Book Review: Genealogy in Reverse

Have you ever wanted to look at the playbook that someone who specializes in finding living descendants has created? Have you wondered what resources a researcher would employ online and in the real world? Have you wanted to use such a playbook in your own reverse genealogy efforts? Within its 54 pages, Genealogy in Reverse: Finding the Living lets you have your own copy of concise notes written by Ms. Passey. She does this professionally and her impressive credentials include working as a subcontractor in the important genealogical work involved in repatriating the remains of WWII service members.

I have a cybersecurity certification in ethical hacking, and my favorite phase of the process is reconnaissance. Although DNA is not a part of the hacking methodology (yet), and the goals are different, the skills I have learned have assisted me in finding heirs and helping a museum find living descendants of a person that they planned to honor. These efforts made me curious about seeing that playbook, too.

The methodology and guidance for finding the living that are presented in the book are based on sound principles. Those principles are shared with the reader. There are instructions and screenshots for importing and exporting family trees between Ancestry.com and Legacy Family Tree Software, and how to split off a separate tree in Legacy Family Tree Software. The use of online databases and websites is part of the process, as is research at real-world locations. The value of newspapers is shown; helpful details may be tucked within their pages. Suggestions about contacting living people are also included. The final chapter contains a brief anonymized repatriation case. 

The book is intended to benefit all levels of genealogists. To make the most of the tools, methods and guidance introduced, I would recommend that a genealogist be comfortable with the individual parts of the process. It would be beneficial for a genealogist to be comfortable with using online family trees and/or a family tree software program of their choice, have a little experience with newspaper research, and a good understanding of DNA types and testing plans.

The book can be found at: https://genealogical.com/store/genealogy-in-reverse-finding-the-living/