Branching Out: Genealogy for Adults is not your standard genealogy primer. Unlike most book written for beginners, Branching Out does not have any chapters. Instead, the book is written more like a textbook, with lessons not chapters. The book is laid out is such a way that not only can individuals use it for their own course of study, but a society, club, or school could easily teach from its contents and use it as the primary book for a beginners course on genealogy.
Author Jennifer Holik describes the book as a starting point for adults to learn their family history. There are 30 lessons meant to build a foundation of genealogy and beginning research. Each lesson is broken into sections, offering the following to students:
- A Goal—a lesson objective
- New Vocabulary words. For example, the chapter on census records introduces the terms census, enumeration, and enumeration district, with definitions
- Reading Assignments—books and articles the student can find and read for more information. Many of the suggested readings are online
- A Lesson
- Assignment—a practical application of the knowledge gained from reading the chapter, a chance to apply the lesson to the student’s own family history
- Things to Consider, Making it Personal, and Field Trips—some of the other headers found sporadically throughout the lessons
Branching Out is not a stand alone book, but is actually a series of genealogy text books written for different age groups. This primer is for adults. In the coming days, I will also review:
- Branching Out: Genealogy For High School Students: Lessons 1-30
- Branching Out: Genealogy For 4th-8th Grade Students: Lessons 1-30
- Branching Out: Genealogy For 1st-3rd Grade Students: Lessons 1-30
The lessons in each guide are carefully geared for a particular age group. Students at all levels will enjoy an inspiring introduction to the world of genealogical research.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Items Needed
- Required Books
- Additional Resources
Lesson 1: What is Genealogy and Why Should I Care?
Lesson 2: Where Do I Start? What Do I Need?
Lesson 3: Genealogy Databases
Lesson 4: Timelines
Lesson 5: Sources and Citations
Lesson 6: Direct and Indirect Evidence
Lesson 7: Interviewing Family
Lesson 8: Write a Story
Lesson 9: Research Plans and Logs
Lesson 10: Research Agendas for Libraries and Archives
Lesson 11: Home Sources
Lesson 12: Hidden Sources
Lesson 13: Vital Records
Lesson 14: Census Records
Lesson 15: Social Media
Lesson 16: Health and the Causes of Death
Lesson 17: Occupations
Lesson 18: Probate Records
Lesson 19: Land Records and Maps
Lesson 20: Military Records
Lesson21: Religious and Cemetery Records
Lesson 22: Immigration
Lesson 23: Naturalization Records
Lesson 24: Newspapers
Lesson 25: Examine it Once, Twice, and Again
Lesson 26: Travel and your Family History
Lesson 27: Organizing Digital Files
Lesson 28: Putting it all together
Lesson 29: Where to Go From Here
Glossary
Order Branching: Genealogy for Adults, and any others from the series by clicking the title, from Family Roots Publishing, $29.35.