Just what it says on the label, a brief introduction to the basics of family history research..............................

This is a great basic overview of genealogy. Perfect for anyone interested in getting started in genealogy or wanting to brush up on their skills/knowledge. Great book to add to your genealogy library.

Very basic startup guide that can indeed be read in 30 minutes. Points to some free resources that readers may not have realized were out there.


Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

If you’re like me, you want to find out as much as you can about your ancestors. But it’s hard to know where to begin.

This isn’t an in-depth book, only the basics as the title suggests. But it’s a great book that has enough information to get you started on your search. And it’s a simple and quick read that is definitely worth checking out!

Thank you NetGalley and i30 Media Corp for this eARC. I’m voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.

I have been wanting to do my Ancestry since I bought it a few years ago and I keep getting scared because it is so daunting. When I saw this pop up I knew I needed to read it and try it out. I found this very helpful and have finally started to slowly delve into my Ancestry. Definitely a good book to use.

Even though I've been doing genealogy for more than half my life now, I still love going back and reading "basics" books or attending beginner workshops whenever I can. There are so many good habits you can reinforce or try to start to build when you just go back to the basics. This book has several good tips on how to get started.

I was already familiar with Shannon Combs-Bennett in the genealogy world, so she's definitely someone who knows what she's talking about here. She does a great job of breaking down the hobby into its simplest parts. It doesn't feel like this book is pushing one specific service or product (except for other "in 30 minutes" books), and she gives a brief overview of what's out there. That said, this pretty much just tells you these sites and products exist; if you are interested in learning more about each of those to make a decision on which to use or how to use them, this isn't the book for that. This is very much a "do what you can with phone calls and visits to family first, and then eventually you may end up online" approach.

Since I received an ARC from NetGalley, I don't know if the final book has an appendix of "where to go from here" recommendations, but I think this book would benefit from something like that. There are no online search strategy techniques or tips. Also, the record types described in the book are very American-research centered. While some of the same record types exist outside the US, the description of the information contained in them and the release of the census every 72 years is definitely for American researchers.

I do recommend this book to anyone curious about starting the hobby of genealogy. Most of the people I meet who are interested in genealogy have already spent some time dabbling online, and I would say this would also be a good book for those who just started doing that to go back and look for some things they may already have at home or with family members before they end up with regrets of who they missed out on interviewing when they had the chance. Sometimes we forget that a lot of the people we grew up with have the answers we're looking for. We just have to ask them about them.

Love. Love. Love. This is the perfect how-to-get-started guide for anyone wanting to research their family history. Combs-Bennett's warnings & pro-tips are dead-on. My two favorite elements were her tips for keeping a Research Log (please, people, do this for any kind of long-term research) and the "Getting Kids Involved" section (awesome Summer Reading Program idea, fellow librarians!). I will definitely purchase this for the library's collection but I also encourage anyone thinking about diving down the rabbit hole of genealogical research to grab their own copy. Also, it lives up to its promise--you can get through it in 30 minutes!

A great start to genealogy. 30 mins though - a bit ambitious even for the basics. Would dip in and out for website ideas and links,

This is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in Genealogy, but not sure where to start, or what to make of all the little green leaves on that one genealogy website! Combs-Bennet gives lots of Pro-tips and pitfalls to avoid to make getting started on your family tree feel manageable, and numerous case studies that will feel familiar to anyone who has already gotten started on their family tree. For a book intended to be a 30-minute guide, this book covers a LOT of territory, from citations to DNA and beyond, and would make a great reference for someone just getting started in genealogy,

The 30 minutes in the title is either figurative, or intended per chapter. The chapters aren't long--this is not a text book or endless narrative--if you read very quickly, you could probably finish it that fast.

However, there is so much information carefully packed into this small book, that it would be a waste to give it less time and attention than necessary to learn, not just read.

Genealogy and Family History have been weighty subjects, and honestly scary to some people for many years. Stereotypes should have been replaced with modern images of both young and older people searching through personal records as well as online or in archives.

The brilliance of this book is the organization and simplicity of the approach, and the thorough of the subject. From DNA to interviewing aunt Millicent, Family Group Sheets to online databases, and keeping a research log to citations. Every basic aspect is explained clearly, along with reasons for being careful to take notes and check sources. And it cleared up some minor confusion about the popular DNA testing.

I had heard of many of these things, from articles and other books. But this book has suggestions many long-time researchers will wish they had thought of. And will certainly give new searchers a significant head-start in understanding and good technique.

This is the book I wish I'd had when my family was younger. When writing family stories seemed "nice," but not very important.

I could never convince my dad to tell us details about his childhood family or his life. He kept no records or journals at all. We only know a few stories he used to tell. He loved doing genealogy work, but wouldn't tell us about himself.

With this book in hand, I believe I could have shown my dad the importance of his life in our family's history. Fortunately, there's time for my siblings to do what dad didn't!

I give this book 5/5 Stars, and will buy a copy as soon as possible (then tell my large extended family to do the same)!
#GenealogyBasicsIn30Minutes #NetGalley

After fifty years of genealogical research, I was not expecting it, but Shannon Combs-Bennett's "Genealogy Basics in 30 Minutes" surprised me with new ideas! This is a concise, up-to-date guideline for getting started in genealogy while avoiding the most common mistakes and pitfalls. Information is shared in a well-organized, conversational style infused with the author's enthusiasm for family history!

Combs-Bennett's explanations are brief and understandable whether she's discussing digital issues, DNA, or record keeping. (Check out her list of what you should have in your portable genealogy kit for visiting relatives to do research.) Stressing the importance of record keeping and research logs, as well as ways to preserve records of all kinds, this is a book you'll want close at hand to reference as you grow your family tree. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the author, I30 Media Corporation and NetGalley for a digital copy; opinions are my own.
Publication Date was January 5, 2021 #GenealogyBasicsIn30Minutes #NetGalley

My husband and my daughter are working on a family tree. This book was really helpful for both of them on how to proceed and what questions to ask the rest of the family.
And it is really nice that the grandparents are really excited to talk about the family and all members of our family that the children didn't get to know.

Thanks for letting me and my family read this book.

This was a quick, high level overview for people wanting to start looking into their family history. The author pulled together lots of useful information into one place. It read like a blog post to me and I probably could have found the same information at genealogy blogs but it is helpful to have it in one place. Lots of tips and useful websites included.

For someone starting their genealogy search, this is a good place to begin.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

This delivers exactly what it promises. It's a great quick guide.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

Good book for showing the basics of genealogy. It is definitely an evergreen topic, at least in my opinion. Fast read! Thank you Net Galley for the copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a well-researched and well written book. There are so many tips, websites, and options, that there’s no way you couldn’t at least get a great start on your family tree. I’ve already put it to the test and got my family tree to the great great grandparent stage with just a little bit of the information I had and the tips the author has given. The author gives you many options on how to write out your information, depending on the type of person you are, from the bare bones birth and death only, to the traditional tree, to a diary type entry.
I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to get started on tracing their family lineage. It’s easy to use, offers a lot of resources, and it’s not full of filler, you get right to the meat of it.

**I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

**** I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***

This book is a nice introduction to the world of genealogy. It is full of information regarding the collection, organization, and storage of genealogy materials. This book is well written and organized. It is also full of handy pro-tips and pit-fall warnings. I would recommend this to anyone who is just starting the research process of their family tree. This is a very novice level book and would probably not offer much insight for someone who has any existing knowledge of genealogy research. I would recommend this for genealogy beginners, as it will provide a good stepping stone and place to start.

Genealogy Basics in 30 Minutes by Shannon Combs-Bennett

This is a quick, handy book for helping you get started in your genealogy quest. I found it to be especially helpful if you had no idea where to start. I have been interested in genealogy for several years, but the book was still interesting, gave several websites that you can go to for further information in your search.

Definitely recommend as a resource for beginning genealogists.

Sincere thanks to #netgalley @netgalley and #genealogybasicsin30minutes for the complimentary copy. I was under no obligation to post a review.

Genealogy Basics in 30 minutes by Shannon Combs-Bennett is a wonderful resource for those interested in searching their family's genealogy. The book is full of worthwhile do's and don'ts, where to begin, how to determine the validity of you information right down to the amount of room you might need if you decide to undertake such a task.
The book is written clearly and concisely and for the beginner. The book actually got me excited as to how to begin uncovering my ancestral tree.
Well worth the read.
I would like to thank Shannon Combs-Bennett, i30 Media Corp and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I just recently got back into researching my family tree and this book provided a quick refresher course. I loved how straight forward it was and how it explained everything in layman's terms. I especially enjoyed the stories shared about others' discoveries about their families. They were fun, short breaks from the nitty-gritty of research suggestions. Definitely a must read for any beginner genealogist!