Genealogy Online For Dummies

by Matthew L. Helm, April Leigh Helm

Researching your genealogy online is like being a kid in a candy store. So many neat things catch your eye that it�s difficult to decide which one to try. That�s where Genealogy Online For Dummies, 5th Edition comes in. This completely practical handbook helps you become a smart, discriminating researcher from the moment you start your investigation.

Unlike other genealogy books, this easy-to-use guide does more than show you how to access and use online resources; it lays out a sensible organized process you can follow to make your research more efficient and achieve your genealogical goal faster. You'll learn how to start your research before you go online, understand traditional methods of genealogy, identify Web sites that will be most helpful to your research, get vital information and statistics from government records, and much, much more Discover how to:

Use basic online and offline research techniques Develop a plan for your research Integrate Internet resources to achieve your genealogical goal Create Web sites where family members can make contact Access domestic records for births, deaths, immigration, and more Research ethnic ancestry through international records Verify what you find Protect your research

Complete with a companion CD-ROM packed with valuable genealogy software, Genealogy Online For Dummies puts you in touch with all of the tools, resources, methods, and know-how you need to make your research into your family history a total success.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Self Help, Gardening

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource!

[Linda Hartlaub · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the issues I have with the "dummies" books, is simply that - they always make me feel like a dummy after reading them. That being said, if you are an absolute novice at genealogy; if you have absolutely no idea what you need to do; if you have barely thought about genealogy; or if you barely know what genealogy is - you may find this book helpful. Just be sure that you have the most recent edition because anything that has to do with work online is pretty much obsolete by the time it is published. There are so many other books I could recommend which will give you more information and not lead you to the authors' own websites over better and more thorough ones.

There are better books. In fact, your local genealogy society may offer a beginning genealogy course that will give you a better background in an hour and a half, rather than spending days on a book that isn't up to the job.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been wanting to read Genealogy for dummies for awhile and finally got around to it. And I thought it was OK.

It talks about how to use different Genealogy websites and ways to find out different types of information such as looking at census records.

One interesting thing I learned from the book is that not all countries have census records like the united states. I had thought that every country took census's every 10 years like the united states does.

One thing I wish is that the book talked about more free genealogy websites. That is if there are more free genealogy websites out there. Sites like ancestry that are free instead of payed. Though it does talk about family search.

Though I suppose if you want to find out about a relative paying for a genealogy website is no big deal.

I have not done any genealogy yet but, I hope I do someday.

[Sunni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very helpful book. I have been doing genealogy research for years, and found all of the tips I would give someone who has just started research within its pages. I also found things that I hadn't previously thought of that I was able to use and I accomplished a lot. This is a perfect handbook for those who are interested in using the internet to further their research.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful to build my family tree.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been casually doing genealogy research for years, but I recently decided I wanted to step it up a notch. So I decided to go to the library and get a book. Their selection wasn’t huge, but I did find this one and thought I’d give it a try.

The instructions are quite basic in some areas, so I skipped entire pages. I know how to send an email and I know how to navigate the internet with a browser. I suppose that might be helpful to someone else, but I’m very familiar with computers.

Where I did appreciate that basics approach was in the genealogy stuff. It was helpful to a person like me to see it broken down bit by bit. There were also a lot of helpful links, and the trial versions on the software disc were pretty cool.

Overall, I’m glad I checked this one out from the library. Good to have read; don’t need to own.

[David V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just released. Current website info. Only about 1/3 of the way through the book, and I already found info about some members of my family that I didn't know before. Some website listings are by subscription only such as Ancestry.com, but it may be worth it to gain access to the "really good" stuff.
Finished the book yesterday. I could skip some sections which weren't relevant to my ancestry. Well-written, easy to understand.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started putting together my family tree back in the late 1990s and forgot about it until a couple weeks ago. I've picked it back up again.

This was a good book for providing weblinks on where to find out info. I've only gone to a couple sites so far but I've already discovered that my paternal grandfather came from a family of five (I have their full names) and what his parents' names were. Very cool!

It's a great book for newbies like me!

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was pretty link heavy. It seems like it would be great reference if you were stuck. And it was really geared towards those who are less web-saavy. It had some useful information, and good ideas on structuring your search, but this one is better borrowed from a library, and not bought.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information that is helping me with my genealogy search.

[Rae]

Book for mom?

[Aspasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A "good read" for absolute beginners of genealogy. Be warned though that some of the website links might not work.

[Heather Wiese · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has some interesting websites I want to check out, but as the title says...it's a little basic. When a section begins, "Open a World Wide Web browser" I just starting skimming.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

very helpful guide to getting started and resources that are available.

[Randy Clays · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dated material but some good information.

[Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many useful references to websites and overviews of different research areas.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful and readable overview of online genealogical research - the possibilities and the pitfalls.

[Strohmayer Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has helped my so many times. It is now my go to book whenever friends have questions.