Genealogy Online For Dummies - Softcover

Helm, Matthew L.; Helm, April Leigh

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0764508075 ISBN 13: 9780764508073

Publisher: For Dummies, 2001

Synopsis

Thanks to the Internet, just about anybody can become a crack genealogist. Gone are the days of hunkering down with dusty old tomes in forbidding archives and excruciatingly slow snail-mail correspondence with foreign officials and distant relations. Also gone are the days of traveling thousands of miles to track down a lead on an elusive ancestor. Now, with a few clicks of the mouse you can exchange emails with family members around the world. You can find images of historical documents and gain access to valuable genealogical resources you never suspected existed. And with the help of powerful new software you can efficiently organize your data and use it to create handsome genealogical charts.

The fun and easy way to become your family’s historian, Genealogy Online For Dummies, 3rd Edition helps you harness the power of the Web to track down your ancestors. Now including coverage of the latest online resources, including the LDS (Mormon) FamilySearch site, this friendly guide shows you how to:

• Zero-in on the best online sites
• Search efficiently and avoid dead ends
• Access government records
• Swap information with other researchers
• Work with genealogical software
• Publish your findings on the Web

Written by the managers of the two leading online genealogical resources, Genealogy Online For Dummies, 3rd Edition walks you step-by-step through the entire process, including:

• Gathering basic family information and developing an online search plan
• Searching for information about members of ethnic and religious groups and other specialized types of records
• Building a genealogical database and presenting your information
• Working with other researchers, connecting with groups and societies, and sharing your research with the online community

You also get a bonus CD-ROM featuring a gold mine of genealogical software tools, including:

• FamilyTree Maker v6.0
• HomeSite and Paint Shop Pro evaluation versions
• Demo versions of Family Reunion Organizer, Ancestral Quest, Genelines, Family Origins, and AniMap Country Boundary Historical Atlas

The most user-friendly, up-to-date guide to conducting successful genealogical searches, Genealogy Online For Dummies, 3rd Edition makes tracing your roots easier and more enjoyable than ever.

About this title

Review

The Helms have put together an excellent introductory guide to doing genealogical research online. They've avoided the usual trap of organizing their book by resources, which may be easy for the author but makes it harder on the user. So instead of devoting this chapter to useful Web sites, that chapter to valuable newsgroups, and so forth, they've organized the book in a way closer to the way you'd organize good family research.

They begin with a series of chapters on preparation, including doing initial groundwork, developing a plan, picking the names to begin researching, and locating ancestors geographically. Next, they deal with the means for finding valuable records and then delve into getting the most from your resources. Chapter 8, for example, discusses organizing and presenting your findings, while chapter 9 deals with cooperating with other researchers so that you can all be more effective (and probably make some new friends in the bargain).

As is always the case with a Dummies series book, the Helms present a "Part of Tens" section, in this case four chapters each covering 10 top online genealogical sites, tips for designing your genealogical Web page, sites for beginners, and general tips for "smooth sailing." An enclosed CD-ROM contains nine genealogy programs plus a wide assortment of Internet tools and utilities. --Elizabeth Lewis

From the Back Cover

Family Tree Maker® and more on CD-ROM!

Includes an updated directory of Web resources

The fun and easy way™ to become your family's historian Now revised with coverage of the latest online resources, including the LDS (Mormon) FamilySearch site, this friendly guide shows you step-by-step how to zero in on the best online sites and sources, swap information with other researchers — and fill in your family tree! all this on the bonus CD-ROM Genealogical software tools, including Family Tree Maker® v6.0, demo versions of Family Reunion Organizer, Clooz, Ancestral Quest, Genelines, Family Origins, and AniMap County Boundary Historical Atlas Plus HomeSite and Paint Shop Pro evaluation versions and much more System requirements: PC running Windows 95 or later; Power Macintosh running system 7.6 or later. See the About the CD Appendix for details and complete system requirements

Discover how to: Search efficiently and avoid dead ends Share data with other researchers Access government records Work with genealogical software Publish your findings on the Web

Get smart! www.dummies.com

Edition details

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0764508075
• ISBN 13: 9780764508073
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 384