"How to Do Everything Genealogy" by George G. Morgan

In How to Do Everything Genealogy, Fourth Edition, George G. Morgan provides a solid foundation for genealogical research. The author writes in the preface that the book addresses many different records from English-speaking countries. Countries covered besides the United States include Australia, Canada, Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

Already by page 11, the author writes about how to find birth and death records in multiple countries such as General Register Office (GRO) for Ireland in Dublin and Australian civil registrations. The reader continues to find resources throughout the book, resources for everything from newspapers and manuscripts to census records.

The author skillfully builds the readers confidence. Mr. Morgan starts out by asking "What Is Genealogy?" in chapter one. The following chapters help the researcher understand how to balance research, how to analyze information and how to locate basic records. As a family historian, are you interested in social media, blogs, podcasts, DNA and mobile apps? These are just a few more of the topics covered. The title promises everything, after reading the book, I believe the author delivered on his promise.

What makes this book unique?

• worldwide research suggestions
• comprehensive resource for beginner or intermediate researchers

Morgan, George G. How To Do Everything Genealogy. 4th Edition. New York: McGraw Hill. 2015.
The five star review is based on the thoroughness of the author to explain research techniques.
Check area libraries, this book is available at the Gwinnett County Public Library, Georgia. Ask yourself, does this book help me advance towards my genealogy goals? Comments or questions, please contact Selma Blackmon, Thank you!

"Professional Genealogy" edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills

The Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers and Librarians edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills offers excellent tips for everyone in the genealogy field. This manual is for professionals, aspiring professionals and family historians. Quality work should be the goal of all family historians whether the research is for our family or our client.

Topics covered in ProGen include ethics, marketing strategies, time management, research reports, lineage papers, and classroom teaching and lecturing. Joy Reisinger writes on how to build a personal library. She has seven questions to think about before writing that check. "Do I really need to buy this? Have I used (and copied from) this more than three times?..." Joy's 20 page chapter starts on page 62 and concludes with an extensive reference list and notes.

What makes this book unique?

• online Pro Gen study group 
• timeless reference and mentoring tool
• easy to understand examples such as contracts and written reports

Genealogical book reviewed: Mills, Elizabeth Shown, editor. Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers and Librarians. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. 2001. Joy Reisinger, CG (Certified Genealogist) quote from page 63.

Ask yourself, does this book help me advance towards my genealogy goals? Comments or questions, please contact Selma Blackmon, Thank you!

"The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy" edited by Loretto Szucs and Sandra Luebking

The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy, 3rd edition edited by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking lives up to its title and the editor's goals. "The goal of this book is to guide researchers in the selection, location, and use of information." According to Raymond Sanford Wright, on page xv, the family history research problem is not complexity; it is deciding which records contain the information and accurate evaluation.

The thirty-one chapter contributors share their expertise. The section headings include: The Basics, The Records, People and Place. Each division provides three to ten in-depth chapters. In the People and Place section, specific research related to African American, Colonial English, Hispanic, Colonial Spanish, Jewish American, Native American and Urban research provide the family historian with a knowledge base. On page 652,Tony Burroughs writes this about pre-1870 "Success in researching in this period actually depends on how thoroughly one has researched records created after 1870...." Each chapter concludes with generous reference pages.

What makes this book unique?

• available online in digital form on Ancestry.com wiki
• multiple researchers share their knowledge, experience and enthusiasm
• specific ethnic research
• extensive reference pages with each topic

Genealogical book reviewed: Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, editors. The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy. 3rd edition. Provo: Ancestry. 2006. Editor quote from page xi.

Ask yourself, does this book help me advance towards my genealogy goals? Comments or questions, please contact Selma Blackmon, Thank you!

"Georgia Research: A Handbook for Genealogists, Historians, Archivists, Lawyers, Librarians, and Other Researchers"

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Davis, Robert S. and Ted O. Brooke. Georgia Research: A Handbook for Genealogists, Historians, Archivists, Lawyers, Librarians, and Other Researchers. Second Edition. Atlanta: Georgia Genealogical Society. 2012.

Did your ancestors migrate to or through Georgia? if "yes," this book will be great resource for finding elusive records. The 300 large format pages provide the reader with a knowledge of what records are available and where to locate them. As the title suggests, this book is for every person considering historical Georgia research. The second edition includes an additional 100 pages with updated repository addresses, state and county resources, and internet sources.

Georgia Research consists of four comprehensive chapters.

Chapter 1 federal and state sources include:

• Biographical directories
• Church records
• Georgia Archives
• Maps
• National Archives at Atlanta
• Newspapers
• Other state repositories
• Resources for women

Chapter 2 time period research sources include:

• Colonial period
• American Revolution
• Early republic
• Civil War
• Post-modern period
• Modern era

Chapter 3 county and area history sources include:

• County level dates and records
• City directories
• Maps
• Court records

Chapter 4 genealogical periodicals and resources include:

• Societies
• Repositories
• LDS branch libraries

Georgia Research: A Handbook for Genealogists, Historians, Archivists, Lawyers, Librarians, and Other Researchers by Robert S. Davis and Ted O. Brooke is a must for all Georgia researchers. It is available from the publisher, Georgia Genealogical Society.