Reverse Genealogy: Finding the Living; Presented by Megan Smolenyak; CD-ROM; This class was presented to a live webinar (online seminar) audience on April 25, 2012. 1 hour 45 minutes, plus 4 pages of handouts; Item #:LEG11

"Reverse Genealogy: Finding The Living" Book Review

Although genealogy is at its heart the study of long-deceased ancestors, connecting with living relatives has become almost as important to many family historians. Some seek living kin in an effort to track down family photos; others do it to find family history playmates, plan reunions or identify DNA project participants. Whatever the motivation, one of the most addicting aspects of genealogy is the thrill of finding distant cousins, or in some cases, parents, children or siblings. But this "reverse genealogy" (working from the past to the present) has its own special challenges and requires the researcher to be part genealogist and part private investigator. This presentation covers proven techniques for tracing 20th and 21st century friends and relatives from the past to the present.

Viewers' comments:

• Absolutely the most fascinating and source filled webinar. I loved it and as others have stated....I wish I could have listened to her all day. Excellent..I have never heard her speak before and consider that definitely my loss. Will certainly sign up for whatever she might be speaking about in the future.
• This is the best speaker I have ever heard! She is so professional, witty, and charming and really knows her stuff! I would have listened for hours. Thanks Megan - you are outstanding!
• Excellent!!! Lots of great info, well-presented! I've attended Megan's lectures at confs -- she never disappoints!
• I could've listened to her all day! She was absolutely wonderful. So much information and everything so simple that even a person like me that's a beginner received so much help.
• I expected this to be great since I have read "Who Do You Think You Are" and it was much more than I expected. Thanks so much.
• I loved Megan's technique of going backward to go forward. And her graph was very helpful -- showing the zigzag btw past and present.
• Included a lot of things I had already known about, but many, many more that I hadn't. And Megan's tips were great! I can hardly wait to start my reverse genealogy again!!
• Love the amount of information, the organization, and the speed delivered. Best presentation I've seen!
• One of the best webinars yet! I'm already counting the days until Megan's next one!
• What a privillege to hear her...my first time!!! Wow!!!!!
• Exceptional. You guys keep toping yourselves each seminar. Selfishly, your seminars are the best kept secret. ......but I keep telling new genealogists Legacy is the smart way to go!!!
• WOW... WHAT A TERRIFIC SEMINAR! I learned so much. Thank You very much for all this wonderful info/sites, etc. I intend to share this with relatives and friends. I'm getting more and more excited about Genealogy. You make it fun and adventuresome.

About the author:

Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak (yes, that's her real name) is a genealogical adventurer who loves solving mysteries, making unexpected discoveries and pushing the boundaries of conventional genealogy.

A popular writer, speaker and TV guest, Megan has appeared on Good Morning America, the Today Show, the Early Show, CNN, NPR and BBC. In addition to consulting on shows ranging from Who Do You Think You Are? to Top Chef, she is the author of six books, a Huffington Post contributor, a cold case researcher for the Army, NCIS and the FBI, and former Chief Family Historian and spokesperson for Ancestry.com.