Forensic Genealogy (Paperback)

by Colleen Fitzpatrick (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Have you ever considered looking at the edges of an old photograph to find out who is in the picture? Have you ever considered epidemics as a source of genealogical information? How can you use DNA to connect your family with historical events long in the past? These are only a few of the surprising connections Forensic Genealogy offers for investigating the where, who, when, and why of your family history. As featured on NPR’s Talk of the Nation radio program (July 2005), Internet Genealogy (June 2006 Online Bonus Edition), Family Tree Magazine (April 2006), and Family Chronicle (October 2005), Forensic Genealogy offers innovative new tools for getting the most information out of your reference materials. Forensic Genealogy also suggests many unusual places to look for family history. After reading this book, you will never look at your research materials the same way again! Forensic Genealogy comes with the Forensic Genealogy CD ROM and a mail-in coupon from Family Tree DNA for a $10 discount on any testing service.

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Rice Book Press; 1 edition (June 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976716003
• ISBN-13: 978-0976716006
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #233,000 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poirot would be proud of this book., December 27, 2005

By	Debbie Parker Wayne (East Texas) - See all my reviews

In Forensic Genealogy Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick explains in an easy-to-read manner how to find clues you never dreamed existed in your photographs and in databases of many kinds of records. She first explains the concepts to help you think like a detective when using these sources. Then she uses case studies to illustrate real-life examples of how to put these concepts to use.

I learned many things in the photo and database detective sections. Like other reviewers I will never look at a photograph again in the same way I did before. I thought I was meticulous in pulling details from photos but Dr. Fitzpatrick shows how to go far beyond what I have done before including using weather history to help determine when a photo was taken.

But the DNA section has been most useful. After reading several other DNA books written for genealogists, as well as the popular books written in recent years by scientists, I still hadn't found explanations for some of the common notation I saw used on web sites and in mail-lists on DNA. I finally found these defined in Forensic Genealogy. The DNA section is written in such a way that you can get an overview and basic understanding or go much deeper. I would highly recommend this book to any one who wants to do professional-level genealogical research using digital tools and DNA.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have for dating Pics, April 24, 2006

By	K. Latouche "K." (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is fantastic for dating photographs. I have bins of photos that I have no clue when they were taken. The tables in here help you to pen point the dates using things you'd never think of. Once Miss Fitzpatrick was able to use a cash registar and some old ads to determine the date of a picture! The more meaty sections are when she uses the light of day to name the exact location. Now that was amazing!
Last year I had the oppurturnity to meet Colleen. She is the nicest woman and ever so intelligent! Her passion flows throughout her work and makes the book enjoyable and fascinating to read. A genius in her field, Miss Fitzpatrick gives you the tools, the websites, and the frame of mind all in this book.
Inside are charts and tables giving you dating for when each type of photograph was made, describing to a tee how to distinguish your photo.
Also included, though I've not had much time to examine that section, are chapters on reading between the lines in directories and census images, ect.
Without this book I would still be clueless. It truly is a must have.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Forensic Genealogy: A Recomended Resource, April 29, 2006

By	Bob Spear (Leavenworth, KS USA) - See all my reviews

This is not your usual basic family history book. It effectively teaches one how to think and analyze way outside the box. Once you have gathered all your family's pertinent material, this book will take you way beyond birth, death, and marriage records. The author brilliantly demonstrates how to use city directories, weather data, photo intelligence mensuration techniques, sleuthing approaches, and even a chapter on DNA testing and tracking. This is a wonderful teaching vehicle and reference manual. We would recommend it to all serious genealogists.

The author takes a highly technical subject area and transforms it into understandable tools for one to use with excellent examples from her own family investigations. This book is a mind expanding read, and we rated it a high four hearts.