Product Description
Texas was already slipping from the grasp of Mexico when Manuel Mier y Terán made his tour of inspection in 1828. American settlers were pouring across the vaguely defined border between Mexico's northernmost province and the United States, along with a host of Indian nations driven off their lands by American expansionism. Terán's mission was to assess the political situation in Texas while establishing its boundary with the United States. Highly qualified for these tasks as a soldier, scientist, and intellectual, he wrote perhaps the most perceptive account of Texas's people, politics, natural resources, and future prospects during the critical decade of the 1820s. This book contains the full text of Terán's diary--which has never before been published--edited and annotated by Jack Jackson and translated into English by John Wheat. The introduction and epilogue place the diary in historical context, revealing the significant role that Terán played in setting Mexican policy for Texas between 1828 and 1832. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The travels and observations of Teran in Texas, 1828
I highly recommend this book to the student of Texas history as well as a historian of the Mexican Nation and persons who like to know the truth of such events.

There are many of "what if's" in one's mind as they read the well educated comments of Teran with the fine translation of Mr. Wheat and this is farther reinforced by the comments and careful research of Mr. Jackson with documents from both Mexican point of view as well as others. The several editors and experts in the various fields covered in the diary have also done a fine job.

Such an extremely well researched and documented book is a pleasure to read.They translate the journal (Diary) and letters of General Manuel de Mier Y Teran as well as his letters and documents of others during this period which give the background of events of the day and throw light on the situation along the border with Louisiana. It comes across like a narrative that helps one understand the politics and habits of the people and even a description of the land, flora and fauna he encountered just before the Texas Revolution".

Teran is so thorough in his observations that his journal alone makes for very interesting reading with notations by the Arthur, covered in the "notes section of the book.Following the "Diary" you come to the Epilogue which covers events following his tragic death.The Epilogue, Notes and Bibliography take up almost half of the book but the reading is very edifying and the Bibliography is useful for farther research.

Be forewarned that you will learn something of the history of Texas that may give you a different point of view of the situation (if you have an open mind).The problems faced by the Mexican government from Indians and squatters, not controlled by the impresarios, and the dishonest impresarios their selves were very real and one wonders what the outcome would have been if Santa Anna had not become president or if the Mexican government would have been more stable.

This takes us to the Index, the only place where I was disappointed.It is very incomplete and a person doing research or trying to return to a passage is limited.BUT all is not lost, thanks to Google (to the rescue).If you Google the book you can put in the word you are looking for and it will give you the page you need.Actually this is somewhat an advantage except you need to keep your laptop handy while reading.

Definitely a five star book.

Fascinating & Excellent Original Source on Early Texas
Editor Jack Jackson has done a wonderful job presenting Teran's diary of his 1828 inspection of Texas with other original sources to allow the reader to form a rather complete and informed portrait of Texas before the revolution.Of course, all of the accounts are biased, but it is not difficult for the reader to balance them to understand the situation.

The accounts include not only the diary and letters by General Manuel de Mier y Teran, but also several of those with him on his expedition including Jose Maria Sanchez and Jean-Louis Berlandier.To give the reader a description of San Antonio in 1828, the editor presents accounts by Berlandier, Sanchez and a young trader from Cincinnati, J.C. Clopper, thus giving views of a European, Mexican and American.He also includes an account of a Frenchman, Theodore Pavie, written in 1830.Taken together this all makes for fascinating reading that no Hollywood movie has seen fit as yet to authentically reproduce.

Author Teran was sent into Texas as the head of a Boundary Commission to determine facts about the disputed boundary between Texas and Louisiana and also to bring back information on the entire state for use by the national government in making policy.At the time Mexico City authorities knew practically nothing about Texas and had failed in their attempts to populate the land due to depredations by the Comanches and Apaches.Teran was only thirty-eight, but well suited for the mission due to his education and scientifically oriented mind.He was to assess the condition of the frontier, recommend garrison points and policy with respect to settling Indian tribes pushed southwestward by the US and the massive legal and illegal immigration by Anglo American settlers.

Teran visited all of the primary locations of Mexican settlement, Laredo, San Antonio de Bexar, La Behia (Goliad) and Nacogdoches, and found that the Mexican population of Texas was less than 4,000 souls.It was already heavily outnumbered by Anglos coming in from the US, and he formed the opinion that contracts fot Anglo colonies should cease or be rescinded and Mexican immigration encouraged.He also felt that settling Indians into a buffer zone between Texas and the US would help control Anglo intrusions.He had much to say about the failed Spanish/Mexican policies, wanted to stop the importing of African slaves, emancipating those already in Texas (about 300-400 in 1828) and fighting the Comanches and Apaches whom he considered to be savages.He also found the current Mexican population to be lazy and no match for the Anglos in industry in making the land productive.He rightly feared that without severe and immediate action by the Mexican Government the Anglos would eventually take over Texas and make it part of the United States.All this comes out strongly in his writings which include letters to various other Mexican officials and individuals.

Unfortunately for Teran and Mexico the government could do little, and the tide of Anglo immigration was not stemmed.The reader must absolutely read the Epilogue to obtain a feel for Teran's personality, farsightedness and inability to impact the coming tragedy (as he saw it.)Teran was prone to bouts of depression, and in 1832 he committed suicide in the face of his impotence to prevent the loss of Texas (the reader should be reminded that the Texas Revolution was still three years away.)Actually, the Mexican Government had enacted almost all of Teran's policy recommendations, but could not effectively enforce them.In any case, without large scale Mexican immigration and the posting of troops able to suppress the Americans and defeat the Comanches and Apaches, Texas was as good as lost.

There is so much to learn here I don't know where to begin.Not the least is the lesson that if a nation can't control its borders it is doomed.Other cultures and peoples come in and either take over the government or cause the country to break up into smaller states divided along cultural, linguistic, religious, ethnic or racial lines.Gee, is this what is happening now in the US?Teran would certainly think so, only this time it is the Mexicans doing the invading to reclaim what they feel was unjustly taken from them in the 1830s and 40s.

This work is scholarly in the extreme, and the end notes are so valuable as to be required reading upon completion of each chapter.In fact, that is my only criticism -- I found myself constantly flipping back and forth to the end notes as I read this work.Perhaps the notes should have been placed as footnotes at the bottom of each page.The period maps and illustrations are excellent, and so is the editing and organization.My only suggestion to the reader might be to read the Introduction and Epilogue before reading the Diary.That way Teran's comments can be put into better context in light of his personal development of opinions and attitudes.

In short, this is a fantastic work -- a true historical snapshot of an important age in Mexican and American history.I recommend it to ALL American historians, not just those interested in Texan and Mexican history.It is also an important first person account that shows the author's development of policy for his country -- even if that policy was not implemented to the degree and effectiveness wanted by the author.Within three years the author decided it was too late for his policies to right the situation and he gave up his life as a result.Teran was a true patriot and outstanding individual.I found myself grieving for his loss -- so effective was this work.

If I could give it more than fire stars, I would. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Though it can be as casual or as diligent as you wish,genealogy involves documented research through letters, books,periodicals, personal interviews, and other records. The GenealogySourcebook provides information on the numerous genealogical,lineage, family associations, and ethnic societies that can help inthe search for your ancestors. In this how-to guidebook, there arecase studies to demonstrate how all this research can be organized andhow to overcome brick walls in your search. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent, detailed
I love this book.Although it is appropriate for beginners, it covers more topics, and in more detail, than you'd expect to find in a beginner's book, making it perfect for advanced-beginner or intermediate genealogists.For instance, most books will mention cemetery research, but this one details all the different *kinds* of cemeteries there are (I had no idea) and discusses what to bring when you're going to a cemetery, how to photograph a tombstone, the ins and outs of tombstone rubbings, etc.

The author covers everything imaginable:interview skills, records abstraction, what to bring (and how to behave) when visiting a courthouse, how to organize in preparation for research trips, what kinds of genealogy classes are available and where to find them, how to go about becoming a professional, how to make sure your research isn't lost to the world after you're gone, etc.She doesn't just list which genealogical journals exist, she explains the differences between them and illustrates clearly why it's important to read them.(That may seem obvious, but there are issues I hadn't thought of.)There are tips galore.

Another thing I liked:Once she's introduced you to a topic, she provides recommendations for further reading, so you know where to go to learn more about that particular issue.

In short, this author is very thorough, and at the same time very readable.I'd recommend this book to anyone.

Great Book for the Beginning Genealogist
This is a great beginner's book on genealogy.It discusses various documentation methods; where and how to find records; and organizationmethods for your research.Two case studies reinforce how to use therecords available to you.

The book goes on to suggest other publications(books, magazines, journals) that are good for genealogists to be familiarwith.It also discusses significant genealogical societies and theirrequirements for membership.It even includes a chapter on how to become aprofessional genealogist.

Finally, the appendix in this book is avaluable source of information, detailing how to contact the variouslibraries, repositories, societies, etc. discussed in this book. ... Read more

Product Description
The definitive guide to Jewish genealogical research. Written by more than 60 authors, all experts in their own field. The list of authors is a veritable "Who's Who in Jewish Genealogy." Its more than 100 chapters cover all important aspects of the rich body of information available to do Jewish genealogical research. Each chapter in "Researching by Country of Ancestry" typically has (1) history of the Jewish presence in the country, (2) what records are available, (3) how to access records, (4) address of repositories and other institutions, (5) bibliography, and (6) Internet addresses. This book is of immense value to both the novice or the experienced researcher. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Comprehensive
PACKAGING: Nicely bound.Good cover art.When teh dust jacket tears, the hardcover beneath it is identical.Attractive, readable font.

SCOPE AND FORMAT: The first few hundred pages cover all the basic topics concisely: naming traditions, migration history, rabbinical genealogy, immigration records, American vital records, overseas records, etc.Very few topics are missed (I would have liked to have seen more on photos and family hierlooms).

The majority of this massive book, however, is an alphabetical treatment of the specific issues of research in various country -- everything from Norway, with a handful of Jews, up to the major spots like Russia, Poland, and the Ukraine.Each country gets about 1-8 pages.

Therefore, if your known Jewish ancestors are from just 2 or 3 countries, as is the case for most, then 95 percent of the last 400 pages of the book will be irrelevant to you.

My biggest complaint: NO INDEX!But the chapters are short and well-organized, making it easy to navigate.GREAT bibliographies at the ends of each chapter suggest trails of further research.

QUALITY: VERY high.The contributors are all masters of their topics.The writing style, for the most part, is clear and lively.The essays are written to be assible for beginners, but also contain plenty of helpful material for even the most experienced genealogist.

The articles are pretty current.Most seem to have been written in 2003.

My advice -- please get this book.Its a joy.If purchased along with Barbara Krasner-Khait 's Discovering Your Jewish Ancestors (2001) its all you need for general handbooks.(Krasner-Kahait covers other topics like heirlooms and photos in more depth and takes a more anecdotal, case-study approach, which complements and illustrates this Avotaynu nicely).

Added bonus -- we really need to support Avotaynu.They are doing such important work.Consider buying a copy for your public library too.And subscribe to the excellent Avotaynu journal.

... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: John P. MurphyPublication date: 1885Subjects: History / GeneralReference / GenealogyReligion / Christianity / QuakerNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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Publisher: The Imperial pressPublication date: 1898Subjects: History / GeneralNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Product Description
The reception of Michel Foucault's work has often been divided between two unsatisfactory alternatives. On the one hand there are those who admire the detail of his concrete analyses, but wonder how the political and ethical commitments they seem to rely on can be justified. On the other, there are those who deny the need for normative foundations, but also find it difficult to explain what makes Foucault's archaeologies and genealogies critical. Rudi Visker's book is not only a lucid and elegant survey of Foulcault's corpus, from his early work on madness to the History of Sexuality, but also a major intervention in this debate. Reading Foucault against the Heideggerian backdrop to his work, Visker shows that Foucault's target is not order as such, but rather the production of ordering systems which cannot acknowledge their own conditions of possibility. Exploring along the way such intriguing issues as the ambivalence of Foucault's concepts of truth and power, and his philosophically provocative use of quotation marks, Visker portrays Foucault as neither relativist nor positivist, neither activist nor detached observer.Instead, Foucault emerges as the inventor of a new analysis of our modern mechanisms of control and exclusion: precisely of 'genealogy as critique'. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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An informative genealogy kit that comes with a detective's notepad, family-tree poster, places to write for genealogy research, and a keepsake box for mementos, offers all the steps necessary to discover facts and lifestyles about relatives past and present. Original. ... Read more

Product Description
Since it was first published in 1980, From Generation to Generation has inspired thousands to pursue the unique challenges and rewards of Jewish genealogy. Far more engaging than a mere how-to reference guide, this landmark book is also part detective story and part spiritual quest. As Arthur Kurzweil takes you along on his own fascinating journey through his family’s past, you’ll learn about the tools, techniques, and the step-by-step process of Jewish genealogical research – including the most current information on using the Internet and the newly accessible archives of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. But even more, after reading this fully updated, revised, and beloved classic, you will undoubtedly be inspired to embark on a genealogical quest of your own! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Family History
All novice researchers of Jewish genealogy should own this book. Yes, Jewish genealogy is different from all other genealogy, but the author Kurzweil is more than equal to the task of explaining it. Admittedly, this review can include only highlights of this wonderful book. Not a collection of dry facts, throughout, the author inspires with the tale of his own quest to learn about his Jewish ancestors.

On specifics, Kurzweil provides guidance on how to collect family stories, get the research underway, use historical records, and access key Jewish resources such as Memorial Books from Jewish communities. He claims that Jewish towns and surnames are the key to the research, and so he lists the towns with published Memorial Books, and provides lists of Jewish names. He gives extensive information and guidance to elaborate on these topics.

Kurzweil thoroughly explains a wealth of other resources. Examples include helpful websites such as JewishGen.org.; journals of Jewish genealogy such as "Avotaynu"; resources for Holocaust research; and Jewish encyclopedias including "Encyclopedia Judaica".

In the Foreward to the book Elie Wiesel said it all. That Kurzweil's beautiful and important book ....."shows us that each name is a mysterious call transmitted from generation to generation in order to force themselves to question the meaning of their survival."

really interesting and helpful
This is an awesome book. I am a novice at family genealogy, with a research background.When I became interested in tracing my family's roots, I was intrigued by the data available on the web.It was hard to figure out where to look first.I saw the reviews for this book on Amazon, and I first took this book out from the library.When I realized how much I'd use it, I bought my own copy.
This book is very easy to read, especially in terms of how to sort out the kinds of information you can look for, hints about where to find it, and realizing that it's okay to decide for yourself how far to delve.The enthusiasm of the author is contagious.I couldn't put it down.

The single best source for Jewish Genealogy I've found yet
Having become interested in doing the genealogy of my family about two years ago, I began by going it alone and stumbling around Google and visiting some resources in New York City including the fascinating Municipal Archives.

I was told about this book some months ago and, voila!, it has opened the whole world of Jewish geneaology for me.I've bought 14 other books on the subject and find this the most interestingly written and the most complete.There are updates to the book so I'd caution the buyer to get the latest one from Amazon rather than one of the much older ones being sold as used.The list of resources is exhaustive and clearly organized and each area of investigation is illustrated by the author through sharing his journey of discovery of his own roots.

You'll find information about how to use resources in the US and in the major cities like NY and Chicago as well as information about national resources such as YIVO, the National Archives, the Mormon Church's extensive records and how to access them.Special interest groups for Rumania, Latvia, etc. are listed and you'll eventually find many rich sources which you'd probably not discover on your own except by accident.

This is the book I wish I'd had two years ago and I would have saved much time, money and frustration.No one book can be the only one worth having, but I'd definitely buy this one first, read it through with a highliter and post-it notes to mark sections worth exploring again more deeply.

Part detective story, part spiritual quest,, part how-to text
Along with the new Avotaynu Guide, indispensable.

Kurzweil's book is not as lengthy and technical as the Avotaynu book, nor as concise and tightly organized as Barbara Krasner-Khait's Discovering Your Jewish Ancestors (2001).But what it offers is something unheard of in genealogy textbooks - a work that reads like a novel.He is not afraid to be expansive and anecdotal, even chatty.His personal stories with genealogy, dating back to 1970, are gripping.Especially so because Kurzweil (unlike many genealogical authors) knows how to tell a story.The book is often lyrical and intensely earnest, without being melodramatic or overwrought.His passion for discovering his ancestral roots is sincere and infectious.In fact, his discovery of a descent from a famous Hasidic rabbi led him to embrace more traditional Judaism in his spiritual life.

But the book is not ALL personal stories, as interesting as they are.He packs the bulk of these into his opening chapters, and then sprinkles them as useful illustrations throughout the work.He covers all of the important topics, and is quite up to date on the online resources (through about late 2003).He has a great command of the details of doing Jewish genealogy, and he has some very brilliant recommendations for some unique and creative sources. (He was a founding father of Jewish genealogy in the mid-70s, and has given something like 600 lectures around the country).

His enthusiasm is infectious, and he makes strong arguments for the moral and spiritual value for Jews to explore their roots (bolstering his case with short gripping quotes from the Old Testament, Jewish sages, and Talmud).Further, he makes a good case against cremation (with which this Christian reviewer agrees).

The only shortcomings of the book:
1. As noted above, this is not absolutely comprehensive.You will want both the Avotaynu and the Krasner-Khait books to fill in all of the blanks.
2. While a good scholar and critically oriented, he is generally a littel more eager than I am to accept oral traditions or unproven claims of rabbinic lines.See, for example, the material pp.30-34.At the end he is willing to claim it is `likely' he is a direct descendant from King David, because a certain famous rabbi living 1500 years after David claimed descent from him (how could he know?).And another rabbi living 600 years later claims to be a descendant of that rabbi, etc.Four or five jumps like that and Kurzweil makes it to his famous 3x-great-grandfather rabbi. Utterly unprovable beyond perhaps the first or second `jump' backwards, and pretty unlikely. But in fairness, he acknowledges the problems with these rabbinic genealogies.

In any case, a wonderful read, and a good practical tool.

It might make a nice gift for a relative who is mildly interested in their family history, but in need of inspiration to get more involved.Also, every synagogue library, public library, and local historical society needs to have a donated copy (along with the Avotaynu guide).And at just $16 (for a beefy, nicely illustrated hardback), VERY affordable.

Excellent Primer for anyone considering Genealogy Research
While this book focuses on one man's search for his family history, his examples could be of value to anyone who is considering beginning a research project.Mr. Kurzweil's joy of discovery is very compelling, and was probably a big reason why I got into the hobby myself.

There is plenty of practical advice on how to start, where to look for documentation, how to interview, etc.While the book lacks depth in some areas, it covers every important facet of Genealogical research, and provides a point to jump from in search for more information. ... Read more

Product Description
The papacy has often resembled a secular European monarchy more than a divinely inspired institution. Roman pontiffs bestowed great wealth on their families and forged strategic alliances with other powerful families to increase their power. Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia), for example, forced his daughter Lucrezia into a series of marriages for political reasons. When her marital alliance was no longer advantageous, as was the case in her second marriage, her husband was brutally murdered. Many papal families also intermarried in hopes of forming a hereditary papacy; at least two members of the Fieschi, Piccolomini, Della Rovere, and Medici families served as pope.

Papal families since the early history of the church are fully covered in this comprehensive work. Genealogical charts graphically show the descendants of the popes, presenting in many cases the interrelationships between the papal families and their relationships with many of the leading families of Europe. Detailed histories examine the impact of the papacy on each pope’s family and how each influenced the history of the church. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A good reference book
The book is well written with Genealogy trees interspersed for most of the Popes and their associated Clans.It covers a lot of territory so is lacking in real depth - some of the related trees are in separate parts of the book which isa bit hard to follow. Obviously the earliest Popes have the scantiest information, and perhaps a bit more of the background clan politics could have been added,feuds and the reasons for the feuds, but overall it is well researched and a great reference book to have on hand.Well recommended.

High Gossip, Academic Style
It's interesting to observe how dry academic language can take thejuiciest gossip, the most outrageous of unfounded rumors, and the mostgruesome tales of betrayal, debauchery, and degeneration and turn it into atedious labor requiring considerable concentration just to keep track ofthe action.

Weakened by unimaginative writing, this tome isprimarily of interest for its wealth of genealogical detail.It includes stories of the popes from the tenth century to the nineteenth, but there has to be a more readable source for that material. ... Read more

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The great steel-making town of Braddock, Pennsylvania, traces its history to the bloody defeat of General Edward Braddock in the early days of the French and Indian War. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Braddock happened to be the hometown of some of America's greatest steel manufacturing industrialists, including Andrew Carnegie. Other "wars" then would be fought on Braddock's Field: wars of egos and ideals, labor wars, and contests of manufacturing prowess between behemoth blast furnaces. Workingmen lost their lives and limbs in those fiery furnaces, ultimately meeting the same fate on that bloody ground as General Braddock and his soldiers.

The "Boys of Braddock" developed concepts in industrial management that changed the Industrial Revolution. The earlier "Industrial Victorians" were the first to apply science and technology to industry, but the "Industrial Edwardians" such as Carnegie and his great managers, Bill Jones and Charles Schwab, believed that harmony between the human and machine elements could allow for the advance of the science of management, as well as greater productivity and profitability. These principles led to improvements for the workingman, such as the demise of the twelve-hour day in favor of the eight-hour day.

The Boys of Braddock is a captivating rags-to-riches story, woven together from a little history, a little metallurgy, and a little industrial management. ... Read more

Product Description
The Richard Porter Family Genealogy is a book of the descendants of Richard Porter, who came to Weymouth, MA in 1635 from Weymouth, England. He was among the list of the Rev. Joseph Hull party from the area of Crewkerne, Somerset, England. The generations of Porters of this line are outlined to the year 2008, as best information to the author presented itself. ... Read more

Product Description
- A guide to computers, computerized family research, and genealogy on the world wide web by a best-selling author widely known for his in plain English explanations in over 90 other books.

- Breaks new ground in covering FULL genealogy, not just the limited ancestor genealogy most books do. Quickly and easily apply this breakthrough in family history research techniques to finding and documenting your own family roots.

- The author used these methods in proving himself related to ALL U.S. presidents. He shows you how you can do it for yourself.

- Is your family descended from royalty? Almost certainly! Find out and document your descent from kings and queens in an evening.

- Add hundreds of relatives a week! Effortlessly manage a database containing tens or even hundreds of thousands of your relatives, showing their exact relationship to you.

- Learn to REALLY use computers and the Internet for researching, maximizing the power ofYOURpersonal computer.

- Throw off restraints of outdated genealogical research methods and enjoy the tremendous freedom that this fusion of Internet technology and genealogy gives you. Turbo charge your family history research. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Spend a few bucks more, and buy a good book
Ralph covered how to run (any) software package, and how to connect to the internet. He also reviewed, in depth, Family Tree Maker, the only genealogy software he seems to be familiar with. If you don't know much about theinternet or computers, this book will be helpful.

However, most of us arefamiliar with both (Hey, we're on Amazon.com, aren't we?), so more thanhalf the book is wasted. There are about ten pages of weblinks which can behad simply by going to a decent search engine, like Yahoo!. Spend yourmoney on another genealogy book.

This book is somewhat of a rip-off
I guess if you know nothing or little about PCs and/or the internet this book might be for you.The author seems to fill up the book by writing about areas that really have nothing to do with Geneaology.There arefinally a few pages that provide Geneaology links on the internet and mostof these links are no longer valid.Those that are valid, one may find onyour own using any of the usual search engines.

Well written,Easy to Understand
A must for begining genealogy researchers and new users of theinternet.Well worth the price per copy.

Extremely well written and informative.
I have read several books about performing genealogy research on line, but this book is by far the best!It gives you hits, tips, software reviews, and, best of all, LOTS of links to genealogy sites on the WWW.This books is definitely worth its modest price for anyone who is, or is considering, performing genealogical research. ... Read more

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Enjoy following the life of Arthur Bitzer as he grew up in Collinsville, Illinois, attended the University of Illinois, served in the Army Air Corp and owned and operated an automobile dealership. His wife, Marjorie, and three daughters Joan, Kay and Pat were an important part of Arthur's life. Creative and sentimental, Arthur's poetry reveals a love of writing and family. He also recorded some of Marjorie's childhood recollections. Arthur and Marjorie Bitzer's family members are found in these pages, ancestors going back to the early 1700's and descendants just beginning their life's journey. ... Read more

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A fascinating book covering fourteen generations of the extended Purchase family. The Purchase ancestors from England were related to Rev. Charles Haddon Spurgeon from London and were missionaries to Southern Africa. They settled in Northern Rhodesia and raised their families under very primitive conditions. In addition to instilling Christian principles into local Africans, they taught them common farming and building skills. The descriptions of confrontations with wild animals and interactions with native Africans are at times riveting. Successive generations of Purchases spread out all over the world. ... Read more