FEATURES
Cheap Tricks
Wish you could trace your roots today on yesterday's budget? You can-bank on these 26 thrifty tips for cutting your research costs. By Maureen A. Taylor
Vital Signs
Follow this five-step regimen to revive your search for birth, marriage and death records on the Web. By Rick Crume
State Research Guides
Trace your ancestors across the USA! This issue's special pullout section features how-to articles and resource sheets for:
Stash these guides in your research binder or tote them to the library—and quickly find the essential facts, advice and resources you need to trace your family tree anywhere in the country.
Cracking the Tombstone Code
Don't commit a grave genealogical error! Our eight-step guide will help you catch the clues you've missed in your cemetery research. Plus: Grade your graveyard smarts. By Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
Viva Italia!
Give your brick walls the boot with our advice for researching Italian ancestors. By Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
Group Dynamic
Exclusive family history tools. Research assistance. Moral support. You'll get those benefits—and more—by joining a genealogy society. By Nancy Hendrickson
COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS
Out on a Limb
Dollars and sense. By Allison Stacy
Making Connections
From courthouse conduct to technology tutorials, readers sound off.
Branching Out
What's new in discovering, preserving and celebrating your family history, including: • FamilySearch adds a key catalog option • More on the great record-restrictions debate • Plans to archive African-American newspapers online • Meet your new national archivist. By Diane Haddad
Living History
Best bets for celebrating your family's history and heritage, including: • Entertaining the past in Nevada • Lassoing Oklahoma's old-time cowboy culture • Catching a Portuguese tradition in Massachusetts. By Diane Haddad
Preserving Memories
Save money—and your family's history—with our penny-wise scrapbooking pointers. By Anne Wilbur
Now What?
Our experts answer your questions on searching city directories and preserving old home movies.
Everything's Relative
A series of twisted family trees, plus your tales from the lighter side of family history.
The Toolkit
Worried a computer crash will wipe out your family history files? Consult these data-backup options and rest easy. Plus: • Reviews of Genline and the Godfrey Memorial Library Web sites • Five guides to armchair genealogy. Edited by Allison Stacy
Photo Detective
An 1840s portrait that's worth its salt. By Maureen A. Taylor
Time Capsule
The author of Beaches traces her lingual lineage. By Iris Rainer Dart
