Genealogy Starter Kit 2nd Edition (Paperback)

by William Dollarhide (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Some 50 percent larger than the first edition of 1994--though still at 48 pages the most concise guidebook available--this completely updated 2nd edition of the Starter Kit brings the entire world of genealogy into instant focus. Written as a beginner's guide to American genealogy, it can also be used by the more experienced researcher as a handy guide to essential information sources. The object of the work is to reduce the process of genealogical research to its most basic elements, enabling the raw beginner to be brought up to speed in no more time than it takes him to read a handful of pages. At the same time it is a one-stop resource book for the practicing genealogist, providing in one convenient place the names and addresses of essential record repositories. The booklet begins with a How to Start section in which author William Dollarhide outlines his unique seven-step system for gathering facts essential for any genealogical project: interviewing family members, contacting relatives, writing for death records, following up on death records, census searching, LDS Library searching, and state and county searching. These are the building blocks of genealogical research, the only prerequisites demanded of the researcher. A Where to Find More section follows, giving the names and addresses of specific places to obtain more information, including a list of the various branches of the National Archives, and a breakdown, by state, of the major genealogical libraries, archives, and societies in the country. Also included is a list of the top genealogy reference books. In the back of the booklet are Master Forms used to keep track of the information gathered--specifically, a Family Group Sheet, a Pedigree Chart, and a Family Data Sheet--designed and produced by Dollarhide himself.

Product Details

• Paperback: 46 pages
• Publisher: Genealogical Pub Co; 2 edition (August 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806315776
• ISBN-13: 978-0806315775
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,494,338 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, though very basic, textbook, July 22, 2002

By	Michael K. Smith (Gonzales, Louisiana) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

There are plenty of genealogy method books for novices out there, some quite good and some decidedly mediocre, but Dollarhide proves once again that it's possible to present most of the how-to information necessary for getting started in only 48 pages, and at a very modest price. Beginning with a basic pedigree chart and the question "What do you know?" he leads the reader through a seven-step process of finding out the essentials of what you *don't* know, including family interviews, writing for death certificates and following up the leads they contain, burrowing into the federal census and the Family History Library, and then moving on to state and county records. At that point, the beginner should be well under weigh, with a lengthy list of research goals to pursue. The second part of the book introduces the wider arena of the National Archives, Social Security records, renting microfilms, and dealing with professional researchers. A state-by-state selected and annotated listing of "resource centers" provides a good basic checklist, as does a list of recommended reference books. A handful of blank master forms (on the Dollarhide model, naturally) are intended for photocopying. Surprisingly, though, except for a few Website addresses, the author takes no notice at all of "computer genealogy" or the Internet, though the Net is the first point of contact for many would-be genealogists these days. Still, this would be a good textbook for a Beginning Genealogy class.