Genealogy at a Glance - Books

The Family History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contains the world's largest collection of genealogical materials, and it is a natural magnet for researchers the world over. The library's print and electronic collections are renowned for their breadth and are so vast they require the pinpoint guidance that only a Genealogy at a Glance research guide can provide. Here are just a few statistics to illustrate the scope of this extraordinary library:

• The Family History Library collection includes over 2.4 million rolls of microfilm and 727,000 microfiche, 356,000 books and serials, over 4,500 periodicals, and 3,725 databases.
• Records have been filmed in over 110 countries, territories, and possessions.
• Researchers in the library have access to 475 computers, 408 microfilm readers, 36 microfiche readers, and 27 microform copiers.
• The library has enough tables to accommodate 375 researchers.
• Service is provided by 100 full-time and part-time professional staff, supported by 700 trained volunteers.

The library is located in a 142,000 square-foot building in Salt Lake City, and anyone tracing his or her ancestors will want to make use of the collections, which fall into four broad categories: (1) those dealing with the U.S. at the state or county level; (2) those dealing with the U.S. at the national or regional level; (3) international records; and (4) family histories. One of the main purposes of this Genealogy at a Glance publication is to assist you with strategies for researching in any of the major collections, strategies that you'll find not only helpful but indispensable. 

Like other publications in the Genealogy at a Glance series, this one takes a large subject and narrows it down to its essential elements, covering the basics of research in an amazing four pages. But this piece is just a little different; besides pointing out the best and most helpful websites, listing the most useful books and articles, and providing tips for further research, it also tells you how to prepare for a research trip to Salt Lake City and suggests things to do in the city when you take a break from your research. It even offers suggestions for dining and accommodation!

We start with a couple of interesting facts: 8.3 million Americans (3% of the total population) claimed French ancestry in the 2000 U.S. census, and 2.4 million Americans (0.9% of the population) claimed French-Canadian ancestry. Thus, with over 10 million Americans of French origin, this research guide was almost inevitable, and in true Genealogy at a Glance fashion, it lays out the basic elements of French research in just four pages, boiling the subject down to its essence and allowing you to grasp the fundamentals of French genealogical research at a glance.

Consisting of Huguenots, Acadian refugees, and political exiles, the French contingent in America has always been viewed as a distinct element in the population, concentrated for the most part in Louisiana, New England, and the Midwest. Connecting these individuals to France and tracing them back through the earliest records, is the particular challenge of this research guide.

French research, we learn, starts with the vital records of birth, marriage, and death. These records fall into two categories: parish registers before 1792 and civil registrations after 1792. Because most records used initially in French research were created at the town level, identifying an ancestor's town of origin is critical. Once determined (with tips given here to make it easier), research is generally conducted in the rich collections of departmental archives, including notarial records and censuses that are gradually being digitized and placed online. Municipal archives and libraries are rapidly digitizing their records as well, and the final section of this paper concludes with a list of helpful websites. The four specially laminated pages of this work are designed to provide as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll ever need. No research tool in French genealogy is as effortless and as convenient.

Note: A newer version of this publication is now available. See the new Second Edition at https://library.genealogical.com/printpurchase/3ON2x

Contrary to popular belief, DNA testing is not the final word in determining your ancestry, but it is extremely helpful. It is most effective when it's used to confirm that documentation concerning your family relationships is accurate. It is also used to test hypotheses about ancestors for whom little or no documentary evidence exists. Equally important, DNA testing can be used as "cousin bait" to identify previously unknown cousins who may be able to add information to your genealogical research and/or confirm your ancestral connections.

In this handy four-page guide, author Angie Bush gives you the simple facts about (a) DNA testing, (b) DNA testing companies, and (c) DNA testing results. She provides a simple overview of the three types of DNA tests: Y-DNA, mtDNA, and atDNA, or autosomal DNA, the most popular type of testing for genealogists. She goes on to explain which test is right for you and then launches into a description of the testing companies and what you can expect from them. The companies featured in this At a Glance guide were chosen because they are the only companies that provide a list of "genetic cousin" matches based on DNA analysis.

Most crucially, DNA test results give information about where your most ancient ancestor originated and his ethnicity. But equally important for resolving questions of a genealogical nature is the list of genetic cousins that the companies provide as matches. Proper evaluation of match lists within the context of how that particular type of DNA was inherited is key to using DNA as a genealogical record. In the end, the author cautions, DNA testing does not provide proof of relationship without genealogical research to support the findings, but knowing your ethnicity, place of origin, and previously unknown cousins is a very good place to start.

Cemeteries are not just hallowed and mysterious places, they are also repositories of genealogical knowledge, their tombstones providing crucial information ranging from the name of the deceased and his birth and death dates to a bonanza of biographical detail that often includes the names of parents, children, and spouse. But tombstones are more like artifacts than documents, and they require a different approach and give rise to different expectations. In its now familiar format, this new "Genealogy at a Glance" publication addresses these grave issues, expertly covering the unique aspects of cemetery research in four specially laminated pages.

First--and here's the most unusual aspect of this genealogical research assignment--you need to locate your ancestor's final resting place. The date of death and place of death are important clues, but there's much more to it than that, as you'll find out. Once you are familiar with the various methods of tracking down a likely cemetery, you will be guided through the different types of cemeteries, and how their records and maps of plots can make a difference in your research. The rest of this guide describes how to take a field trip to the cemetery to find the tombstone; transcribe the inscription; take a photograph; note the stone's location, composition, and artwork; and, finally, note the names on the tombstones located near your ancestor for clues to relationships.

But practical considerations trump everything, and you are advised to wear protective clothing and boots, told how to take better photographs with a mirror, and taught how to make tombstone rubbings with a jumbo crayon. After all this fun you might want to consult some of the reference books mentioned here, or you might want to visit the Databases of the Dead, Ms. Carmack's list of online cemetery transcription projects. Finally, you might be lucky enough to find the living among the dead. Check out American Cemetery Research and find out how.

An astonishing 40 percent of Americans living today are related to immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island between 1892 and 1957. While the records they created are vast and complex, this "Genealogy a Glance" outline by professional genealogist Sharon Carmack offers instant guidance through the millions of documents they left behind.

During the peak years 1892 to 1924 over 22 million passengers entered New York through Ellis Island, leaving behind a body of records that are crucial in bridging the gap between the old country and the new. And these records are absolutely unique, providing information that can't be found anywhere else.

Examples of this information include the passenger's last place of residence, final destination in the U.S., if going to join a relative, the relative's name and address, personal description, place of birth, and name and address of closest living relative in the native country. The records containing this information are available on National Archives microfilm and online in two principal databases, but the key to their location and use is right here in this "At a Glance" publication.

In just four pages--laminated for heavy use and convenience--Ellis Island records become intelligible and accessible, and along with a handy list of books for further reference and a list of online resources, research in this massive body of records can now be accomplished at a glance.

Throughout history women have been silent partners. As a rule, they left behind few records of themselves because they had few legal rights. When they married, they generally gave up their maiden name, which faded from the records; they couldn't own land in their own name and sometimes couldn't even leave wills. They have come to be known as the "hidden half" of the family, and they are notoriously difficult to research. But with some basic instructions and a few well-placed suggestions offered in this Genealogy at a Glance research guide, Sharon Carmack shows you how to get around these obstacles and create a complete family history.

Since female research is expected to be difficult, it is often ignored, leaving researchers to work mostly on easier male lines. This need not be the case, suggests Carmack, who says we just need to work smarter rather than harder in pursuing female ancestors. The key to finding female ancestors, in her view, centers around finding maiden names in every possible type of record, from the obvious to the obscure, including records created about and for women, such as divorce petitions, widows' pensions, and dower releases. While these records may not lead to maiden names, you can still identify women in a host of records that someone else created or named them in.

In its now familiar format, this Genealogy at a Glance guide is designed to cover a large amount of ground in just a few keystrokes, hitting all the right notes in as short a period of time as possible. Thus, in a four-page laminated folder, it focuses on the special aspects of female research and provides a reading list and a list of online sources to carry you further in your research. If you want to explore this hidden subject quickly and efficiently, you'll find this guide to be indispensable.

Carmack's guide to immigration research deals with a titanic subject, reduced to its basic elements so you can grasp the fundamentals of immigration research at a glance. In a just a few moments of reading it guides you through the record sources that are the touchstones of immigration research, from passenger lists to naturalization records. Altogether, in less than a handful of pages, it provides an overview of the records that document the most determined and sustained migration the world has ever known. In keeping with the Genealogy at a Glance theme, the four specially laminated pages of this work are designed to provide as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll ever need.

Beginning with a discussion of the background of early immigration, the guide focuses on the importance of determining your ancestor's time of arrival and port of entry, then goes on to describe the vast body of passenger arrival records deposited originally at the various ports of entry, explaining the numerous details recorded for each passenger, where the records can be found, and how they can be accessed. Where books can be used effectively as a means of access to the records--indexes and passenger lists, for example--they are noted both in the text and in brief citations for further reference. Accessing the passenger arrival lists online, of course, is of growing importance, and the guide describes the principal databases available by subscription and for free.

Most immigrants eventually became naturalized citizens. In the process another huge body of records was created, maintained to this day in various courthouses and town halls, and, for records after 1906, maintained by the agency with current jurisdiction, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. In the two-step procedure--declaration of intention (first papers) and naturalization petition (second or final papers)--a gold mine of personal information was recorded (applicant's name, country of birth, date of application, date and port of arrival, occupation, residence, age, birthplace, and date of birth), equal in varying degrees to the later ships' passenger lists. Clues to finding these records are, of course, provided, along with citations to the best books and online sources, all of which can be read at a glance and used with total confidence.

Any guide that explains how to identify your ancestor's place of origin on the basis of local food and city neighborhoods is to be savored, and a guide that demonstrates the importance of naming patterns and marriage customs is also to be valued. These are clues that can be put together quickly and will support what you later learn from records of immigration, naturalization, and the census, enabling you to bring the American side of your research to a quick boil before plunging into Italian research, where it is necessary to know the town of origin.

You can add a few other tricks to get you back to the town of origin: matching up patron saints, for example, identifying cluster settlements with Old Country names, and even checking Italian-American funeral homes and cemeteries for a reference to the town of origin. But in the end you must know the town of origin before you can begin searching Italian records, because it is in the town archives where the most important records of birth, marriage, and death are kept. From these records alone, you might be able to reconstruct whole families in one fell swoop, as they generally list two or three generations or more.

While some of these civil records (registri dello stato civile) are being digitized and put online by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, many are still accessible on microfilm, which can be ordered from a FamilySearch Center--a branch facility of the Family History Library. Facts of equal importance are found throughout this guide, where there are citations to the best books in the field as well as a detailed list of online sources offering everything from letter-writing guides to the most useful websites for locating Italian towns and surname databases.

This is Genealogy at a Glance, and by the time you lift your eyes from its four laminated pages, you will have all the tools you need to conduct Italian research.

Poland is far away and the language is difficult to read, but this Polish research guide will help you overcome these obstacles as quickly and easily as possible. In just four pages, Rosemary Chorzempa, author of the famous textbook Polish Roots, lays out the basic elements of Polish genealogical research, boiling the subject down to its essence and allowing you to grasp the fundamentals of Polish research at a glance. The four specially laminated pages of this work are designed to give you as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll ever need.

Starting with a discussion of names, the guide focuses on the basic elements of Polish research. These include history and emigration, locating the hometown, maps and gazetteers, geographical areas, and online databases. With a look back at the history of Polish emigration, Chorzempa explains the importance of locating a town of origin in the various countries that make up modern Poland. From there, with the use of online maps and gazetteers, it is a quick jump to locating the civil records and parish records that are key to finding your ancestors. Like other publications in the Genealogy at a Glance series, this guide contains a list of the most helpful online sources and the best reference books in the field. In addition, it provides information on surname maps and genealogical societies, and even guides you to an animated video on the history of Poland.

Finally, with historical Poland divided among so many countries, language itself is a serious problem in Polish research. To overcome this problem, Mrs. Chorzempa provides a chart giving the English, Latin, Polish, and German names of important places in Polish lands. This is especially useful when looking at documents that mention birthplaces or hometown origins, and it is an important tool for the 10 million Americans who are of Polish descent.

Designed to cover the basic elements of genealogical research in just four pages, the Genealogy at a Glance series attempts to give you as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll ever need. In less than a handful of pages (specially laminated for heavy use), it provides an overview of the facts you need to know in order to begin and proceed successfully with your research, allowing you to grasp the basics of research at a glance.

In this instance the renowned Scottish author David Dobson brings his expertise to bear in a shrewd distillation of facts about Scottish genealogical research. Because there are so many people of Scottish descent worldwide, he uses emigration history as a jumping off point, from there proceeding to tackle the immense body of unique Scottish records which includes Old Parish Records of the Church of Scotland; post-1854 statutory records of births, marriages, and deaths; and census returns from 1841 to 1901.

Making clever use of the allotted space, Dobson then focuses on the remaining Scottish genealogical records, from traditional wills and testaments to the lesser known kirk session records and services of heirs. Along the way he seeds the text with research tips and references to key publications, concluding with an indispensable list of online resources, which are now the focal point of Scottish genealogy research.

These may be the best four pages you'll ever read on Scottish genealogy, and you can read them at a glance and with absolute confidence that your research is pointed in the right direction.

Court records are invaluable in genealogical research, but they are decentralized and difficult to locate. Probate records, as one example, are located in over 3,000 separate county courthouses. They are among the most important records for genealogical research because they identify names, dates, residences, and family relationships, yet there is considerable difficulty in finding them and exploiting their contents. The American court system is complicated, and the challenge for genealogists is to understand the court system in order to locate the relevant records.

You could make a lifetime's study of the American court system, but if your goal is family history research, this Genealogy at a Glance outline will provide an indispensable shortcut, guiding you through the major types of court records that are crucial in your research--for example, probate records, naturalization records, land records, marriage and divorce records, tax records--in short almost every type of record that helps to identify family relationships. The main thing you will learn is that county courthouses generally contain the records of most interest to genealogists, and therefore this guide offers invaluable tips for finding and accessing records at the county courthouse level.

Like all Genealogy at a Glance outlines, this one also offers guidance on the principal supplementary record sources, provides a list of the best online resources, and identifies the major repositories, all the while dealing with a complex subject in the simplest way possible.

Designed to cover the basic elements of research in just four pages, Myra Gormley's Cherokee Genealogy Research attempts to give you as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll ever need. In less than a handful of pages, it provides an overview of the facts you need to know in order to begin and proceed successfully with your research: it covers Cherokee history, surnames, migrations, and basic genealogical resources, describing original documents as well as the latest online resources.

The largest Native-American tribe, the Cherokees are associated primarily with the state of Oklahoma, which was formed in 1907 by a merger of Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory, though smaller groups of Cherokees are found in North Carolina and elsewhere. Not all groups are federally recognized, and while a great many Americans claim some degree of Cherokee blood, there are only three Cherokee groups that have official status: The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, and The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (North Carolina).

The most useful records in Cherokee research are membership rolls, which were designed to allocate reservation lands, provide annuities, and pay compensation. Not all Cherokees are named in these rolls, because certain individuals did not meet the specific requirements for enrollment, but starting with the 1817 Reservation Roll, membership rolls are the best documentary sources available, and this handy research guide identifies the twenty most important rolls, including the 1835 Henderson Roll (called the Trail of Tears Roll), the 1848 Mullay Roll, which was the first census of the Eastern Band of Cherokees, the 1852 Drennen Roll, which was the first census of Cherokees living in northeastern Oklahoma, and the 1898-1906 Dawes Roll, which established official tribal enrollment of the Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Creeks, and Seminoles.

Like all publications in the Genealogy at a Glance series, Cherokee Genealogy Research provides all the instruction you need to get you started in your research, including research tips, references to key publications, and an indispensable list of online resources.

Nothing will get you going faster in African American genealogical research than this Genealogy at a Glance publication. In just four pages, Michael Hait lays out the basic elements of African American research, boiling the subject down to its essence and allowing you to grasp the fundamentals of African American research at a glance.

Hait explains that there are three imperatives in African American genealogical research: (1) you must begin with interviews of family members; (2) you must check records of birth, marriage, and death; and (3) you must check federal census records, especially the crucial 1870 census, which was the first census to include information on former slaves.

Beyond this he offers step-by-step guidance on finding and using other records that are crucial in African American research, such as Freedmen's Bureau records, Freedman's Bank records, records of the Southern Claims Commission, and voter registration lists. In addition, before ending with a helpful list of websites focusing specifically on African American genealogy, he offers tips and guidance on researching slave ancestors.

In keeping with the Genealogy at a Glance theme, the four specially laminated pages of this work are designed to provide as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll ever need. No research tool in genealogy is as effortless and as convenient.

Over 3 million men took part in the Civil War. In addition to combat and personnel records, they left behind a vast body of records that can be mined for such information as dates and places of birth, names of family members, and places of interment. The key to these records is knowing what they are and where they can be found. The best thing you can do is to consult this Genealogy at a Glance research guide, which promises easy access to an enormous trove of data.

First we are shown how to determine if an ancestor participated in the war. From there we are introduced to the vast possibilities of such records as Compiled Military Service Records (enlistment papers, muster rolls, etc.), pension records, regimental rosters, and veterans' census schedules, with dates of enlistment and discharge, rank, and names of survivors. As the major record groups are described, one after the other, so too are the most helpful websites and associated archives.

The focus then shifts to complementary resources, which include archival collections, books for further research, and a comprehensive list of online Civil War resources. In line with the now familiar Genealogy at a Glance format, the four specially laminated pages of this work are designed to give you as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll ever need. Focusing on key record sources and materials for further reference, Civil War Genealogy Research allows you to grasp the fundamentals of research at a glance, placing you in control of this vast subject in just a few moments of your time.

Written by veteran genealogist John Humphrey, this Genealogy at a Glance publication provides an overview of topics that are essential to Pennsylvania genealogy, from settlement background and record sources to Internet sites and libraries. In just four pages of text--specially laminated for heavy use--Mr. Humphrey manages to encapsulate 300 years of Pennsylvania genealogy by striking all the right notes, building on his formidable experience as an expert on family history in the Keystone State.

This is no small feat since there are several things about Pennsylvania genealogy that are radically different from other states. First, with respect to religion and ethnicity, Pennsylvania was the most diverse colony in British North America; second, in 1790 it was the most populous state in the country; and third, it was the second most populous state in the United States for more than a century--all of which bring an unexpected level of difficulty to the task.

But this is the very thing the Genealogy at a Glance series was designed for--to bring a large subject down to size, distilling key ingredients so the subject can be understood at a glance; in effect, boiling it down to its essence to make it manageable. Essentially, Genealogy at a Glance provides all the basic instruction you need, focusing on key record sources and materials for further reference and finishing with a summing up of the best record repositories and websites. For Pennsylvania genealogy, in particular, these may be the best four pages you'll ever use.

French-Canadian genealogical research has never been so easy. In just four pages, Denise R. Larson, author of the best-selling Companions of Champlain: Founding Families of Quebec,1608-1635, lays out the basic elements of French-Canadian research, boiling the subject down to its essence and allowing you to grasp the fundamentals of French-Canadian research at a glance.

In keeping with the "Genealogy at a Glance" theme, the four specially laminated pages of this work are designed to give you as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll ever need.

Focusing on key record sources and materials for further reference, Larson first provides history and context, then deals with the unique aspects of French-Canadian research such as Acadia and Quebec before moving on to traditional record sources, finishing with a summing up of record repositories and online sources. In less than a handful of pages she provides all the basic instruction you need in order to begin and to proceed successfully with your research.

Like the other guides in our "At a Glance" series, Genealogy at a Glance: Massachusetts Genealogy Research gives you all the tools you need to make substantial inroads into your Bay State ancestry. Ms. Larson begins with an excellent summary of Massachusetts history from its Puritan and Pilgrim beginnings through the mid-19th century. Next comes a discussion of local records, for, as with other New England states, records in Massachusetts are organized by town, not by county. The author then identifies the major statewide, regional, and ethnic repositories with genealogical and historical collections. The guide concludes with a listing of the major websites for Massachusetts research as well as the principal published sources for early Massachusetts genealogy. Sprinkled throughout the text, moreover, are special "research tips" to help the researcher make the most of the broader categories of information recommended by Ms. Larson.

Written by Michigan expert Carol McGinnis, author of the acclaimed textbook Michigan Genealogy: Sources & Resources, this "Genealogy at a Glance" guide provides a quick overview of the facts you need to know in order to begin and proceed successfully with your Michigan research. In less than a handful of pages (specially laminated for heavy use), it gives you as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll ever need.

Focusing on key record sources and materials for further reference, McGinnis first provides history and context; so before discussing the traditional record sources such as vital records and census records, and supplementary sources such as newspapers and county histories, she provides a stream of useful and interesting facts; for example, did you know that prior to 1820 two-thirds of Michigan's settlers had French ancestry? That by the turn of the 20th century about a quarter of Michigan's population was foreign-born? Or that researchers can often find information about their Michigan families in Canadian records?

Michigan became part of the Northwest Territory in 1787, and starting at that time an extensive body of territorial, state, and federal land records was generated. Where to find this information, and much else besides, is at the heart of this "Genealogy at a Glance" publication, which also identifies the best books in the field of Michigan genealogy and provides an indispensable list of major record repositories as well as a list of the best online sources for Michigan research. By design, Michigan Genealogy Research can be read at a glance and with total confidence that your research is pointed in the right direction.

Virginia was the first as well as the largest of the original 13 colonies, and its inhabitants left an abundance of genealogical records. As anyone knows who has ever attempted Virginia research, the challenge is to reduce this body of records to manageable proportions, a feat skillfully handled here by Virginia expert Carol McGinnis, author of the highly respected book Virginia Genealogy: Sources & Resources.

Published in the now familiar laminated folder, this guide is designed to cover the basic elements of Virginia research in just four pages, giving you as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll ever need. It boils the subject down to its essence and allows you to grasp the basics of research at a glance, guiding you with confidence through this complex body of records to your ultimate goal of tracing your ancestry.

McGinnis starts with a description of the settlement of Tidewater Virginia and the movement west to the Blue Ridge Mountains and into the Valley of Virginia, and from there into surrounding counties and states from where tens of thousands of Americans trace their ancestry back to Virginia. Pinpointing the origins of the early settlers, she reveals a key fact--that many of the records of interest to genealogists are kept at the county level; and using this as an organizing principle, she discusses the background, the location, and the use of the most critical records: vital records, church records, cemetery records, land records, probate records, and military records.

Then, after an illuminating passage on census records, she gives us an overview of supplementary sources: Bible records and family histories, periodicals and indexes, record repositories and online resources. Along the way she seeds the text with research tips and references to key publications, providing overall the best four pages you'll ever read on Virginia genealogy.

Federal censuses have been taken every ten years since 1790. They are the best known and most commonly used of all genealogical records and have the unique ability to identify virtually anyone born in the last 250 years. Because they are so extensive, the careful researcher should be able to find almost every individual and family being sought.

But where are these records located? How do you access them and how do you use them? Moreover, with such a wealth of information as name, age, sex, birthplace, and family relationships, what are their limitations? These questions and more are answered by professional genealogist Kory Meyerink in this addition to our popular Genealogy at a Glance series.

Today, most census research is conducted online, with census images and indexes available from both subscription-based and non-subscription-based websites. Not all websites have a complete collection of census records, of course, and Meyerink identifies the censuses that are available from each website and the nature of the indexes, which are usually linked to the online image of the census page where the individual appears. (All censuses older than 72 years have been indexed, and the recently released 1940 census is in process of being indexed.)

As part of the ongoing Genealogy at a Glance series, this four-page laminated folder also provides 1) tips for research, 2) a list of the best books for further reference, 3) instructions for online research, 4) a bulleted list of census search strategies, and 5) and a description of the major online resources for census research. In keeping with the rest of this distinguished series, this work provides an encyclopedia's-worth of information in a thimble's-worth of pages.

Looking out over several centuries this research guide provides a broad outline of English genealogy--from ancient manuscript sources to modern digital records. With a few deft strokes it gives a quick overview of the facts you need to know to proceed with your English research. In less than a handful of pages (specially laminated for heavy use), it gives you as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll ever need. And it is so concise it can be read in just a few moments--virtually at a glance!

Given the abundance of information that is available, Milner's English Genealogy Research takes a practical approach to the subject, focusing on the basic record sources underlying all English research, namely (1) civil registration, (2) parish registers, (3) diocesan records, (4) probate records, and (5) census records. These elements form the backbone of any research project, and within this framework the Milner work emphasizes particularly the key records of birth, marriage, and death and how to find them, discusses records of wills and administrations dating back to the 1300s and their location, and examines census returns from 1841, explaining their usefulness and where they can be found.

But it also provides guidance to the best printed sources in the field as well as references to the principal genealogy databases. In addition, it gives timely reminders and clues for further research, and to help you to gain access to the records, it provides the web addresses of all the most important record repositories and institutions in the field of English genealogy, as well as a helpful list of other online sources, including commercial websites and free websites. No research tool in English genealogy is as effortless and convenient to use.

This work is the inaugural publication in a new "how-to" series. Designed to cover the basic elements of genealogical research in just four pages, the Genealogy at a Glance series gives you as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll probably ever need. Compiled by respected authorities, each Genealogy at a Glance piece is a four-page distillation of the key ingredients in a given area of genealogical research. 

So what does it do? In just four pages (which are specially laminated for heavy use) it provides an overview of the basic facts you need to know in order to begin and to proceed successfully with your research. It boils the subject down to its essence and allows you to grasp the basics of research at a glance! Literally at a glance.

In this instance, building on years of experience, Irish genealogy expert Brian Mitchell tells you succinctly about the sources used in Irish research, where to find them, and how to use them.

In a few deft sentences he provides all the basic instruction you need, focusing on key record sources and materials for further reference, and finishing with a summing up of record repositories and online sources. From emigration lists and surname histories to church registers and census records--each accompanied with important background information--he very cleverly lays out the whole of Irish genealogical research, providing what is arguably the best four pages ever written on the subject.

Designed to cover the basic elements of genealogical research in just four pages, the Genealogy at a Glance series (GAAG) gives you as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll ever need. Compiled by experts, each Genealogy at a Glance guide is a distillation of the key ingredients in a given area of genealogical research. Each one can be read at a glance and used with total confidence.

In keeping with the general format, this GAAG on Scots-Irish genealogy covers the basic facts about Scots-Irish research. Topics covered include the following:

• Scots-Irish background
• 17th-century Ulster planters
• 18th-century emigrants
• Passenger lists
• Places of origin
• Family names
• Source records
• Repositories

The term Scots-Irish refers to people who originated in Scotland and settled in the 17th century in Ireland in the nine northern counties of Ulster. Claiming economic hardship, 250,000 Scots-Irish immigrated to North America between 1717 and 1776, principally to the port of Philadelphia, then west into the Appalachian region where they became the intrepid woodsmen and pioneers of American legend. The important thing to take away here is that this guide is intended as an aid to researchers who are attempting to trace Irish ancestors who arrived in North America prior to 1800.

Rounding out the guide there are lists of books for further reading, lists of online research sources, and a list of the major repositories with Scots-Irish material. The well-known Northern-Irish author, Brian Mitchell, also wrote the GAAG on Irish genealogy research, and is perhaps best known for his book A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland.

The best-known name in American genealogy, Ancestry.com is many times bigger than all commercial genealogy websites combined. Incredibly, it has more than 30,000 databases with more than 11 billion records, and adds more than 2 million new records each day. A phenomenon in the Yesst sense of the word, Ancestry.com has made genealogy accessible to millions of online researchers, and it's such a well-established brand that it's the first place you turn to in any research project.

Ancestry.com offers a variety of search options, but many of them are not immediately apparent, even to a seasoned researcher. This is a problem best dealt with by an expert, and in this Genealogy at a Glance, the noted Ancestry.com authority George Morgan offers tips and insights to help you get the most out of your time online with Ancestry.com. Under his guidance you'll learn how to search all the databases at once, search a category of collections, or search within a single database. You'll learn first steps and next steps, how to find exact matches and how to use wildcards, how to get the most out of the massive collection of genealogical records, how to add facts and narratives to the tens of thousands of existing family trees, and how to build your own family history.

Ancestry.com uses special location searches and keyword searches, it has message boards for its millions of users, it has blogs, webinars, a learning center, guided tours, and video presentations--enough for it to qualify as an industry in its own right. It is thus an ideal subject for a Genealogy at a Glance presentation, which in four laminated pages allows you to cover the essential elements at a glance, giving you an insight into the byways of Ancestry.com that you would struggle with on your own. Thanks to Mr. Morgan, you now have as much useful information about using Ancestry.com as you'll probably ever need.

FamilySearch is the family history arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest genealogy organization in the world. The Church began microfilming genealogical records as far back as 1938, with digitization following in 1998. Since then one of its chief goals has been to digitize as many records as possible and place them online.

FamilySearch.org is available to the public free of charge and offers search and browse access to all of its materials. At the present time the site contains more than 3.5 billion records, tens of thousands of genealogies and family trees, and thousands of digitized books. Among other things

• you can use the site to upload your family tree, family photos, stories, and document images;
• you can produce a pedigree chart or fan chart of your family tree;
• you can search or browse the contents of FamilySearch's enormous collection of genealogical records and user-submitted genealogies;
• you can use the FamilySearch Wiki to help you research more than 75,000 articles; and
• you can use the Learning Center's online courses and video tutorials free of charge.

The website has many sophisticated tools, and the purpose of this Genealogy at a Glance (GAAG) piece is to provide an outline of its most useful features. At the heart of this effort, George G. Morgan, also the author of GAAG Ancestry.com Research, describes the functions available through the primary navigation tools--Family Tree, Memories, and Search. Incredibly, the key to understanding and using these tools is provided here in a mere four pages, in a laminated folder designed for heavy use in the traditional GAAG manner. Without fuss or confusion it cuts through a formidable body of genealogical materials to guide you straight to your goal, helping you to set research strategies at a glance. Given the breathtaking scope of FamilySearch.org and its many pathways, the experience should be rewarding.

Michael A. Ports--author of the groundbreaking series Georgia Free Persons of Color as well as numerous volumes of transcribed records from Baldwin, Elbert, and especially Jefferson County, Georgia--applies his expertise in Georgia genealogy research to our latest Genealogy at a Glance guide. Like the other publications in the series, Genealogy at a Glance: Georgia Genealogy Research is a four-page laminated folder that gives you all the useful information you'll need to begin and proceed successfully with your research.

Ports begins with a discussion of Georgia's settlement background, beginning in 1732 when King George II granted a charter for the new colony--named in his honor--to James Oglethorpe and twenty other proprietors. County formation began in 1777 with the creation of Burke, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Richmond, and Wilkes counties, and ended in 1924 with the creation of Peach County. Many of the records most useful to genealogists are located at the county level. Therefore a general rule of thumb, Ports states, is to begin your research at the Georgia Archives, which houses original and microfilm copies of most county records, and he details the most critical of these records--marriage and divorce, birth and death, probate, and land lottery records.

Ports also gives an overview of two significant supplementary sources--land grant records and tax records--and identifies the major repositories and online resources with useful information for your Georgia family research. Along the way you'll find research tips and references to key publications, making Genealogy at a Glance: Georgia Genealogy Research the most helpful four pages you'll ever read on Georgia genealogy.

Advocating religious toleration as early as 1634, Maryland attracted a variety of settlers--separatists and Quakers as well as Roman Catholics--becoming one of the fasting growing colonies in the mid-Atlantic. When the Appalachian region was opened in the 1740s by the Scotch-Irish and Pennsylvania Germans, Maryland expanded west almost into the Ohio country. Settlement was thus widespread and diverse, and one of the keys to finding ancestors in the Free State, according to the author of this Genealogy at a Glance (GAAG) guide, is to search for records at the county level.

Like other publications in the GAAG series, Maryland Genealogy Research is a four-page laminated folder designed to cover the basic elements of genealogical research at a glance. The Maryland GAAG provides an overview of the facts you need to know in order to begin and proceed successfully with your research. Focusing on traditional record sources such as vital records, court records, land records, and probate records, it contains useful tips, research advice, analyses of the major record sources used in Maryland research, and clues to finding those records in state and local repositories.

A handy and practical guide for the beginner, Maryland Genealogy Research also includes lists of books for further reference and a list of the principal online resources. In addition, it contains a comprehensive list of Maryland repositories and their websites, and in the spirit of the Genealogy at a Glance series, it attempts to fill in every gap in the beginner's toolbox.

Chartered by the English in 1663, the colony of Carolina split into North Carolina and South Carolina in 1710. Its development was gradual, but settlement started to increase around 1750 when many German, Scotch-Irish, and other settlers migrated down the Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania and Maryland through Virginia and into central North Carolina. Some of the immigrants turned westward near Fincastle and followed the Wilderness Road through southwestern Virginia into western North Carolina.

Migration routes were well established by the end of the 18th century, after county jurisdictions had been carved out and before certain western counties were ceded to the federal government to form the state of Tennessee. For anyone undertaking research in the Tar Heel State, therefore, this North Carolina Genealogy at a Glance (GAAG) explains that genealogical research must start at the county level, going back to 1663 with the formation of Albemarle County. Designed as a quick guide to genealogical research, North Carolina Genealogy Research teaches that the general rule of thumb is to start in Raleigh at the North Carolina Office of Archives and History, which houses original or microfilm copies of most county records.

Genealogical records on the county level are surprisingly complete, and this GAAG focuses on the records found on the county level that will be of most help in your genealogical research: marriage and divorce records, birth and death records, land grant records, probate records, and military records. In each case, tips for further research are included, key publications are cited, and the background of the records is placed in historical context.

A very useful guide for the beginner, North Carolina Genealogy Research also includes a list of the main books for further reference and a list of the principal online resources that are indispensable in genealogical research. In addition, it contains a comprehensive list of North Carolina repositories and their websites, giving addresses and phone numbers as well.

As part of the Northwest Territory, Ohio was opened for settlement in 1787. Within a few years, when its boundaries were formally established, Ohio became the 17th state in the Union, with a population of about 50,000. By 1810 the population swelled to 230,000. After the development of the National Road and the Erie Canal, the original settlers from the mid-Atlantic states (mostly Pennsylvania-Germans and Scotch-Irish), were joined by Irish and German immigrants, expanding the population to 2 million. The records left by these early settlers and immigrants can be found in county courthouses from Washington County (created in 1791) to Noble County (created in 1851), though most of them are centralized under the Ohio Network of American History Research Centers, positioned geographically around the largest metropolitan areas and coordinated by the Ohio History Center in Columbus.

Genealogical records for most counties are fairly complete, especially early land records and the quadrennial enumerations, which were taken every four years from 1803 to 1911. So the question is, what is the most efficient way to access these records? We think the best way is to use a guide that offers a quick overview of records, record repositories, and online resources, directing you, without any prior training, straight to your goal. This is precisely what Michael Ports's Ohio Genealogy Research is designed for.

Like other publications in the Genealogy at a Glance (GAAG) series, Ohio Genealogy Research is a four-page laminated folder designed to cover the basic elements of genealogical research at a glance. The Ohio GAAG provides an overview of the facts you need to know in order to begin and proceed successfully with your research. Focusing on traditional record sources such as vital records, court records, land records, and probate records, it contains useful tips, research advice, analysis of the major record sources used in Ohio research, and clues to finding those records in state and local repositories.

A handy and practical guide for the beginner, Ohio Genealogy Research also includes lists of books for further reference and a list of the principal online resources. In addition, it contains a comprehensive list of Ohio repositories and their websites, and in the spirit of the Genealogy at a Glance series, it attempts to fill in every gap in the beginner's toolbox.

Designed to cover the basic elements of genealogical research in Alabama in just four pages, this Genealogy at a Glance laminated guide gives you as much useful information as you'll ever need to begin and proceed with your Alabama family history research. Southern genealogy expert Michael A. Ports again brings his expertise to bear in this concise overview of the history of Alabama and the places and resources to consult when searching for your Alabama ancestors.

Ports begins by focusing on Alabama's settlement background, beginning in 1702 when the French established the first settlement in what would become Alabama. He then goes on to highlight the primary and secondary record sources--including vital, probate, military, land, and census records--the major repositories, and the most helpful online resources. Along the way he intersperses research tips and references to key publications, online databases, and websites throughout the text.

In other words, Alabama Genealogy Research provides all the fundamentals of Alabama research in only a handful of pages, guiding you through the array of records and repositories available to help you reach your goal of tracing your Alabama ancestry.

At various times in its early settlement, the French, British, and Spanish all claimed territory in what would become modern Mississippi. The high-quality fertile land attracted hordes of settlers, and the population of Mississippi rose dramatically after the creation of the Mississippi Territory in 1798. The influx of settlers--mostly from Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia--came in two distinct waves: the first was a slow but steady migration until the onset of the Creek War in 1813-1814; the second came after the war, spurred by high cotton prices, the cessions of Native American lands, improved roads, and the acquisition of water access to the Gulf of Mexico. By 1860 its population had increased to 791,305, with slaves accounting for about 60 percent of the total. A discussion of this settlement history is how Michael A. Ports begins this addition to our Genealogy at a Glance series, Mississippi Genealogy Research.

Ports then goes on to focus on the important records located at the county level. A general rule of thumb, he states, is to begin research at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, which houses original and microfilm copies of most county records--in particular, vital, probate, land, and military records. Supplemental sources of interest to researchers include colonial and territorial census records and tax records.

To help you gain access to the records, Ports provides the contact information for all of the most important record repositories and institutions in the field of Mississippi genealogy, as well as a helpful list of online sources. No research tool in Mississippi genealogy is as informative and easy to use.

In this "at a glance" publication, Michael A. Ports brings his expertise in southern U.S. genealogy to bear in an insightful guide to South Carolina genealogical research. Genealogy at a Glance: South Carolina Genealogical Research provides all the information you'll need to begin and proceed successfully with your research. Ports starts with a discussion of South Carolina's settlement background, beginning in 1663, when King Charles II granted a charter to eight noblemen, who ruled the Province of Carolina as a proprietary colony. South Carolina established its state government on March 26, 1776.

Included in this guide are critical details about the main record sources for genealogical research--vital, probate, military, and land records. Supplemental record sources such as tax and county court records are covered as well. Ports has also included contact information for the major repositories and online resources that provide the most valuable information for the South Carolina family researcher.

The guide is sprinkled throughout with research tips and references to special resources and publications, making it the most helpful four pages you’ll ever consult on South Carolina genealogy.

Written by Michael A. Ports, this four-page laminated Genealogy at a Glance guide provides the information you'll need to begin and proceed successfully with your Tennessee research.

Ports starts with a discussion of Tennessee's settlement background, beginning in the late 1760s and early 1770s, when pioneers from Virginia and North Carolina settled in the Watauga, Nolichucky, and Holston river valleys. In 1796 Congress approved the admission of Tennessee as the sixteenth state, and settlers--including Scots-Irish from southwestern Virginia and Germans from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia--poured into the state, bringing the population to over a million by 1860.

County formation began in 1777, with the creation of Washington County from the Washington District, North Carolina, and many of the records most useful to genealogy researchers are located at the county level. Therefore, a general rule of thumb, Ports states, is to begin research at the Tennessee State Library and Archives, which houses original and microfilm copies of most county records.

Included in this guide are critical details about the key record sources--vital, probate, military, tax, land, and county court records--as well as contact information for the major repositories and online resources that provide useful information for the Tennessee family researcher.

Along the way you'll find research tips and references to key websites and publications, making Genealogy at a Glance: Tennessee Genealogy Research the most helpful four pages you’ll ever read on Tennessee genealogy.

With records so sparse and far-flung, Old Southwest genealogy is the ideal subject for a research guide that can cover the basic elements of genealogical research in just four pages, giving you as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll ever need. To begin with, the Old Southwest covered a vast territory, and genealogical research within its bounds requires knowledge of its history and geography.

Under territorial status, the Old Southwest consisted of territory east of the Mississippi, including Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and parts of Louisiana and Florida. Much of this area encompassed lands of the Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, and Chickasaw Indians. Settlers arriving from the original Colonies were required to obtain passports for passage through Indian country, and after the Revolutionary War, settlers holding land were required to file proof of ownership.

Thus an entire body of records grew up in the pre-statehood period, and this guide starts at the very beginning with a look at the earliest migratory paths and main travel routes through the Old Southwest. In order to locate travelers or settlers on this fast-changing frontier prior to 1820, researchers are told about the major document collections containing public land records and passport and travel documents, compiled at a time when the usual county court records or census records did not exist. Typical records might include names of residents, taxpayers, express riders, petitioners, and Indian interpreters.

In keeping with the Genealogy at a Glance series, this research guide also contains a helpful list of books and articles for further reference, a list of major area libraries, and a list of online sources. In its entirety, it is a four-page distillation of the key ingredients of Old Southwest research, which can be read at a glance and used with total confidence.

Tracing descent from a Revolutionary War ancestor is a lofty goal, and this "Genealogy at a Glance" publication will give a much-needed kick-start to your research, setting you on the correct course by guiding you through all the major record sources and online resources you're likely to need in establishing Revolutionary War ancestry.

Designed to cover the basic elements of genealogical research in just four pages, the "Genealogy at a Glance" series attempts to give you as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll ever need. In less than a handful of pages (specially laminated for heavy use), it provides an overview of the facts you need to know in order to begin and proceed successfully with your research. It boils the subject down to its essence and allows you to grasp the basics of research at a glance!

In this instance, Revolutionary War expert Craig Scott provides step-by-step guidance to the standard Revolutionary War sources such as pension records, compiled service records, and records of lineage societies, explaining how they can be used and where they can be found. And he brings you quickly up to speed on the important records of the militia, state troops, and Continental troops, including muster rolls, pay rolls, bounty land records, and settled accounts.

In addition, Scott provides crucial information about National Archives microfilm records, citations to the standard works on Revolutionary War genealogy, and references to all major online resourcesÑall of which will be invaluable in helping you find your Revolutionary ancestor.

Evernote is an amazing tool for genealogists and you can learn all about it in this handy 4-page laminated guide by Drew Smith, author of the popular Social Networking for Genealogists. As Mr. Smith explains in this easy-to-use guide, Evernote may be the most useful tool in your research kit.

What is Evernote? It is a free online service designed to capture and store nearly all kinds of digital information, including typed notes, handwritten notes, audio files, photos, documents, web pages, and e-mail. Synchronized across all your devices, including tablet, smartphone or smartwatch, it organizes everything from notes and files to blogs and Internet articles.

You can type notes using your device’s keyboard; create handwritten notes on a mobile device that supports a stylus; record an audio note using your device’s microphone; create a note from a photo taken with your tablet’s or smartphone’s built-in camera or with a desktop/laptop webcam, or from a photo that was taken earlier; create a note by capturing all or part of a web page in your browser; or make a note that originated as an e-mail you wrote or was sent to you.

In this clearly written guide Drew Smith shows you how to do all this and more, including how to share information with family members and how to publish individual notes on social media sites. While nearly all genealogists use a database program or an online family tree, Evernote provides a unique way to capture, organize, and search all kinds of supporting information.

Over 250,000 men served in the War of 1812, some for as little as a month. Their service records are found mostly in the National Archives but also in various other archives and repositories, and therefore in order to use the War of 1812 records effectively the researcher needs a guide to the location of the records and a description of their contents, which is precisely what this At a Glance guide is designed to do.

The vast majority of War of 1812 records consist of (1) pension records, (2) compiled military service records, and (3) bounty land warrant application files. There are other records, of course, but these are the three main entry points in genealogical research. The purpose of this guide is to show you where these records are located, what they contain, and whether they are indexed, microfilmed, digitized, or found online.

These records have great genealogical value and generally the researcher can expect to find some or all of the following information:

• Soldier's name, rank, unit, and period of service
• Amount of pension or rejection of pension application
• Name of widow and marriage date and place
• Birth year and place
• Places of residence
• Description of disability
• Signatures
• Names of relatives, friends, and neighbors

This guide also covers regular army and navy records, prisoner of war records, lineage societies, state records, and published sources, ending with a list of online sources and a handy checklist for finding militiamen.

As surprising as it sounds, you can learn the basic steps in German genealogy in just a few moments. That's all it takes to read Genealogy at a Glance, which is designed to cover the basic elements of German genealogical research in just four pages, giving you as much useful information in the space allotted as you'll probably ever need. Written by German genealogy expert Ernest Thode, it can be read at a glance and used with total confidence.

It is said that more Americans are of German origin than any other nationality, yet Germany wasn't created as a sovereign state until 1871. Germanic origins are therefore quite diffuse, covering most of the German-speaking regions of central Europe, including Austria, Switzerland, portions of Belgium, Denmark, Poland, and parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Genealogical research into German origins is thus understandably complex, and the wonder of Mr. Thode's work is that it covers so much ground so quickly. Thode's German Genealogy Research guides the researcher through German records with maximum efficiency, then brings him to the American side of the story with an outline of German emigration patterns and a pinpoint guide to the massive body of German-American records most in use today.

Starting with the first German settlers in 1683, then working through the various emigration waves all the way up to the farmers and small tradesmen from southwestern and central Germany who came to America in chain migrations in the mid-nineteenth century, and German speakers who came from outside Germany in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Thode's German Genealogy Research provides all the basic instruction you need, focusing on key record sources and materials for further reference and finishing with a listing of major online sources.

With information on ships' passenger lists, surnames and given names, places of origin, and vital records, as well as citations to the best books and online sources, you'll have the key elements of a research strategy right at your fingertips.