Genealogy For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers))

I can't call my folks liars --- they've been dead for 20 years, but a Geneaologist told me that I was not directly related to folks amy parents assured us we were. Now I've got to do my own research. Damn, I just found out my sister is my step-sister, and Mom had been married before! And I just found that out, and I'm 76 yrs old!

this replaced an earlier edition. an excellent reference for beginner or intermediate genealogist

Lots of good info, and URLs of useful sites, which you can click to.

Just what I needed...

Great reference book!

I am an experienced genealogy researcher, but I wanted to see if this book offered new ideas or techniques. The short answer is that yes, it does, but more important is that it is a great resource for anyone who is beginning his search. The book is written in a conversational tone that is easy to follow. It is organized logically and is profusely illustrated with screen shots. Newer features include information about the use of DNA tests and social networking in genealogy. Although it is impossible to include every useful genealogy site, the authors include final chapters listing sites and apps of interest. Their choices are sound and extremely helpful. No book can do it all, but this is a good choice for any researcher.

We've done our fair share of genealogy research and DNA testing and we wish we had had this book at the beginning of it all! Even though it is aimed at American websites and apps, it is useful in uderstanding how the websites work, how DNA tests work and what it all means. As with all For Dummies books, lots of things are broken down to simple steps, such as how to create a family tree on Ancestry.com (same proces on Ancestry.co.uk), how to create a Facebook/Pintrest profile and how to search various records. The advice does include sections on privacy settings, which is brilliant, and there are pictures of websites and records so you know what to expect. It also follows a fictional relative in terms of how you would enter his information into a family tree and how you would search for more information about him in some of the sections.There's a fairly good section on how search engines work and how to get the most from them. If you knew nothing about the internet but wanted to use it to look up your family tree/ancestors, then you will learn most of what you need to know from this, no matter which country you live in. There's a short section on searching databases/records in other countries (than the USA) and a very short section about Ancestry.co.uk. The section on DNA testing is very good and there is a very good "Friendly Word of Caution" explaining that sometimes poeple find things out they didn't want to know! This section also gives you a bit of a biology lesson in terms of what DNA is and how it is passed down generations. It also helps you think about the differences between the companies that offer tests and what their tests look for but obviously, not all the companies are available to the UK. It would give you a good starting point to look at what the UK companies do and to better understand this if you were to look them up yourself.As with all For Dummies books I have encountered, there's a good index at the back too. To be honest, if I was in the USA or it was aimed at the UK, it would have gotten 5 stars.

This book aims to cover all the basics and good deal of the more advanced subjects but, if you are new to genealogy, this book is probably not the best place to start. I say that because it throws a lot of text at you from page one, which might be overwhelming and leave you feeling at a loss before you get going. There are some better ways into the subject for absolute beginners, but if you can persevere and get the hang of the basics or genealogy research, the rest of the book makes a very useful resource indeed… if you are interested in American genealogy.Yes, this book is focused entirely on America and its neighbours. However, if you are in the UK and have American ancestors, this is an immensely useful book to have around. It explains much about immigration records, census records, birth, marriage and death records, and so on, providing a lot of detail about what to look fr and where to look, and how to interpret many types of documents. It also looks at international research, which for this American book mostly means Europe.I’ve been researching my family history for about decade, and have found ancestors who took advantage of cheap passage to Canada and America. I’ve discovers a lot, but this book has opened many new avenues of research for me. While the wholly American focus of the book is likely to upset many UK readers, especially as the front cover makes no mention of this skew (it is mentioned on the back though), I have found this immensely useful in my hunt for my American ancestors.

Lots of people research their family tree these days -- it's obviously easier now that so many records are online; I remember when I first tried this in my teens, it literally involved going round churches to find information, etc. This book is a fairly useful guide to techniques to use to put your family tree together, and is pitched in an easy-to-understand and clear way, without being patronising. However, and this is a pretty big 'however', it's obviously an American book, and the genealogical sources referenced are almost all American. This is a shame, as with a bit of a makeover to make it more UK-relevant, it would be a really useful resource. As it is, whilst it does have a good amount of general information, it's not as useful as it might be. Three stars.

It has lots of good hints, tips and how-to's (as do all the Dummies books) but this one would be better if it had a more accurate title - Genealogy for American Dummies. It's not really aimed at those of us in the UK, although it is possible with a bit of effort to put some of the advice into action and substitute UK resources here and there. Not what I was expecting really so I'm a bit disappointed but the info is all there if you're researching a US family tree.

This is an American book but covers the UK and Europe as well with respect to genealogy resources and it provides a very good introduction and overview to researching your family tree. It starts you off with the basics and takes you through the databases, family tree software and even the up and coming DNA searches. And, like all the For Dummies books, it is very approachable and easy to read and understand. You feel supported every step of the way.