In search of Buchanan : 'Clarior hinc honos' : the stories of some Buchanan ancestors before and after the emigration of James Buchanan of Ramelton, County Donegal, Ireland, in 1783
iii, 152, [17] pages : illustrations (some color), maps (some color), portraits (some color), facsimiles ; 25 cm
Notes
Sub-title on cover: from Anselan to President James Buchanan.
"Some of these stories are incorporated in the BBC1 TV documentary, 'Are you related to an American President?', produced by Big Mountain Productions."
Seeing ancestors in historical context -- Creating a timeline -- Why did they leave? -- How did they go? -- Coming to America -- Myths, confusions, secrets and lies -- Even harder to find missing persons -- Social history and community genealogy -- State by state -- And region by region.
Summary
History lays the foundation to understand a group of people. Genealogy lays the foundation to understand a person or family using tangible historic evidence.
"Richard Hill's true and intensely personal story of how he pieced together the long-kept secret of his own origins. This highly suspenseful book is a page-turning saga of personal detective work that will appeal to anyone who loves a good mystery. But this isn't fiction. It's an engrossing account of an adoptee trying to reclaim the biological family denied him by sealed birth records. This fascinating quest, including the author's landmark use of DNA testing, takes readers on an exhilarating roller-coaster ride and concludes with a twist that rivals anything Hollywood has to offer."--back cover.
Includes information on the types of cemeteries in the United States, as well as how to do research in and about them (includes information on photographing and rubbing tombstones)
"With a message from David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States" --t.p.
Includes bibliographical references.
Contents
Message from the Archivist -- Introduction -- Getting started -- The U.S. census -- Immigration and naturalization -- Military service -- Federal land records -- Genealogy tool kit order sheet -- Family tree charts -- Appendix.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 235-240) and index.
Summary
Explains how to locate and obtain family records and documents from libraries, family history centers, archival reposititories, microfilm, and the Internet.
Getting started -- Interviewing -- Collecting information -- Preserving your finds -- Internet searches -- Creating family trees -- Decoding the past -- Genealogy on the move -- International directory.