Genealogy Online [Paperback]

Elizabeth Powell Crowe (Conductor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0072194650 | ISBN-13: 978-0072194654 | Publication Date: November 2, 2001 | Edition: 6

April 17, 2001 marked the opening of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation online database of records. There were 50 million hits to the site within the first 6 hours, clearly indicating the interest in finding one's ancestors is extremely popular. This database of 22 million names-representing 60% of all US immigration records-has opened the floodgates for a huge increase in the number of amateur genealogists. Released in February 2001, the Freedman's Bank CD contains biographical information on the roughly 500,000 African Americans who deposited money into Freedman's Bank following the Civil War. It is estimated that 8-10 million African Americans living today have ancestors whose records are contained in the Freedman's database.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Genealogy Online presents a lot of information, much (but not all) of it having to do with finding facts about family lineage on the Internet. Mostly, this is a directory of big genealogy Web sites, newsgroups, mailing lists, and commercial services. It's also an introduction to Web communities and the tools you need to participate in them. These are the things you'll need to understand in order to extract and contribute information about your heritage as part of the Internet community.

Elizabeth Powell Crowe covers RootsWeb, the ROOTS-L mailing list, AfriGeneas, and the remarkable online genealogy resources maintained by the Mormon Church. She also pays attention to the Golden Gate forum on America Online and some of CompuServe's genealogy forums. There's some coverage of standalone family-history software like Family Tree Maker and some useful information about genealogical concepts like Ahnentafels numbers.

Genealogy Online would be better if it included more information about obscure Internet resources sites having to do with particular families or small ethnic groups. There are enough of these to make an annotated directory worthwhile. The author also could dispense with most of the general Internet how-to information, which occupies a lot of this book. --David Wall --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

The increasing number of online genealogy sites and tools allows today's searchers to seek and locate thousands of pages of data in a way they could not have imagined some 20 years ago. Yet even computer-savvy genealogists may not be fully utilizing the many resources available to them. In the most recent edition of her best-selling guide, Crowe, a former contributing editor to Computer Currents, aims to instruct all levels of researchers on the joys and perils of online genealogy. Similar to Cyndi Howells's Netting Your Ancestors (LJ 3/1/98) in its introductory discussions of technical issues and online tools, Crowe's first three chapters cover what readers will need to know to begin online genealogy research selecting the necessary hardware and software; choosing an ISP; understanding browsers, e-mail, and spam; and learning to organize family data. Two very helpful chapters on Usenet newsgroups and genealogy mailing lists follow, with explanations of their workings and descriptions of the more popular lists to explore. Crowe then covers the major online resources that researchers would do well to investigate. A glossary of error messages, computer-related terms, and emoticons rounds out the book. With her thorough but not overwhelming descriptions, Crowe provides genealogists with a solid roadmap for successful searching. Libraries currently owning earlier editions will want to purchase this one for the updated information. Recommended for public and genealogy library collections. Elaine M. Kuhn, Allen Cty. P.L., Ft. Wayne, IN
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/OsborneMedia; 6 edition (November 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072194650
• ISBN-13: 978-0072194654
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,388,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeping up with the on-line world - Again!, September 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Genealogy Online, Millennium Edition (Paperback)

I just finished reading over "Genealogy Online" newest edition - for the first time. Obviously, this newest Millennium Edition is one that I will be using for reference on a continual basis. Ms. Crowe's newest revision is not only a very precise tool for guidance in on-line research, but also a wealth of information for all levels of genealogists. In the ever-changing world of the Internet it is very hard to present the "newest and best" of sites to hit. This book does that and more!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to organize a search, where to begin, where to go, March 7, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genealogy Online, 7th Edition (Consumer) (Paperback)

This newly revised and expanded seventh edition of Elizabeth Crowe's Genealogy Online is a thoroughly "user friendly', 432 page, hands-on, instructional resource which will enable even the most novice genealogist to deftly explore the truly vast resources of ancestry related networks, Web sites, and genealogical online services. Crowe authoritatively explains how to determine and access which ones best suit individual genealogist's purposes. Genealogy Online clearly, step-by-step, shows how to organize a search, where to begin, where to go on the Web, and how to use chat rooms, mailing lists, and Usenet effectively. No genealogical research reference shelf can be considered either complete or up-to-date without the inclusion of this impressive new edition of Elizabeth Crowe's Genealogy Online!

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a marvelous book!, October 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Genealogy Online, Millennium Edition (Paperback)

I've really enjoyed this book. I knew nothing about geneology when I got it. But the directions and advise were a great help to me in starting to research my family's surnames. In just a couple hours on the Web I was able to discover why my family has so much in common with the Pennsylvania Germans (although we don't live in PA), as well as discover that some of my father's ancestors may have immigrated from a particular area in Scotland. It was fun find these things on the Web, and the book was a great help in doing so. I'd definitely recommend it!