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On the Bookshe f
but you just can’t place the subjects of the photo; (3)
You find your great-great-great-grandmother’s death
certificate only to learn that she died from a disease
you’d never heard of. The latest title from the prolific
Mrs. Jacobson is designed to remove not only the
foregoing stumbling blocks but also to answer thousands
of other practical questions that quite naturally
arise during the course of research.
A Field Guide for Genealogists is a veritable encyclopedia
of solutions for situations that can arise in
research. For example, to return to the problem with
the photograph, the Field Guide includes sections on
the basics of dating photographs and identifying
historical eras from hairstyles or clothing. Similarly,
legal terms found in genealogical records are identified
in one of the several glossaries compiled by Mrs.
Jacobson. Other lists cover antiquated names of diseases
and calamities, as well as units of measurement
used in bygone days. There are glossaries of genealogical
terms, nicknames, surnames, place names,
and occupations. The author has prepared a section
on problems to anticipate at the county courthouse,
offers hints for deciphering old handwriting, discusses
different types of calendars, and has incorporated
time lines of American history, migration, and
transportation. Other topics covered are the range of
records at the National Archives, the evolution of the
U.S. census, what to look for in museums, American
ethnic groups, finding information in museums, using
library vertical files, and much more—all from
the practical standpoint of solving a problem on site.
In fact, short of carting around an entire library of
reference books on your next research trip, Judy Jacobson’s
Field Guide for Genealogists, in scarcely 300
pages, is the closest thing we know of in the way of
an all-purpose manual to help you once you’ve arrived
at your destination.
Back to the Beginning—Remarkable True
Stories of Adoption Searches & Reunions
By Ava Friddle, Judy Andrews,
Kristen Hamilton,
with Joe Bardin; 2008; 6x9;
203 pp; softbound. Order
from the publisher at: Research
Etc., Inc., 8390 E.
Via De Ventura #F110-184,
Scottsdale, AZ 85258-3188; or
www.BackToTheBeginning
Book.com; CF9411; ISBN:
978-0-9816412-0-1; $18.95
plus $4.00 p&h.
Adoption Searches are
unique to each person involved. Some clients simply
want medical histories. For others the stakes are much
higher: a daughter seeking to understand the trauma
her birthmother went through at the time of relinquishment;
a son wanting to set the record straight
on his own family history; a birthfather who never
even saw his daughter when she was born, but never
forgot her; a birthmother who wanted reassurance
that she did the right thing when she placed her child
for adoption 21 years ago. This book offers not only
true stories that touch the heart, but invaluable experience
in understanding the dynamics of adoption
reunions from the perspective of all those involved
in the Adoption Triad. The authors of this book operate
a licensed P.I. firm in Scottsdale, Arizona specializing
in adoption searches. I found the stories to
be very compelling—and not only interesting, but
educational from the standpoint of one interested in
the research process. I highly recommend this book
to my readers.
Death Matters—History—Humor—Advice
By Richard H. McHugh;
2008; 5.5x8.5; 180 pp; softbound.
Order from the publisher
at: Heritage Books,
Inc., 100 Railroad Ave., Suite
104, Westminster, MD 21157;
Phone 800-876-6103; Fax 410-
871-2674 or www.heritagebooks.com;
M4557; ISBN:
978-0-7884-4557-6; $21.50
plus $7.00 p&h.
Death Matters attempts to
cover three subjects: history,
humor, and advice. A brief history of McHugh Funeral
Homes weaves its way through the narrative.
Man’s care of the dead from the time of the Cro-
Magnon man to the present is discussed. The final
chapter examines the use of pre-planned and prepaid
funerals in our time. There is an abundance of
humor that the author remembers from his and his
forebears’ service in the ambulance-funeral business.
This is a very interesting read…
Germany
Map Guide to German Parish
Registers Volume 14—Kingdom
of Bavaria I—Unterfranken
By Kevan M. Hansen; 2007; 201 pp; softbound; indexed;
Item # FR0027; ISBN: 978-1-933194-16-5. Order
from the publisher at: Family Roots Publishing Co.,
PO Box 830, Bountiful, UT 84011; 801-992-3705; Fax:
120 © Ev e r t o n’s Ge n e a l o g i c a l He l p e r Ja n ua ry/Fe b r u a r y 2009