18 March 2010

Recommended Reading

With the launch of "Who do you think you are?" on NBC, I have seen a lot more activity in genealogy. I have gotten more requests for "HELP" and "What do you suggest?" So I thought I'd post some suggestions I have for helpful reading material if you are just beginning your search, or began a while back and are feeling overwhelmed with too much information.

  • The Organized Family Historian by Ann Carter Fleming. I have written several articles based off of this book in the past. As far as I'm concerned, it's a must have in any serious genealogy library. This book will help you find a way to organize and preserve all your family history, from heirlooms, photos, documents to your family tree.
  • The Unpuzzling Your Past WORKBOOK by Emily Ann Croom. I believe she also has a book that goes with this that will teach you even more, but I don't have it as I already have so many other books. But the work sheets in this book will help you get organized in your paperwork, do your research in an orderly fashion and organize you family history.
  • Becoming an Accredited Genealogist by Karren Clifford, AG. Though I have chosen to work toward my Certified Genealogist, CG, I found this book exceptionally helpful early on in my learning to do genealogy research and do it correctly, as well as writing reports correctly.
  • Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian by Emily Shown Mills. Even if you do not pursue genealogy on a professional level, it is still imperative that you understand the importance of sourcing your information. Just because someone states an event as fact, does not make it fact, unless it is backed up by sources and documentation. This book will teach you how to source different documents types as well as how to analysis them.
  • Red Book by Alice Eichholz, PhD. Another must have. This book will help you as you move from one state to the next or from one county to the next, or as boundaries changed that effect your research.
Of course I have many more books here on my desk that I reference on a regular basis, but these are the more basic ones that are great for beginners.

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