Genealogy Online Read online

  About the Author

  Elizabeth Powell Crowe has been pursuing genealogy for more than 30 years. Her previous editions of Genealogy Online have sold a combined total of nearly 200,000 copies. In the past, she has worked as an editor for numerous genealogy- or technology-related publications, including Computer Currents magazine, Valley Leaves, LeDespencer magazine, and the Computers in Genealogy newsletter, and she contributed articles to Digital Genealogist magazine. Crowe presents and speaks on genealogy throughout the South, when she is not pursuing elusive ancestors. She lives and works in Navarre, Florida.

  Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN: 978-0-07-184111-5

  MHID: 0-07-184111-3

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  This book is dedicated to my mother, Frances May Spencer Powell 1926–2007

  Contents at a Glance

  PART I

  The Basics

  1 Beginning a Genealogy Project

  2 Software You’ll Need

  3 Ethics, Privacy, and Law in Genealogy

  PART II

  Using the Internet for Genealogy

  4 Genealogy Education

  5 Revving Up Search Engines

  6 Talk to Me: Twitter, Skype, IM, and Google

  7 Fun with E-mail: Mail Lists, Newsletters, and More

  8 Social Networking

  9 Blogging Your Genealogy: Sites, Software, and More

  10 DNA Genealogy

  PART III

  The Nitty Gritty: Places to Find Names, Dates, and Places

  11 Vital Records and Historical Documents

  12 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: FamilySearch.org

  13 Ellis Island Online: The American Family Immigration History Center

  14 Online Library Card Catalogs and Services

  15 International Genealogy Resources

  16 Ethnic Genealogy Resources

  17 The National Genealogical Society

  18 Ancestry.com and RootsWeb

  19 Genealogical Publishing Houses and Their Sites

  20 A Potpourri of Genealogy

  PART IV

  Appendixes

  A Genealogical Standards from the National Genealogical Society

  B How to Find a Professional Genealogist

  Glossary

  Index

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction

  PART I

  The Basics

  1 Beginning a Genealogy Project

  Organize from the Beginning

  Your System

  Good Practices

  Pick a Line

  Adventures in Genealogy

  References to Have at Hand

  Analyze and Repeat

  Know Your Terms

  Sources and Proof

  How to Judge

  Who Created It?

  How Long Ago Was It Created?

  Where Does the Information Come From?

  In What Form Is the Information?

  How Well Does the Author Use and Define Genealogical Terms?

  Does the Information Make Sense Compared to What You Already Know?

  Standards of Genealogical Research

  How to Write a Query

  Documentation

  Backup

  Publishing Your Findings

  Caveats

  Wrapping Up

  2 Software You’ll Need

  Look Ma, No Wires!

  Software

  Which Browser Should I Use?

  Genealogy Programs

  Smart Phones and Tablets

  Tablets

  Additional Programs

  Add-On Programs

  Database CD-ROMs

  Word-Processing Programs

  Maps

  E-mail

  Viruses and Worms

  Wrapping Up

  3 Ethics, Privacy, and Law in Genealogy

  Privacy

  Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL

  Gormley’s View

  DearMYRTLE’s View

  Eastman’s View

  Copyright

  Protecting Yourself

  Other Matters

  Give Back

  NGS Standards

  Wrapping Up

  PART II

  Using the Internet for Genealogy

  4 Genealogy Education

  Teach Yourself, Be Taught, or Do Both

  Teaching Yourself: Columns, Pod
casts, and Blogs

  Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter

  Other Blogs and Feeds

  Online Courses

  MOOCS

  Genealogy.com

  Brigham Young University

  National Institute for Genealogical Studies/University of Toronto

  Search College Sites for Other Courses

  Offline

  Professional Organizations

  Regional and Local Workshops and Seminars

  Wrapping Up

  5 Revving Up Search Engines

  Defining Terms

  Searching with Savoir Faire

  Using Boolean Terms

  The Boolean OR

  The Boolean AND

  The Boolean NOT

  Beyond AND/OR/NOT

  Search Sites

  Ancestral Findings

  Linkpendium

  Access Genealogy

  Ancestor Hunt

  Biography Guide

  Cyndi’s List

  Free Genealogy Search Help for Google

  GenGateway

  RootsWeb Search Thingy

  Obituary Search Pages

  White Page Directories

  Wrapping Up

  6 Talk to Me: Twitter, Skype, IM, and Google

  Twitter

  Replies and Mentions

  Hashtags

  VoIP and Video Chat

  Google

  Skype

  Facebook, Yahoo! et al

  Instant Messaging

  Reach Out and Touch the World!

  Wrapping Up

  7 Fun with E-mail: Mail Lists, Newsletters, and More

  Mailing Lists

  Subscribing to Mailing Lists

  Forums You Might Explore

  Forums

  Finding More Mailing Lists and Forums

  Wrapping Up

  8 Social Networking

  A Few Definitions

  Social Networking 101

  Social Networking Services with Avatars: Second Life

  Just Genealogy

  The Main Event: Live Chats with Sound and Animation

  Google+

  Profile

  Circles

  Pages and Communities

  Stream

  Hangouts

  MeetUp

  Wrapping Up

  9 Blogging Your Genealogy: Sites, Software, and More

  Blogging Guidelines

  How to Blog Effectively

  Software and Services for Blogging

  Time and Circumstance

  Wrapping Up

  10 DNA Genealogy

  DNA Overview

  Online DNA Sites

  Wrapping Up

  PART III

  The Nitty Gritty: Places to Find Names, Dates, and Places

  11 Vital Records and Historical Documents

  Vital Records

  Library of Congress

  American Memory

  American Treasures

  Using the Library of Congress

  The Library Today

  Research Tools

  National Archives and Records Administration

  Other NARA Areas to Explore

  Access to Archival Databases

  Government Land Office

  Land Patent Searches

  Census Records

  The U.S. Census Bureau

  Some Census Sites

  State and Local Sources

  Obituaries and SSDI

  Interment.net

  Fold3

  Online Searches

  Transcriptions

  CDs and Microfilms

  Bible Records Online

  Wrapping Up

  12 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: FamilySearch.org

  FamilySearch.org Tour

  Search

  Trees

  Puzzilla

  FamilySearch Indexing

  Get Help

  A Visit to a Family History Center

  Wrapping Up

  13 Ellis Island Online: The American Family Immigration History Center

  Genealogy Getting Started Tips

  Genealogy Charts and Forms

  Locating a Genealogy Society

  Hiring a Professional Genealogist

  Helpful Websites for Genealogy Research

  Using the Site

  Searches

  Community Archives

  Ellis Island Family History

  Visiting in Person

  Morse’s Forms

  Other Forms

  Wrapping Up

  14 Online Library Card Catalogs and Services

  Connecting to OCCs by Web Browser

  Google Books

  The Library of Congress Card Catalog

  Where to Find More Online

  Card Catalogs

  Using Your Local Library Online

  Periodical Source Index on Microfiche

  America’s Genealogy Bank (NewsBank)

  America’s Obituaries & Death Notices (NewsBank)

  Ancestry Library Edition (Available Only Inside the Library)

  Heritage Quest

  ProQuest Obituaries

  Sanborn Fire Insurance Company Maps of Florida

  Wrapping Up

  15 International Genealogy Resources

  Following the Past

  Beyond the Boat

  Translate a Site

  Country-Specific Sites

  Asian Genealogical Sites

  European Genealogical Sites

  North America

  Wrapping Up

  16 Ethnic Genealogy Resources

  Special Challenges

  African-American Genealogy

  AfriGeneas

  Africana Heritage

  More Good Resources

  Arab Genealogy

  Australian Aborigines

  Caribbean Genealogy

  British Virgin Islands Genealogy

  Creole/Cajun Genealogy

  Cuban Genealogy

  Doukhobors Genealogy

  Gypsy, Romani, Romany, and Travellers Genealogy

  Hmong Genealogy

  Quaker and Huguenot Genealogy

  Jewish Genealogy

  Native American Genealogy

  Metis Genealogy

  Melungeon Genealogy

  Wrapping Up

  17 The National Genealogical Society

  About the NGS

  Educational Courses

  Publications and Videos

  Conferences and Events

  Awards and Competitions

  Calendar

  My Account, My Orders, My Downloadable Products

  Store

  Wrapping Up

  18 Ancestry.com and RootsWeb

  Ancestry.com

  Using Ancestry.com

  RootsWeb

  Digging in RootsWeb

  Other Search Engines

  Message Boards and Mailing Lists

  Newsletters

  Wrapping Up

  19 Genealogical Publishing Houses and Their Sites

  Publishing a Genealogy Book

  Buying Genealogy Books

  Avotaynu

  Genealogical Publishing Company

  Family Roots Publishing

  Martin Genealogy Publishing

  Heritage Books

  BookLocker

  Lulu.com

  iUniverse.com

  Smaller Publishers

  Family Heritage Publishers

  Modern Memoirs, Inc.

  Shortrunbooks.com

  Finding More

  Wrapping Up

  20 A Potpourri of Genealogy

  Alexa.com Top 25 Genealogy Sites Early 2014

  Golden Needles in the World Wide Haystack

  Adoption

  Beginners’ “Classes,” How-to Articles, Tips, Etc.

  Blogging and Genealogy Blogs

  Birth, Death, Marriage, and Other Records

  DNA

  Ethnic/National

  Historical Background />
  Libraries

  Maps, Geography, and More

  Regional

  Starting Places

  Supplies, Books, Forms, and More

  Wrapping Up

  PART IV

  Appendixes

  A Genealogical Standards from the National Genealogical Society

  Genealogical Standards

  Standards for Sound Genealogical Research

  Genealogical Standards

  Guidelines for Using Records Repositories and Libraries

  Genealogical Standards

  Standards for Use of Technology in Genealogical Research

  Genealogical Standards

  Standards for Sharing Information with Others

  Genealogical Standards

  Guidelines for Publishing Web Pages on the Internet

  Genealogical Standards

  Guidelines for Genealogical Self-improvement and Growth

  B How to Find a Professional Genealogist

  Australia

  Canada

  England

  France

  Ireland

  New Zealand

  Scotland

  Set Terms

  Glossary

  Index

  Acknowledgments

  As with any book, this one was made possible by those who helped and worked with me. First, I thank each and every person mentioned in this book. The people who graciously granted me interviews, sent me success stories, and shared their expertise with me made this book possible.

  Special thanks go to all my genealogy friends on Facebook: Amy Coffin, Bill Ammons, Bill West, Cheryl Rothwell, Cyndi Ingle, Dick Eastman, Elizabeth Shown Mills, Elyse Doerflinger, Jeanne Henry, Judy G. Russell, Leland Meitzeler, Linda Mullikin of the FHGC in Navarre, Kay Rudolph, Lisa B. Lee, Liz Kelley Kerstens, Marian Pierre-Louis, Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, Michael John Neill, Myra Vanderpool Gormley, Pat Richley-Erickson, Randy Hooser, Roger Stewart, Romi White, Russ Worthington, Terry Morgan, Thomas MacEntee, and all the rest. Great thanks to all the staff at McGraw-Hill Education. And immense gratitude is due to all my family and friends who were so understanding while I was in “writing hibernation” and patiently waited for me to emerge.

  Most of all, I want to thank my mother, Frances May Spencer Powell, who I know is collaring ancestors in heaven and recording their vital statistics!

  Introduction

  More than 20 years ago, my mother asked my brother and me, “This Internet thing you all are always talking about: Can it help me with my genealogy?”

  My brother and I were already deep into online discussion groups about writing (me), archaeology (Bob), music, astronomy (both of us), and other topics.

  Immediately after Mother asked, I knew two things: The answer was yes and I would have to write it all down for her. And that is how this book came to be.