Illustration by Joyce Hesselberth/CORBIS
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Web Exclusive…
Cyber Roots: A Beginner's Guide to Genealogy on the Web
By Mary Bruno, November 2003
Log on to search for lost ancestors: A forest of genealogy websites gives you access to databases with millions of individual records. And most of the information is free! (Updated September 2008)
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The Web can be a great place to educate yourself about genealogy basics,
conduct preliminary research, organize your information, and connect with other
researchers who may help you in your quest to fill in the family tree. But it
doesn't eliminate the need to interview family members; visit churches,
courthouses, and cemeteries; and collect deeds, death certificates, and the
like.
Indeed, Internet information can be incomplete and inaccurate, warns Cyndi
Howells, creator of the award-winning genealogy directory CyndisList.com. That's why a deep breath
and a reality check are in order before you begin clicking into seemingly
reliable online resources.
So, start with Howells' cautionary essay about the
Internet's role in genealogy. Or learn from Richard Pence, a pioneer of
computer genealogy, who warns that mistakes within information
posted online can lead your genealogy project astray.
Then, follow the links below to resources that will help you at various
stages of your genealogy project:
EDUCATE YOURSELF
About.com's Guide to
Genealogy
Guide Kimberly Powell has compiled an impressive, if daunting, collection of
links that covers the waterfront. Before you click anywhere else, learn about
common
genealogy scams and hoaxes.
Beginner's Guide
to Family History Research
In 13 lucid installments, Arkansas genealogists Desmond Walls Allen and Carolyn
Earle Billingsley cover the genealogy essentials, from collecting and
organizing family records to navigating various library, courthouse, military,
and federal census sources. They also offer a genealogy glossary, tips on source citations,
and a concise resource list.
RootsWeb's
Guide to Tracing Family Trees
This how-to guide explains where to begin your search and how to use myriad
government and church records from the U.S. and around the world. The site also
connects you to thousands of message boards and mailing lists, dozens of
databases, and a homegrown family tree repository containing millions of
ancestor names.
Genealogy.com
Online classes in Beginning Genealogy, Internet Genealogy, Tracing Immigrant
Origins, and other subjects are free. And since Genealogy.com is now owned by
A&E Television Networks, you also can check out featured celebrities’ family trees. The site's databases, which include U.S. Census
Data and International and U.S. Passenger Records, are pay-per-view ($49.99-$99.99 for an
annual subscription, $9.99-$19.99 for a monthly).
Genealogy
Dictionary
Get definitions for about 600 obscure terms that you'll surely encounter
during your genealogical research—from Ab Nepos (a great-great grandson)
to Yeoman (a freehold farmer).
What Is a
First Cousin Twice Removed?
Unravel the mysteries of complicated, and not so complicated, family
relationships.
START YOUR RESEARCH
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites
on the Internet
This award-winning directory offers thousands of genealogy links. You'll be
a click away from every key database, archive, census record, passenger list,
etc.—all neatly arranged alphabetically by category.
Internet Genealogy
Guides
This briefly annotated list of genealogy sites includes those maintained by
organizations as well as individuals.
RootsWeb
This long-running site thrives on audience participation, encouraging users to
share genealogical data. Its signature WorldConnect Project is a homegrown
family tree repository that now contains more than 300 million ancestor names.
Volunteer users of the grassroots Tombstone Transcription Project
provide inscriptions from their own local cemeteries.
Roots Dictionary of Genealogy & Archaic Terms
Go here to find definitions for hundreds of terms that you’ll surely encounter during your genealogical research—from Abruptio (divorce) to Yeoman (farmer).
Ancestry.com
Although this site is subscription-based, some parts are free. You can browse
the Ancestry Library and Ancestry Daily News Archive for news and features, and, for a
monthly fee of $19.95, you can search databases that contain
millions of U.S. names.
Ellis Island Records
If your ancestors came through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1924, you can find
details of their passages here for free, including their ports of departure;
the names, pictures, and specs of the ships they sailed on; even their
signatures on ships' manifests. You can compile all these records in your
own Ellis Island file and purchase hard-copy reproductions.
The Bureau of Land Management,
General Land Office
If your forebears were homesteaders, you'll likely find records of the land
transfers on this government site.
Social Security
Death Index (SSDI)
This is a good resource for recent generations if the person you're
tracking actually had a Social Security number and if that person's death
was reported to the Social Security Administration. The SSDI contains more than
80 million records. The vast majority—98 percent—died after 1962, but
a few records go back as far as 1937.
Index of Vital Records
Available by State
This state-by-state guide to obtaining copies of birth and death certificates,
marriage licenses and divorce decrees, and more tells you where to go and how
much it will cost.
FamilySearch
Internet Genealogy Service
The site's comprehensive Research Helps section explains how to locate a
relative. If you seek, say, a great-uncle from New Jersey, you can find
research tips and a list of databases specific to that state. The site is
maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
ORGANIZE YOUR FINDINGS
Cyndi's List:
Genealogy Home Page Construction Kit
Cyndi Howells provides step-by-step instructions for creating your own family
website.
Genealogy.com's
MyGenealogy
It's free and easy to create your own family tree. Save it on
Genealogy.com, and download it to your PC or publish it to your website.
Ancestry.com
Ancestry.com's robust family tree program lets you add relevant
events—such as marriages, divorces, and awards—to your family
tree, along with any other notes or anecdotes about a particular member.
Ellis Island
Records
"Sustaining Members" of The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation
(one year is $45.00) can create a Family History Scrapbook containing notes,
photographs, and audio recordings. Members can work on their scrapbooks at
Ellis Island, where they'll be able to use Foundation scanners, recording
equipment, etc. Scrapbooks can stay private or become part of the public Ellis
Island Family History Archive.
CONNECT WITH OTHERS
Genealogy.com's GenForum
This sprawling site hosts hundreds of surname-specific forums, as well as
forums specific to states and countries. You also can discuss general genealogy
topics.
RootsWeb Community
The self-proclaimed "oldest and largest free genealogy site" got even
larger after its merger with Ancestry.com
and MyFamily.com. RootsWeb now boasts
30,000 mailing lists and more than 161,000 message boards arranged by surname
(Aaberg to Zuziak), locale (U.S., Canada, U.K., and Ireland), and topic
(Adoptions, Obituaries, and Cemeteries).
Genealogy Forum at
About.com
This is a smaller community, but the discussions are diverse, and you can elect
to be notified via email when someone responds to your post.
Federation of Genealogical
Societies
FGS is an umbrella organization for local genealogical societies and is a good
place to hear about various genealogy conferences and events around the
country.
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