Books

Starting at the end of 2021, I began writing and publishing books intended to assist you with your genealogy research. They are written practically so that you have ready-to-use tools and techniques to further your family history research.

Below are summaries about each book, with the link to Amazon, where they are available for purchase, either in paperback or eBook formats.

Discover Hidden Stories: Learn how to find remarkable stories about your family that can be easily overlooked.

Master Powerful Techniques: Unlock advanced newspaper research methods that go far beyond basic surname searches. For example, using abbreviations, nicknames, misspellings, and hyphenated words.

Access Exclusive Resources: Gain a comprehensive list of historical newspaper databases that save you time and expand your research capabilities.

The information in this book is presented in seven sections, each designed to guide you step-by-step toward becoming a proficient newspaper researcher:

• Why Newspapers Matter — Discover the incredible secrets hidden in historical newspapers and why they are essential to successful genealogical research.
• What You’ll Find in Historical Newspapers — Learn about the various types of information and articles available, including obituaries, local events, and personal stories that add depth to your family history.
• The Digitization Process — Understand how original newspapers are transformed into digital formats, helping you make sense of digital searches and what to expect from scanned content.
• Basic and Advanced Search Strategies — Develop a thorough understanding of search techniques, from fundamental to advanced, enabling you to find even the most elusive articles.
• Tools and Techniques for Success — Master advanced search strategies, plus dozens of practical tips that will help you find the information you need efficiently.
• Software and Subscription Databases — Explore the various online software packages and subscription databases available, making your search more productive and informed.
• Historical Newspaper Databases — Access major online newspaper databases from the United States, Canada, Europe, and beyond, complete with direct links to each resource.

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Delve into the fascinating history of obituaries and discover what crucial information they contain, with real-life examples to help you understand their importance. You’ll also learn expert techniques for finding and obtaining obituaries in both obituary databases and online newspaper archives, making your research easier than ever before.

But that’s not all! With over 10,000 free online obituary databases and 50,000 historical newspaper titles for the United States and Canada in the Appendix, you’ll have access to an incredible wealth of resources to aid your research.

This book isn’t just about finding obituaries—it’s about using them to gain a deeper understanding of your family’s story. With helpful tips on analyzing obituaries and incorporating them into your genealogy research, “Finding Your Ancestors’ Obituaries” is an essential part of any genealogy reference collection.

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Discover the life between the milestones.

Beyond births, marriages, and deaths, newspapers captured the real pulse of community life — who visited, who hosted, who achieved, and who gave back. Community Lives brings those overlooked, everyday stories into focus, showing how ordinary columns reveal extraordinary details about your ancestors’ connections and character.
Inside, you’ll explore

• The rich variety of social, local, and personal news that chronicled daily life in every town and city.
• How to find mentions of your ancestors in visits, club meetings, school events, and social columns.
• Why small notices matter — how they trace networks of friends, faith, work, and neighborhood ties.
• Practical search strategies for uncovering elusive local mentions and building context around known facts.
• Direct links to Hidden Gold, Name Games, and Academy Research Guides for deeper discovery.

If Hidden Gold shows you what to look for, Community Lives reveals why it matters — the stories that make genealogy come alive.

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Find the missing names hiding in plain sight.

You searched every way you could — yet the name just isn’t there. It’s not gone… It’s distorted.

From worn type and fading ink to nicknames, hyphen breaks, and misread letters, newspapers were full of traps that make ancestors vanish from digital search results.

Name Games exposes the 25 most common distortions that hide names in historical newspapers — and shows you exactly how to overcome each one.
Inside you’ll discover:

• The five major categories of name distortion — from physical damage to phonetic confusion.
• Why OCR errors, nicknames, and typesetting quirks keep records invisible.
• Clear explanations and practical “search solution” strategies for each distortion.
• How to recognize these errors in online newspaper images — and recover lost names with smarter searches.
• Direct links to The Newspaper Research Academy’s guides and keyword tools for deeper mastery.

Every researcher struggles with names that disappear. This book gives you the clarity — and the tools — to bring them back.

Decode the distortions. Recover the lost names. Reconnect the story.

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Most genealogists stop at obituaries and wedding announcements. But newspapers held so much more — hidden details about the lives your ancestors actually lived. Hidden Gold takes you beyond the obvious and into 125 overlooked article types that reveal forgotten stories, personal triumphs, and everyday lives in astonishing detail.
Inside you’ll discover:

• 125 distinct article types—from hotel arrivals and labor disputes to charity drives, school events, and hometown celebrations.
• Where to find them in both local and national papers, and what genealogical clues each one holds.
• Why they matter—how a single line of print can unlock relationships, migration paths, occupations, or personal histories.
• How to search smarter using targeted keyword strategies drawn from The Newspaper Research Academy.
• Direct connections to Academy Research Guides and the Newspaper Keyword Compendium for deeper study.

Whether you’re tracing immigrant stories, documenting community roots, or just curious about the texture of everyday life, Hidden Gold turns each search into a guided exploration of your family’s past.

Discover the overlooked. Find the unexpected. Bring your ancestors’ stories back to life.

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Find other fantastic Genealogy Books by expert authors – right HERE