I've put off posting the entry about how much I miss Hal Prowett about as long as I can. It's time. I've
been working a bit on genealogy and getting things together.
I had one startling revelation though. I forgot to do one thing that my father would have said is the first
thing you do any time you try something new, or want to learn something. VISIT THE LOCAL LIBRARY!
For some weird reason I was expecting to be able to learn by osmosis from my mother-in-law. I should know
myself better. It hit me when I found myself desperately scanning "Learn Genealogy" Websites and I realized I was reading
the same information over and over. What I really wanted was that book learned structure I've come to depend on! LOL
So...I girded my loins...no really, I at least pushed back my sleeves and headed in to the County Library
20 miles away....Did I mention that I had a much larger library just minutes away before I moved 8 months ago? So...with my
daughter at my side (she really just wanted to ride along and check out a book, not give mom any moral support) I braved the
task of learning a new library.
The librarians were wonderful and helpful and showed me right to the genealogy and local history section.
I was smart enough to ask because I figured that everything I wanted, at least for now, would be pretty much in one place.
It was.
A few hours spent in a time warp later...I found 5 or 6 books that looked good. I struck gold with, "The Genealogy Sourcebook," by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack. I'd definitely give
it an A+.
Not so good in my opinion, since it covers more the 'whys' than the 'hows' is, "How
to Climb Your Family Tree," by Harriet Stryker-Rodda. I did take into account the copyright that was over 25 years old,
but it still seemed dated and more than a bit opinionated. There were a few glaring grammar errors that drove my concrete
sequential (hubby says anal retentive *grin*) soul around the bend.
Another good read has been, "The Unofficial Guide to Online Genealogy," by Pamela Rice Hahn. I'll let you know if my opinion changes as I finish it. :)
I'm also working through the About U about.com genealogy email course. http://www.about.com and choose genealogy and look at all their options. I'll give an update on that later.
I was crying out for some structure! And I've still got 5 or 6 books I'm working through.
The one real "intermediate" book I checked out I loaned to my mother-in-law. I'm not quite ready
for it, though it seems to be an EXCELLENT resource and she is thrilled.
For those who are curious, it's, "A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Germanic Ancestors: How to Find and Record Your Unique Heritage," by S. Chris
Andersen &Ernest Thode ISBN: 1-55870-520-1
Take care all, Sondra
