Genealogy Books-Recent

The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Uncovering Secrets, Reuniting Relatives, and Upending Who We Are Libby Copeland (This is both entertaining – with a genealogical mystery woven through the book – and thought-provoking, as the author and the many experts she talks to caution that DNA testing has been adopted without sufficient consideration of its potentially devastating impact not only on individuals and families but even on society as a whole.)

Family Papers: A Sephardic Journey through the Twentieth Century (Sarah Abrevaya Stein) – I would encourage you to read even if you might not buy it for your collection. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year (once I stopped trying to keep all the family members straight and just read the story).

Ancestor Trouble, Maud Newton, Random House, 2022

The Forever Witness: How DNA and Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder, Edward Humes, Dutton, Nov, 29, 2022

NPE* A story guide for unexpected DNA discoveries, Leeanne R. Hay, Booklocker.com, 2021

Uprooted, Peter Boni, Greenleaf, 2002.

I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever, Barbara Rae-Venter, Ballantine, 2023

How-Tos:

The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy Blaine T. Bettinger (published in 2016, and probably already owned by most of you. One of the best primers on DNA testing and its use in genealogy – we used it in the Boston University certificate course; it was easy to read and to understand.)

Mastering Genealogical Documentation Thomas W. Jones (2017 but still very much the current authority)

Managing a Genealogical Project. a Complete Manual for the Management and Organization of Genealogical Materials. Updated Edition William Dollarhide (1999 – older, but incredibly useful)

Genealogical Evidence: A Guide to the Standard of Proof Relating to Pedigrees, Ancestry, Heirship and Family History Noel C. Stevenson (An excellent overview of the sources used by genealogists - both at the time the book was written and still today - and the questions that must be asked to use them appropriately. Recommended reading by the Board for Certification of Genealogists.)

Delving into My Bitter Roots: How I Resurrected My Enslaved Ancestor, Granvill, and So Can You Donise Smith Lei. (Author discusses how he used local history as a source to uncover his ancestor’s identity and experiences in the lack of much documentation. Independently published, so I don’t yet know how good it is, but it looks fascinating.)

Our Quaker Ancestors: finding them in Quaker records, by Ellen Thomas Berry and David Allen Berry, Genealogical Publishing Company, 2022, 2nd edition

German Genealogy: finding the German records by Stephen Szabados, 2022

Reading the Gravestones of Old New England by John G. S. Hanson, McFarland and Company, 2021

Scottish Genealogy, the basics and beyond, by David Dobson, Genealogical Publishing Company, 2021

Credentials for Genealogists: proof of the professional by Paul Gorry, Gorry Research, 2021

DNA for Native American genealogy by Roberta Estes, Genealogical Publishing Company, 2021

Irish Immigration to America: why, when, how and where by Stephen Szabados, 2021

How to Write Compelling Stories from Family History by Annette Gendler, Nana’s Books, 2019

Genealogy for Beginners, Katherine Pennavaria, Rowman & Littlefield, 2020, paperback, 2022

Teach Yourself Palaeography: A Guide for Genealogists and Local Historians, Claire Jarvis, History Press, Paperback, December 1, 2022