As we’ve noted before, Generation by Generation: A Modern Approach to the Basics of Genealogy, our new genealogy guide is divided into two parts. Part I (“For All Generations–Preparing to Research”) discusses such things as relationships between family members, naming practices, genealogy software, how to review existing research, and the basics of DNA testing. Part II (“Generation by Generation—Doing the Research”) begins with a discussion of the major genealogy websites, and then explains the most important record categories for all generations from the present day back to the colonial era.
Chapter Nine, for example, discusses the records for our American forebears who lived between 1950 and 1870. As Mr. Smith explains, the records most likely to be of help to you are the U.S. Federal Censuses between 1880 and 1950, Immigration and Naturalization records, church records, probate records, and the military records of World War I and World War II. The author explains who you can expect or hope to find in each record category and, in most cases, includes facsimiles of actual records for the period. To illustrate further, here is the section devoted to World War I Draft Registration Cards.
