Anyone interested in discovering their family genealogy should carry a copy of this book everywhere. Written by internationally recognized expert, George G. Morgan, this book is an irreplaceable resource for beginner to expert knowledge gatherers. Not only does Morgan explain how to get the search started – creating a family tree, locating and evaluating documents, selecting the appropriate hardware and software for the search – he goes steps further and dedicates an entire section to research methods and strategies where he discusses, among other topics, getting past “dead ends,” and organizing possible research travel.

Part I: Begin Your Family History Odyssey

1: Why Explore Your Genealogy?

2: Create Your Family Tree

3: Place Your Ancestors into Context and Locate Vital Records

4: Use Census Schedules and Records to Locate Your Ancestors

5: Further Your Research with Advanced Record Types

6: Use Records of Military Service and Land Documents

7: Locate and Use Immigration and Naturalization Records

Part II: Research Methods and Strategies

8: Discover Where to Locate Documents About Your Family

9: Locate Your Ancestors on the Internet

10: Follow Alternative Research Paths to Locate Difficult Records

11: Plan a Very Successful Genealogical Research Trip

Part III: Automate Your Genealogy with Hardware, Software, and Databases

12: Select Hardware, Software, and Accessories to Aid Your Work

13: Select and Use a Genealogical Database Program to Store Data