Family History for the Clueless

By George D. Durrant and Larene Gaunt

The authors of Family History for the Clueless have provided gentle and informative instructions for starting and enjoying the search for your anchestors. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1570086583
• ISBN13: 9781570086588
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Shadow Mountain
• Length: 297 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.0" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Another great entry (For the Clueless)

This book is a good place to start and a good place to keep going in your search for not only this family history but any family history. More important than telling you any specific history, this book helps you get the tools you need to set a good foundation in genealogy. Even if you already have a library of genealogy books, this is a great addition. There is an extensive glossary of abbreviations and acronyms. Forms that you will need in the process of recording what you have found here in the back of this book. Most people nowadays do online; however, using this book, you can have forms and be free from any official organization that charges money, or for those who are paranoid, keep this out of the public domain. It is also written in a fun way that helps you maintain this information instead of having to keep looking it up.

Not Just For the Clueless!

Okay, the truth is I've loved family history (genealogy) for years, so I wasn't entirely clueless when I began this book. However, over the years I had bombarded myself with so much information that I found it difficult to do any actual research. This book was like coming out of my paper-strewn dungeon for a breath of clean air. Durrant makes the book a pleasure to read. His anecdotal chapter intro's and the scattered cartoons are upbeat, and his writing style is very "folksy." I enjoyed the easy-to-read typeface and all the white space left on the page. The layout is nicely done when you consider the amount of neatly organized information crammed into this book. The basics are here, plus the "where to go next" steps. I was enlightened by the articles "Who Owns the Cemetary?" and "Where Did My Ancestors Go To Church?" Although the author is obviously a Latter-day Saint (Mormon), his explanations of the LDS religious philosophy were brief and pertinent, not preachy. The nine appendixes are jammed with fabulous information and resources. Also included are blank forms that can be photocopied for use in your research and organization. A fun, informative, enlightening, EASY, book.