Learn what records exist and where to find them, what information they contain, and how to use them to further your research.

By Ann G. Lawthers, ScD

Published by American Ancestors in January 2025

8 ½ x 11 laminated, 4 pages

An index is essential in a family history book; your reader should be able, at a minimum, to look up every person mentioned in the book. This Portable Genealogist will outline the basic principles for genealogical indexing, including showing you how to index names and places; discussing how to create and format an index; and showing you how to use Microsoft Word to create an index.

By Leslie A. Weston

8 1/2 x 11 inches, 4-page laminated pamphlet

Learn about WWII draft registration cards, using the census to determine if your ancestor served; accessing Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Army files at the National Personnel Records Center; and using record collections at the National Archives and other repositories.

By Melanie McComb

Published by American Ancestors in January 2025

8 ½ x 11 laminated, 4 pages

Learn about WWI draft registration cards; using the census to determine if your ancestor served; accessing Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Army files at the National Personnel Records Center; and using record collections at the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and other repositories.

By David Allen Lambert

Published by American Ancestors in January 2025

8 ½ x 11 laminated, 4 pages

This handy guide will help you determine whether your ancestor served in the U.S. Army State Volunteers in the War of 1812 by using the Compiled Military Service Records (CMSRs). For U.S. Regular Army veterans, learn how to use enlistment, discharge, and prisoner of war records. For those who served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, using muster and pay rolls, casualty reports, and courts martial records may allow you to further your research.