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General guides

How do you start doing genealogy research? Janet was lucky enough to work in a library and realize that there must be some great guides for the beginner.

She started by using the library catalog to find out what books were available for those who are beginning genealogy. She used the keywords "genealogy handbooks." From this search, she got a list of over 300 titles.

Janet discovered that some were very general, and others were guides on how to find information in specific states or countries, or about specific ethnic groups. She skimmed a few of the general guides; several of them recommended the books, The Source: a guidebook of American genealogy and The Handy Book for Genealogists , both by George B. Everton. These guides and others found in the catalog helped Janet develop a research strategy.

Related Resources

Books

A small sample of genealogy guide books available in the library catalog:

Family history 101: a beginner's guide to finding your ancestors by Marcia D. Yannizze Melnyk
The family tree guide to finding your Ellis Island ancestors by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
From generation to generation: how to trace your Jewish genealogy and family history by Arthur Kurzweil
Roots recovered!: the how to guide for tracing African-American and West Indian roots back to Africa and going there for free or on a shoestring budget by James E. White, Jean-Gontran Quenum
A sourcebook for genealogical research: resources alphabetically by type and location by Foster Stockwell

Related Web sites

Beginner's Guide to Family History Research: http://www.arkansasresearch.com/guide.html

From Desmond Walls Allen and Carolyn Earle Billingsley, this online guide touches on many aspects of Family History research and includes a glossary.
GenTutor Directory: http://www.geocities.com/gentutor/

Genealogy tutor Beverly Whitaker of Kansas City, Missouri offers tips to those who aren't sure where to begin.
RootsWeb's Guide to Tracing Family Trees: http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/

From RootsWeb. An interactive tutorial to ease you through the genealogy process.