Posted by Sherryl on 9:33 AM
Ever wonder why you can only search U.S. Federal Census Records up to 1930 so far? The reason is because of privacy! Census cannot be released to the general public until 72 years after the date they were taken. The idea is to protect private information of those still living.
Granted people tend to live longer than 72 years today and so there are still some privacy issues which concern many. But none the less, that's the rule.
And since U.S. Federal census forms are completed every 10 years, the 1930 U.S. Federal Census is the most current record available under the 72-year rule. The 1940 U.S. Census...
Posted by Sherryl on 2:04 PM
Ever wonder what new information is available at Ancestry.com? Their databases are constantly being updated as more and more records are continually transcribed by volunteers.
If you take a look at the card catalog in Ancestry.com, it will highlight information that is new or had been updated recently. However, Ancestry.com also provides a list of all their recent additions to make it easier for folks to view.
To view recent additions to Ancestry.com, click he...
Posted by Sherryl on 11:10 AM
In honor of Veteran's Day, Ancestry.com is offering free access to their military records between 11-14 November. Normally, Ancestry.com requires you to have a paid subscription to their site to access these records. So if you have any veterans in your family, this is a great opportunity to obtain these records for FREE!
Ancestry.com has a good selection of military records including: Civil War Records, World War I Records, World War II Records and more.
These records can reveal loads of information including, which regiment your family member served in during a war and what their job title was. You can find...
Posted by Sherryl on 7:17 AM
Ancestry.com and TheGenealogist.co.uk have acquired the 1911 England and Wales Census. They will begin transcribing it so it can be published online. This is exciting news for folks researching their British family history!
Of course, membership to one of the above family research sites will be required to view the 1911 census record, which should be online by the end of 2010 or early 2011.
To learn more about membership plans at Ancestry.com, click here.
Try a new Ancestry.com Membersh...
Posted by Sherryl on 12:43 PM
Trying to search your Scottish Ancestry? If you are, then you might want to take a look Graham Maxwell Ancestry. The folks that run this site have been transcribing census records for years while researching their own family history. They've been kind enough to share their transcriptions online.
You can click here, you can search Scottish Census Records for 1841, 1851, and 1861. You can search these records for free!
There are some other cool historical things on the site too like old newspapers, old photos and more. If you've discovered a link to Scotland in your family history search, then this is definitely a site you may want to have a look ...
Posted by Sherryl on 9:15 PM
Family Tree Maker software is a popular program for building and maintaining family trees. It contains a lot of powerful features including it's search capability. Family Tree Maker (FTM) will let you search the internet for records and other information without leaving the program.
By default, FTM will search Ancestry.com, RootsWeb General Search and Genealogy.com. But the cool thing is that you can add more genealogy sites for FTM to search (like FamilySearch.org).
This is a really nice feature as it allows you to search all of your favorite sites while working within Family Tree Maker. For step by step instructions on...
Posted by Sherryl on 12:16 PM
Searching for obituaries can be challenging and there are several ways to go about it. The first step is to search the local newspaper of where the person died. Of course, if you live in another state, this can be difficult.
One way around this is to search the newspaper's web site for old obituaries. Some states have an online newspaper website where they are have links to old newspapers from around the state. A search in Google will help determine if the state your relative died in has a newspaper project site.
Another option is to check the genealogical society in that state. Many states have a genealogy web...
Posted by Sherryl on 9:34 AM
One of the potential dangers of genealogy research web sites is that you tend to share a lot of personal information online. This is always a risk given in today's culture where identity theft is at an all time high! Nothing makes you want to sign up for a service like, Life Lock than the video below!
The video shows how easy it can be to duped into giving out too much personal information. There is more than one scam on the video, so be sure to watch through the second at least.
...
Posted by Sherryl on 8:18 AM
I've recently discovered that every year there is an annual Salt Lake City Christmas Tour for genealogist (amateur and pro alike). This year the tour will be December 5 - 11th, 2010.
Every year, folks meet in Salt Lake City, Utah for what has become a major genealogy event. The tour group uses the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel as their headquarters for the week. Classes are taught and numerous trips are made to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For those not familiar with this library, it's the largest genealogical library in the world. Built in 1894 by the Mormon Church, it houses the largest collection of genealogical records.
Tour members are free to use the library for their own family research. You don't have to be Mormon to use the facility or it's...
Posted by Sherryl on 9:31 AM
Today I stumbled across the Public Domain Genealogy web site and thought it looked interesting. Since I'm always curious about what information other sites have to offer, I went ahead and signed up for the free account (big mistake)!
The site portrays itself as true source of public domain information, which you can obtain for free (as opposed to paying sites like Ancestry.com for it). Sure they tell you to use the other web sites too in order to get a more complete history record of your family, but they still portray themselves as being something different.
They even tell you that you will have to look at a few advertising screens during the sign up process, but that that you don't have to respond to any of them. This is pretty much true.
But what they don't tell...
Posted by Sherryl on 6:52 PM
Ever searched the internet looking for old photos of some of your relatives? There's a web site called, Family Old Photos where you can do just that! Users can sign up for an account and upload their old family photos so that others can find them.
The web site also has several old photos where people and places in the photo are still unknown. So one of the goals of the web site is to help people identify old photos they may have inherited after a loved one died.
You can search the site by surname, geographic location, and more. If you love old photos, this is a cool site to explore (even if you don't find your relatives.
Check it ou...
Posted by Sherryl on 6:12 PM
Looking for an old obituary in Arizona? In addition to trying your local library (assuming you live in the area), there are some other resources you can try as well.
The Arizona Newspaper Project has been working to save old newspapers on microfilm as well as list all newspapers in the state. Interestingly enough, the first newspaper in Arizona was published in 1859 in Tuscan, Arizona.
The Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, Arizona also has every Daily Courier on microfilm since the newspaper's first publication date.
For links to recent Arizona obituaries, click here.&nb...
Posted by Sherryl on 10:19 AM
There are several different web sites that help you trace your family history. While Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org are popular, they aren't the only research sites available. Archives.com is another site that offers research options, including access to historical documents and online software to help you build a family tree.
The Archives website allows you upload an existing GEDCOM file so you can use your existing tree on their site. You can also add photos and other media to your tree. Anything you can do on Ancestry.com, you can pretty much do on Archives.com.
One of the interesting things that stands, however, about Archives.com...
Posted by Sherryl on 8:45 AM
Arcadians are the 17th Century French Colonists who settled in the first permanent French settlement in North America. This settlement was known as Arcadia was comprised of the maritime provinces of Canada (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec). The U.S. State of Maine was also part of Arcadia. So in effect, Arcadia was the North American portion of the French Colonial Empire.
The Arcadians came from several different areas of France. During the 17th Century, Europe was constantly at war and battles between France and Britain for control of territory left the Arcadians stuck in the middle. Both France and Britain insisted on oaths of allegiance from the Arcadians. As the French Colonial Empire expanded into North America, several...
Posted by Sherryl on 7:19 AM
Struggling to sync data between Ancestry.com and Family Tree Maker? There's a reason for that ... this feature doesn't exist!
I love my Family Tree Maker software, but like many out there, bought it (over other products) because I was led to believe through ads that I could sync data between FTM and my tree on Ancestry.com. I believe it's the ad's claim that the two are "enhanced integration" that brings one to this assumption. Integration assumes constant working relationship.
You know what they say about assumptions. The folks at Ancestry.com need to be much clearer about this "feature".
So what does "enhances integration" mean to the folks at Ancestry.com? It means you can download/import from either FTM or Ancestry.com any time you want. The only problem is that...
Posted by Sherryl on 7:39 AM
Sometimes you have to delete a person from your tree on Ancestry.com, but figuring out how to do that is not so easy. The steps are listed to below to help you. But use caution ... because once you delete them, you won't be able to recover them.
Log into Ancestry.com and go to your tree.
Find the person you want to delete (take your time finding the right person)
Click the button that reads, EDIT THIS PERSON
On the same line that shows your person's name, look to the right and you'll see a link that reads, "Delete (and your person's name)". Click it to delete the person.
This person will now be removed from your tr...
Posted by Sherryl on 2:19 PM
Vital records are one of the best sources for family tree information. These records are issued by state and local governments when a major life events happens (birth, marriage, death, etc.). In addition to describing the event, these records typically reveal other information too - like who the person's parents or next of kin, when and where they were born, etc. All these little pieces of information will help you piece together the larger picture ... that is, your family tree.
Due to privacy reasons, however, these records generally aren't readily available to the public. Your best source of vital records is to ask members in your own family for copies. I've been working the last couple of years to borrow every vital record (and photograph) I can get...
Posted by Sherryl on 10:33 AM
When you open Family Tree Maker 2010 and view your tree, you'll notice the screen is divided into different sections.
On the left is a list of the people in your tree. In the middle is the pedigree view of your tree and below that are the family details of the current person selected. And on the right, are the details of the person selected (or currently being viewed). This right panel is the "View" and it can be customized to make editing easier.
By default, you'll see the person's name and fields to enter that person's birth, death and marriage. But you can other fields if you like. Fields that I have added to my...
Posted by Sherryl on 4:24 PM
One of the nice things about genealogy software is they usually allow you to import and export your family tree information. Not only is this helpful when sharing information with others, but it's also makes it easier to work with online genealogy sites like Ancestry.com.
Below are the steps to export a family tree using Family Tree Maker (FTM) software:
Open Family Tree Maker
Open the tree you want to export (if you have more than one)
On the menu, select FILE and then EXPORT
Make sure "Entire Tree" is selected (as wells as everything else).
Select the "file type" you'd like your exported file to be (see notes below).
Click OK
Select the location you'd like to save the file to (I usually select DESKTOP, so I can find it easily).
Different genealogy software programs sometimes...
Posted by Sherryl on 3:30 PM
In today's culture, very few people stayed married forever any more. So it's not uncommon to have to enter divorces into your Family Tree Maker software. Sadly, entering divorces is not very intuitive, so I thought I would share the steps here.
These instructions are for Family Tree Maker 2010. If you're using an earlier version of Family Tree Maker, the steps may vary a bit.
Open Family Tree Maker and access the person in your tree that you desire to enter a divorce for. This assumes that you've already entered the appropriate data for the marriage. When you double click the person's name, you'll be shown...
Posted by Sherryl on 1:02 PM
Have you been trying to find a death certificate for a family member that died in Missouri? If you haven't already, you might want to try the Missouri Digital Heritage website. This is an awesome website!
The folks managing the site have been gracious enough to post scanned images of death certificates online for 1910-1959. You can save the digital images of death certificates to your computer and/or order certified copies of them.
Just click the link above to get to the website. The scroll down to the bottom of the page and enter the surname of the person you're searching for and then click the "search button".
You...
Posted by Sherryl on 2:05 PM
I stumbled across a new web site today that is devoted to remembering fallen soldiers. Most of the soldiers appear to have fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan within the last 5 years - but there may be others.
None the less, i thought it was an excellent resource for those looking for information on soldiers.
To check out the Fallen Heroes website, click here...
Posted by Sherryl on 5:01 PM
While doing genealogical research on my great-great grandpa, I discovered that he worked for the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company in the 1920's. Wanting to know more about the company, I did some more research and came across this wonderful video at the Steel Works Museum web site.
I'm one of those people who only wants to know "who" was in our family history, but I also want to know more about these people and their life. The railroad business was booming in the early 1900's and it's not uncommon to see folks working for them on census records.
If you have relatives who worked for the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (based in Pueblo, Colorado), you might enjoy this information.
Here's some more information about the railroad business and Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&IE)...
Posted by Sherryl on 4:45 PM
Ancestry.com is such a huge web site with many different features, that it can be daunting if you're new to it. The site does have a search button in the top navigation bar, but you have to re-enter information every time you use it. This is not only tedious, but if you're searching several different people, it can be hard to remember the details (or look them up) each time.
Searching information on Ancestry.com is made much easier if you build a family tree on the site. Building a tree is easy and even free users can do it. However, you'll have to be a paid member in order to use most of the search features.
Once...
Posted by Sherryl on 4:14 PM
Newsweek recently printed an interesting story on a DNA study that was done on the Jewish population. Read it with a grain of salt, however, given the source of the publication.
While the article reports to have found more scientific evidence to support Biblical claims, it also states that the European Jews are not descendants of the Turkish Kharzars. Apparently this last claim is being used as reason why Jews are not entitled to Israeli land.
Anti-Semitic people have been trying to wipe out the state of Israel and take their land for thousands of years. So it's no surprise that this study is being used as a weapon to that end. Still, I find the study interesting, but like ALL science wait for corroborating scientific data before believing one one...
Posted by Sherryl on 11:59 AM
I've been trying to find an obituary from 1985 for my great-grandmother and in the process learned a few things and thought I'd share the info.
First, the Prescott Library tells me they have old Couriers (our local newspaper) dating back to the 1920's and that I should be able to come in and find the obituary. I also called the Prescott Valley Library to see I could access those old newspapers through the in-house computer system, and was told they don't have the capability.
The Prescott Valley Library also told me that that they only save 2 weeks worth of newspapers anymore since much of the information can be found online now. Interestingly enough, they do have some old information which they must keep for 56 years ... in case lawyers and genealogical researchers need access...
Posted by Sherryl on 8:04 AM
An underground water main broke under the basement of a Dallas County Office this week, flooding the basement with water. As is the case in most county offices, old records were kept in the basement and are water soaked.
Sadly this situation is all to reminiscent of the flooding of the National Archives building back in 1890 (resulting in the loss of census records). You think we would have learned to keep important records in more water friendly containers by now - and perhaps off the ground. Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Similar scenarios can happen at home. This is why I recommend keeping all important documents and records in a fireproof (& water tight) box (at least the originals). I like to scan all of my original documents...
Posted by Sherryl on 12:47 PM
Figuring out grandparent-grandchild relationships are pretty easy. All you have to do is count the "greats". Figuring out uncles and aunts starts out pretty easy, then gets a bit more complicated as you dig into more generations. Cousins are another matter all together. The more generations you go back, the harder (and more confusing figuring out relationships becomes).
And if that wasn't hard enough, then there's the whole "removed" thing (e.g., 3rd, twice removed). Many of us are lost at this point and just leave our relatives as the "cousin" level.
While there are lots of charts available on the internet to help you figure out these relationships, my favorite one can be found by clicking the link below.
10th Generation Relationship Chart
The...
Posted by Sherryl on 8:36 AM
Today while I was browsing the internet, I came across a site that contains a list of free genealogy software and just had to share it.
Each of the software programs listed on this site does different things, so you'll want to look at them carefully before downloading any of them. Because they're available for free on the internet, it's also a good idea to run a virus and malware scan first on any programs you download to make sure they won't hurt your computer.
Running the scans is easy and in most cases, you just have to RIGHT CLICK on the downloaded program icon and select SCAN WITH whatever program you have on your computer. I typically scan all my downloaded programs with Norton and Malwarebytes first.
To see the list of free genealogy software, click here.
For more information...
Posted by Sherryl on 3:38 PM
Once you start actively researching your family, it doesn't take long to gather a ton of records. Trying to keep them all organized can be daunting. While there are many different ways to organize your files, I thought I would offer one of my favorite ways for organizing files on the computer.
I personally prefer to keep all my records on the computer for many different reasons. So I'll take the time to scan in documents and photos for later use and reprinting. But many of the records you''ll find will come from a website (like Ancestry.com or some other website), so it's nice to keep these organized so you can find them quickly later.
My system may not be the best, but it works for me. So here it is ...
I've created a folder in MY DOCUMENTS called, "Family...
Posted by Sherryl on 10:24 AM
As you already know, many of the blank genealogical forms that you download from the internet are in PDF format. PDF is an acronym for "Portable Document Format" and is popular because it allows others to share forms and documents in a format that anybody can view. The only thing you need to open, view and print PDF documents is Adobe Reader installed on your computer. Because Adobe Reader is free, most people already have it installed in their computer ... and if they don't, it's very easy to get.
But as mentioned earlier, Adobe Reader only gives you the ability to view and print PDF documents - it doesn't allow you to edit them. This can be frustrating when trying to use blank genealogical forms in PDF format.
There several solutions available for editing those PDF forms you download. ...
Posted by Sherryl on 9:32 AM
Once you create a family tree on Ancestry.com, you'd hate to lose all the work by ending your subscription. Good news is that you can download your family tree to your computer. However, to see the tree again, you'll need special genealogical software. Family Tree Maker ($40) and PAF (free) are two of the more popular programs that will work.
When you download a family tree from Ancestry.com, the file is called a GEDCOM. This file is then imported into one of the software programs so you can see it. Keep in mind that before you important anything into your software program, you'll want to be sure and backup...
Posted by Sherryl on 8:59 AM
Census records often prove very useful when doing genealogical research. In addition to providing names and the location of where folks were living that year, often times, they also tell you when somebody was born or immigrated to the U.S. as well as what occupation they had. The more census records you have, the better picture you get on a person's life.
However, searching for census records can be frustrating at times ... especially if you've been searching for the 1890 U.S. Federal Census Record. This record was mostly destroyed in a fire in the National Archives building in 1921.
All census records (as well as other vital records) are stored in the National Archives building in Washington D.C. There was a fire in this building in 1921, which resulted...
Posted by Sherryl on 10:00 PM
Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes at Ancestry.com? Watch the video...
Posted by Sherryl on 3:46 PM
One of the most useful features on Ancestry.com is also one of the most difficult to find your way back to. It's the "Search by Location" feature. Ancestry.com lets you narrow your search to specific state or country. You can also narrows that search even further by selecting certain years or records to search.
To get to the "Search by Location" web page, click here.
One there, you'll see a screen like the image below. I know the image is small , but it should help quickly recognize if you're on the right web page.
Notice that there are 3 red circles on the above image. The red circle on the top left of the page,...
Posted by Sherryl on 10:07 AM
I've discovered that some of the people using Ancestry.com don't take advantage of "tree building" feature. I was reluctant to use it at first myself for privacy reasons. But then I discovered how NOT using that feature was actually making my research job a lot harder.
Keep in mind that you can make it private if you like (some nobody else can see it). So the privacy issue can be controlled. But building a tree on ancestry.com (even for free) offers a couple of big advantages.
First, building a tree helps you make sense of your family members and information about them (dates, places, siblings, uncles, aunts, etc.). ...
Posted by Sherryl on 11:04 AM
A friend of mine emailed me this video and I just had to share with you. I come from a big military family (even served myself), so I love capturing our family's military history.
I've never heard of North Platte's Canteen before, but after watching this video and now determined to ask my relatives who served in the war if they've heard of it. It should be interesting to see if any of them have or if they ever passed through it.
Enjoy the video .... and be sure to ask your relatives about the North Platte Canteen...
Posted by Sherryl on 5:10 PM
Below are links to download blank copies of some of the most commonly used genealogical forms and charts. Some of the forms can be used to transcribe census and military records for easy reference, while others can be used to track family details. While there is no shortage of blank genealogical forms available on the internet, these are some of my favorites.
Most of the genealogy forms below are in PDF format - which means you need Adobe Reader to open and view them. Most people already have this program on their computer so unless you run into problems, you don't need to download it.
In most cases, you'll need to download and print the forms and then hand-write the information on them. However, if you have the full version of Adobe Acrobat installed (which most people...
Posted by Sherryl on 4:12 PM
Anybody can start a tree on Ancestry.com - even if you don't pay the subscription fee. They'll let you join site the for free and build your own tree ... you just can't search their most of their resources for free.
When starting a tree on Ancestry.com, you're asked if you want to make it "public" or "private". If the tree is public, anybody can see it. If it's private, only you and those people you invite will be able to see the tree. The good news is that you can easily change back and forth between "private" and "public" if you change your mind later. To change these settings, follow the steps below:
Log into...
Posted by Sherryl on 11:03 PM
Trying to decipher the text on WW I draft cards can be difficult because of the poor quality of the scans.
Good news is that you can download free copies of blank WWI Draft cards to help you. There are three different samples of draft cards available for WW I.
Looking at the blank forms will help you figure out the meaning of some of the text on the actual images you come across of your relatives WWI Draft card.
You'll need Adobe Reader to open the files .. which is already installed on most computers. But if you have trouble opening the files, you can download the latest first of Adobe Reader by clicking here.
There are three different...
Posted by Sherryl on 12:53 PM
Ancestry.com allows you to keep a virtual "shoebox" of all the records you find on their site. The benefit of this shoebox is that you can add records to it for later review and while you keep searching for more records. You can also go back later and download the record images to your own computer.
I like to use the shoebox as my virtual storage place for all the records I find that are relevant to my family history. Occasionally, I'll add records there that I'm not sure are related to my family, but by doing so, I can go back later and look at them in more detail ... and then delete them if it turns out they are not related...
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