Learning of the different ways to research your family history has never been so interesting!

Follow a family as it began tracing its family tree before the Internet came along, then learnt how to use the different research methods as the years rolled on. You will pick up many shortcuts on tracing your own family tree today.

This book is about the remarkable story of how one family traced its roots in the East Indies and discovered its British ancestry.

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(SPECIAL EBOOK PRICE @ US$14. Normal Price US$20)

 

So what, you might ask? Why should you care? What's in it for you?

If you are like many others who have thought about searching your family roots one day, or have already started but encountered a stone wall, then this book is for you.

Here's the good news... your ancestors have left behind a hidden trail waiting for you to discover. This book is living proof that it can be done. You CAN uncover your family's history - with the genealogy toolkits available today.

The bad news is that this trail is NOT going to be visible forever. Every passing day you delay in your ancestral quest, a possible path to the past is lost as living memories are being erased with the passing of each elderly relative.

Finally,  a book that offers you a complete Case Study & Research Guide to Tracing Your Family History!

Research shows that case studies or stories are the best way to learn. This is especially true even with Genealogy. We challenge you to find books documenting detailed genealogical case studies. Try searching for a complete case study of how any family traced its roots from research to reunion. Do a Google search - you won't find many, if any.

And here, we are talking about a 20-year journey of the researchers (the Shepherdsons) where they share their story with you, complete with tips that can potentially save you lots of valuable time and money, and accelerate your progress.

Read it like an exciting detective storybook and learn about genealogy at the same time.

And the best part is that you don't need to read it like another instructional manual, like most Genealogy beginner guides.  Yes, a few writers might share their own mini case studies (a small section) but these are isolated and disparate cases limited to the search methods or resources being discussed. 

But this book is the complete reverse. It offers an astonishingly detailed genealogical diary with tip boxes to guide you along the way should you decide to do your own research. And the best part is that you can read it like a novel.

No laundry list of step-by-step instructions. No complicated terms. Save Money. Save Time!

Learn about how to combine traditional genealogical search methods with online resources and transcend time or geographical barriers with DNA testing methods.

There are a myriad of beginner guides on Genealogy, dozens of books dedicated to online genealogy, and a sizable number of specialised books that focus only genetic genealogy (which uses DNA testing). But how do you use these methods with each other? Genealogy writers often share in great detail with how-to guides and the kind of resources available to you  - which is great. But this is not enough. Besides these, what you also need is to learn how to analyze your findings and maximize these resources accordingly and use them in the right context. For example, do online search or DNA testing really work? What's hype and what's real?

Wouldn't it be insightful to read about a complete case study that demonstrates all of these? Well, here's a book that lets you do this.

How would you feel if you could experience the joy of discovering your family history, the unexpected outcomes and the eye-popping moments?

There are probably not enough inspiring stories to motivate one to embark on researching a family's past.  Read The Great Genealogical Search done by the Shepherdson Family researchers and put yourself in their shoes - and you will feel as if you had discovered your own family history: the joy, the disappointment, the shocking revelations.

• What would you do if a stranger suddenly hands you a will written by a potential ancestor of yours?
• Would you travel across the world to an unfamiliar country to meet a stranger  you met online who offers to help you search your roots?
• How would you feel if you could suddenly unlock 700 years of family history?
• What would you do if you had the opportunity to reunite with relatives you never knew you had?
• And after that reunion, someone then challenges you on the authenticity of your research?
• If that is not mind-boggling enough, while researching your roots, you stumble upon royal connections...  and then a stranger from another continent contacts you and informs you that he is related to you six generations ago?

All these and more await you in the Great Genealogical Search...

That's the reason why we chose to call it The GreatGenealogical Search. Great because it spans 20 years of research from East to West;  utilizes all three search methods - traditional, online, DNA testing; uncovers 700 years of family history; reunites a few hundred family members and establishes royal links to King Edward III who reigned in the 1300s.

...As Featured on CNN.com, The Wall Street Journal Asia & Channel NewsAsia

If you think that we are exaggerating, read about some aspects of the research covered in this book that were featured recently in the write-up, Technology helps unearth family trees at CNN.com (Nov 11, 2009), and  in an article called Relative Values, Asian families get in touch with their roots in The Wall Street Journal Asia (Jan 27, 2006). Watch a Youtube video of a news feature of the Shepherdson Reunion. And how DNA testing was used.  The Great Genealogical Search takes you behind the scenes...  and shares with you that jubilation and joy.

What if I can't trace my roots beyond my grandparents after reading this book?

You have a choice to read this book as if it is just another novel. Or use it as a starting point for researching your family roots. Should you be motivated to begin, then it makes us accountable and responsible to justify your investment. 

Genealogy is not just about putting together your family tree but it is about discovering all aspects of your family's past. This book offers a 3R Approach to Genealogy -  Research, Reconcile and Relive - which guarantees that you will make some progress with the resources, suggestions and tips that are provided.  For some reason, if you are not satisfied with your purchase, we will REFUND you your full investment in this book - and you get to keep the eBook for free.

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Paperback Edition Price: US$20

eBook Price: US$14

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If you purchase now, you will receive

the above complimentary eBook.

"The Tale of Two Captains" 

A short chronicle of the lives of the two Shepherdson brothers
who left their home in Britain to seek their fortunes as ship
captains in the Far East for the East India Company
in the late 18th century. 

The eBooks come in an electronic form (in PDF). You will need a PDF reader such as Adobe Reader to read the eBook.  If you do not have this software, download it here.

After you order, you get immediate access to the first few chapters of the eBook - no waiting time, no shipping fees! We will send you the full version within 1 - 2 days.

Contents

Total Pages:  232


Foreword
Preface
Prologue
Chapter 1: Unveiling the Hidden Past
Chapter 2: The Online Quest
Chapter 3: The Good Samaritan
Chapter 4: The LDS Family History Center
Chapter 5: From East to West
Chapter 6: Visiting the Ancestral Home
Chapter 7: Completing the Ancestral Puzzle
Chapter 8: The Final Lap
Chapter 9: The Family History Book
Chapter 10: The Historic Family Reunion
Chapter 11: The Genetic Connection
Chapter 12: The “Who am I” Exhibition
Chapter 13: Web 2.0
Chapter 14: Google Books & The Royal Links
Epilogue
Summary Research Guide
Are You Ready to Start Your Search?
Tip Box Index Guide

Each chapter is accompanied by several tip boxes and a chapter summary.

British High Commissioner to Singapore, His Excellency, Mr Paul Madden

 BG George Yeo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Singapore

"Human beings differ from animals in one critical respect:  each generation transmits knowledge and culture to the next.  A necessary condition for that transmission is memory of the past.  No wonder Churchill once said that the further one wishes to look into the future, the more one must back look back into the past.  In every tribe, there are individuals (not many) who dedicate themselves to researching and recording history so that the tribe as a whole can advance with greater confidence and clarity.  Kevin is one such individual."

Alan Chong, Associate Professor of International Relations
S.Rajaratnam School of International Relations

 "The Great Genealogical Search is a dedication to hard work and a monumental tribute to rediscovering the meaning of family. From the black-and-white photographs of distant forebears to the smiles of one's nieces and nephews, the search for one's roots culminates in a moment of celebrating one's humanity across cultures and oceans. The techniques of discovery are not simply boring science, one has to acknowledge the beauty in each and every life lived."

Foreword

This book is about Kevin Shepherdson’s search for his Eurasian roots – an effort of close to 20 years and the story is still unfolding. In a realistic manner, Kevin points out positive experiences and pitfalls for those interested in searching their ancestral roots. It has cross-cultural implications because search methods for ancestral information bear commonalities in different countries. Kevin instills a sense of drama into the process – the first few chapters of the books brought us right into his frustration over lack of sufficient information, and his delight of having unexpected results on several occasions. The surprises or joy he experienced are a genuine reaction to finding relevant information he needed to fill the gaps of knowledge in his ancestral quest.

      Kevin’s story is one of enthusiasm and persistence. It is also one of sharing – others shared their time and expertise in helping him in his ancestral search, and he is now sharing it with us through this book, which is a labour of love. Kevin points out that the genealogical research process can be painstaking, yet it is fun as long as there is passion and enthusiasm in doing it. His book is a mixture of anecdotes, ancestral history, immigration stories, various research tips, social networking, and use of modern technology. His wide-ranging research methods include use of well-established resources such as microfilms and church records, and application of DNA technology in identifying relatives. These various methods can be drawn upon by those who want to learn about or experience more about the research process of genealogy. Kevin has modestly told me that he is a layman in genealogical research. Yet his persistence has earned him expertise in such an endeavor.

      This is not a dry step-by-step instruction book; it is a practical guide or diary with research methods embedded in his indefatigable quest for his ancestry and made interesting to read by the drama experienced by him. Thus, this book is helpful as a textbook for beginners in genealogical research, as well as for more experienced researchers. The title of the book includes two words “remarkable story” as part of its subtitle, and remarkable it is. The genealogical journey has taken Kevin back in time and geographically extended the genealogical frontier for him.

      The weight of history is indeed on Kevin, as Shirley Abbott says, “our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies”. History abides forever only because people give meaning to it. Kevin has proved that he can not only make history for his family and us, but is also able to write it. He has threaded a tapestry of close and distant lineages in tracing the roots of his ancestry. His efforts deserve our respect.

Danny Chin

Genealogical Society of Utah/FamilySearch, Asia Branch

Barry P Pereira, Chair, Committee For Heritage & Eurasian Culture
Eurasian Association

Lars Mouritsen, Chief Scientific Officer, Sorenson Genomics

“Kevin Shepherdson, through a captivating description of his own genealogical journey, has provided a perfect example of how the latest technological advances, including genetics, IT and web 2.0, have changed the landscape of family history work.”