Last week I commented on the fact there has been a recent rush in the genealogy publishing market to produce two to four page laminated guides. These guides have proven very popular as they typically provide a high density of basic information on a single topic. Guides reviewed on this site cover everything from researching a specific ethnic group or nationality to areas of specific research, like Ellis Island records or U.S. Census Records, and even dating specific types of photographs. Now the New England Historic Genealogical Society has jumped on the bandwagon, and is producing a series of laminated guides called The Pocket Genealogist.
With all this help in researching and organizing your family history, it won’t be long before you need The Pocket Genealogist: Building A Genealogical Sketch. Maybe you are already there, ready to put your family history to pen and paper, to publish your work.
When genealogists set out to tell stories, the author or publisher may take a certain amount of creative leeway in page design. However, when creating a genealogical sketch, effectively a descendancy or ahnentafel report, there are some basic formatting guidelines useful for producing a clean and easy to read book. This pocket guide provides all the details needed to construct a full genealogical sketch, parents and children, generation by generation. Learn numbering and name styling, generational numbering, using lineage lines, and other key stylization and formatting techniques.
Covered are both Descendancy Format as well as Ancestor or Ahnentafel tables. There is also a list of common abbreviations used in sketches. Like other pocket guides, this one is a four-page, three-color, laminated print, prepunched for easy insertion into a binder. The Pocket Genealogist Series is produced by the New England Historic Genealogical Society.
Contents
Introduction
Examples of Genealogical Formats
Descendancy Format (Register Style)
- Main entry
- Children’s List
Ancestor Table (Ahnentafel)
Recommended Resources
Order The Pocket Genealogist: Building A Genealogical Sketch from Family Roots Publishing; Price: $6.81.