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Genealogy for the first time: Research Your Family History

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Designed to inspire and encourage, this comprehensive guide offers a basic introduction to the primary methods and sources used in genealogy work. It shows how to organize and evaluate readily available information, such as documents and photographs, and explores fundamental research techniques such as keeping a research log, interviewing relatives, making charts, citing sources, and using the Internet. Find out how to utilize more advanced methods to obtain information from census reports to cemeteries and more. Suggestions are included for preserving, displaying, and using the findings, along with plenty of photographs, charts, and lists.

112 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2003

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About the author

Laura Best

21 books2 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Profile Image for Krissy.
356 reviews27 followers
April 13, 2013
No Earth shattering epiphanies here. That said, some of the blank charts that are placed in here look promising. I intend on using a couple of the charts shown to help me better organize my findings.

I liked that the author dedicated this book to her two Grandmothers and placed pictures of them at the end. It was a nice touch.

Library Book.
Profile Image for Dan.
471 reviews2 followers
January 21, 2026
There are many helpful tips for beginning genealogists and long-time researchers. This book breaks down the process into several easy-to-read chapters with a variety of tips. It has very nice graphics and some interesting ideas on charting your research.
Profile Image for Kerri.
75 reviews
June 26, 2017
Very good book for genealogy beginners -- nice use of illustrations and pictures, as well as tips on how to approach this big project!
172 reviews2 followers
June 17, 2014
Great book. Perfect for the beginner in to genealogy and great for those of us who have been researching for a while now. This book helped me break down several brick walls. The only down side is I wish the charts were easier to copy. Many charts were easy to recreate on my computer or find simular charts online. So I did not take away a star for that. I love that she explains things so simply and easy to understand. This book covers a large range of topics. From where to find information, how to enter it on forms, how to evualate it and how to set up a filing system. It even talks about using a computer to aid your research.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

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