Genealogy

[Rosebud]

Just wondering if anyone here is interested in genealogy.

I've been doing quite a bit of work on my family and my fiance's family's history and have found a lot of great information. But I'd love some advice from people who've been doing this for a while on which websites/ books/ research tools are most valuable.

I've been using Ancestry.com, the Genforum message boards and the Family Search Site run by the Mormon church. I've also found some smaller sites here and there for different countries. Any other websites you really like?

I'm particularly having trouble with my Irish ancestry (which I know is a problem for many people) and my Australian ancestors. Any resources you can suggest on that front?

Curious to know if anyone else is into this stuff. I think it's a lot of fun!

[jbenny75]

I've never done any research myself, but my grandfather is really into it. He has the history of two sides of my family down to the men who came over on ships in the 1800's, the names of the ships, their movements until they settled in PA, and then the family descendants. He's also into military history and knows which family members were in the Rev. War, Civil War, etc.

I think its pretty interesting as well.

[Jen1098]

I'd love to research this. Are the websites you use expensive? How do you get started?

That's interesting it's tough finding ancestors from Ireland. Wonder why.

[Hangin'in]

My dad has traced the lineage of both his parents back to England and Scottland. He has also traced my mother's family back to their homelands. He did all of this before the computer age, so he had to physically go to places to do research. He has published the lineage of his family, but he never published my mom's side!

Good luck with your research!

[evagatesgreen2]

I'm interested in genealogy as well. A few years back one of our distant relatives did some digging and came up with a sizable book that was full of stories on most of the families. I would want to continue on in the sections she couldn't flesh out as well as she would have liked and I would like to be able to trace my father's Cherokee lineage.

[shimmerstar]

Yes I am, and luckily most of the work has been done for me. My uncle just gave me a huge envelope full of pictures and stuff, and some of it is even about our family ancestors in Scotland (we had a castle!). Unfortunately there isn't anyone around to explain those things to me. My grandma told me that someone already traced the lineage on my other side too. It's really interesting to see it put all together like that.

[Rosebud]

Jen1098- The Family Search site and GenForum are both free. Ancestry.com has some info for free, but to access census records and such you have to pay. I totally forget what the price is. I want to say somewhere between $40-$70 for several months of access.

Family Search:
http://www.familysearch.org/

Gen Forum:
http://genforum.genealogy.com/

Ancestry:
http://www.ancestry.com/

The thing about Family Search and Gen Forum is that not all the information there is correct. Some people post their family trees without backing up the info, so you still have to go and find documents that support their research on your own. However, I've gotten a lot of great leads there, though.

The reason Irish genealogy is so tough is that (a) churches that held birth records tended to burn down with regularity and (b) good records were not kept of the Irish Catholic population during the long years of British rule- particularly if they lived in rural areas.


Shimmerstar- What's the surname of your Scottish family? I also have extensive Scottish roots & the family estate/castle is still being lived in-- it's in Southern Scotland, near the English border. A lot of these families tended to be interconnected.

[shimmerstar]

Cool! It is the Methven Castle in Methven, near Perthshire. It does not belong to our family anymore- I think they could not pay the taxes somewhere down the line! For a long time it was owned by the Smythe family, but the booklet I have is from the 30's so I don't know what's happened to it since then. I know my great aunt went to see it, sometime in the 70's or 80's maybe.
I also have Cherokee, Czech, Irish, and German roots.

[isign]

My grandparents have always been really into genealogy. They go back to when my Pop-Pop's family came over from sweden and a cousin has traced back farther than that, even going back to sweden. My Gram, mom & aunt are all members of the Daughters of the Revolutionary War, and we know on my dad's side that someone signed the Mayflower Compact. I'd love to do more research on that.

[boilermaker]

My grandparents are very active Mormons who used volunteer weekly to do geneaology searches for other members (and maybe other people but their request came through the Mormon temple). My grandmother has since gotten to ill for them to continue this and they are actually at my mom's passing everything down to her. I'm excited to see the collection the next time I am home because it includes more than just names...stories, pictures, grave rubbings, etc.

Rosebud, I will be happy to ask my grandmother if she has any helpful tips for Ireland and Australia.....

[emmjay]

My maternal grandparents were both from Ireland, so we are lucky in that regard because so virtually all of my Irish relatives still live in the towns where my grandparents grew up - we can go straight to the source! :)

My paternal grandmother did her family - she is a DAR too, and she went back to the time when her ancestors came from Europe. My paternal grandfather's parents were from Wales, but I don't think there was much additional research beyond that.

My MIL is interested in genealogy, and when she was researching her family she found out that her father was a bigamist and had a whole other family in a different state! :eek: Can you imagine??? Her parents were separated (never divorced), but there was some definite overlap between the two families, and she found out she had all of these half-siblings.

[LDS Angel 19]

I am just starting to get into it. My aunt has a ton of info to give me on my dads side, but I have almost nothing on my mom's side. I wish I had more free time to do stuff like this, it feels sort of like detective work. Fun. :)

[Rancid13]

I'm somewhat interested in genealogy, but it just gets so confusing. One of my great grandfathers was adopted, and my grandmother (his daughter in law) died a few years ago, and there are some gaps and snags in our family tree as far as who's from where and such. I'm more interested in knowing where everyone was from as opposed to who they were, as in my 'roots' I guess.

This morning I was reading this week's Time magazine (July 11) and there's an article in there on DNA testing for ancestral history. I'd really like to check that out in the near future.

Here are the websites they give out in the article to order tests from:

www.africanancestry.com
www.dnaprint.com
www.familytreedna.com
www.genographic.com
www.relativegenetics.com

Pricing for the tests according to the article are from $95-399, and specialized tests that offer detailed information on African, Jewish, European, or Native American origins tend to be the most expensive.

Here are some free database websites they list:

www.smgf.org
www.ysearch.org
www.ybase.org

:)

[Rosebud]

Just thought I'd bump this back up and see if any of the newer CC members are into genealogy.

My current projects:
- Corresponding with historians in Tasmania to try to find some info on my g-g-grandmother.
- Going to Amsterdam in 3 weeks (part of our honeymoon travels) and planning to visit a church there where some of my family members were married. Looking for records & more info about them.

[lawyerlee]

Best of luck with your trip and communications with historians in Tasmania, Rosebud03! How wonderful! :D

My mom has recently started this as a hobby, and she's really enjoying it. A great deal of work had already been done on my dad's side of the family, so it really isn't as challenging, but there is plenty for her to work on as to her side right now. On my dad's side, both of my grandparent's lines are traced back to before the Revolutionary War. My surname is Lee, and it has been established by two sources that Robert E. Lee is our ancestor. So that's kinda neat. As well as the eligiblilty for Daughters of the American Revolution that others have mentioned. I would be eligible through either grandparent, as I understand it.

Another cool thing about my family is that we have had a family farm on the same location in Kansas for the past five generations (counting through my dad and his siblings). Our relatives came West to Kansas in a covered wagon, and we have a sugar bucket in my parents' living room that made the trip!

[KarenS]

Another cool thing about my family is that we have had a family farm on the same location in Kansas for the past five generations (counting through my dad and his siblings). Our relatives came West to Kansas in a covered wagon, and we have a sugar bucket in my parents' living room that made the trip!The historian in me is just drooling over this. I wouldn't change my travelling childhood or my family of "vagabonds" and wanderers for anything, but every once in a while I miss not having that kind of depth of family roots in one place. I do have things of my great grandmother's, which is cool. But the idea of having a piece of land or a house that's been in the family for generations is just ... wow.

My uncle's traced my mom's side of the family back to the 1500's in Ireland. Since Irish records are spotty, we don't have anything much before that. Since my mom was 100% Irish, that's a dead end.

My father and his brother traced their side of the family back even farther to Germany and England and we have a copy of all that info.

I've just started to work on DH's side of the family. I did some in depth interviews with relatives right after we were married and then thru the 'net hooked up with a distant cousin who had managed to research the family back to the 1600's and his Dutch ancestry. There are still some spotty links between DH's family and the cousins ... but the framework is there, I just have to put it together.

It's really fascinating and I've been lucky because I've managed to find trees where someone else has done all the work and gotten all the documentation and I've only had to link our chain to theirs.

I've also relied on ancestry.com and the genforum boards. There's also rootsweb.com and genealogy.org if you want to check out some other resources.

Karen

[tinkerbelljenny]

My Dh is really into it. He has traced his family back to the 1800's. He has a huge photo book and files on his computer. I was quite impressed. We have done a little on my moms side but they moved so much that it is tough to go way back. We did find out that my great great grandmother was in the Kickapoo tribe so that was a wonderful surprise. And on my father's side it is really hard because my grandparents came over from Poland on a ship and they made them changed their last name when they arrived here. The city that they lived in Poland no longer exists so it has been tough but I would love to be able to get more info. I got some of my info from Ellis Island immigration records.

[Brandles]

I am. DH and I got into it a few years back. I LOVE researching obituaries at the genealogy rooms. I think we've gone back as far as we can on my mother's side and my father's side without going to Wales to do more research.

[BonBon06-11-05]

I'm into researching my family history, as well. I've traced my dad's side back to my grandfather's grandfather that came here from Germany with his twin brother. I can't seem to get past that though. It's frustrating! My mom's maiden name is VERY common, so that makes things hard, too.

[Anna Low]

One of my father's cousins traced their lineage back to almost the Revolutionary War. My father always wanted me to join the DAR and thought for certain the link could be found on his side. But, it turned out that I joined based on my mother's side.

[Annette]

Anyone know of any sites that are specific to Italy? I'm only second gen American, so most of the sites, like ancestry.com don't really have much info for other countries.

[BonBon06-11-05]

You know--this may sound totally wierd, but what I find amazing is the genetics passed down throughout the years. For example, my sister can fold her tongue into a cloverleaf (and from what I learned in school, this is a pretty rare genetic ability). NO ONE in my immediate or extended family can do this--so where did it come from? It's interesting to wonder things like that. My other sister has "attached" earlobes...everyone else in my family has "free" earlobes. We don't know where that came from either. I'm fascinated by very strange things. :)

[Asha]

i can't really trace my geneology bc my mother is adopted and relations with my father's family are strained to say the least, but i have always wondered where my ancestors came from. thank you, rancid, for posting those websites bc i could find out about my ancestors origins with just a test. that's wonderful!!!

[Rosebud]

My mom's maiden name is VERY common, so that makes things hard, too.

I'm having this problem as well. My mother's maiden name is Smith. Can I just tell you how many Samuel Smiths there were in the Boston area in the 1700s? It's impossible to know which are connected to us and which aren't. Very frustrating. Also, those early census records often only listed the name of the head of the household and no one else, so it becomes very difficult to figure out spouse and child names, which is so important.

It's all frustrating and slow going... but I love the problem solving aspect of it. You're always hitting brick walls and you have to figure out how to work around them.

I had a great success story a couple months ago, though. I found a bunch of cousins (descended from the siblings of my great-great-grandfather) in PA. Our family comes from this ridiculously tiny fishing village in western Ireland- we didn't think anyone was really left of that bunch... and neither did they. It was cause for much celebration on both ends when we discovered the connection. That makes all the searching worthwhile! :)

[LyLMyssChaos]

Oh my, where to start with this??? LOL My DH's deceased uncle was a world authority on geneology and he actually got legionaires disease while in Ireland speaking at a conference on it, but anyway, he has traced DH's family history back to the 1400's, so we are focusing alot on my family, which is really hard because my Dad's side, let's just say we get as far back as The Russian Royal family and the Bolshevik revolution and it becomes very tough to find any concrete paperwork. But, we are working on it. Our church is very big on geneology and perhaps you should stop by The CC Relief Society (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=7051) thread and see if any of them have any advice to give on the topic of family research. I know that my BIL has kind of taken the torch for their family, so I'll ask him for any tips on researching in Ireland as that is where a lot of DH's family is from, so I know he's familiar with it! :)

[Aletheia]

I'm impressed by how many of you are actively researching your families. It sounds so interesting!

Does anyone have any recommendations for a VERY easy "how to get started" website/book/poster? My aging grandfather is still mourning the death of my grandmother 18 months ago... I feel like this is something that might bring him some purpose and focus, without taking his mind off her and their families too drastically.

But as he is sort of an energy slump right now, something easy and not too intmidating would be really important so he wouldn't feel overwhelmed.

Just wondering... seems like a good idea to me.

[Rosebud]

Alethia-

One thing I'd suggest, if your grandfather is up for it, is that he write a "mini-biography." Just a paper detailing memorable moments in his life, favorite memories with your grandmother, information he'd want his future descendants to know about him and how he lived. My grandmother did this after my grandfather passed and she really enjoyed being able to preserve those memories for posterity. And for us it's a priceless account of their lives. Just depends on whether he is emotionally able to do that.

I've been encouraging all my family members to do this after my fiance found one written by his great-great-grandmother in the 1800s (tucked away in an attic). It is AMAZING to read intimate details about the life of someone who would otherwise be just a name on paper to us.

There are a bunch of books on Amazon.com about how to get started in genealogy. I don't know how web-savvy your grandfather is, so you might want to browse through the titles and see if there's one that seems appropriate for him. There's one by the National Genealogy Society that sounds pretty good:

Genealogy 101: How to Trace Your Family's History and Heritage (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1401600190/qid=1127754672/sr=8-11/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i11_xgl14/102-2546564-5375317?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

[emmjay]

My grandmother who will be 92 in December wrote part of her "biography" - it's so interesting! Not just about her family and growing up, but things like "The milkman made deliveries on Tuesdays and Fridays" and other general information that gives a good picture of what life was like growing up in the 20s.

Also, her sister loved to travel and she wrote these great recaps of her travels in Europe during the 50s and 60s with my great-grandmother. They were so much fun to read, especially since I have been to many of the same places and was able to see how they compare after 50 years.

I think reading personal memoirs like that really does give a more intimate window into family history, as Rosebud03 said. Maybe you can suggest it to your grandfather and see how he responds? I know my grandmother loves it when we want her to share her life experiences with us.

[Sunshine]

subscribing

[Rosebud]

Just bumping this up for anyone else who's interested in genealogy.

Has anyone ever created or printed a large family tree to display? I'm currently working on one and am looking around for format ideas.

ETA: Here are some examples that I found and liked. Please post more if you find anything cool!

http://images.snapfish.com/345%3C%3B9688%7Ffp335%3Enu%3D323%3A%3E65%3A%3E567% 3EWSNRCG%3D3233533%3A%3B%3A445nu0mrj
http://images.snapfish.com/345%3C%3B9688%7Ffp335%3Enu%3D323%3A%3E65%3A%3E567% 3EWSNRCG%3D3233533%3A%3B%3A446nu0mrj
http://images.snapfish.com/345%3C%3B9688%7Ffp335%3Enu%3D323%3A%3E65%3A%3E567% 3EWSNRCG%3D3233533%3A%3B%3A447nu0mrj
http://images.snapfish.com/345%3C%3B96%3A%3A%7Ffp335%3Enu%3D323%3A%3E65%3A%3E 567%3EWSNRCG%3D3233533%3A%3B5595nu0mrj

[Rosebud]

For those of you with Dutch ancestry, I've found a few good websites that are helpful in searching:

http://genea.pedete.net/broek/index.htm
http://www.genlias.nl
http://home.wxs.nl
http://www.godutch.com
http://www.dutchgenealogy.com


Some websites for Italian ancestry:

http://www.daddezio.com/
http://italiangenealogy.atspace.com/
http://www.italiamia.com/gene.html


Per our discussion about "African American Lives" over in the TV thread, here's a good site for African-American genealogy:

http://www.afrigeneas.com


And here is one of the services that is doing DNA tests to trace African roots:

http://dnatribes.com/african_roots.html

[BlackMagicRose]

I would really love to do this. I have no information about my family beyond my grandparents. Where do I start?? Can anyone help me out with some searches?? I am looking for information on the surname Beltz. If you need more info, let me know. I have no idea where to begin.

[Rosebud]

Black Magic Rose- There's a forum for the Beltz family on genforum.com. Here's the link: Beltz Family (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=2145&goto=newpost). I would read through the posts and see if you can find some general information about where the Beltz origins are. You can also do a search and see if your grandparents' names or their hometown comes up.

Also, go to FamilySearch.org and enter their names into the free seach engine. They should have social security records, birth, marriage and death records.

You should do the same at Ancestry.com.

Probably the most important thing to do at this stage is try to talk to everyone in your family and write down any information they can give you about the family. Do they know what country the family originated in? What cities they lived in for most of that time? Does anyone know the names of your great-grandparents? Any information about where family members are buried? Any old family stories they can give you? You'll be surprised at what people suddenly remember, and all of this is helpful in hunting for clues about your lineage.

Let me know how it goes! :)

[Txfish]

My mom has done some research into both her family & my dad's -- I've never seen any of the "proof" but she says she's traced his side back to the Mayflower and further back into England, and that she's found records relating her back to a father & son who platted the city of New York. This is very cool stuff...

I would love to get some of the documentation down for myself and do more research. So fascinating!

[BlackMagicRose]

Thanks for the advice! I am going to look around more. I will also be visiting my family in Pennsylvania in a few weeks. I will ask some questions then. I will let you know what I find out!

[Adaya]

Glad this was bumped up after watching African American Lives on PBS a little while ago.

[constance]

Adaya: Speaking of African American Lives, Ancestry.com is offering free access to records of African American communities for the month of Feb(Blk history month)--slave schedules, Freedmen's Bank records, & the US Census from 1910, 1920, & 1930 etc. It's available at: http://www.ancestry.com/aahistory. :)

[Adaya]

Adaya: Speaking of African American Lives, Ancestry.com is offering free access to records of African American communities for the month of Feb(Blk history month)--slave schedules, Freedmen's Bank records, & the US Census from 1910, 1920, & 1930 etc. It's available at: http://www.ancestry.com/aahistory. :)

constance, that's fab info!! Thanks so much.....

[Rosebud]

Had a random genealogy encounter the other day. Just thought I'd share, since it's pretty cool.

I got an email from a woman in Washington state. Her husband's parents lived next door to a couple by the name of Partridge in WA many years ago. The couple died leaving no family and so these neighbors ended up cleaning up their house and dealing with the estate. The woman who wrote me had helped with cleaning the house. In this couple's belongings they found a photo of a Civil War soldier in a wooden frame enscribed with the name "Wallace Partridge." The woman was so taken with the young man in the photo that she kept the picture and set out to find who he was so that she might pass the photo on to a relative.

Eleven years pass.

So, on Sunday I get an email from this woman in WA. She says that she saw a post I'd written on GenForum about a Partridge ancestor and believes that I may be connected to Wallace, the Civil War soldier whose photo she's been hanging onto all these years. I check my records and sure enough... Wallace is the brother of my great-great grandmother Ellen Partridge. So, now this photo and eleven years of genealogical research are being mailed to me! How freaking crazy and cool is that?!

Genealogy is a random but wonderful thing. :p

[KaliLily]

Lately I have become very interested in learning my ancestry - particularly on my father's side. My Grandmother passed away when my Dad was only 16, so I never knew her and know very little about her side of the family. How little? Well, her father's name was George. And that's all I know. :(

I can probably get a little more info from my Dad, but I'm not sure how much. I have always tried not asking him too much about his mom because I know her death still saddens him. (Though I've known all my life that she was an excellent gift wrapper. ;))

I'd really like to get started on this. Does anyone here track their ancestry? Is there a website you've found to be better than it's competitors? Any guidance is much appreciated!!

[working_mom]

I have an aunt one one side and an uncle on the other who are big into tracking family history but neither are very savvy on the computer. I think they started in town registers for birth/deaths...

[Rosebud]

bump for KaliLily

Oh, and just for fun, here's the photo of Wallace Partridge that I was talking about in my last post. The woman sent me the original photograph, in a very, very old frame, along with a bunch of research and documention. I love it when things just drop into your lap!

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h101/elaceyfield/WallacePartridge2.jpg

[Rosebud]

Hey-- there's another thread (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2145) on here that I started about genealogy. Bumped it up for you. I'm really into this stuff and have been researching for several years with great results. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions! :)

[tlew12778]

I'm interested in genealogy as well. A few years back one of our distant relatives did some digging and came up with a sizable book that was full of stories on most of the families. I would want to continue on in the sections she couldn't flesh out as well as she would have liked and I would like to be able to trace my father's Cherokee lineage. For American Indian heritage you should try your tribal council. When my grandmother died we discovered we have American Indian ancestors from a tribe in Washington state. My mom contacted the tribal council, they did an initial search and told her they could confirm the ancestry but that if she wanted details, she'd have to come out and take a look herself bc it's all in text form.

Anyone know of any sites that are specific to Italy? I'm only second gen American, so most of the sites, like ancestry.com don't really have much info for other countries. Do you have any nobile blood in you? This (http://www.sardimpex.com/)is a really good site for Italian nobility. It's updated to last year.

[BonBon06-11-05]

I've really been going to town on my ancestry stuff.....I've gotten really far in the last few months. Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com) has recently updated their website, and you can create your family tree for free! You can even upload pictures and documents for each member on your tree. However, if you want to attach their records to your tree, you have to pay for service.

[Rosebud]

Here's an interesting article from the NY Times about a genealogist who traced the woman who was the first immigrant to arrive on Ellis Island. (You may need to register to view the story).

Article (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/14/nyregion/14annie.html?_r=1&hp&ex=1158206400&en=fad75912bb52fe9a&ei=5094&partner=homepage&oref=slogin)

[Katy]

Bump

[Alegna]

I've got about 9200 people currently on my family tree.

Now not all of that information is verified. A lot was taken from other peoples trees online.

I think it's fun to make the link between people or find information you never knew.

I had trouble with my great grandfather. He was born in 1881. So he wasn't liest on the 1880 census. The 1890 census was lost in a fire. And by 1900 he had moved out of his parents house. I had no way of knowing who his parents were! I was able to get his social security card application and his parents were listed. Turns out he was the oldest of 7 and with this information I was able to tie my family to some other research that had already been done. I think it goes back to the 1470's.

I still can't find any information on the death of my great grandmother. She's listed on the 1930 census and was dead by 1974. But I have no idea when she died. I can't ask the library to search 40 years worth of obituaries.

http://findagrave.com is a neat site. Their forums are very helpfull. I've been able to elminate a few cemetaries my g grandmother might have been buried in because forum members have checked for me.

I've also used the site to get gravestone information from California. I've taken pictures of all the local graves and will post them along with their GPS cordinates when I get a chance. That way if cemetaries change names or roads get moved they should still be able to find the grave.

I have had good luck with family members. People keep all sorts of information about recent relatives. Obituaries are a great source for information. Also, most local libraries will do research for a small fee. I believe it was $6 to get a copy of my g grandfathers obit mailed to me.

This can be a very expensive hobby. The federal government wants ~$30 for any military or SSN records. Local governments want around $15 for each copy of a marriage or death certificate. Traveling around to research adds up. And subscriptions to the ancestory websites can get pricey. (HINT: most libraries have a subscription you can use for free. You've just got to spend time there researching instead of the comforts of home) (HINT 2: Check out your local LDS church. Most of them have a ancestory research center. I was able to use thier computers and subscriptions for free as well)

I've got my friends addicted to genealogy now too. We actually spilt the cost of the subscription to ancestry.com and when we get stuck on one of our relatives we'll do some searching for the other persons. Some times all it takes is a fresh set of eyes and you'll be past the road block quickly!

[BrownEyedGirl]

I would love to get into genealogy, I don't really know where to start. Asking living relatives isn't going to help, they are pretty clueless. And I can't go to the local library cause I don't live in the area...well, I suppose I could go the the local library, but I don't think the MN libraries would have much info on IN ancestry :)

Any help is appreciated.

[Rosebud]

I would love to get into genealogy, I don't really know where to start. Asking living relatives isn't going to help, they are pretty clueless. And I can't go to the local library cause I don't live in the area...well, I suppose I could go the the local library, but I don't think the MN libraries would have much info on IN ancestry :)

Any help is appreciated.

Do you know your grandparents'/great-grandparents' full names? Where they were born? If not, start by asking your parents for these basics. Ask for names of your grandparents'/great-grandparents' siblings as well.

From there, check out Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. They provide basic genealogy searches that will probably bring up your grandparents'/great-grandparents' names in a census search. Hopefully this will provide the names of their parents.

What you want to do is start with what you know, even if it's not much, and work backwards. Genealogy is also all about details, so try to gather as much information about people as possible. What city they lived in, what their occupation was, etc.

I have an Ancestry membership, so if you want me to do a detailed search on a name for you, PM me and I'll be happy to see what I can find. :)

[Alegna]

Actually you might be able to get a lot of information from your local library. A lot of times they have a subscription to the ancestry websites. And the librarians may be familiar with the search engines.

Talk to your living relatives. Get as much information as you can. Full names, any dates, where people are burried.

I've found I get the most information from obituaries. A lot of newspapers have online archives. You can get the obituaries for a small fee.

Also check the message boards on the ancestry websites. You might find someone in IN that is willing to do some research for you. Or even find another person who is looking for the same family information.

Good luck. Let us know if you get stuck.

[Rosebud]

Just wanted to let everyone know that Ancestry.com is offering free access to their US Immigration records through December 31. Normally, you would pay a fee to access these records.

Immigration records are extremely helpful in learning more about your family's origins. I checked the Ancestry listings for family members that I thought I knew everything about... only to discover all sorts of new and interesting things listed on their immigration paperwork, like occupations, ethnicities and relatives in the homeland. My Australian great-grandmother listed herself as Irish, for example. So, that sort of opens up a new mystery.

Definitely check out the database while it's free! Ancestry.com US Immigration Database (http://landing.ancestry.com/immigration/main/default.aspx)

[Rosebud]

Just dropping off a site that's helpful if you have ancestors from Northern Ireland:

EmeraldAncestors.com (http://www.emeraldancestors.com/)

[Rosebud]

Saw this on MSN and thought it was interesting:

Five "Dos" and "Don'ts" of Genealogy

All of us want to learn more about our roots. But none of us want to waste time and energy doing it. So how can you discover and preserve the facts on your family history without getting lost along the way? Here are five simple tips that will help you avoid common research mistakes:

Mistake No. 1
Not documenting your research.

If you don’t keep track of where you’ve been, you’re likely to keep searching the same records over and over again. Needless to say, this wastes a lot of time.

Solution:
Keep a research log.

You can either download a free research form from Ancestry.com or create your own. As you explore each new resource, be sure to write down the name of the database as well as any page numbers. Also, keep track of the different search terms and word combinations that you’ve been using.

Mistake No. 2
Using only one spelling.

If you’ve been sticking with a single name spelling when searching for an ancestor, you’ve probably missed out on a lot of good stuff. Always remember that an ancestor could have used one of several names during his or her lifetime.

Solution:
Use different spellings and name combinations.


Try several variations of your ancestors’ names incorporating middle names, nicknames, and married names. You can also try changing the spelling slightly (e.g. “Andersen” instead of “Anderson”). As with any genealogical search, broadening your search criteria will return maximum results.

Mistake No. 3
Accepting fiction as fact.

Never take anything at face value. Finding your ancestor’s name does not guarantee that you’ve found the right ancestor. Remember that nothing is truly fact until you can back it up using more than one resource.

Solution:
Use multiple records and resources.

To verify your findings, check multiple source documents. If you have a birth record, for example, you can cross-reference it with a census document. If the name, age, and birthplace match up, then you’ve probably found the right ancestor.

Mistake No. 4
Extracting only part of the record.

You can miss a lot of important detail by not paying attention to context. Who created this record? When was it created? Who else is listed on the document?

Solution:
Look at the bigger picture.

Rather than recording fragments, photocopy the entire page whether it’s a birth certificate, parish record, or census document.

Mistake No. 5
Going straight to a country of origin.

Many Americans are anxious to establish cultural identity, be it Austrian, Italian, or some other nationality. But searching for an ancestor in the Old World is almost impossible without a strong base of preliminary research.

Solution:
Follow the trail and move backward.

Rather than jumping into foreign research, it’s better to begin with recent information like a last-known residence or a death record. Establishing a thorough paper trail will help you narrow your research before moving on to an entirely new country.

[ruledbymercury]

After my grandfather's passing last week, I've decided to deal with my grief by getting back into genealogy with my cousin Kerry. I had a ton of info a few years ago, but lost it all due to a computer crash. So now I'm starting over again, but doing it on the web this time (and keeping a backup copy on disk, which is what I SHOULD have done the first time around!).

Luckily, a lot of my cousin's previous research is published on the web and has been for years, so that was a good starting place. Her research goes back fifteen generations in one branch of our family! I'm in the process of compiling her reseach with the small amount of info I have from my other branches and then going from there.

My entire family is originally from the Boston area, with ancestry going back to Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Italy. :D

[Rosebud]

Heather~ Good luck with your search! If you're looking for a good genealogy program, I highly recommend Family Tree Maker. It's easy to upload those files to the internet and work with them on your computer. Just make sure to back everything up. How nice that there's already been so much work done for you on your ancestry!

[ruledbymercury]

Thanks, Rosebud! I have used FTM in the past and I liked it a lot. Unfortunately, I've moved three times since then and can't find the original software, so I'm using Ancestry.com.

My dad just signed up so he can help my cousin and I. He has some very old pics. Some of my favorites from my dad's collection are of my grandparents and my great aunt and uncle from right around 1939-1940, when then were teens and both couples were just dating...one night they were bored, so they decided to take all sorts of silly pictures of themselves. The results are priceless! Especially since my grandmother has grown into a very formal/serious woman. It's fun to see pics of her acting silly.

[Rosebud]

Just got an email from Ancestry.com that they've made a new set of records available on their website:

RECENTLY ADDED COLLECTIONS:

Canada Border Crossings (http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=List&dbid=1075&offerid=0%3a7858%3a0)

With nearly 6 million names, the Canada Border Crossings Collection represents a significant addition to Ancestry.com and provides excellent detail on ancestors that immigrated to the U.S. between 1895 and 1956. Since the information was collected on forms identical to those used on ships, it’s not uncommon to see things like “Land Bridge” or the name of a border town appear after “Ship Name.” Regardless of these minor discrepancies, all provide great clues for your research including birth dates and places, family members, previous residence information and more.

My membership doesn't allow me access to these records, unfortunately. But Ancestry usually has a "free day" every now and then where you can look at files without upgrading your account.... so I'll probably check this out then.

[Rosebud]

This is a really great opportunity to do a search for FREE. Most of us have had ancestors in some war in this country. You can look up their records for free until June 6. Here is the link (http://landing.ancestry.com/military/collections.aspx?o_iid=24018&o_lid=24018&o_it=31210) to the search page.


Ancestry.com Launches Largest U.S. Military Records Collection Available Online — Free Until June 6th (http://blogs.ancestry.com/circle/?p=1436)

Ancestry.com is announcing it has launched the largest collection of U.S. military records available and searchable online, featuring more than 90 million names that span more than four centuries of American history from the 1600s through Vietnam.

This U.S. Military Collection includes exclusive record sets such as the only complete collection of WWI draft registration cards and commemorative military yearbooks and newspapers. Combined, the records bring to life the stories and sacrifices of the millions of brave men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Ancestry.com’s U.S. Military Collection captures all major wars and conflicts from American history, including the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts as well as the Spanish-American War and the War of 1812.

[diam124]

To add on to what Rosebud posted, I could not remember my user name and password (I had a free account), so when I went to look at the free Military records I had to register as a new user (with a different email address). Then I got a free 3 day trial of the paid subscription. It's pretty amazing to see what's on there for free.

[kam]

Too bad the military db isn't very robust. For whatever reason, I couldn't find either grandfather, uncles, etc. for any of the wars (WWII, Vietnam) they participated in (even spelled their last names incorrectly and nothing) but did find my great-great-grandfather in his Spanish American War service. Odd.

On another note, I just hope my cousins never find the ancestry.com website. Their mother never told them of her previous marriage and demanded we don't tell them about it. I found both of her marriages really easily ;)

[tenofcups]

On another note, I just hope my cousins never find the ancestry.com website. Their mother never told them of her previous marriage and demanded we don't tell them about it. I found both of her marriages really easily ;)

Yeah, it's going to be harder and harder to keep a family secret ;) . I also couldn't find my grandfathers, but I know, after having done a fair bit of research on several family members now, that spelling of names can be crazy different than what you expect. If you have enough time, sometimes you can find the right person under a name that was transcribed in ways that it would be hard to imagine.

I'm a member, but I forwarded this info to my dad too, because I think he'll be especially interested in seeing some of the newsreels that they have up now.

[Rosebud]

The databases do seem a little difficult to search. I had to scroll through 5 pages before I found my great-grandfather's WWI registration card. His surname is spelled correctly on the card (Rutherfurd), but incorrectly in the Ancestry database (Rutherford). It was really cool to see his signature and home address and all of that, though!

re: family secrets... I recently hired a genealogist in Australia to help me research some family there that I was having no luck with. He dug into old police archives from the late 1800s that I couldn't access. Turns out that there was a major scandal in that family's past. No one living knew about it. It was one of those cases where sometimes you turn up more than you really wanted to know. But then again, it explains a lot. It's definitely harder to keep things a secret in this day and age.

[diam124]

I also could not find any military information on either of my grandfathers who served in WWII (other than their gravesites were marked as veterans). I did however find my great-grandfather's draft card from WWI. Which was interesting since I didn't know that he even participated. I also found out he was a railroad conductor, which I never knew.

[artist]

I am excited to have found this thread!

My grandparents are very active Mormons who used volunteer weekly to do geneaology searches for other members (and maybe other people but their request came through the Mormon temple). My grandmother has since gotten to ill for them to continue this and they are actually at my mom's passing everything down to her. I'm excited to see the collection the next time I am home because it includes more than just names...stories, pictures, grave rubbings, etc.

Rosebud, I will be happy to ask my grandmother if she has any helpful tips for Ireland and Australia.....

I have always heard that the Mormons have kept excellent records of genealogy!

I think a lot of the family tree has been figured out on both sides of my family by other people already. My (maternal) grandpa wrote a really great little book of his childhood stories. He wasn't planning on writing a book, but it just sort of happened. It all started when one of my cousin's asked my grandpa if he could write down a few childhood memories. I think my cousin was just hoping for a few pages or so and I think that is what my grandpa initially was intending to write. Once my grandpa got started writing, he just kept writing until it became a book of memoirs! On the first page of the book he wrote that the book was written as a gift to his grandchildren. He self-published it and gave copies to a few friends and relatives. He also wrote a little bit about his and my grandma's ancestry from Sweden and how the immigrated to Minnesota.

My uncle (dad's oldest brother) created a big family tree as well that traces back the family lineage on my dad's side of the family (so my paternal grandma and grandpa). My dad's ancestors immigrated to Minnesota from Ireland. Most of his heritage is Irish; but there is a little bit of Scottish mixed in.

There is a neighborhood "History of the Neighborhood" club where I live. It was started by an older couple who lives a block away from me. They were researching their own genealogy and then started researching the history of their house (which was her parents' house before it was their house). They then became really interested in the history of the neighborhood itself and started this club. I think they are hoping eventually a book or something will be created as a result. So far a lot of what we have done is that people have hosted parties in their neat old houses and we get to tour them! (This has been really fun!)

Therefore I have been curious to find out about the history of my house and my neighborhood. My house was built in 1880. Ramsey County (where I live) has Census records dating back to 1883. Therefore any houses built after 1883 are recorded there. This is a bit tricky then to find specific property records for a house built PRIOR to 1883. However, if any additions were made to the house (which they were), or any work done to the house, permits to do construction would be recorded. All of these records apparently are stored on microfiche at the Minnesota Historical Society. There are certain interesting things that did occur in my neighborhood. There were a lot of Mexican, German, and I think Latvian immigrants who were poor and lived in what is called "The Flats". (My house is up on the bluffs.) Initially my neighborhood which is called The West Side (a neighborhood of St. Paul, MN) was actually West St. Paul (a bordering suburb...or at that time I guess a town) and therefore I suppose part of Dakota County. (I think anyway.) My neighborhood is across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Paul. My neighborhood became part of St. Paul proper (after my house was built) because people got sick of having to pay a toll fee every time they would cross the bridge. There were a couple of major floods (I think one in 1907) that took a lot of stuff out. I think there were some various old gangsters and thugs back in the day. Also, the Wabasha Street Caves (which now are open to the public for tours, swing dancing lessons and hall rentals) used to be a speak easy where people made bootleg liquor during the prohibition days. (I recall during the WC days a MN bride got married in there.)

As for how the property records go...and keep in mind I don't have the abstract to the house...all the surrounding blocks were of course once one piece of property. Eventually it got split up a bit with the first sale somehow involving a chicken or something as how the land/house was paid for! Then the land continued to get divided up. My house was obviously one of the very first houses as it was built in 1880. My street has been named two other things in the past since my house was built. Actually, many of the streets were called different things. There also was a small pond/lake that used to exist that apparently got filled up.

There is an older man in the neighborhood who created this really large and to scale three dimensional map of how part of the neighborhood looked at the turn of the century! It's amazing! He made EVERY single house, school, church, etc.! You can lift out the houses like puzzle pieces and there is information underneith it! That project I think was created over a span of maybe 40 years or something and was started by a different man who is now deceased.

My dad's cousin was just in town and it was a blast hearing them tell a million stories from their childhood! My favorite was how my dad's dog was in a talent show (so were chickens, kids, etc.) and the dog won a prize for...doing absolutely nothing! The dog got in the town's newspaper! I love it!

[KB57]

I've always wanted to start some research, but never got around to it. This thread is a good resource though, thanks for starting it!!!

Rosebud--awesome story about that civil war pic....I found it especially interesting since Partridge is my maiden name! :p maybe we are related?

[artist]

For those of you researching your genealogy, history of your house, history of your neighborhood, etc., what are you doing with the information? In other words, are you putting together a book, a DVD, something else?

I would like to eventually create a book or a video or SOMETHING. If you have a similar goal, what sorts of information are you including? Family tree, maps, photos, letters, stories, interviews, what? As for stories, are you basically writing your own interpretation, or including the stories told/written by others completely verbatim without any editing?

[Rosebud]

Rosebud--awesome story about that civil war pic....I found it especially interesting since Partridge is my maiden name! :p maybe we are related?

Cool! That surname is pretty far back in my family at this point, but off the top of my head I'm thinking they were based in Illinois.

For those of you researching your genealogy, history of your house, history of your neighborhood, etc., what are you doing with the information? In other words, are you putting together a book, a DVD, something else?

I'm hoping to eventually create some kind of book for both my family and my DH's family. The problem is that you never stop learning more things. If I'd written everything down even two months ago, SO much of what I know now wouldn't be included. For right now, I'm just compiling everything-- names, dates, stories, quotes from relatives and photos-- in Family Tree Maker. My immediate goal is to upload all of that to a private family website sometime in the next few years. I'd like to get additional input from family members at that point, more stories and such. The long term goal would be to include all that information in a larger book.

We actually have several autobiographies written by various family members, going back to the mid-1800s. Some of those are about 100 pages on their own! So, I'll have to think about whether to incorporate some of that information into the master family history book or to keep it as a separate document entirely.

[BumbleB]

I just found this thread!

My paternal grandmother did a bit of research on her side of the family. My dad has the books that she had, one book in particular traces the family back to when ancestors first came to the United States in the 1600's. I believe we have relatives that were present or signed the Declaration (I'll have to look into that), there is also a connection to Arron Burr (the guy who shot Alexander Hamilton). The family traces its roots back to England as far as the 1100's or so. It is really interesting and the next time I'm home I'm going to try to remember to read a bit more in those books.

My mom's family is traced back well on my granfathers side. His mother came to the United States in the early 1900's from England. The family was supposed to book passage on the Titanic, but ended up having to wait for a later passage. We have a photo of them before they left England and a number of photos after they arrived here - photos of my great grandmother growing up. I would love to get copies of all the photos my grandparents have, there are some truly great ones.

In more recent history, my paternal grandfather had family who knew my maternal grandmothers family in Nebraska before the Depression. Both families ended up moving to Idaho when they couldn't hold onto their farms any longer. I've always thought this connection between my mom and dad's families was pretty interesting.

I would love to get more into this and I would also love to research my DH's family. They are quite the jumble, but I bet we could learn a bit if we really looked into it.

[SunnyAB]

I have been following this thread along... I've always had an interest in my family history (wanted to research some interesting stories that have carried down) and a few years ago I was able to publish some family histories in a combination church parish, community, family commemorative book. I was actually the editor, and I tell you - I had an inkling of what I was getting into, but didnt really know exactly what was involved or the hours and hours and HOURS of work that it took. (You have to love this type of thing, or you would go bonkers!) :eek: But I don't regret one minute of it.

I was very lucky - I interviewed many of the older generation - not only my relatives, other pioneers as well - (an experience I will treasure forever!), had children get their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents write about their experiences etc. because its only a few years later and the majority of these people have passed away.

I do want to research farther back though - see if the 'legends' are actually true (fleeing their country, name change for safety, see if I AM actually a Princess) :D :rolleyes: It doesnt really matter, its all interesting to me. Some of the sites listed may be able to help, so I will have to visit. I just missed one free trial period I think, so I will have to wait for the next. Thanks to all of you for the tips and tricks for searching. I can't wait to get at it.

[tenofcups]

I'm trying to find out when and how a particular person died. I haven't been able to find anything on ancestry.com or the other more standard genealogy sites and I'm not quite sure where to go from here. It's perhaps a little more difficult since I don't know exactly when he died -- sometime after 1960 and before today (I know that's a broad range!). I assume it was somewhere in NY.

I imagine I should be able to find the info through public records of some sort, but I don't know where to start. Any advice? Thanks!

[tgal]

Question: About 5 years ago, I was playing around with our family trees. I entered everything on Ancestry.com for the world tree. I registered with a junk e-mail account because I didn't want a ton of spam in my day to day account. So, if they ever sent me something about it turning to a fee site, I never got the info. We are now expecting dc #2 and I wanted to go back and look for names on our tree, only to find out that you now have to pay for their service. I figured this would happen at some point and I probably agreed to their terms that mentioned something about my providing info etc. would later become theirs. I just can't help, but to be a little ticked off by this (more at myself for not downloading everything when my account was free). Would anyone happen to have access and be willing to send me my tree if they did indeed keep my information. PM me and I will give you my e-mail address if you are willing to help. TIA!

[Rosebud]

tgal- I sent you a PM!

tenofcups- Finding a recent death can be difficult. Usually, death certificates won't be released to anyone but immediate family unless the death was more than 50 years ago. You should check out the NY State genealogy pages for more info: LINK (http://www.health.state.ny.us/vital_records/genealogy.htm)

Another route might be to search newspapers for obituaries or death notices. It's easier to do this if you know the general place of death, of course (city or county). But if you have a large library near you that would have some kind of genealogy department that could assist you- or even just access to Lexis Nexis, you might turn something up. Good luck!

[Rosebud]

In the past 6 months I've worked with two professional genealogists (one in Australia, one in Michigan) to try to make some progress on family research that had hit a brick wall. I just wanted to suggest that any of you who are having trouble with a particular family line or want a jumpstart on research might consider hiring a professional. It really doesn't have to be expensive. In both cases I paid under $150 and got a ton- a TON- of information and paperwork in return.

Within 24 hours of hiring her, the Michigan genealogist had sent me 12 pages of documentation about my great-great-grandfather's family. I've been working to find that info for three years. The Australian genealogist was able to find a wealth of information in Melbourne, including a police deposition with statements from two of my ancestors in their own words that I never would have found on my own.

I found the Michigan genealogist through the Association of Professional Genealogists (http://www.apgen.org/). This is a great place to start if you are interested in hiring someone. Most other countries have similar associations that can point you to accredited researchers. It's best to look for someone who is located in the city/region where your family lived so that they can physically go to local libraries, graveyards and churches for more information.

Anyway, just wanted to put that out there in case anyone is interested.

[AmyE]

Rosebud - Thanks for posting that genlias link! Our family history, complied by an aunt, starts one section with "XY were original immigrants; we know nothing about them before they came from Holland." I was able to find their marriage registration, and working from that, their parents' names, and one more generation back on the father's side so far. SO, two additional generations back taking us to the beginning of the 19th century! At least for one branch. Having trouble with a dutch name that got anglicized for another branch, but this is a great start!

[Rosebud]

AmyE- I'm so glad it was helpful to you! I was able to find a bunch of info on my Dutch relatives there, too. The anglicized names definitely make it more difficult- and even when you figure out what the original name was, there are sometimes multiple spellings used (c and k seem to be interchangable sometimes in records). I hope you are able to find what you're searching for! :)

[Rosebud]

I got an email today from Ancestry that they're having a sale on the latest version of Family Tree Maker. If anyone has been shopping for a program to organize and store all their family info, I'd definitely recommend this one. I find it really easy to use.

Family Tree Maker 2008 on sale- $39.95 (http://www.theancestrystore.com/index.aspx?p=mfsku4454)

Description of the product from Ancestry:

Enjoy a richer, more complete family tree-building experience with Family Tree Maker 2008. Organize your family history into trees, charts and other formats. Add photos, maps, audio and video. Then print out your creations to share.

Here’s what’s new:
An intuitive interface that makes it easier than ever to enter and edit data and manage photos and other media files; Interactive maps that show all the people in your tree associated with a particular location; The ability to view your ancestors’ lives in a timeline format; Vastly improved integration with Ancestry.com; A handy web clipper that lets you merge data from any web page into your tree; A built-in place authority with more than 3 million place names; Standardized criteria for rating your sources; And so much more

[tenofcups]

Rosebud, I actually told my parents I wanted a family tree maker for my birthday, but hadn't done the research yet to see which one I wanted. I have a question for you -- does this one (or do any of them) allow you to print out a family tree that shows siblings?

For example, if I start with my grandparents, I want to be able to show them and my parents and my parents' siblings and then my sister and I. I know that sounds really basic, but I couldn't figure out how to do that kind of tree using ancestry.com's family tree builder that's on the site. It seemed like all I could get would be me and the above me my parents and then their parents above them, but none of the siblings. Am I missing something really basic?

[Rosebud]

Hmmmm... good question! The version I have is several years old and I don't think I've seen a tree format that includes siblings. You can always print a family group sheet, which will include parents and all their children, but if you want the familiar tree format (also called a pedigree chart), going back multiple generations, that usually just includes parents and whatever child is your direct ancestor.

Pedigree Chart:
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/rosebud03_2006/Misc/FTM2008_pedigree_chart.jpg

Family Group Sheet:
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/rosebud03_2006/Misc/FTM008_family_group_sheet.jpg

I'm not sure about the most recent version because I don't own it, though.

[tenofcups]

Thanks for your response! The top one you printed is all that I had been able to do with Ancestry's online tree maker too. I guess I want a more high-tech version of the old-fashioned kind that we used to make in school ;) with all the lines going every which way to show everyone.

[Rosebud]

I have questions for anyone who has ever uploaded their family tree from a PC/MAC program to the internet. I have Family Tree Maker and would really like to put the information I've gathered online for other family members to access. My questions:

- Is Ancestry.com the only option for doing this? Any other sites where I can easily upload?

- Will it transfer EVERYTHING in my files? I have a bunch of personal notes attached to some of the family members and I don't necessarily need to share those with the public. Is there any way to just transfer vital info?

I'd love to hear any experiences with online family trees. TIA!

[littlelove8138]

i'm not sure about family tree maker but our family has been useing http://geni.com and have found it fun. you can put pictures up email eachother. it even has something to send you and email to remind you that someone's birthday is coming up.

and by the way it's free

[magrat]

I've just decided I want a copy of my family tree. I know relatives on both sides have done it and I saw a lot on Ancestry.com. I've been trying to figure out if there is a way to download it or if I need to enter all that info into my own tree in order to export it. Can anyone familiar with the site give me any tips?

[Rosebud]

magrat- I'm not certain about this, but I don't think you can export a whole tree out of Ancestry into your personal tree. When I've copied information from Ancestry, I've always had to do it name by name. It does take a while, but on the upside it gives you the time to really digest the information and make sure the names and dates all seem correct. Good luck with this!

[pewee9196]

The Daughters of the American Revolution Library in DC is a great source. My mom is HUGE into it. That is all my parents do. Literally they travel the east coast/world to cemeteries, libraries etc. Just wanted to wish everyone well on their search

[HeatherFL]

For those using Geni.com, are the family members you invite able to update their own profiles/photographs, or are you the only one able to do it as the family tree creator?

Thanks!

~H.