Introduction

Family is forever! That is a lesson I learned as a small child, almost ten years old, when my aunt and grandmother exposed me with pride to our family history. Their stories and enthusiasm sparked an interest in me to explore and learn more on my own. From that day forward, history and geography were no longer just names, dates, and places. They became the world stage on which my ancestors and family members actively participated or observed, and by which they were affected. That perspective has served me well over time because it encouraged me to always try to place my family into context with the places, periods, and events of their lives and to view them as real people.

Times have changed substantially, and genealogical research is nothing like it was when I began. At that time we wrote letters to courthouses, libraries, archives, and all the common repositories that were typical in order to locate and obtain copies of documents. The letters usually required four paths. We wrote to request the documents we sought from the repositories where we believed the documents resided. If we hit the jackpot, the repository advised us that they had the records and advised us of the copy costs. We then sent a check or money order. And finally the document copies arrived. This process took weeks, if not months, and our research languished unless we were working on multiple lines and documents simultaneously. It still was arduous—and expensive—work.

The first edition of this book was one of the proudest accomplishments in my life, and also one of the most difficult. It was a complex undertaking to summarize more than 40 years of genealogical research experience into a single book. McGraw-Hill’s “How to Do Everything™” series is one of the most respected catalogs of how-to books available. My first reaction to being asked to write a genealogy book for the series was, “No one book can teach everything. In fact,” I said, “volume one of such a work could easily be 15,000 pages long.” No one laughed. Those of us who have been working on our genealogy for a while, however, know that the amount of information and resources available to us is nearly incomprehensible and that a work covering literally “everything” would probably occupy an entire bookcase. Still, I believe that you will find in these pages a well-balanced foundation for your family history investigations.

As researchers, we must become methodical detectives who investigate every clue and carefully weigh the evidence we uncover. There are logical processes we can follow and strategies we can employ to help achieve success, even getting past many of the inevitable “brick walls” we encounter. It is not unlike being a crime scene investigator such as those we see on television. I have included scores of illustrations to help you visualize the documents discussed in the text. Many of these are actual documents from my own research collection, while others have been loaned or supplied to me for use in the book. There also are screen shots of web pages that will help you visualize what the providers have to offer.

Things have certainly changed between the publication of the first edition of this book in 2004 and the third edition in 2012! This new, third edition of the book will certainly provide you with a comprehensive foundation for beginning and continuing your family history research. It covers the major record types available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia, and provides research strategies for successfully locating and evaluating them. The fact that all these geographies are addressed makes this book unique.

However, this edition also addresses the new technologies and resources that have become a part of the modern genealogist’s toolkit. The use of DNA testing and genetic genealogy in our research has become an important topic. The addition of autosomal DNA testing since the last edition is a major breakthrough for genealogists.

New genealogical databases and the Mocavo search engine (at www.mocavo.com) are quickly changing the research environment.

The emergence and expansion of the many social networks have provided a growing environment that fosters the sharing of information and greater research collaboration. Facebook, Genealogy Wise, Google +, and Twitter have changed the communication and collaboration options available to genealogical researchers.

Thousands of brilliant new database collections, many of which contain digitized images of original historical documents and newspapers, present research opportunities we never imagined a decade ago. New websites and updated addresses for other websites are included to illustrate the best of the Internet resources.

You will find that the book is reorganized in such a way as to build a strong foundation for you and then expanded to help you extend your own genealogical research. Regardless of your level of experience and expertise, I know that you will find something helpful at every turn. You will learn the basic rules of genealogical evidence and how to use your “critical thinking skills” in evaluating the source materials you find. Your knowledge of basic and advanced record types will be expanded. Along the way, you will learn successful research methods and strategies, including tips and techniques for effectively using the fastest-growing segment of genealogical research tools on the Internet. In addition, an often overlooked or poorly utilized facility, the online catalog of libraries and archives, is discussed in detail and should substantially help your research. The document images, photographs, screen shots, and tables will provide you with visual references to help you understand the material discussed in the text. Genetic genealogy will be explained in easy-to-understand terms. In addition, the range of new Internet research tools and social networking facilities will be introduced and described. All of these resources will help you combine the “traditional” and “electronic” resources into your personal genealogical research.

You are embarking on a fascinating genealogical research odyssey that may last your lifetime. Along the way, you will meet many wonderful people and will come to know your ancestors and their families as real people—and as close personal friends. It is my fervent hope that your research will be successful and that your family tree will prove to be a fruitful source of information to help you better understand your family origins. I know from almost 50 years of personal experience that you will have an exciting and gratifying journey. I learn something new each and every day, and you will too!