Mr. MacEntee starts with general information about AI and gradually drills down to its application to genealogy. First, comes a discussion of different AI platforms, such as ChatGPT, which is capable of producing human-like text based on mere fragments of information. AI capabilities can also significantly enhance genealogical research by providing detailed and accurate family histories, streamlining the research processes, and improving the overall family history experience. Here are just a few AI applications for genealogy currently in use:

• Automated Record Matching: AI algorithms quickly analyze large volumes of historical records, identifying matches and connections that might be missed by human researchers.
• Optical Character Recognition (OCR): AI-powered OCR converts scanned documents, such as old handwritten records, into searchable and editable text, making historical data more accessible.
• DNA Analysis: AI analyzes DNA test results, identifies genetic matches, and infers ancestral origins.
• Recommendation Systems: AI suggests potential relatives, documents, or records based on user data and search history, making the research process more intuitive.

The balance of this guide discusses some of the cautionary issues associated with AI. Among them are matters of fair use, and proper source citation. The author then cites a number of pros and cons. On the positive side, AI can establish family connections far faster than humans, whether by translating, transcribing, analyzing, or assimilating it. Conversely, users of AI will may find it difficult to determine the source of AI-driven data, contend with bias, risk copyright infringement, violate other persons’ privacy, and fail to detect false information.

It concludes with a glossary of technical terms users will encounter when using this brave new technology.

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Family history is different. If you want others to learn about where you and they came from, you must command their attention. As Doug Tattershall states in the Introduction to his new book, “We work hard to discover our family tree. But what we [and the people we are writing for] really want to know is our family story.”

So, how does a genealogist transition to family history? You will find the answers here. In fewer than one hundred pages, Doug shows how to start and stay on track in transforming the skeletal outline of a genealogy into an engaging family story. Chapter One discusses the elements of a good story: strong characters, a good plot, and the theme or point of the story—all based on the facts uncovered by your research. Doug draws on his own and others’ family stories and images to make his points. Chapter Two, “The Stuff,” explains how to research with biographical detail in mind, gathering from interviews (oral history), personal letters and diaries, newspaper articles and obituaries, lawsuits, local histories, etc. Chapter Three, “Puzzle Pieces” emphasizes the importance of establishing a timeline to your story, while Chapter Four illustrates how things like paintings or photographs, geographic details, and mementos can add specificity and immediacy to it. In Chapter Five, “Format,” the author draws on his journalism experience and the experience of five other contemporary family storytellers to compare the merits of the various media you can choose from: written narrative, audio, video, blogs, and podcasts. The final chapters emphasize the importance of creating a storyteller’s outline to keep everything together, examples of “Good and True” storytelling, and a helpful family story worksheet.

As Doug Tattershall reminds us, “We research our family histories to satisfy our own curiosity about our past, but we quickly find that we want to share what we have found . . .Telling your family story deserves an effort that incorporates the best practices of the dedicated storyteller. . . Your family history is a story worth telling and, therefore, a story worth telling well.”

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Author Drew Smith has organized the chapters according to the actual process used in genealogical research: Start with yourself, then move on to living family and relatives, and then move backwards in time, generation by generation. Each chapter describes a time period and the kinds of records available for that era, allowing beginners to learn about new types of records just as they need them.

The 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. There are also chapters devoted to searching for the origins of American families in the records of Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, and non-English-speaking nations.

This book is written in a clear and charming style. It makes ample use of consecutive Internet screen shots to take the mystery out of online searching. And it is written by an expert genealogist and teacher who is equally conversant with  traditional search methods and the digital world. There is no other book like it.

About the author: Drew Smith is the genealogy librarian at the University of South Florida Libraries in Tampa. He is co-host of The Genealogy Guys Podcast and host of the Genealogy Connection podcast. Mr. Smith is a founder and administrator of The Genealogy Squad Facebook Group with over 53,000 members. He writes a regular productivity column for the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly.

Reviews

On March 20, 2023, Margaret M. McMahon (Dr. Mac), who writes the blog A Week of Genealogy.com, says, ” ‘Generation by Generation: A Modern Approach to the Basics of Genealogy’ is a concise way for new genealogists to benefit from Mr. Smith’s wisdom as well as enjoy his warm and approachable manner. . . Part I of the books lays a solid foundation of key knowledge and skills a reader needs to conduct successful genealogical research. In Part II, readers are guided while they actually research their own ancestors. . . This is a book to read and use. It is a way for a reader to bring Mr. Smith home and have him alongside while taking significant steps to research family history.” According to Dr. Mac, Generation by Generation introduces beginners to the main ideas, terminology, and pitfalls of genealogy thereby giving them a strong foundation for more detailed research .

The review by Marian B. Wood, author of the blog, Climbing My Family Tree is succinct and to the point: “Know any newcomers to genealogy? I encourage you to point them toward a new book designed specifically for people just starting their journey into family history. . . . At 170 pages, this large-format book is well-illustrated and highly readable, making the genealogy process accessible to newcomers.  In short, I highly recommend Generation by Generation.”

Thomas MacEntee, writing on his blog, “Genealogy Bargains” on March 8, remarks that, “Over the past year or two, I’ve been hoping for a guide that distilled what can be an overwhelming process into just the “basics.” My hopes have come true, and Generation by Generation is just what the genealogy sphere needs right now . . .” MacEntee views the book as an excellent resource for beginners, easy to understand, full of a librarian’s tips, fair and balanced in its treatment of online sources, and helpful to beginner’s looking for previously published works on their family. MacEntee concludes,  “Isn’t it great when you encounter an instructional guide or website, and you say to yourself: “This is EXACTLY what I needed!”? Or in my situation as an educator, you say “This is EXACTLY how I would have organized and written this book.”

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In four, laminated pages, this guide describes the waves of Ukrainian immigration to the Americas and various European countries; Ukrainian surnames and religions; vital records and censuses; Communist-era databases and Soviet-era persecution files; online resources; and much more. Sprinkled throughout are tips to help you locate your ancestor’s hometown and expand your search.

To assist Ukrainian genealogy researchers even further, Miller has included a “Quick Guide to the Ukrainian Alphabet” and pointers on understanding the culture of Ukraine.

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Following the format of the other publications in our “At a Glance” series, this guide—in only four, laminated pages—gives you all the information you will need to begin tracing these Ontario, Canada, ancestors. Topics covered include immigration and settlement history; ships’ passenger lists; naturalization records; Loyalists; and census, vital, church, and land records. Throughout the guide are informative tips and numerous online and print resources that will help further your research.

In short, Genealogy at a Glance: Ontario, Canada, Genealogy Research highlights all the basic elements of Ontario family history research in an easy-to-use format, allowing you to grasp the fundamentals of Ontario genealogy “at a glance.”

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With an emphasis on publications, manuscript sources, and archival records, Dr. Dobson highlights ways to trace Scottish ancestors using alternative sources, primarily those covering the years between 1550 and 1850. For each research topic—including statutory registers, church records, tax records, sasines and land registers, court records, military and maritime sources, burgh and estate records, emigration records, and much more—Dr. Dobson has compiled an extensive list of the publications and archival records that will enable family historians to advance their research. It would take years for any individual to compile such a far-reaching bibliography and compilation of relevant records in Scottish archives.

Another unique feature of this guidebook is the inclusion of numerous excerpts from publications and archival records, which will help lead researchers to the sources most applicable to their research. All surnames that appear in these examples are listed in the surname index at the back of the book.

About the Author

Dr. David Dobson was born in 1940 in Carnoustie, Scotland, and was educated at Dundee College of Technology (now University of Abertay) and the University of St. Andrews, and finally at the University of Aberdeen. Most of his working life was spent at Madras College, St. Andrews. He has been an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Aberdeen, the University of Edinburgh, and at present, at the University of St. Andrews. Since 1983 he has been researching the Scottish Diaspora in archives and libraries throughout Scotland, London, Ireland, Copenhagen, the Netherlands, Madeira, Canada, the United States, and the West Indies. He is the author of more than 200 books, including Scottish Emigration to Colonial America, 1607-1785, Scottish Trade with Colonial Charleston, 1683-1783, and numerous historical and genealogical source books, plus he has contributed to many other publications, such as An Atlas of Scottish History to 1707, Scottish Communities Abroad in the Early Modern Period, and Scotland and the Flemish People. He now lives in Dundee and is working on further source books.

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That’s where Genealogy at a Glance: Russian Genealogy Research, by Vera Ivanova Miller, comes in. In just four, laminated pages, Miller gives you all the information you’ll need to get started on the search for your Russian ancestors. Topics covered include Russian names and religions; how to locate Russian ancestral places; researching in Russian archives, censuses, parish registers, and consular records; and where to go online to access databases and other helpful information.

To assist Russian genealogy researchers even further, Miller has included a “Quick Guide to the Russian Alphabet” and a sprinkling of helpful tips throughout the piece.

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The vast majority of War of 1812 records consist of (1) pension records, (2) compiled military service records, and (3) bounty-land warrant application files. There are other records, of course, but these are the three main entry points in genealogical research. The purpose of this guide is to show you where these records are located, what they contain, and whether they are indexed, microfilmed, digitized, or found online. Regular army and navy records, prisoner of war records, lineage societies, state records, and published sources are also highlighted here.

With an updated and expanded list of online resources and record sources, and a handy checklist for finding militiamen, this updated edition of Genealogy at a Glance: War of 1812 Research is the best, and most current, guide for those wishing to trace their War of 1812 ancestors.

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It begins with a discussion of Hispanic naming traditions and how they offer valuable clues for your family history research. Then, after a brief jurisdictional history of Mexico, the major record sources are described—civil registration records, Catholic parish records, census records, and immigration records. Some useful supplementary record sources, language aides, and a list of online resources are also included.

In other words, Genealogy at a Glance: Mexican Genealogy Research lays out all the basic elements of Mexican family history research in an easy-to-use format, allowing researchers to grasp the fundamentals of Mexican genealogy at a glance.

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Many children are curious about their heritage. They know their parents, and if they are lucky, they know–maybe even live with–one or more grandparents. But the average lower-school child only knows about their living relatives. This book will help them explore their own family history by teaching them the fundamentals of genealogy research and giving them the tools they need to learn more about their ancestors, to uncover the stories and events that make them and their families unique.

The author first takes the young readers through an introduction to genealogy. Then she proceeds to discussions of their families and their parents’ families, teaching them how to ask questions, what documents to look for, how to organize materials, and how to use the internet to conduct research in local, state, national, and international records. It is easier than ever for youngsters to explore genealogy databases and to tap into the online resources of libraries and historical societies without leaving home, and this new 3rd edition contains the most current information on how to access these.

For children who are not yet ready to research in documents and get into the detailed records contained in this book, the author has written a companion title called Roots for Kids: Finding Your Family Stories. This companion book is a great way to start children’s genealogy research by collecting stories about their families.

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