Customer Reviews

In Search of Our Ancestors

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Since this book arrived, I haven't been able to put it down! Each story makes me want to read the next. I especially enjoyed the "What Are the Odds" chapter. BUY IT! READ IT!

Megan Smolenyak's, "In Search of Our Ancestors; 101 Inspiring Stories of Serendipity and Connection in Rediscovering Our Family History" breaks new ground in the long-known but little discussed area of the seemingly divine help millions of researchers have known when they commenced to discover their kindred dead. The book chronicles the most remarkable--but believable--instances of individuals who sought to learn of their ancestors and their heritage but who encountered brick walls along the way, only to have the walls smashed by acts of kindness or happy and unexpected breakthroughs.

Some of the accounts in the book border on the miraculous, such as when books fall-off shelves to reveal portraits and biographical sketches of ancestors. There are accounts of distant cousins from different continents meeting in the same county court house on the same day, looking for the same ancestors. There are accounts of microfilmed records seemingly scrolling to the exact spot necessary to find an ancestor. There are accounts of cousins working on genealogy who discover one another by serendipitous accident: one accidentally leaving his genealogy on a photocopier the other was next to use.

In all, "In Search of Our Ancestors" is a life-affirming work, edifying us in our knowledge that we live not just for ourselves and that there is more than this life alone. It is a remarkable contribution to the hobby and the practice of family history research.

As a professional genealogist, I have already purchased dozens of the books and given them to my clients. Everyone should own a copy.

This book is a "must have" for any aspiring genealogist. The stories will inspire and encourage even the most discouraged researcher to keep digging for those elusive ancestors. Fascinating reading!

The millions of genealogists who are researching their family trees will find this book both inspiring and encouraging as the make the discovery of family members they never knew or were sure that information about them was lost throughout the centuries. It shows what others have achieved by both hard work, synchronicity and almost "supernatural guidance." I believe everyone will find ecouragement here in their research for their roots! A must buy!

Gems of genealogical tidbits wrapped in one hundred and one surprising and fun stories. I was inspired by, and will never forget, the researchers who thought to ask to actually see the burnt records, the daughter's pursuit of information about her father who died in the war three months after she was born, using the Internet to find a sister not seen for six decades -- or any of the 98 other inspiring, sad, sometimes-scary, humorous or (mostly) very happy stories. Even my friends who are not interested in genealogy wound up carrying the book around to read the stories...everyone enjoyed it!

Even if you're not a 'newbie' to the Genealogy 'bug', you will love this book! It is composed of short but wonderful and fascinating stories of different people's search for their 'roots'.

I found each story so thoroughly enjoyable that I forced myself to limit my reading to only two a day in order to savor the book as long as possible. I was so sorry to come to the end of this wonderful collection of real people searching for their ancestors, that I emailed the Public Television site that had dramatized some of the stories in a series and then recieved the wonderful news from the author, that there may be another book!!

If you at all are interested in searching for roots, ancestors or just enjoy warm, wonderful stories, PLEASE don't miss this book!!

This book will help get anyone started. Finding ancestors can frequently be difficult, but this book explains all steps very clearly and lightens the job dramatically.

I bought this book to read one article, but I got hooked. As I read article after article, I found that I couldn't put the book down. The book shares unique stories about everyday people who found information about their own past in surprising and wonderful ways. Now, I find myself telling friends about the fascinating articles that were in this book.

I have read a number of the entries of this book and love them. They are so inspirational and encourage me to look for my ancestors and help others look for theirs. I am so glad she wrote this book.

I was given this book as a gift for the holidays and couldn't put it down. The books is easy to read and VERY entertaining. As an amateur genealogist I found the stories heart warming, spine tingling, and most fascinating. It also gave me ideas of what else I need to do to find additional ancestors. I have already ordered four additional copies to give to friends and fellow genealogists.