This is the ultimate guidebook to Courthouse Research in the United States. Rose has done an exceptional job of presenting in simple and clear terms the steps to take in doing courthouse research. Any genealogist that is researching in the U.S. should make this book a critical part of their resource library. After reading this book I became aware that I may have missed examining some important resources.

After sharing a few humorous anecdotes in her Introduction, Rose describes her goal: "to give you a guide that would read easily, and excite you so you'll visit the courthouses..." (xviii). She has certainly accomplished this. The book not only is well organized, its design includes helpful pictures, bulleted reminder lists, and other tips and hints that help you to evaluate the records and use them to solve your genealogical roadblocks.

Chapter 1. Preparation is the Key
Rose draws on her extensive experience with courthouses and says that, for most of the United States, the county courthouse is the place where you will find the most valuable genealogical records. She then follows with the exceptions and she concludes by saying that visiting the county's website would help you determine where records of interest are located.

Rose includes pictures of a typical courthouse and then a summary bulleted list of what to take with you to the courthouse. She also lists other helpful tips; for example, she suggests not taking your laptop with you. Rose then sums up, as she does with every chapter, with a "Chapter Points to Ponder" section, which is an easy review of what the chapter covered.

Chapter 2. You're There - Now What?
After reading this chapter you will be more confident about what to expect in the courthouse and how to locate the records of your ancestors. The illustrations that show how the indexing works for various records are very helpful.

Chapter 3. Property Matters
Land ownership was likely one of the most important events in the lives of our ancestors. Rose states that "The records generated with land ownership help us know those we never met" (27). You will want to read every tip in this chapter. A very important research site, located in the side margin of page 28, points the reader to the website http://www.glorecords.blm.gov, where you can look up Federal Land Patents and even see the original images of your ancestor's land purchase or grant. Many times a land patent will give details about a marriage, or children, or even the place where your anc estor lived. Rose then goes on to explain the differences between the State-Land States and Federal-Land States and where to find these patents or grants. The list of definitions in this chapter are crucial to understanding the land ownership records.

Chapter 4. Searching for Property Records
Using the background information from the previous chapter, Rose gives a demonstration of how to search property records. On pages 61 to 63, Rose provides a copy of a deed transcription which has her explanatory comments for each line of the deed. This is very helpful information for those of us who have never seen a deed, and don't know much about the legal jargon that is part of a deed.

Chapter 5. Estates Galore
This chapter is a discussion of the probate office of the courthouse. Rose points out that the probate office usually includes estates (with or without a will), guardianships, and Orphan's Courts; and also other various records, such as petitions, bonds, account inventories, relinquishments, renunciations, final settlements, and more. This chapter also includes definitions for the aforementioned records and other terms you might see in the probate office. Rose includes interesting facts about how the laws in previous eras treated the property rights of women differently than current day laws, especially if the woman was married.

Chapter 6. Estate Documents
This chapter is all about estate documents, just as the title of this chapter states. Rose presents samples of estate documents, definitions of the terms you would find on those documents, and other documents associated with the probate process. She gives a handy "Summary of the Probate Process" with an excellent description of each step.

Chapter 7. Milking Every Clue from Estates
This chapter is written primarily to help the reader find the valuable genealogical insights and data that are found in wills and other probate records. There is even a short lesson on how to make an abstract of a will. This is important because even though you may have photocopied the will for viewing later, the abstract of a will may provide clues that you will want to pursue while you are still at the courthouse.

Chapter 8. Understanding the Court System
To further the reader's understanding, Rose defines and describes unfamiliar legal terms and document types that you might find in civil and criminal courts. Discussing how these documents can help us comes in the next chapter.

Chapter 9. Civil and Criminal Court
According to Rose, there are actions that give rise to civil court documents that might be of help to the genealogist. The list includes divorces, changes of name, naturalizations, adoptions, and other suits among family members. She also discusses tax records, voters records, and criminal court records in this chapter.

Chapter 10. Birth, Marriage, and Death
This chapter will help you find the birth, marriage, and death records that usually are in the courthouse, if they exist. If the birth, marriage, or death record does not exist, this chapter suggests alternatives that you can use as substitutes.

Chapter 11. The Internet, Microfilm, and Libraries
There have been numerous courthouse indexed resources added to the internet since this book was written and some of the website addresses that are listed in this book have changed. However, despite these two shortcomings, the information in this chapter is very helpful and accurate.

I particularly agree with her final statement in this chapter, "Though the internet, microfilm, and libraries are immensely useful, they don't substitute for personal onsite research..." (182). Just reading this book has made me aware that there may be important information I have missed because I have relied on indexes to records or abstractions of records rather than actually seeing the record itself.

Chapter 12. Strategies that Work
In this last chapter Rose covers not only genealogical problem solving techniques but also the important subject of writing a letter in order to get a record by mail.

Christine Rose is a Certified Genealogist, a Certified Genealogical Lecturer, and a full-time professional genealogist. She has extensive experience in courthouse research and has researched in more that 500 courthouses across the United States. Her book " Courthouse Research for Family Historians: Your Guide to Genealogical Treasures" is well written, well organized, and packed with helpful tips and strategies for making your next trip to do courthouse research a successful one.