Genealogy and Family History
Paul Duxbury is fast becoming one of the leading experts on researching your Family History through the internet. He owns a wide variety of Genealogy Websites all of which aim to provide Family Historians and Genealogists with access to helpful information. From Catholic Genealogy to An Introduction to Genealogy every site is packed with information.
To get a Free Copy of Paul's recent eBooks Shaking The Family Tree and an Introduction to Scrapbooking click here!
To get a massive discount on The Genealogy Guide just click on the link or here!
Free Weekly Newsletter For Scrapbooking Genealogists!
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How Networking with Other Genealogists Helps your Search
Get Sociable and Make New Friends
Genealogy is fast becoming one of the best and most popular hobbies. As a result, there are thousands of people working on their own genealogies. Networking with other amateur genealogists helps your search in a number of different ways. Remember that two heads are always better than one, and when you find someone else who can help you, whether in spirit or with actual information, it can be immensely valuable on a number of levels to your research. There are a number of different ways to network with other genealogists to improve your search.One good way to network with others is to join a genealogy bulletin board on the internet. Bulletin boards are a way for members of an online community to post and respond to each other's messages in a public forum. Instead of simply e-mailing someone, it's like e-mailing hundreds of people with the same interests you have. You never know who might turn up with what response to your problem or question. There are hundreds of these genealogy bulletin boards across the internet. Providers like America Online and CompuServe have their own genealogy bulletin boards you can post to. Other sites, dedicated to genealogy, have a bulletin board section that you might find helpful. Becoming a member of several of these might be very valuable to your research. Most charge no fee to be a member. Once you become a member, you will need to both post and respond to other's posts to be a valuable member of this kind of online community. When you get ready to make your post, the most important thing you can do is look at the kinds of things others have posted before you. You want to look at the style, language, and subject matter of the previous posts. This will help you decide on the rules of etiquette for the board you are working with. You might also want to examine the board a little. Some boards are divided by topic area. If this is true of the one you are working with, be sure to post your message in a topic area that matches your post. If you ignore the topic areas, the board moderator may have to remove your post, which can result in several things. First, no one will be able to respond to your post. More seriously, though, you may be kicked off the board. When you do get ready to make your first post, take a couple of minutes to plan your question out. Remember that most of the people on these boards have no
Genealogy and Family History Blog
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byYour Favourite Genealogy Forum
Your Family Tree :: Index
The Genealogy Forum Associated with Your Family tr more...6 points
GenForum - Home
Over 14000 online forums devoted to genealogy, inc more...3 points
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Interact with and learn from fellow genealogists i more...3 points
RootsChat.com - Genealogy, Family History, Local History ...
Forum for genealogy and local history in Ireland a more...2 points
Here's my favorite link:
Top Genealogy Sites
- The Amateur Genealogist
- Do you want to find your ancestors working with friendly helpful people who provide masses of free advice? Then you have come to the right place!
- Catholic Genealogy
- Information and advice for those researching their Catjolic Family History
- Our Family Trees
- A beginner's guide to Genealogy
- GenMates - The Genealogy MySpace
- Make Friends and share your genealogy research
Genealogy on eBay
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Genealogy on eBay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byDo You Have A Family Tree Website?
Have you set up or are you considering setting up a Family Tree Website
Family Tree Websites enable their owners to interact with other Genealogists and Family Historians. It's also a great way to discover more of your ancestors by attracting people to your website who are researching your Family name!
Planting a Genealogy Tree in Google's Search Engine Garden
By choosing to build a family tree website, you've just boosted your ability to expand your roots even farther. Keeping records by pen and paper isn't just tedious, but limiting as well.
Now that you're planting your roots on the 'net, you want to make sure your family history can be found by others. The more people who find your genealogy, the more hands who can help you discover unknown facts and revelations.
If you chose a family tree website that allows you to create blog entries, then you'll want to post to that often to help search engine robots find it and index it for their results pages.
That way, whenever a distant relative goes online seeking information for their ancestry, Google or whatever search engine they're using will return your blog as one of their choices.
Google and other search engines like to categorize websites based on keywords. So if your family name is "Brown," then you want to create a list of words and phrases you can use within each blog entry that relate to the Brown Family Tree.
Devote each blog entry to a new keyword or phrase. The more you blog, the more often search engine robots will visit your site and post updates to search engine users when your page displays.
If your family tree website doesn't include a blog feature, then you can create one for free at www.WordPress.com. Blogging is one of the best ways to get picked up by Google and broaden your horizons for genealogy research, but it's not the only way.
The more family tree blogs and websites you have linking to your primary family tree page, the higher your site will raise in the search engine results. Hopefully, in time, you'll be in a top 10 position on Google and your relatives and ancestors will be able to click on your link for a fast, easy, and effective virtual reunion.
Don't waste hours trying to make sure you develop the perfect content for your blog. Write naturally about your quest to find information on your family name and Google will recognize your organic efforts and reward you with a spot in their search engine.
Genealogy Scrapbooking Videos
Some of My General Favourite Links
Take a look at some of the websites and pages which I really enjoy. A mixture of Genealogy and everything else!
Great Stuff on Amazon
The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy: A complete resource to using the Web to trace your family history (Everything Series)
Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 07/06/2009) 
On the Genealogy of Morals: A Polemic. By way of clarification and supplement to my last book Beyond Good and Evil (Oxford World's Classics)
Amazon Price: $9.32 (as of 07/06/2009)
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Genealogy, 2nd Edition
Amazon Price: $12.89 (as of 07/06/2009)
Great Stuff on eBay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byGenealogy Blog Posts from Google
- WHITE : Genealogy Query
- Genealogy query detail for surnames WHITE. ... Cross Search on other websites: View all matching gen...
- ANGELA : CALM : ROBERT : WALKER : Genealogy Query
- Genealogy query detail for surnames ANGELA : CALM : ROBERT : WALKER.
- This Week's New Genealogy Blogs 4 July 2009 | GeneaBloggers
- My apologies for not posting the list sooner but I've been celebrating Independence Day weekend in W...
- Mountain Genealogists: "Golden Rules of Genealogy"
- Genealogy isn't about just doing research. Genealogy is about telling the stories and ensuring that...
Free 21 Day eCourse
Have you signed up for our free 21 Day Genealogy ecourse yet?
21 Day Free Genealogy eCourse!
Basic Genealogy Information For Children
In this day and age with families spread from one end of the country to the other, the ties to the past are often murky at best. You want to help your child, but heck; you don't even remember your grandparents' full names.
What do you do?
Here are some basic ideas to help your little one get beyond three-block tree without doing the project yourself:
Do share what information you can. For example, details about yourself and your spouse. Where you were born and when. Let them know about your wedding and the dates of birth of their siblings, if any.
Give your child access to a family member who might be able to help. Call your parents or your spouses'. An aunt or an uncle. Let them interview relatives for assistance.
Provide them access to the Internet. If your family is spread out, but uses the Internet, let your little one e-mail them for help. Ask family members to help fill out the tree with names and dates.
Once your child gets back the basic information, help her create the tree without doing it for her. Should the information beyond your parents still be murky, see what the two of you can find on the Internet. You might not be able to find all the answers there, but perhaps you can fill in some of the blanks.
Children are naturally curious about themselves and their family, this project can serve as a great catalyst for her to learn about where she comes from and how your family got to be where it is today.
Whether you create only a brief family history or manage to trace it back seven generations or more, make sure she enjoys the effort and learns from the research experience. Regardless the outcome, your little one will be sharpening skills that will serve her well in the future and she just might learn to appreciate the ties that bind family a little more along the way.
Preserving Important Genealogical Documents
Aging documents, precious photographs and other pieces of vital information often come into the possession of the person on the trail of their family history.
Inasmuch, it's a very good idea for the family historian to have a basic understanding of what documents must be preserved, which ones can simply be copied, and how to protect one-of-a-kind pieces from the elements, preserving their integrity for generations to come.
The number of documents a family historian might come across in the course of their research is large, but here is a listing of some of the more common items:
Family photographs, portraits
Birth records
Death records
Written journals, letters, diaries
Military records
School records
Employment records
Contracts
Some items will be more obviously precious than others. The key in preserving what's important is using personal judgment.
Photographs, for example, are generally not replaceable. Treat them with extreme care and store them in a museum quality album or case. This is especially so for old portraits where the paint might be showing signs of aging.
Official records just as birth, death and marriage licenses are often copies. If this is the case, storage doesn't necessarily have to be of museum quality. If the documents are the originals, however, keep them stored in an album with acid free paper. Don't use tape or glue on them.
Written documents from the past, especially those drafted in your ancestors' hand, require extreme care. If they are lost or left to the elements, the information and the ties to the past cannot be recreated. Use extreme care in storing and preserving these items.
A general rule of thumb for any document you want to preserve is to treat it as a museum archivist would. Use storage equipment that protects the precious papers from water, air and acid damage.
If you exercise care with important documents now, you'll be happy later and so will your descendants when they uncover their histories carefully preserved.
Finding a Soldier
First, men during a time of war were asked to register for the draft, which was then placed into effect. Ages 18 to 35 were required to sign up, but some that were older and younger also joined the ranks. Some companies have begun the process of indexing these records, so contact any research company for more information about obtaining these records. Canada also has searchable records of men that signed up for the draft. If your ancestor not only signed up, but also served, he is probably on a muster list as well. This is a roll call list that companies used to keep track of their soldiers and may include information other than a name if you are lucky.
Service records, if available, are great for information about your ancestors. These records were kept during the Revolutionary War and are still kept today. Information includes a timeline of military service, medical history, vital stats, marriage information, locations, date of death, and other information. These records are especially detailed in the southern United States. Even better than service records are pension records. Very precise records have been kept since the start of the Revolutionary War, and you may also find names of relatives or friends in these records.
Other records that are worth obtaining are bounty land records, cemetery records, and veterans' records. These documents may also hold valuable pieces of information that could be missing from your family tree. If you find that your ancestors have long been military men (or, in more recent decades, military women), it would probably be beneficial to copy and organize your data as you collect it. Because records are often hard to read, it may take you a long time to figure out certain pieces of information, so be prepared with reading glasses and perhaps even a magnifying glass. As you decipher information, write it down neatly so that you won't have to begin the process again the next time you look at your information. Military records are a relatively easy way to come by some great information, so be sure to consider this optio
Taking Your Genealogy Hobby To The Next Level
First, join a reputable genealogical society. In your own research, you've probably come across a few of the bigger organizations, and membership to one of these will help your career begin. Your best option is The Association of Professional Genealogists. Visit their website to learn how you can become a member of this organization and what benefits members have. They can also send you literature about turning professional.
Your next step is to become accredited. Chance are, no one will hire you if you cannot show that you are certified in the art of genealogical research. You can receive accreditation in six different areas of genealogy and there are six different titles to go along with that: Certified Genealogist, Certified Genealogical Record Specialist, Certified American Lineage Specialist, Certified American Indian Lineage Specialist, Certified Genealogical Lecturer, and Certified Genealogical Instructor. Research all of these options before choosing one so that you will find a good fit for your skills.
Next, do your research. By that, I mean that you should have lots of experience researching your own family history before you attempt to help anyone else. Learn how to use the Internet to do searches, and know your way around a library. Also find resource centers from each of the fifty states and ask for information about the services they provide. Know what type of information you can get at the courthouse and where you can find other records. You can learn this by reading books about genealogy, and also by participating in workshops or taking classes, another important step towards becoming pro. Stay up to date about new advances in the family history research world by subscribing to magazines and websites.
You need to be able to successfully operate your own business, including all financial and legal matters, before you attempt to turn pro. By doing this, you can be well on your way to a career in genealogy, and hopefully you will be happy an
Our Genealogy Guestbook
Please do sign our guestbook.
ZeldaFitzg wrote...
Great lens! I do genealogy research for myself and others, and volunteer to do "random acts of genealogical kindness" whenever possible.
Posted March 24, 2009
kiwisoutback wrote...
My family did some sort of genealogy study to find our family tree. Come to think of it, we never got the results back. Great work on this lens!
Posted March 21, 2009
Robin_Forlonge_Patterson wrote...
Another great lens from a man who knows his subject.
I see that 12 of the 44 people who have voted above would love a family history website but have no idea where to start.
They can start with the Genealogy Wikia - see http://www.squidoo.com/Genealogy-Wiki - where they can write a short or long page about every relative they know about, link them in several ways (including very easy hyperlinks and categories) to the pages for other family members, and get help from other contributors in linking up with people and sources that have some of the info to fill in the gaps. All free. And anonymous if they are a bit shy.
Posted March 08, 2009
TopLawyer wrote...
Very informative reading with lots of helpful info on genealogical. Your lens really grabbed me and I had to read the entire information. Great lens and thank you. Sue Chambers legal forms Website Owner.
Posted January 11, 2009
anthropos wrote...
Thanks for joining "Everything Genealogy and Family History" Group. It's a little late but I was aware you were here.
Posted January 04, 2009
pkmcr wrote...
Thanks for the kind comments and I hope that readers are finding the information useful
Take care
Paul
Posted December 14, 2008
Evelyn_Saenz wrote...
Squidoo is a wonderful way to display genealogical information. My lens Garner Rix and the Royalton Raid came from the Genealogical research that I have been pursuing for years.
Thank you for the info on new sources of information.
Posted November 22, 2008
d-artist wrote...
great lens and info...I love doing my genealogy research, although quite frustrating at times, but Winter is the best time to do it... 5*s
Posted September 11, 2008
GramaBarb wrote...
Great lens!! I have recently joined geni.com and it works so well on getting all family members involved - trees grow into forests there.
http://www.squidoo.com/genealogy_fun
Posted August 24, 2008
familyhistorysearcher wrote...
I love how you give great detail about doing a family history search using google... keep it up!
Posted June 20, 2008
Free Databases to Help You Create Your Family Tree Website
With a family tree website, you have tools available to you that make the process run smoothly - and at a much faster pace than if you were keeping records offline for you and your heirs.
Many family tree website services offer built-in research tools for their members. But with genealogy, you always want to use multiple tools because you never know when one might pick up on a small detail the others didn't produce.
Heritage Quest, located at http://www.heritagequestonline.com/, is one tool you can use for free with a library card as your access to the database. You can search Census records, databases about the Revolutionary War and Freedman's Bank, and gain access to information published in book on people and places described throughout history.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission at www.cwgc.org makes it easy for you to access information on over 1.7 million men and women who were casualties during the two world wars.
At www.interment.net, you can search databases of cemeteries from all over the world. You can also submit your own transcription of information. This is a good idea because someone else in your family that you don't yet have added to your own family tree could be searching these records and your information could lead them back to you.
The links go on for miles at www.worldgenweb.org because you can search all over the world, for different types of information. The site is run by volunteers, so it's helpful if you contribute to the site as well as take from it so that others can benefit from the research you've already done and vice versa.
Once you visit the various free genealogical resources the 'net has to offer, go back to your family tree website home and populate it with the new information you've discovered.
Always be sure to check back and see what new data has been added to both free and fee-based tools that you use because you never know when the missing piece of a puzzle with fall in place one day and your family tree will be complete.
My Favourite Genealogy Links
Welcome to Catholic Genealogy
A membership based site for those with a British C more...1 point
Welcome to Catholic Genealogy
A site for those with a British Catholic heritage more...1 point
The Amateur Genealogist
Do you want to find your ancestors working with fr more...1 point
Family History Search
If you're seriously thinking about beginning a fam more...1 point
Genealogy and Family History Poll
Genealogy Videos
Genealogy at Del.icio.us!
Genealogy News from Google
- Books donated to state library
- All of these books will be very helpful for people searching their genealogy especially in Tennessee...
- The Generations Network Becomes Ancestry.com
- Sullivan added that the company will continue to support its other brands, including Family Tree Mak...
- German research among July genealogy classes
- The Family History Library will offer classes in July on German research, Norwegian research and Fam...
- GENEALOGY: Courthouse fires are great catastrophes for genealogists
- By Tamie Dehler Every time a courthouse burns, it is a great catastrophe for genealogists as well as...
Genealogists and Their iPods!
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byGenealogy Greats
Useful Genealogy Links
The Desperate Genealogist's Ideas Book
This 150-page Genealogy e-book is packed with arti more...0 points
Featured Lenses
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Free Scrapbooking Ideas
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Scrapbooking is becoming an increasingly popular hobby for people of all ages. Whether it be the young child creating a School Project Scrapbook or a gift for a family member or the Family Historian/Genealogist creating a Family History through...
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Scrapbook Supply
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Welcome to Scrapbook Supply where our aim is to provide reviews and information about the top Scrapbook Supplies. Scrapbook Supply reviews the top products and provides you with information about each one so that you can make informed buying decisions...
Plan Your Genealogy Travel
Come To England and Trace Those Roots!
Find out how to get to London, England easily and quickly!
Old Postcards on eBay
Genealogical Interest Postcards
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byRecommended Websites
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The Amateur Genealogist
Do you want to find your ancestors working with friendly helpful people who provide masses of free advice? Then you have come to the right place!0 points
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Catholic Genealogy
The Catholic Genealogy website is the leading resource for those Catholics looking to undertake Free research into their Catholic History and Genealog...0 points
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Discovering your Family Tree - Discovering your Family Tree
Discovering your Family Tree is becoming incredibly popular as a hobby. Many more of us are taking up Genealogy both to Discover our Family Trees and...0 points
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The Genealogist
One of the leading Genealogy blogs packed with information0 points
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Genealogy Articles
Free Genealogy Articles to assist you with your genealogy research or to publish on your genealogy website0 points
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Genealogy and Family Tree eCourse
Free 21 Day Genealogy and Family History eCourse - Learn how to find the information you need to get a complete family history. Don't wonder where you...0 points
Latest Activity At Genmates
Fetching RSS feed... please stand bySee Who Is Discussing Genealogy At Twitter
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- genealogynews
- JewishGen Blog: The Home of Jewish Genealogy: The IAJGS Conference ... http://bit.ly/xK6Gz
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- genealogynews
- Ask Olive Tree Genealogy a Question: How to Find an Ancestor in ... http://bit.ly/nIBHi
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- GetPaidToday
- How to work from home and make a great living: Many people in our industry are not familiar with MLM genealogy l.. http://bit.ly/oUBaj
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- MissMacLeod
- Getting documents ready for a Mayflower Society application. Loving the online preliminary review - speeds things up a lot! #genealogy
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- planningguru
- How to work from home and make a great living: Many people in our industry are not familiar with MLM genealogy l.. http://bit.ly/oUBaj
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- lfox18
- Just met w/ Linda Waldbillig Stewart & Lydia Waldbillig. They study Waldbillig Genealogy and of course bumped right into the Schaller's.
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- littlebyteslife
- Found a new RevWar ancestor - for ME this time! William Caul. Woo hoo! #darcc09 #genealogy
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- BrianHD
- RT @geneabloggers 14 new genealogy blogs this week! From Cemetery Explorers to Out Alabama Roots! http://tr.im/r4Mt #genealogy
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- xelnia
- Sheet music, genealogy, miscellaneous electronics...
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- genealogynews
- BATHURST : BROWN : HUFFMIRE : NELSON : YOUNG : Genealogy Query http://bit.ly/3jfnVi
About The Lensmaster
Lensmaster pkmcr, aka Paul Duxbury, has been a member since September 17 2006, has rated 323 lenses, favorited 171, and has created 104 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "How To Use Twitter". See all my lenses
My Bio
Paul is a learning and development specialist who is passionate about helping others to succeed. Paul draws on extensive experience of Coaching and working as a Senior Manager in Operational Management roles as well as Human Resources and Learning and Development roles.
The people Paul works with recognize his ability to "think outside the box."
Paul is also a published Writer, Business Success Coach and Business Creator. He is also a keen Genealogist and Family Historian. He coaches and works with people around the world providing advice on making money from their business and starting new online businesses.
Some of the areas Paul specialises in are:
Dog Care | Dog Health and Dog Questions Answered
Gardening Questions Answered
Career Change and Resume Writing Advice
How To Earn Extra Spending Money
Ways to Save Money
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