Essentials of Genealogy

by Linda Hall-Little

the story of who we are and how we

came to be as individuals and societies

1
 Today’s Topics
Where to begin?
Available Records and Where to Find Them.
 What’s a Source?
More on Census Records
Ancestry.com Search Tips
My Mistakes!
Recording Information – Paper or a Software
Program?
Resources I Use Frequently
Free Beginner/Intermediate Genealogy Courses
Questions?
2
 Where to Begin
 Without a Plan, it’s very easy to become scattered and disorganized – don’t lose
sight of the fact that you have double the ancestors in each generation!

Approx. birth year # of ancestors Type of Ancestor

1950 1 You
1925 2 Parents
1900 4 grandparents
1875 8 g-grandparents
1850 16 2nd g-grandparents
1825 32 3rd g-grandparents
1800 64 4th g-grandparents
1775 128 5th g-grandparents
1750 256 6th g-grandparents
1725 512 7th g-grandparents
1700 1,024 8th g-grandparents
1675 2,048 9th g-grandparents
1650 4,096 10th g-grandparents
1625 8,192 11th g-grandparents
1600 16,384 12th g-grandparents

 That’s about 32,764 grandparents in your family tree to capture everything

to the year 1600!!!!
 Where to Begin
It’s best to begin with you & your parents &
grandparents, write down and organize what you
know:
Full names and nicknames
names of their parents, siblings & children
Birth, Marriage, Divorce, Death dates and
place, Burial Places
Occupations
Countries of Origin, Residences
Religion
Look through your home and the homes of
relatives (and on Ebay) for sources - photos,
letters, diaries, artifacts, scrapbooks, bibles…..
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 Google Your Ancestors!
 Google Your Family Tree, Daniel M. Lynch
Use the OR command and quotes
“Brian Hall” OR “Hall, Brian” 
Use a * as a wild card:  ”Brian * Hall” OR “Hall * Brian”
Adding a tilde before a word, like ~genealogy basically tells
Google to search using all synonyms of that word.  
Use a minus (-) sign to exclude records – i.e. if you are
searching on the surname Franklin but want to exclude
Benjamin Franklin:
Franklin -Benjamin ~genealogy
Search with the (numrange) feature.  “Brian Hall” 1727..1789
will limit your search results to dates between 1727 and 1789.
Try other search engines! Yahoo, Metacrawler, Dogpile -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_search_engines
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 Where to Begin
 Check what other researchers may have already published
about the surnames in your family tree.
local libraries and historical societies in the area where
your ancestors lived and online free books on Google
Books & Internet Archive.
 County and Town Histories - In a history of a town or
county, the author often gives brief biographies of the
residents. 
 Search for other people’s trees and message boards that
name your ancestor. 
Ancestry.com, Rootsweb.com, Geni.com,
FamilySearch.org, Google searches
 Set aside some time to interview your known living
relatives.
 My g-grandmother Georgianna
by Uncle Charlie
She was born in Rome, NY, the illegitimate daughter of
Isaac Merritt Singer who is most famous now for his
invention of the Singer sewing machine.
 The family was disgraced, so she was sent to live with
an aunt in Lynn, Massachusetts.
 My Research
Isaac Merritt Singer
He was born in Pittstown, New York, 125 miles from
Rome.
“His charm and wealth attracted beautiful women – he
was father to at least 28 children by 5 wives and
countless lovers”
“He made up names and assumed different identities
to hide his illicit behavior”
Singer died in England on 23 July 1875, age 63 years.
“In his will, he named 22 children”. Additionally
there were numerous protracted court cases by others
claiming to be his children.
SS-5 Social Security Application
 My Research
Singer died 23 July 1875 - Georgianna was born 6 years
after his death on 13 Oct 1881
Georgianna’s mother married Frank Clough in Frankfort,
NY in 1889, when Georgianna was 8 years old. In 1881 he
was living in Bath, NH and having babies with his first wife!
In 1892, a 10 year old Georgianna is found using the
surname Hughes living with her grandparents in Herkimer,
New York.
Her mother divorces Clough claiming he is a bigamist in
1895 and marries Frank Shipman claiming it to be her 3rd
marriage.
Georgianna continues to use the surname Hughes until 1899.
In 1900 she is found living in Lynn, MA with her mother
using the surname Clough.
 My Research
Uncle Charlie’s response: “I wouldn’t totally give
up on the Singer/Clough connection since it was
treated as family fact in my youth”
Georgianna has an uncle Thomas Hough

Thomas owned a sewing machine company.

Clough…..Hough?
Ahhh said Uncle Charlie, I knew there was some
connection to sewing!
 How to Begin
The lesson?
Locate sources to help in your quest to
prove that the published family trees
and family lore is correct.
Start at the local level – the town
clerk and the local library are best
first steps
Then move on to locate county
records and regional records.
Terminology Related to Genealogy
 Sources are items that we can touch, such as a person, a
document, a book, or an artifact. 
Original Source: created close in time to an event, and the
informant knows the facts firsthand
Derivative Source: When facts from original documents
are assembled to create a new piece (i.e. online databases,
a transcription, an abstract, or an index).
 Try to base your genealogical research on original sources.
Every time a human manipulates the data in some way,
errors potentially occur.
 We provide citations (footnotes) to our sources for two
major reasons:
To locate our sources later (either ourselves or others)
To communicate the strength of our sources
 Terminology Related to Genealogy
Primary Information: a statement made by someone who
participated in an event. (i.e. mother on the birth of her child)

Secondary Information: Hearsay from someone further in

distance or time from the event (i.e. a daughter reporting the
marriage date of her parents)

 A source can contain both primary and secondary information. An

example is a death certificate that contains a person's birth date.
Unless the informant participated in the birth event, the
information is secondary information.

REMEMBER – ALL records can lie!!!

 Walter Franklin Lansil “Uncle
Waddie”
My bachelor g-uncle Walter Lansil, born in 1846,
an artist from Bangor, ME.
His death certificate, filled out by a niece,
reported his mother’s name as Betsey Richardson.
The application he completed to join The Sons of
the American Revolution (SAR) reports his
mother’s name as Betsey Grout.
Which is most likely
correct?? Why?
 So what’s available?
Birth, Marriage, Divorce, Death Records
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm or http://vitalrec.com/
Church Records (parish registers, marriages, baptisms,
confirmations, and burials)
Cemetery Records/Funeral Homes (burial records, burial permits,
burial plot maps, grave purchase receipts, gravestone orders, death
certificates, and obituaries)
City Directories (address, occupation, if “widowed”, death,
relocation)
Social Security Application (started 1935 but most records 1960 + -
index on Rootsweb.com & Ancestry.com)
Manuscript Collections - published or unpublished family records,
diaries, letters, and journals (colleges, historical societies, libraries -
LOC has 63 million!!
16
 Where you get naturalization What
papers depends
Are Landon when they
Tax
Guidebooks
applied. So what’s available?
records help
such identify
as Redbookresidency
(on google
Records and may
Likely books)
include
to Give
heads
provide ofthe
households,
telephoneages,
numbers
relationships,
Me? of courthousesoccupations,
and
 Military
Before
slaves,
also 1906
contain Records
wealth, (draft
immigrants
information
personal registrations,
could apply
property,
such as anypension
toaddresses, files,the
court usually
livestock, assessedand
manycourthouse.
county others) they can provide clues
valuations,
formation dates acreage,
of counties,
and property
suchetc.
as: locations.
Probate and other Court & Land Records (Local, State,
Starting
Federal) - Relationships
in 1906, all applications had to be made(morein a federal
.court.
Note which libraries are in the county
often implied and
than access
Tax, Voter Records
their Web sites. Some libraries directlyhave been given
stated)
 School
possession
Look (yearbooks),
at censusofrecords Employment,
records1900-1940
from overflowing
(which Clubs
aren'tcourthouses.
always right)
- Approximate moving
"AL" = alien,
Newspapers (libraries & online)
dates
Declaration, Naturalization person
"PA" = papers which means the had declared his intent
& Oath ofstatusAllegiance
to become a citizen - Financial of a
 Border
"NA" Crossings,i.e.Passenger
= naturalized; a citizen. Lists, Passports
family
Lineage Society Records – DAR, SAR, Mayflower, etc.
Immigrant
 had to be in
Atlases, gazetteers, USmaps
and 2 years before declaring intent and
then another 3 years before finally getting citizenship. There
17 were exceptions to this rule.
 1867-present,
Sanborn Fire chronicling the
Insurance history of
Maps 12,000 cities
Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
and towns
18
Jackson, NH – 1892
David Rumsey Map
Collection
Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
19
DavidRumsey.com
20 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
 Ancestry.com
Indexed County
Land Ownership
Maps, Malden, MA
1875

21 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005

22 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
23 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
 Migration path of Anna Jones,
Kittie Perry and Georgianna
Clough – 3 Generations

24 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005

 - Watchswitched
- America out for double
from the S's.
For The
Julian
six Minstfirst
to San
Gregorian
Pyes of
Indifferent biggnesse.
Look atayour
in
calendar pairin wasAncestors
1752. often written inTake the
to look
halfe
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aeyeslike
peck of theof
afynesttheir
Flower, time,
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- lower
The year case
1751 F.began on 252 March and ended on
li[bra]s of Butter, a Loyne of fatt Mutton, w[i]th
Over time many towns or areas of Veale
a litle of
a state have had their
- The following
31 December 1751. capital letters
a Legg ofoften to mynce w[i]th it, 2 li[bra]s of
names
look and/or
the boundaries
same: I and changed
J, L
Reasons of
and S,this
L could
and effect the
-Eleven days were dropped and from
the Sunn,
the month of
as many Currons, of Cloves, Mace,
locations of
T, M and1752. records.
N, T and F, andForUtheand
Nuttmeggs one ownce.
PaistV.
September mingle 1 pound and a halfe of Suger
Know enough about the law w[i]th and the Flower and breake in the Yolkes of six
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- - Don't
Thus, 2 forget
September the
Wikipedia: Seekonk is a towntwo possibility
1752 was of
followed
Eggs, then
in Bristol County, by
it together
14 the

interpret legal
abbreviations.
September 1752. documents
Names (Black's
werepounde of Law
Butt[e]r.Dictionary).
abbreviated Sett on a litle water, and lett
Massachusetts, on the Rhode Island border.
it Seethe, then scym it and put in the 4th parte of
Learnquiteabout
often,
-Researchers calendars
ascolonial
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as American
common practices
and when itof
words. earlierScymeras
- Incorporated in of
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Rehoboth. will
is melted,
from the Water, and worke it w[i]th the Paist.
it cleane

-UntilFor
often example,
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see
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inhandwriting)
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records.
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and mingled w[i]th halfe a pound of Suger, the
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and for "deceased,"
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withRhode slash
other "do"
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Frute and Spyce, the Raisons must be stoned, &
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given to "church,"
and New
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http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/palaeography/where
representing Style
of them"rect"
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others put in hole,the
Island by put inSupreme
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as _to_start.htm
partfor
e.g., "receipt..
of1749/1750.
a boundary dispute with and one Leamond, and the Ryne of them smale
mynced. Massachusetts.
Familiarity with history helpsWhen you the understand
Pyes are filled slycethe Datesrecords
and stick
in the top, and when you sett them into the
25 that were kept and the forces oven that Washcaused
them overpeople to
w[i]th the yolkes move.
of Eggs.
and pynn them upp in Papers.
 My ggg-Grandmother
Elizabeth (Long) Wilson - 1823-1897
1851: census Saint John County, NB,
Canada, Race: Irish, date of entry
1840
1860: census Boston, MA –
birthplace Maine.
1870: census Boston MA –
birthplace New Brunswick.
1880: census Boston, birthplace
New Brunswick.
1897: death register, born St.
John’s, New Brunswick
 Elizabeth (Long) Wilson
She came to Boston in 1853 - Did she have a
reason to lie about her birthplace?
From 1845 to 1851, the Irish potato
famine caused a million to flee the
country.
The roughest welcome of all would be in
Boston, an Anglo-Saxon city, population
115,000, run by descendants of English
Puritans, who could recite their lineage
back to the Mayflower ship.
After 1860—and well into the 20th
century Protestants refused to hire them;
"HELP WANTED - NO IRISH NEED
APPLY" was in operation.
 

1862 song that used the "No Irish Need

http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/america.htm Apply" slogan.
Sample Documents
Bangor, ME Land Deeds: Deed Book 48, page 129-130 – Lancil, filed
1834
Li
In consideration paid by Mary P. Dudley, Betsy McKenny, Charles Lans
Thomas P. Lansil, Asa P. Lansil, James P. Lansil, Ephraim P. Lansil &
George W. Lansil, children and heirs of Charles Lancil late of said
Bangor, labourer, deceased

29 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005

 Designed in the 1770s the calash was a
Inventory of Ruth
folding bonnet similar to a hood but held
with structural boning(Paine) Lansell –
so it wouldn’t 1837
interfere with the large wigs that were
in fashion.

Estate valued at $72.25

3 lamps, 2 mugs a
pickle plate, tea
kettle
calash silk, string of
gold beads
birch table, 9 knives
and forks
woolen quilts and
one coverlet
wash tub and board
30 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
 Footnote.com -
Pension file of
John Hall

I Brian Hall of
Providence, RI
…in my seventieth
year of age
…I remember
John Hall of
Norton, Bristol
County, MA…
32 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
 - Anthony George Baltrunas
- 289 First Street,
Pittsfield, MA
- Born 20 April 1900, age 18
- White, Alien, born in
Russia
- Chairbuilder – Berkshire
Woolen Co.
- Nearest relative: Anthony
Gasson (same address)
- His signature
- Medium height, medium
33 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005 build, blue eyes
 Ancestry.com. New York
Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
Arrival date: 18 Apr 1900
Jozef Baltrunas, age 25, married
Destination: Boston, MA
Contact: Brother-in-law Kaz
Markiewicz

34 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005

 Name: Kazimakas Murkieuezas
wishes to change name to Charles
Morris

Address: 204 Freedom, Street Athol

Occupation: Machinist

Born: 22 Feb 1868 in Stanone,

Kovna, Russia

Immigrated: from Hamburg 4 May

1895 but forgets the name of the
vessel he arrived on in New York.

Names: wife Magdalina Bandinska

and children, Nellie, Anastasia, Paul
& Vito and their birth dates all born
35 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
and reside in Athol, MA
 “Manifest of SS Zeeland sailing from
Antwerp April 12th 1902”:The Statue
of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation.
http://ellisisland.org/

Solomea or Baltruniene age 30

female, married; Antoni male,
age 36 months

contact in US is husband/father
Jos. Baltromei,200 Wachonah
St, Pittsfield, MA

36 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005

 “U.S. City
Directories,
Pittsfield
Directory”:
Ancestry.com 1902

Pittsfield, MA 1902
pg 26, Pittsfield [B]
Directory: Billie
Joseph, emp E.D.G.
Jones and sons bds
37 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005 107 Wahconah
“Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910”, New
England Historical Genealogical Society, “Births
Registered in the City of Pittsfield, 1904”

On 27 June 1904: Charles Billei a male born to Joseph

and Solomei (Morris) of 13 Leidhold Place,
Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts. Father’s
occupation is a laborer; both parents are from Russia.
38 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
Date of record 12 July 1904
 Ancestry.com. 1920 United States
Federal Census, Year: 1920;
Census Place: Athol, Worcester, Massac
husetts; Roll  T625_744; Page: 21B;
Enumeration District: 5; Image: 858,
rows 76-79.
Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal
Census, Year: 1910;
Census Place: Pittsfield Ward
6, Berkshire, Massachusetts; Roll
 T624_573; Page: 12B;
Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
39
Enumeration District: 78; Image: 589, rows
 Census
Depending upon the census year, you can learn:
Family members, successive places of residence,
occupation, approximate dates of birth (1900 census gives
month/year).
State or country of birth (& parents place of birth),
approximate date of marriage
Number of children born to a mother (and those still living).
The year of immigration and if they naturalized.
Whether they were veterans.
If they could read or write and what language they spoke.
If they owned a home – it’s value and whether they owned
a radio set.
And lots more!!!!
40
 Census
 Ancestry.com and Heritagequest.com FamilySearch.org, Footnote.com
and USGENWEB sites.
 Download a blank census form for each year census was taken
(Ancestry.com)
 US records – every 10 years:
From 1790-1840, only the head of household name is listed.
 From 1850 to 1930, details are provided for all individuals in each
household.
Virtually all the 1890 census records were destroyed by fire.
The 1940 census will be released 2 April 2012 (72 years).
State Censuses (various), Veterans (1890 – DC, half of KY & LA-
WY), Slave (1850-60) , Indian (1900-10), and Mortality (1850-80)
 Review the census taker instructions: http://usa.ipums.org/usa/index.shtml
& explore some of the educational information that the National Archives
has posted: http://www.archives.gov/research/census/
41
 Ancestry Search Tips- My Lithuanians
I found them under just a few surnames:
Baltrunas, Baltruniene, Baltrunene,
Baltromei, Baltrenas, Baltrunew,
Baltromei, Baltromieje, Barton, Bill,
Billie, Billei, Billy, Billings and Biller
(to name a few).

Morris, Markiswiez, Morkiewich,

Murkieuezas.
 Another Example - My Lithuanians
Even their first names had multiple variations:
Joseph was found as Josef, Joesph, Jozef, and J.

Solomea was Salome, Sally, Salmay, Salomia, Silome,

Seleomije, Selomie and in 1920 was listed as a man!

Connie was Celina, Domicela, Demencella, Domind.

Ralph was listed in some records as Roland, Rafeal,

Raphael

Anthony was found as Anton, Antoni and Tony

 Ancestry Search Tips
First always start in “old search”  Go to the main search
screen and on the top right hand side there will be a link
that reads “old search”.  Go right to the database you want
to search, for example the 1900 census. Pick the advanced
search.
1. Use a wild card to search (this requires at least three
letters)
for Johansen try:
Joh*
*ansen or *sen
Jo*en OR *han*en OR J*h*n.  
Sometimes you get a weird error message from
ancestry.com, but for the most part it works.
 Ancestry Search Tips
Expect to find your ancestor listed by their middle name,
nickname, initials, or some crazy spelling!
Check name variations: Reed, Reid, Ried;  George,
Goerge, Gorge; Try spelling the name phonetically. For
Clough try Cluff.
Leave the last name blank, and search on first name only if
it’s an unusual or uncommon first name. 
Leave the first and last name blank
By doing this, you will get hundreds of hits. Try to narrow
down your results by:
Adding State, County, City, birth year (+/- 2 years or
more), place of birth, etc. You also have choices like head
of household, wife, son, daughter, white, black, etc.
 Ancestry Search Tips
Another great thing to do is look at neighbors. Say you
find them in 1920 but can’t find them in 1930. Look at
their census page in 1920, find some neighbors with
“easier” names. Search for them in the 1930 census.
Chances are that your relatives will still be nearby (you
might have to do this for a few neighbors).
 You may also want to try checking other
census indexes.  If their name was improperly indexed
on Ancestry.com, it may be properly indexed on
HeritageQuest
Remember that the indexes were created by humans,
they can be wrong too!!
 Avoid my Mistakes!!
Become organized.  A great guide to
becoming organized can be found at Dear
Myrtle’s blog entitled “Finally Get
Organized” http://www.dearmyrtle.com/

Keep a wide focus – not just your direct

ancestors, research in context of community
and friends and relatives.
Correlate your data!! Don’t look at each
individual piece of information in a vacuum!
 
47
 Correlate Data
In 1917, draft registration for Anthony Baltrunas
The nearest relative listed is Antonio Gaston with
same address 289 1st street.
 Correlate Data
In 1930, Anthony Baltrunas’ brother Charles Billings (my
grandfather) is living in the household of Anthony
Gasson at 289 1st street.

His wife is Anna

His children are:
Bernard
Blanche
Charlotte
 Correlate Data
Mrs. Blanche McKeever, 23 Williamsburg, Pittsfield
Ma.
Sept. 8. 1974
Dear Betty,
I’m awfully sorry I didn’t write sooner but I guess
it’s better late than never.  What I wanted to tell
you how sad I am about your Aunt Connie passing
away so suddenly.  She was a very dear friend and
cousin of mine and I miss her very much.  I often
think of her and I miss her letters….
Love,  Daisy
 Correlate Data
 Facebook

LINDA…I’M DAISY’S SON…CONNIE WAS MY

MOTHER’S COUSIN…MY GRAND FATHER WAS
ANTHONY GASSON… MY GRANDMOTHER WAS
RELATED TO YOUR GRANDFATHER CHARLES…MY
TEL. IS xxx-xxx-xxxx. I’M 75 YEARS OLD…I HAVE A
LOT OF STORIES …MILTON S. GASSON
Correlate Data
MARRIAGE RECORD -
NEHGS
October 29, 1906, Pittsfield, MA
Antanas Gasiunos (age 26) married
Anna Wishnewski (age 19)
•The bride’s mother is Elizbista
Morkiewich
My g-grandmother was Salomea
Markiswiez.

It is possible that Mitt’s g-

grandmother Elizabista is a sister
my g-grandmother Salomea
Morkevic^ius.
 How to Record Information
Charts
Family Group Sheet : a paper which contains
information on one specific family.
Pedigree Chart: a genealogical form which shows four
or five generations of a family.
Timelines: chart out family or individual events
Research Logs: To keep track of research you're
performing on an individual.
Correspondence Records: To track of letters/email
you've sent to others.
Write dates in a standardized format: i.e. 4 Feb 1890
2/4/1890 might mean Feb 4th or April 2nd depending
53 where you are from!
54 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
 Gen4
Gen3

Gen2

Gen1

Gen2
 TIMELINE

56 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005

 Selecting a Software Program
GEDCOM, an acronym for GEnealogical Data COMmunication,
is the language by which different genealogy software programs
talk to one another. The purpose is to exchange data between
dissimilar programs without having to manually re-enter all the
data on a keyboard.

Interface: How comfortable are you with the software’s interface?

Reporting: Does the software produce the type of reports and
charts you desire?
Source Citations: Does the software allow you to tailor source
citations to your needs?
Cost: Does the program fit within your budget?
Support: What technical support options are available to you?

57
 Over 300 software products
 Family Tree Maker owned by
Ancestry.com, the #1 selling genealogy
program of all time.
 Legacy is a Windows program with many
features, It has a standard version that is
free.
 RootsMagic Essentials is free, $30 for V4
- Easy to use with extensive reports.
 Personal Ancestral File - free Software
from http://www.familysearch.org/eng/paf/
- (The LDS has stated that it will no longer
be updating the program)
 Reunion best Mac-compatible, one of the
easiest-to-use programs with superb
charting capabilities
 TMG best choice if you want to record
every possible detail with the most
flexibility, but complex.
58 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
http://www.gensoftreviews.com/
 Family History Library - http://www.familysearch.org/
Salt Lake City, Utah – 2 million rolls of microfilm and
700K microfiche records containing copies of original
records from more than 100 countries.
The library is open to the public free of charge and is
the genealogical arm of the The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints (LDS/Mormon Church).
You can order/view films locally for a small fee. Each
Family History Center has a staff of volunteers who
can help you get started (soon you will be able to order
films online - https://familysearch.org/#form=catalog).
Concord, 90 Clinton St.,(603) 225-2848
Portland, 29 Ocean House Road, Cape Elizabeth,
59 (207) 767-5000
 Family History Library -
http://www.familysearch.org/
The library is in the process of digitizing its microfilm –600
free, original source record collections online from all over
the world. Volunteers to the project are now being solicited
at FamilySearchIndexing.org.
Over 150 free online genealogy courses:
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/education/frameset
_education.asp?
PAGE=education_research_series_online.asp
%3FActiveTab=2
Their Favorite websites:
http://www.fhlfavorites.com/individual_bookmarks.htm
Research Wiki -
https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Main_Page
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 Other Libraries
Library of Congress
Located in Washington DC. Its collection of
approximately 141 million items makes it the largest
library in the world. Included in the collections are
materials for genealogists which date to 1815..
On 31 August 1999, the Library of Congress launched
its Library of Congress Online Catalog at www.loc.gov.
The Library of Congress also has an online Digital
Collection that includes maps, images, and historic
newspapers-15.3 Million digital files are on their website
(American Memory).
Many materials in the Library of Congress may be

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borrowed via interlibrary loan.
 Other Libraries
DAR Library
The DAR Library in Washington, DC, contains a
specialized collection of American genealogical and
historical manuscripts and publications. Its website is at
http://www.dar.org/library/online_research.cfm
The catalog of the DAR Library is online.
Books in this library do not circulate but the Library has
a Search Service through which information in a book
can be located and photocopied.

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 Other Libraries
Allen County Library
Its PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) is the most
comprehensive surname, locality, and subject index to
genealogical and historical periodicals, covering articles
published from the 1700s to the present. It includes
almost 10,000 different periodicals, and there are more
than 1.8 million records in the index. Check with your
public library. They may have a subscription to Heritage
Quest, another online resource that offers PERSI.

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 Other Libraries
National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/index.html
Nation’s record keeper for the Federal Government –
census, naturalization, military, immigration, land
records (public land to private ownership)….
The National Archives has a very large amount of
records that are useful for genealogy, but most of these
records are not online.
Easy to order records!!
Free military record for next-of-kin: Form DD 214

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 Other Libraries
Godfrey Memorial Library http://www.godfrey.org/
(subscription)
The Godfrey Memorial library has many old
newspapers, good for finding obituaries. They have a lot
of family histories and genealogies and a huge collection
of World Vital Records.
Excellent for Connecticut Research!

Always try the Local and County Libraries in the

area where your ancestors lived!!
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 Other Websites
Cyndi’s List of 264,000+ Genealogy Sites on the
Internet - http://www.cyndislist.com/
USGenWeb (free) - http://www.usgenweb.org/
NEHGS -
http://www.americanancestors.org/home.html
(subscription, some free)
Footnote.com (subs., some free, 72M records)
http://www.footnote.com/ - offering 50% off
http://fnote.it/half
GenealogyBank.com
http://www.GenealogyBank.com (subscription,
30 day trial $9.95)
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 Other Websites
Ellis Island (free) -
http://www.ellisisland.org/
Random Acts Of Genealogical
Kindness (free) - http://www.raogk.org/
Cemetery Photos (free) -
FindAGrave.com
JewishGenWeb -
http://www.jewishgen.org/ (free)
Facebook.com, Veromi.com, Pipl.com
.pdf my URL - http://pdfmyurl.com/
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 http://www.fosterville.ca/database/wga
30.html#I5081

Website not Found?

” The Way Back Machine”
which will actually let you
choose from archived
images for a website for the
past 10 years or more. This
is really helpful when a
website disappears -
www.archive.org 
68 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
69 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
70 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
71 Jean L. Cooper Copyright 2005
 Further Learning
Publications of Genealogical and historical
societies and surname groups 
Read Blogs
Dear Myrtle: http://www.dearmyrtle.com/
Eastman’s Online Newsletter:
http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/
Randy Seaver’s Genea Musings:
http://www.geneamusings.com/
The Genealogy Guys Podcast:
http://www.genealogyguys.com/
Progenealogists: http://blog.progenealogists.com/
My blog: http://passagetothepast.wordpress.com/

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 Further Learning
Yahoo & Google Groups
Attend conferences:
Massachusetts Genealogical Society,
Bentley University 23 July 2011 ($75)
NERGC in Manchester, NH - April 2013
“The Bachelor”
excellent video on focused in depth research
on an individual
https://fch.ldschurch.org/WWSupport/Courses/
FGS_2009/The_Bachelor__Reconstructing_a_
Solitary_Life_Using/Player.html

75
 We often focus on uncovering the names
and dates to fill out our family tree – but
of course, our ancestors were more than
names and dates – they were real people
with full lives. The story of your
ancestors can be as dramatic as any
history book – if you take the time to
uncover it.

Questions?

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