed dozens of such titles from the viewpoint of a researcher of more than thirty years' experience (beginning in the days of spiral notebooks and 3x5 cards) who is also a thoroughly wired computer geek and a heavy user of the Internet. I have long maintained that online research is simply the (sometimes) more convenient continuance by other means of traditional, tried and true methods. There is no "royal road to genealogy," no universal database from which you can immediately download your entire lineage back to Adam. Most of the books I've seen fall into two categories: Introductions to traditional genealogy with a thin icing of information on genealogical software and Internet how-to, and "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Computers and the Internet"-type volumes that include specific genealogical applications as an afterthought. There are a few, like Elizabeth Powell Crowe's *Genealogy Online: Researching Your Roots* (1998), Matt Helm's *Genealogy Online for Dummies* (1998), and Pamela Hahn's *The Unofficial Guide to Online Genealogy* (2001), which actually are quite useful and are worth reading (though all three are inevitably becoming dated), but these are very much the exception. The rest are simply exercises in marketing.

Pam Porter is a Certified Genealogical Records Specialist, a very experienced author and lecturer who has edited the APG QUARTERLY and presently serves on the FGS Board of Trustees. Amy Crow, a Certified Genealogist, also is well-known as an author and speaker, has served on the boards of several national organizations, and chairs First Families of Ohio. (She also is the overall editor for this series.) And the acknowledgments section lists many other names that are immediately recognizable. Their stated target audience includes (1) those new to genealogy but seasoned computerists, (2) those experienced in family research but novices online, and (3) those new to both. In other words, almost everyone. But it's encouraging to note that the third paragraph includes the explicit warning, "No, it's not all online yet." Yes, field trips to courthouses and libraries and your local Family History Center are still necessary. But more and more information is indeed being made available online everyday, especially by government agencies for whom online public access is a great money-saver in terms of staff time. The authors point out, too, that much of what you'll find online, while not necessarily an answer to a specific relationship question, provides easily accessible contextual information -- county histories, details of migration patterns in previously unexplored states, the locations of railroad corporate archives, and similar data to help you to profitably focus your research. But "you won't be able to construct your entire family history on the Web." Planning your online research is not that different from planning a library or courthouse visit -- it's still a matter of defining goals, identifying which facts you need to uncover, finding the sources for them, analyzing the results, and recording and evaluating what you're learned - but now you're using search engines and "pathfinder" sites instead of (or in addition to) card catalogs and document indexes. When you do get ready to make a courthouse visit, the Web will assure you that you've identified the right one, and often will tell you whether they're likely to have the class of records you need, and for the right time period. Moreover, you can save on gas and stretch your research budget, and you can carry on your research on Sundays or in the middle of the night if you care to. Their recommended "Internet Research Log" is remarkably similar to the classic courthouse log we all use (or should). One of the best uses of the Internet, in my own experience, has been in locating other researchers with intersecting interests, something which was very time-consuming and very hit-or-miss in the old days. The chapters on "Finding People in the Modern Era" and "Sharing with Others" provide excellent guidance on carrying out such a quest as well as turning up those long-lost distant cousins your grandfather told you about. The U.S. census (and also, now, those in the UK) is largely available online these days -- the actual images, not just printed transcripts or extracts -- and much of that now is accompanied by searchable every-name indexes that far outstrip the old Soundex and Miracode files. Naturalization records and federal land purchase records are now coming rapidly online. So are local property records. And back runs of newspapers. And older military records and unit histories. And there's hardly a library anymore without an online-accessible catalog, which is a boon to Interlibrary Loan users. And yet, while outlining these exciting advances and interspersing the discussion with frequent screen shots from useful websites, the authors keep hammering on the important point: The essentials of research haven't really changed! You still have to think and analyze and evaluate! Although any book on such a volatile subject will begin to be out of date almost as soon as it's published, I have to say this is one of the best treatments I have seen.

This is a reprint of a book written in 1949. Dr. Fucilla was born in Italy and a full professor at Northwestern U., who retired in 1965. My copy has a sturdy binding and no frills packaging. The entries are very clear and easy to follow. I was amazed by how many of the surnames I was interested in were covered. I have used it for years. This is a must have for anybody interested in Italian family history.

Joseph Fucilla was the son of Italian immigrants from a small village: his interest in his heritage led to in-depth investigations of the origins of Italian proper names - a field which contributes to genealogical pursuit in Our Italian Surnames. Originally published in 1949, this is still regarded as the authoritative reference on the subject, wit chapters covering botanical names, occupative names, compound names and more. Quite technical listings identify names under each category and add often extensive footnoted references: a must for any researching their Italian roots.

I am fascinated that this book was even put together. It will give you a better understanding of Italian surnames and various origins. I think its a must have for any italian genealogist.

Even though you might not find your surname listed, you will be able to find the "root" name yours derived from. I found it extremely interesting how some of our Italian name got their start. Also how some names are very specific to one certain area. A must for Italian genealogy.