If you’re interested in researching to learn more about your ancestry, this group of books provides information and inspiration to start your search! They contain details on online research, cemetery visitations, uncovering the secrets contained in photographs and records, and how to record and preserve the stories of the past and present.
In addition, at this time you can use your library card to gain remote access to Ancestry.com, a comprehensive source of information for conducting genealogical and local history research.
Unofficial Guide to Ancestry.com: How to Find Your Family History on the #1 Genealogy Website by Nancy Hendrickson provides step-by-step strategies for structuring your searches to quickly find valuable information.
Unofficial Ancestry.com Workbook: A How-to Manual for Tracing Your Family Tree on the #1 Genealogy Website by Nancy Hendrickson contains detailed guides to help you search for particular types of digitized records on Ancestry.com. Illustrated tutorials show how to put specific strategies into practice for searches that yield results. This book contains worksheets and genealogy forms.
Practical Genealogy: 50 Simple Steps to Research Your Diverse Family History by Brian Sheffey breaks down the complex research process into actionable items. Real-life examples of genealogical research is provided through case studies to best help you to understand and overcome the complexities and challenges you may face during your exploration.
The Family Tree Toolkit: A Comprehensive Guide to Uncovering Your Ancestry and Researching Genealogy by Kenyatta D. Berry is primarily focused on U.S. records and research. This guide is intended to be a roadmap to show you how and where to begin so that you can trace the path of your family history.
Paths to Your Past: A Guide to Finding Your Ancestors by Pamela Boyer Sayre gives a general overview of the process she recommends to find your ancestors. A particularly useful section focuses on state and local resources such as vital records, probate records, land and tax records, state or local level military records, court records, religious records, and cemeteries.
Family Tree Factbook: Key Genealogy Tips and Stats for the Busy Researcher by Diane Haddad contains a collection of genealogy resources, tips, lists, and facts. This compact paperback is convenient to carry wherever your research may take you.
Genealogy by Matthew and April Helm covers everything you need to know about starting a genealogical research project, including where and how to find information, how to communicate with other online genealogists, how to leverage social networking sites and apps, how to add digital images to your family tree, and how to build your own site for sharing information. You’ll also learn how to conduct genealogical research on the road, and how to later integrate your findings.
Family Photo Detective: Learn How to Find Genealogy Clues in Old Photos and Solve Family Photo Mysteries by photo identification expert and genealogist Maureen Alice Taylor, shows you how to observe the clues contained in your old family photos to place names to faces and recapture lost stories. Historical photos are included to provide clear examples and illustrate key points.
The Family Tree Historical Newspapers Guide: How to Find Your Ancestors in Archived Newspapers by James M. Beidler shares an abundance of newspaper resources and tips so that you can start uncovering interesting information about the time-period and locations of your ancestors. Includes step-by-step examples with case studies, screenshots, templates, and worksheets.
A Dictionary of Family History the Genealogists’ ABC by Jonathan Scott is part dictionary, part encyclopedia, and part almanac. It’s full of intriguing facts, definitions, and terminologies. This book cleverly includes puzzles and peculiarities you may encounter in your research that will test your knowledge and prepare you to better understand your findings.
Abbreviations & Acronyms: A Guide For Family Historians by Kip Sperry is a reference book that demystifies the multitudes of abbreviations and acronyms you may encounter during your research.
The Family Tree Cemetery Field Guide: How to Find, Record, & Preserve Your Ancestors’ Graves by Joy Neighbors shares how to locate the graves of your ancestors so that you can analyze the information and symbols. The author even provides tips on how to safely record and preserve the information.
The Oral History Workshop: Collect and Celebrate the Life Stories of Your Family and Friends by Cynthia Hart shares how to inquiringly collect, record, share, and preserve a family member’s or a friend’s oral history. The process is broken down into a series of easily manageable steps. Prepare to interview a family member with examples of hundreds of questions you can ask to help your subject open up to share their story.
How to Write and Publish Your Family Story by Noeline Kyle is a reference resource for novices and seasoned genealogists currently available only in digital format. The author shares ten simple steps to guide you beyond your research to develop a narrative, shape the story, and build characters. You’ll even learn how to publish and promote your family story.
Thank you for checking out our Ancestry Book List, we recommend also searching the online catalog to find additional books specific to your ancestry search. We hope you will stay tuned for our future post on ancestry resources!
Written 12/09/20 by Linda
