Online Research - a Book Review
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Online Research – a Book Review
I have been
reading The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy, by Kimberly Powell.[1]
I hesitated to read the book because the world of online genealogy changes
hourly, and I wondered if I would learn anything useful from a book published
17 years ago. I approached it with the idea that much of the information would
be out of date, and it is. However, the ideas I can apply to my genealogical
research, and suggestions of sources that had not occurred to me have justified
the time I have spent reading the book.
Determine
Your Goal
Even though
I have immigrant ancestors, as we all do unless we are indigenous people, I
have always been most interested in my ancestors after they came to America. I
was surprised to learn that by the time we have worked through 10 generations, we
will have discovered more than 1000 direct ancestors.[2]
Whenever I am tempted to “jump across
the pond”, I remember this. Most of my lines go back about four generations in
America. I have just one back seven
generations and already I have almost more than I can deal with.
As I have
worked on Kinship Determination Projects, I have become more interested in
adding context to the information I am gathering about my ancestors. This shift
in focus has led me to broaden the variety of resources I consult.
Beyond
the Census
Family
histories are a rich
source of information about our ancestors.
Published
family histories are available on platforms beyond FamilySearch.org. There
is a large collection at the Library of Congress. Search by surname and
location. Ancestry.com, PERSI, and Google Books also have published family
histories.
Manuscript
collections
including unpublished family histories or collections of papers are actively
collected by over 1400 American institutions.
The National
Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections [NUCMUC] is
a less-used collection. Records created since 1986 can be accessed through the
Library of Congress at www.loc.gov/coll/nucmuc. Records created from 1959-1985 are
in printed volumes in major libraries. Archives USA, available by
subscription to institutions, makes all of NUCMUC published since 1959 fully
searchable online. Archive GRID includes most access through state libraries or
institutions. [3]
Check your Alumnae Association for access through your alma mater. Dates in the catalog refer to when records
were cataloged, not when they were created.
Birth and
Baptismal Records
Start with your own family.
Marriage
Records including
Marriage Bonds, Parish Records or Church Record Books, Newspapers, Family
Bibles, and Wedding photos or Announcements.
Divorce
Records Until the
middle of the nineteenth century, most divorces were handled by state
legislatures. Later, these records will be found in county courts.
Death
Records, including
obituaries, may include information that no one else remembers, including the
names of previously unknown relatives. Be sure to look for a longer obituary a
few days after death. Check Google archive: http:/news.google.com/archivesearch. Don’t neglect the sites your local library
subscribes to. Check the SSDI for the death date and order the SS-5, which
includes the decedent’s mother’s maiden name.
Wills and
Estates Start with
records in the county courthouse.
Land
Records
The chapter
covering land records has helpful definitions that clarify and differentiate
the many types of land records.
A resource
new to me is the Falling Rain Global Gazetteer, a database of nearly
three million populated places around the world. www.fallingrain.com/world
I was also
surprised to learn that AniMap, which I have installed on my computer,
can show me county boundaries in the United States for every year since
colonial times.
Church
and School Records
Many church
records have been published on PERSI and NUCMUC, so don’t neglect to look
there. The International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.org includes
the Roots and Church Records Project. Most of those records are from the 1700s
and early 1800s. http://www.rootsweb.com/~USGenWeb/churches
School
records are often found in local historical societies. I happened to be at the
Kent Historical Society a few years ago when they received records from the
Kent School District.
Military
Records
The 1930
census indicates service through WWI. The Compiled Military Service
Records available from the National Archives, show service before WWI.
The Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant and Application Files are
available to subscribing libraries from Heritage Quest Online. In the
Puget Sound area, we can access that database with our Seattle Public Library
card.
The above
records should keep us busy, but if not, copies of military pension claim files
for service from 1875 – 1912 and bounty land warrant applications before 1858
can be ordered from www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/pre-ww-1-records.html
Military
Draft Registrations Almost every male in the United States born
between 1873 - 1900 completed a WW1 Draft Registration. Some WWII Draft
Registration cards are available but some are restricted due to privacy
regulations, and some have been destroyed.
Immigration
Pennsylvania
required an Oath of Allegiance from all non-British males immigrating beginning
in 1727. These records are available on Ancestry.com and help locate German ancestors who were
early immigrants to the Colonies.
Published collections of immigration records include Harold Lancour, Bibliography of Ship Passenger Lists 1583-1825; William P.
Filby, Passenger and Immigration Bibliography 1538 – 1825; and
William P. Filby, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, available in major libraries
and on Ancestry.
The Federal
Government did not begin keeping records of passenger arrivals in the United
States until 1820. The National Archives is the primary repository of these
records.
Naturalization
Records
Before 1906,
a Naturalization request could be filed in any court of record, so you may find
these records in any court near where your ancestor lived. After September 26,
1906, all Naturalization forms were forwarded to the United States Customs and
Immigration Service.
Minor
children were granted citizenship based on the naturalization of their father.
From 1895 – 1922 women gained citizenship upon marriage to a citizen or
naturalization of their husband.
Bibliography
The book
concludes with a bibliography of reference books, journals, magazines,
membership organizations, occupational records, and recommended links to
research in other countries.
Conclusion
Genealogy is
a puzzle. Put everything together, Analyze each piece of information you have
found, and make sure you have integrated it correctly.
Distribute
and publish what you have found, and back up your computer files!
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