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The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy, Third Edition |  | Author: Val D. Greenwood
Publisher: Genealogical Publishing Company
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $22.98
as of 9/4/2010 21:46 CDT details
You Save: $6.97 (23%)
New (17) Used (10) from $21.01
Seller: Royal Ancestry
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 166364
Media: Paperback
Edition: 3rd
Pages: 662
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.7
ISBN: 0806316217
Dewey Decimal Number: 929.1072073
EAN: 9780806316215
ASIN: 0806316217
Publication Date: 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In every field of study there is one book that rises above the rest in stature and authority and becomes the standard work in the field. In genealogy that book is Val Greenwood's Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy. Arguably the best book ever written on American genealogy, it is the text of choice in colleges and universities or wherever courses in American genealogy are taught. Of the dozens of textbooks, manuals, and how-to books that have appeared over the past twenty-five years, it is the one book that is consistently praised for setting a standard of excellence. The Researcher's Guide has become a classic. While it instructs the researcher in the timeless principles of genealogical research, it also identifies the various classes of records employed in that research, groups them in convenient tables and charts, gives their location, explains their uses, and evaluates each of them in the context of the research process. Designed to answer practically all the researcher's needs, it is both a textbook and an all-purpose reference book. And it is this singular combination that makes The Researcher's Guide the book of choice in any genealogical investigation. It is also the reason why if you can afford to buy only one book on American genealogy in a lifetime, this has to be it. This new 3rd edition incorporates the latest thinking on genealogy and computers, specifically the relationship between computer technology (the Internet and CD-ROM) and the timeless principles of good genealogical research. It also includes a new chapter on the property rights of women, a revised chapter on the evaluation of genealogical evidence, and updated information on the 1920 census. Little else has changed, or needs to be changed, because the basics of genealogy remain timeless and immutable. This 3rd edition of The Researcher's Guide, then, is a clear, comprehensive, and up-to-date account of the methods and aims of American genealogy--an essential text for the present generation of researchers--and no sound genealogical project is complete without it.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
Absolutely essential for all American genealogists July 23, 2002
Michael K. Smith (Gonzales, Louisiana)
29 out of 29 found this review helpful
Since its first edition in 1972, and especially with the completely revised and greatly expanded 2nd edition in 1990, this comprehensive work has become the standard guide and textbook in the pursuit of U.S. genealogical research. Beginning with the background to research -- what "research" actually means, specialized terminology, basic principles, library fundamentals, and all the rest -- Greenwood teaches you, with great clarity and many examples, how to identify what information you need, how to go about locating it, and how to organize it once you've found it. The second, much larger part of the book, leads the reader through the use, analysis, and interpretation of all the major sorts of documents and records out there: Compiled sources (including a discussion of the nature of compilations), vital records, census returns, wills and probate records (and how to become comfortable with legal terminology), local and federal land records, civil and criminal court records, church records, records relating to immigration, military records, and cemetery and burial records. He discusses the nature of abstracting, clears up common misconceptions about court records, points out the limitations of the census, and presents a largely rewritten discussion of the standards of evidence. When the 2nd edition came out a decade ago, the author thought his book would probably never need another major revision, just minor updates. But that was before the personal computer and Internet revolutions forced him to rethink his position, and this edition includes an entirely new and rather lengthy chapter on the appropriate use of the computer in genealogical research and also on its built-in limitations. He also took the opportunity to add a chapter on the legal issues relating to women's property rights, and (of course) made all those minor corrections and updates he had expected. Bluntly, if you can afford only one how-to book for your home genealogy shelf, get this one.
Essential reading for the novice genealogist. March 4, 2000
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
23 out of 23 found this review helpful
Now in a fully updated and expanded third edition, Val Greenwood's The Researcher's Guide To American Genealogy continues to be the definitive introduction and guide to conducting genealogical research in the United States. It is both a textbook and an all-purpose reference book that is the core title for any personal, professional, and community library genealogical reference collection. Clear, comprehensive, up-to-date, "reader friendly", The Researcher's Guide To American Genealogy provides an essential, highly recommended account of the methods and aims of American genealogy today and will prove ideal for the novice genealogist in conducting a sound genealogical project.
An Excellent Resource For Any Experience Level Genealogist September 22, 1997
LaMont Bankson (lamont@ioninc.com) (Phoenix, AZ)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
This book moved me to really begin studying my family history in depth. The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy explains where to begin to look for your roots, and what these sources reveal about your ancestors. It also prepares you on how to keep the data you've gathered organized. A must for the beginner and the experienced alike
Recommended for basic library genealogy collections. June 4, 2000
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
An excellent reference recommended for libraries building basic collections on genealogy. Val Greenwood's Researcher's Guide To American Genealogy, 3rd Edition provides important updated links between computers and genealogical research, including chapters on property rights of women, new insights on the evaluation of genealogical evidence, and updated information on the 1020 census.
Accurate, insightful; a ready reference for family historian July 9, 1997
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
I have used this book for the past 6 years while discovering my roots. It provides guidance when you think you have hit a brick wall. The references included are accurate and useful to any family historian.
Greenwood hits the mark while many others try to imitate his style.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
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