Forensic Genealogy
Have you ever considered looking at the edges of an old photograph to find out who is in the picture? Have you ever considered epidemics as a source of genealogical information? How can you use DNA to connect your family with historical events long in the past? These are only a few of the surprising connections Forensic Genealogy offers for investigating the where, who, when, and why of your family history. As featured on NPR’s Talk of the Nation radio program (July 2005), Internet Genealogy (June 2006 Online Bonus Edition), Family Tree Magazine (April 2006), and Family Chronicle (October 2005), Forensic Genealogy offers innovative new tools for getting the most information out of your reference materials. Forensic Genealogy also suggests many unusual places to look for family history. After reading this book, you will never look at your research materials the same way again! Forensic Genealogy comes with the Forensic Genealogy CD ROM and a mail-in coupon from Family…
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In Forensic Genealogy Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick explains in an easy-to-read manner how to find clues you never dreamed existed in your photographs and in databases of many kinds of records. She first explains the concepts to help you think like a detective when using these sources. Then she uses case studies to illustrate real-life examples of how to put these concepts to use.
I learned many things in the photo and database detective sections. Like other reviewers I will never look at a photograph again in the same way I did before. I thought I was meticulous in pulling details from photos but Dr. Fitzpatrick shows how to go far beyond what I have done before including using weather history to help determine when a photo was taken.
But the DNA section has been most useful. After reading several other DNA books written for genealogists, as well as the popular books written in recent years by scientists, I still hadn’t found explanations for some of the common notation I saw used on web sites and in mail-lists on DNA. I finally found these defined in Forensic Genealogy. The DNA section is written in such a way that you can get an overview and basic understanding or go much deeper. I would highly recommend this book to any one who wants to do professional-level genealogical research using digital tools and DNA.
This book is fantastic for dating photographs. I have bins of photos that I have no clue when they were taken. The tables in here help you to pen point the dates using things you’d never think of. Once Miss Fitzpatrick was able to use a cash registar and some old ads to determine the date of a picture! The more meaty sections are when she uses the light of day to name the exact location. Now that was amazing!
Last year I had the oppurturnity to meet Colleen. She is the nicest woman and ever so intelligent! Her passion flows throughout her work and makes the book enjoyable and fascinating to read. A genius in her field, Miss Fitzpatrick gives you the tools, the websites, and the frame of mind all in this book.
Inside are charts and tables giving you dating for when each type of photograph was made, describing to a tee how to distinguish your photo.
Also included, though I’ve not had much time to examine that section, are chapters on reading between the lines in directories and census images, ect.
Without this book I would still be clueless. It truly is a must have.
The only drawback to this book is that you don’t want to put it down. The ideas presented by Ms.Fitzgerald present a new approach to looking at old photographs, thinking outside the box to solve some of those genealogy mysteries! Using DNA is probably the only way we will ever determine some of our ancestors. This book provides a clear understanding of this process. This book should be on the shelf of anyone who is researching family history,whether they do it as a hobby or profession. Ms. Fitzpatrick has given clear and concise information which will surely aid anyone who is currently “stuck” working through their genealogical research.