How-to Guides and Manuals for Young People

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This article originally appeared in Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records, edited by Kory L. Meyerink.



An audience that has received much recent attention is young people who are searching for knowledge of the past. Guides aimed at this age level generally emphasize tracing family history through interviewing relatives, exploring sources found in the home, and using published works at libraries. Archival and public record searches assume secondary importance or are completely disregarded. Another feature of guides for young people is descriptions of creative ways to display or report findings.

A popular children's manual is My Backyard History Book, by David Weitzman. Chapters titled "Wow, Have You Got Ancestors!" "Out on a Limb of the Family Tree," and "Families Come in All Shapes and Sizes" make research fun and manageable.

A few books are directed at youth groups, such as 4-H or scouting organizations. Elizabeth L. Nichols's Genealogy is used by the Boy Scouts of America for scouts seeking a merit badge in genealogy. Both Genealogy and My Backyard History Book can be used as teacher and classroom aids for integrating genealogy into the curricula of geography, social studies, math, and science courses.

Another excellent children's book is Roots for Kids, by Susan Provost Beller. Intended for students as young as fourth grade, Beller's guide is the result of more than a decade of teaching genealogy in Vermont. Roots for Kids can be used as a textbook in a twelve-week enrichment class, as a guide for a mini-course, or as a self-teaching reader for students in sixth grade and above. (The text uses Vermont record-keeping systems, so allowances must be made for area terminology if the book is used outside of Vermont.) Beller presents the basics of genealogy in words and tone suitable for her intended audience. Her inclusion of sample request letters and abstract forms and examples is a welcome and essential addition to the text.

Early in Roots for Kids, Beller discusses good note-keeping and citing of sources. Her list of rules for handling courthouse and other records'ˆbeginning with clean hands, please!'ˆis practical and appropriate. Chapter 8, 'A Visit to the Town or County Clerk's Office,' includes some universal cautions about visits to public records offices; for instance, The most important plan for you as a student doing research is to have an adult go with you. The text is enjoyable to read and is not burdened with details that may interest adults but bore children. For example, Beller wisely advises readers to ask someone how to use the Soundex because it can be tricky (Beller 1997, 71).

Beller's treatment of sources is adequate for her audience. While a reviewer may take issue with statements such as, "If the person you are looking for died without a will, you usually will not get very much information from these [probate] records" (Beller 1997, 55), on the whole, Roots for Kids is a solid presentation of genealogy for young learners.


Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records

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Publication Information:

Introduction - By Kory L. Meyerink

Origin of InformationCategories of Research Sources and ToolsEvaluation of Printed SourcesDocumentation and CopyrightLearning What Printed Sources ExistPublishers and DistributorsRepositories of Printed SourcesEffective Use of Libraries and Archives

Chapter 1: General Reference - Martha L. Henderson

Unique Resources in Public LibrariesDewey Decimal Classification SystemReference SourcesEncyclopediasGeneral History SourcesSocial History SourcesAlmanacs, Chronologies, and Statistical SourcesUsing DirectoriesLocal DirectoriesPrinted Professional DirectoriesInstitutional DirectoriesDirectories of Groups and AssociationsSource GuidesGeneral Language DictionariesHistorical and Etymological DictionariesSlang DictionariesSubject DictionariesSurname DictionariesGovernment DocumentsUsing BibliographiesElectronic SourcesReferences for Printed Sources: Chapter 1

Chapter 2: Instructional Materials - Sandra Hargreaves Luebking

Introduction to Instructional MattersHow-To Guides and Manuals for AdultsHow-to Guides and Manuals for Young PeopleGenealogy Technologies and Refinement of SkillsCourses and Programs of StudyPeriodical ArticlesIdentifying and Obtaining Instructional MaterialsEvaluating Instructional MaterialsSelecting Textbooks for Classroom UseThe Future of Instructional MaterialsReferences for Printed Sources: Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Introduction to Geographic ToolsIntroduction to Maps and GazettersMapping of a New NationRoutes to the WestCanals and WaterwaysRailroadsPolitical MapsNineteenth-Century MapsUSGS Topographic MapsOrdering Topographic Map Names and NumbersOrdering Topographic MapsDigital Topographic MapsOut-of-Print Topographic MapsFact Sheets and General Interest PublicationsOther Types of USGS MapsNineteenth-Century National GazetteersTwentieth-Century National GazetteersPostal Guides and Shipping GuidesMaps, Gazetteers, and the ComputerFinding Geographic ToolsUsing Geographic ToolsReferences for Printed Sources: Chapter 3

Chapter 4

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Chapter 5

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Chapter 6

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Chapter 7

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Chapter 8

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Chapter 9

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Chapter 10

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Chapter 11

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Chapter 12

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Chapter 13

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Chapter 14

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Chapter 15

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Chapter 16

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Chapter 17

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Chapter 18

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Chapter 19

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Chapter 20

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Appendix

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