A New Beginning Genealogy Resource: Drew Smith’s Generation by Generation (Book Review)

Because I teach beginning genealogy classes at local genealogical societies and adult school, I was very interested in Drew Smith’s new book on basic genealogy research called Generation by Generation: a Modern Approach to the Basics of Genealogy (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2023).[1]

This slim letter-sized volume of 170 pages will not overwhelm a beginning genealogist. Smith’s approach to the subject is novel. Instead of dividing the book by different genealogical record groups, he instead covered records by those that help most in different time periods. The book is divided by two parts: part I covers basics about genealogical research and part II covers different time periods:

• after 1950
• 1980-1950
• 1850-1880
• 1776-1850
• Colonial America

and then records found outside of the U.S., and those foreign language records.

The first part of the book helps build a solid foundation in research practices. Many of the topics in chapters 1, 2, 4, and 7 are covered in early chapters of other beginning books: discussions of names, places, relationships, tools, and using online resources. The best part of this first part is the introduction of the methodologies of genealogical research process (chapter 3) and looking at previous research (chapter 4). The discussion of DNA (chapter 6) is usually relegated to the end of how-to books, but Smith keeps it in front and center and something to consider all through the research process. Also introduced in chapter 3 is the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS). This chapter is not just about how to locate information, but citing what is found, analyzing the information, and resolving conflicts. These are excellent skills to learn from the start.

Part II covers the different time periods, focusing first on yourself by using home sources, directories and phone books, yearbooks, and cemetery and newspaper sources. The census is introduced in 1880-1950 along with records of WWI and WWII, immigration and naturalization, church, and probate records. Records for the 1850-1880 time period introduced service and pension records covering the Civil War, census records including the slave schedules, and the Freedman’s Bureau records. For 1776-1850, he discusses early census records, military records of the Revolution and War of 1812, and land and property records. The last time period covers British America to 1776, where the focus is on where these records might be housed. The last chapters cover generations outside the US, both English language and foreign language records, and what is next to learn more.

The book is well-written in a conversational voice. Each section is not overly long and when more detail in the subject is needed, Smith suggests additional resources, such as Christine Rose’s Courthouse Research for Family Historians: Your Guide to Genealogical Treasures, and James C. Neagles’ U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Present.  

The book has many screenshots of online repositories, though the gray-scale images are sometimes not clear and easy to read. I imagine color images would have produced a much more expensive book. In a couple of places, I expected a little more said, such as mentioning the 1870 census is the first to include African Americans by name, and a little more detail about how to use probate and land records. A case study using some of the records could have added value to the great book.

If you know a beginning researcher, suggest this book. It will help get them started on the right track. I will be suggesting this book in my beginning genealogy classes.

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[1] I received a complimentary book from Joe Garonzik, marketing director at Genealogical Publishing Company so I would write a review. This review is purely my opinion. The book is $29.95 and can be purchased at https://genealogical.com/store/generation-by-generation/.

Copyright © 2023 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.