Category: Resources Page 6 of 17

Genealogy Finds June 13th-19th

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On 19 June 2015

In Friday Finds, Resources

I hope everyone is enjoying their June! We’ve had some humid/warm starts so far but I actually like this weather! It beats shoveling snow anyway 🙂 Winter always make me wonder why my ancestors didn’t go further south!

Here are my finds for the week!

(Love this picture of Lake Superior! I am a Michigan girl through and through! And I mean the state, not the sports team 🙂 )

By Yinan Chen (www.goodfreephotos.com (gallery, image)) [see page for license], via Wikimedia Commons

By Yinan Chen (www.goodfreephotos.com (gallery, image)) [see page for license], via Wikimedia Commons

If I may give myself a shout out (it is my blog, so I will), I was recently interviewed by GeneaBloggers “May I Introduce to You…” series. Check out the interview here!

Blogs/Articles

  • This is VERY important – the Massachusetts Norfolk Registry of Deeds is currently in favor of removing original records from the registry! Check out The New England House Historian’s blog with more information and let your voices be heard!
  • I had a friend recently tell me she had some old Civil War newspapers and she thought about laminating them. I think I may have scared her a bit by my vehement NO but then went on to explain. For those who are also preserving family heirlooms or items you may have found, read this UpFront with NGS article about the best way to preserve your items!
  • Such an amazing find! If only I knew what to do with negatives 🙂 Check out what this man bought from a local auction and then developed!
  • Have you looked at the online presences of libraries/archives/other institutions? You may be surprised by what is out there!
  • I’ve recently been ‘introduced’ to a blog called The Genealogy Kids. Have you heard of them? Check out their blog and videos! I love seeing younger generations take a part in their family history!
  • Educational opportunities! Check out Judy G. Russell’s blog post about GRIP online registration (ENDS TODAY!) and about SLIG
  • Two changes to BCG applications for 2016 – this will effect me as I won’t be applying until after 1 January 2016. All of those who are in the same boat should check out the two new changes on BCG’s blog here.
  • Finding her mother’s manuscript for a memoir led these two authors, Linda White and Marietta Stevens Crichlow, on a family journey! Check out the article here! What a great find to inspire a wish to know more!
  • Ever wonder what a professional genealogist does? Crista Cowan, who works for Ancestry.com, was interviewed about there here. Check it out!
  • “Juneteenth 150th Anniversary: Major Genealogy Announcement by FamilySearch” – by Geneabloggers
  • How many have seen this famous picture of men sitting on a New York skyscraper eating their meals? Here is part of the story behind that photograph!
  • “Need extra income? Consider becoming a courthouse researcher.” – from the Christian Science Monitor – awesome!
  • Okay, this is just cool. Spend a night in Ellis Island?! Check out the EOGN article about entering this contest! How cool!

Webinars/Videos

Resources

  • Have you checked out the Irish Famine Archive? This database deals with the Irish migration to Canada in 1847-1848. Check it out!
  • “Virginia Vital Records NOW Online – Partnership Between VDH & Ancestry” – from Upfront with NGS
  • “Archives digitises World War I vault” – from the National Archives of Australia! Check out the EOGN post here and a news article here.
  • “HistoryGeo.com Adds Landowner Data” from EOGN – I haven’t used HistoryGeo.com myself but this looks intriguing.
  • FindMyPast Friday! New records include: Prisoners of War 1715-1945; British Newspapers; Gibraltar, St. Andrew’s Kirk Baptisms, Marriages, Burials, and Congregation Records 1840-1947; Greater London Burial Index; Surrey, Southwark, St Saviour Poor Relief 1818-1821; Hue & Cry Index 1797-1810; Staffordshire, Parish Registers Browse, 1538-1900; and Kent Marriages and Banns.

Tuesday’s Tip: Look Before You Search

By

On 16 June 2015

In Method, Research, Resources

Where to begin???

Where to begin??? By Bobak Ha’Eri (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

As a teacher, I learned very quickly that reinventing the wheel was a waste of time and effort. After trying that a few times (yes, sometimes I can be a slow learner!), I decided to always look to see if what I had in mind had been done before. Often I’d be able to find what I was looking for or something very similar that required only small modifications. This was a lot less work and headache for me!

This same principle applies to genealogy as well. You may be searching for an ancestor that has already had some of your questions answered! The question then is how do you find this out?

  1. Check the library – libraries are one of the best places to start depending on your question. It’s best to use the library in your ancestor’s locality as well since they will have access/knowledge about records specific to that area, not to mention that if the family was prominent in the area there could be one or more books about the family too.
  2. Contact the local genealogy group – I’ve talked about this here and what a great resource this is for people! They can have many unknown to you resources that could be possibly help smash that brick wall of yours.
  3. PERSI – libraries will often have access to PERSI which means you can search historical and genealogical journals for your ancestor. Check out the PERSI link for more information on how to do that!
  4. Internet Resources: Here are some examples of what I mean
    1. State Library – MANY states have a section on their website dedicated to genealogy. Sometimes you can even find a great treasure like SeekingMichigan.org, which is founded by the Library of Michigan and the Archives of Michigan. Their death records have saved me MANY trips!
    2. State Archives – Same thing as above – some great resources/documents are already available online and may point you in the right direction!
    3. USGenWeb Project – This volunteer run website has something for every state (although some more detailed than others). A lot of these has some historical tidbits that could possibly mention an ancestor or something that can give you clues as to what is available in that county/state.
    4. Cyndi’s List – a great place to look for some ideas and other resources
    5. FamilySearch Wiki – probably one of my favorite places to go to for some preliminary research. Not every state/county will have the same amount of information but these are still wonderful places to search through. They will usually tell you about boundary changes, any record loss, the county seat, nearby counties, and resources available, at least on FamilySearch, for that county/state. Such great information!
    6. Google – of course, you can always google the name you’re looking for. Sometimes websites can be brought up that mention them (I’ve been contacted by cousins who found my blog this way). There are many tips and tricks out there for using Google as well. EOGN has discussed this many times, there is a Cyndi’s List for it, and even FindMyPast has discussed it. It’s a great place to look!
    7. Google Books/Archive.org/Genealogy Gophers – there are several ways to search through old books without leaving your home. I discussed Genealogy Gophers here. There is also archive.org which, among other things, is a library of free books that you can read (and search!). And there is Google Books – which can be free to read as well. Getting the book depends on the copyright, of course, but these are all places to check out before you really dive into that brick wall of yours.

One thing to remember though is that this is just the beginning of your search. It doesn’t end there! Many times you’ll still need to verify the information you find with documentation since many old books won’t tell you what source the information came from. Preliminary searches are simply to see what has already been done or who else is looking for them. Searching this way can give you insights on what records to search, what records still exist, if there are any cousins out there looking for them, if the ancestor has already been a subject of someone’s research, etc.

 

Are there any websites or places I left out for preliminary searches? Comment below!

 

Happy hunting!

 

Genealogy Finds June 6th-12th

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On 12 June 2015

In Friday Finds, Resources

Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. Photo taken by Nichelle Barra, July 2012

Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Photo taken by Nichelle Barra, July 2012

Articles/Blog Posts

  • Amy Johnson Crow posted this article: “Genealogy and Elitism: It Isn’t What You Say, It’s How You Say It.” For those of us who have been doing genealogy for quite some time, it’s important to remember how we sound to others and to remember what it was like to first start a new hobby. It’s a great read!
  • Did you get to attend the Global Family Reunion on June 6th? If not, Upfront with NGS posted an article that links to select sessions that were recorded and are available to watch here.
  • PRONI’s (The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland) family history lectures are now on YouTube! Blog post is found here and a link to the channel is in the webinar/video section.
  • The blog Organize Your Family History by Janine Adams posted a good reminder to back up your genealogy! Also, if you use a service like Carbonite or Backblaze (which is what I use), be sure your Dropbox account is included in the backup! After reading this, I double checked to be sure it was. 🙂
  • It was International Archives day on June 9th! Upfront with NGS posted this about the day; check it out!
  • Olive Tree Genealogy posted this wonderful how-to: “Access Canadian WW2 Military Service Files in a Few Easy Steps.“
  • EOGN posted this great article: “1500 Turn-Of-The-Century Pictures from Hungary Made Public” If you have any ancestors from Hungary (or just love old photos) check out the article to read more about it and get a link to the pictures.
  • EOGN posted a book review recently: “Book Review: How to Do Everything: Genealogy” Check it out if you’ve seen this book and thought about buying it!
  • Ever wonder why so many records from Prussia, Poland, and Germany are missing? Check out this article by the ManyRoads blog, written by Mark Rabideau: “Why Are So Many Records Missing?“
  • AncestryDNA is now available in Canada! This is very exciting for me as a LOT of my grandmother’s family is came through there! I am hoping this will give me some new connections 🙂
  • From Crista Cowan on Ancestry’s blog: “The New Facts View: Make Sure You Are Climbing YOUR Family Tree and Not Someone Else’s“
  • The Library and Archives Canada Blog announced that they are now allowing visitors to take digital images with a camera or smartphone (rights and restrictions permitting). To read more about what this allows check out their blog here.

Webinars/Videos

  • US National Archives posted this: “Civil War Medicine and Surgery” – it’s an hour long video that will discuss medical procedures and case studies. This is great for anyone who had an injured/hospitalized Civil War ancestor!
  • PRONI now has their own YouTube channel! Check out the channel here to see their many videos! This is an awesome resource for those with Northern Irish ancestry!

Resources

  • Have Virginia Ancestors? Colonial Roots posted this about the number of vital records that are now available online. Check it out for a listing of what is available and where!
  • FindMyPast posted their new Friday records: Surrey, Southwark, St Savior Poor Relief 1818-1821; Hue & Cry Index 1797-1810; Staffordshire, Parish Registers Browse, 1538-1900; Kent Marriages; Kent Banns; and Persi monthly update. Check out the list with links here!
  • EOGN posted about the new MacFamilyTree for the Mac Users out there. Check out the article here.
  • Have you heard of ZoomPast? EOGN discusses using this tool to display/share your family tree, especially with the non-genealogists who tend to get lost in all the connections. Read the article here: “Fly Around Your Family Tree with ZoomPast.” It looks really interesting!
  • If you are researching West/East Prussia and other former Eastern German Provinces, ManyRoads’s Mark Rabideau added quite a number of address books on the website. Check it out here!

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday’s Tip: GEDmatch.com

By

On 9 June 2015

In DNA, Resources

If you’ve had your DNA tested with one of the three major companies (AncestryDNA, 23andme, or FamilyTreeDNA), you should be using GEDmatch as well! GEDmatch is a FREE website where you can upload your raw DNA data if you tested with one of those three companies and use their tools for genetic genealogy! Plus, adding your DNA to another database is absolutely worthwhile in finding as many connections as possible!

GedMain

Registering is very simple – you give a first and last name (optional alias), email address, and a password. Once you’re set up, you can upload your raw DNA:

Ged1

Clicking on the test you used will bring up the upload page. Each page has either instructions there or a link to detailed instructions on how to get your raw DNA and how to then upload it to the system. It’ll take a bit to have the information processed, which I believe varies. While waiting for it to be processed (or before you upload), I highly recommend going through the Learn More section which includes:

The DNA for ‘Dummies’ section has WONDERFUL information for those who are just getting started in genetic genealogy. It’s a list of of resources that explain how to use GEDmatch, explains Autosomal DNA, discusses the X-Chromosome, and more.

Once your DNA has been processed, there are several fun things you can then do!

  • You can look at your admixture (which has many options – here I highly recommend reading through Kitty Cooper’s slides and explanations on this as well) – here is an example of mine using the MDLP Project, admixture proportions with link to oracle, and the World 22 calculator (it pretty much matches what AncestryDNA and FamilyTreeDNA say):

Ged2

  • You can compare your DNA to others in the database using a one-to-many comparison (you decide the CentiMorgan range to narrow down your results), or a one-to-one match (where if you know someone else’s DNA kit number and you want to compare it to yours).
  • There is also a 3D chromosome browser you can use (see below for a link that explains how to use that)
  • and LOTS more like “Are your parents related?” and “What color are your eyes?”

I am still learning about genetic genealogy and am by no means an expert, FYI. GEDmatch is something I am still learning how to use and how to apply that to genealogy but it’s a great tool for those interested in genetic genealogy!

Here are other resources that discuss using GEDmatch:

 

If I missed anything you want to add put it in the comments or leave a comment on my FB page!

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