Hidden Sources: Family History in Unlikely Places

Most Americans would not describe themselves as genealogists or even family historians. They just want to learn when their ancestors were born, married, or died, and where these events happened. They don’t want to read a book about how to do genealogy; they would rather have someone tell them what to do, or simply look up a short entry in a single book to direct them. Until now, no book has filled that need. But with the introduction of , anyone wanting quick, easy-to-access information about how to find their ancestors will be immediately pointed in the right direction. In , first-time,  part-time, and even full-time researchers will find many little-known sources that may contain information about their ancestors’ lives. Rather than lengthy descriptions of records, readers will discover short explanations that help them determine immediately whether or not a given record contains the information they need. Readers get an overview of more than 100 sources, including: Pfeiffer provides clues to the location of these little-used records and a list of books with further information about the records. And for those who enjoy using the Internet in their research, the author has also included URLs (Web site addresses on the Internet) that will take them to sites with further information about these hidden sources. With these tools, anyone can research their family history without becoming a full-time genealogist, and without interrupting an already busy schedule, because the needed—hidden—solutions are now in a single source.