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Genealogy and Family History

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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!

We Were Squidoo Lens Of The Day! 

Squidoo Lens of the Day!

Thank You Squidoo!

Free Weekly Newsletter For Scrapbooking Genealogists! 

Sign up for our Free Scrapbooking Newsletter and receive weekly, tips, information, offers and advice to get the most out of your scrapbooking!

Discover how to create beautiful Scrapbooks that you and your family will treasure for ever!

Learn about Scrapbooking your Baby's "Firsts"
Discover How to get Started Scrapbooking and how to Scrapbook on a Budget!

Make sure that you are organized and get hints and tips on properly organizing Your Scrapbooking Space.

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

Your Favourite Genealogy Forum 

Your Family Tree :: Index

The Genealogy Forum Associated with Your Family tr more...5 points

GenForum - Home

Over 14000 online forums devoted to genealogy, inc more...2 points

About Genealogy Forum

Interact with and learn from fellow genealogists i more...2 points

RootsChat.com - Genealogy, Family History, Local History ...

Forum for genealogy and local history in Ireland a more...1 point

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 

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Great Genealogy Products 

Family Tree Legends Deluxe 5.0

Family Tree Legends Deluxe 5.0

Price: $29.99

Genealogy enthusiasts and experts interested in an easy-to-use, innovative, and powerful genealogy software program. <br/><br/>System Requ... more »

Date You Were Born, The

Date You Were Born, The

Price: $4.98

Journey back in time to relive the major events of your birth year with Snap! The Date You Were Born. Discover what was happening in politics, enterta... more »

Family Tree Maker

Family Tree Maker

Price: $9.95

Whether you';re a beginner or an expert, Family Tree Maker Special Edition is the easiest and most complete resource for building and sharing you... more »

Do 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!

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Planting a Genealogy Tree in Google's Search Engine Garden 

Whenever you create a family tree, you want to get as much input from other family members as possible. This is one time it's good to have relatives sticking their nose into your business!

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 

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BWN Video Message JB Nelson Fa...

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Why I created Web Biographies

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The joy of genealogy and famil...

Runtime: 5:14 | 9198 views | Comments

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Genealogy Center, Allen County...

Runtime: 9:17 | 7548 views | Comments

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Genealogy and Family Tree Rese...

Runtime: 3:41 | 16796 views | Comments

Great Stuff on Amazon 

The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million

Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 07/05/2008)

The Seven Daughters of Eve

Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 07/05/2008)

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 07/05/2008)

Great Stuff on eBay 

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eBay

Genealogy Blog Posts from Google 

GRAMPS: Open Source Genealogy
Those of you with your hands up, are you into genealogy? I've been working on it for a couple of y...
Royal Patent Search
Royal Patent Search. The above link in orange will take you directly to Waihona.com to do a search o...
Hawaii
All maps of the island of Hawaii.
The 51st Carnival of Genealogy is Published
"Independent Spirit" is the theme of the newly-posted 51st Carnival of Genealogy, hosted by Thomas M...

Basic Genealogy Information For Children 

Your little one just walked in the door from school and announced that she needs to create a family tree for a class project.

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 

A family historian operates like a detective on the trail of a good mystery. Tying links to the past tightly to the present, these researchers often become the holders of a repository of information on their families.

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.

Great Family History Products 

Family Tree Magazine

Family Tree Magazine

Price: $29.94

Family Tree Magazine,The world's best resource for discovering, preserving and celebrating family history. Filled with all the inspiration and informa... more »

Family Tree for Dummies

Family Tree for Dummies

Price: $9.95

The interactive software for organizing your family history in one family tree. Enter personal information about each individual, add your photos, rec... more »

Family Scrapbook

Price: $4.95

Family Scrapbook stores your childrens photos, medical records, personal history, and key events in their lives.<br/><br/>System Requireme... more »

This Day In History

This Day In History

Price: $15.95

This Day In History

Finding a Soldier 

Even as far back as the Civil and Revolutionary wars, record of a soldier's involvement was kept for the government. There are seven basic types of records that you will find most useful, and your ancestor may be listed in one or all of these ways, so it's a great way to find information.

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 

If researching your own family is something you really enjoy, you might consider a career in the profession. People who seriously want to research as much about their families as possible often employ the services of a professional genealogist to help them. If you really want to supplement your income by helping others do research, there are a few important steps you need to take.

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.

familyhistorysearcher

I love how you give great detail about doing a family history search using google... keep it up!

Posted June 20, 2008

financegirls

Congratulations on being lens of the day! Great job!

Posted April 09, 2007

flaminglacer

Glad to have you as a member of the Crafts and Hobbies Group - drop by the Group HQ sometime and see what is there for you. Great Lens!

Posted April 08, 2007

technovoid

Great lens, Paul. Best of luck for LOTY.
JD

Posted March 22, 2007

Writertiff

Congrats on being Lens of the Day, Paul! You deserve it!
Tiff :)

Posted March 20, 2007

Phil D'Antona

Hi Paul - Outstanding genealogy lens! Keep up the good work! Phil over at www.FreeGenealogyBooks.com (check us out if you have a minute or two to spare!).

Posted February 27, 2007

jackclee

Thanks for a great lens. I discovered Tribal Pages as an online Family tree site and have created over 100 entries. (www.tribalpages.com) Checkout my lens -
http://www.squidoo.com/family_tree_one/

Posted February 04, 2007

zuzanna

Hi, Paul! Thanks for this excellent lens about a very interesting hobby. I'm starting to work on my family tree today! Five stars from me...

Posted November 18, 2006

cre8ivegrl

Wow! Lots of great information to dig through. Thanks and great lens!! ~shel

Posted November 15, 2006

Jenn Marcelais

Great lens! I have a website useful as a genealogy research source called A Very Grave Matter, http://www.gravematter.com. It contains photos and research of some of the earliest gravestones of our ancestors in New England.

Posted November 15, 2006

 
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Free Databases to Help You Create Your Family Tree Website 

When you make the decision to trace your family roots, you may not initially understand the vast amount of research that has to be done on order to expand your familial history beyond that of your great-great grandparents.

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 

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Genealogy Videos 

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The joy of genealogy and famil...

Runtime: 5:14 | 9198 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Genealogy Center, Allen County...

Runtime: 9:17 | 7548 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Genealogy and Family Tree Rese...

Runtime: 3:41 | 16796 views | Comments

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Genealogy Search Variant Surna...

Runtime: 5:16 | 1339 views | Comments

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Genealogy or Looking For One's...

Runtime: 1:47 | 5272 views | Comments

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Part 1 of Online Genealogy Inf...

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Genealogy News from Google 

Midwest Genealogy Center opens in Independence, Mo.
The new Midwest Genealogy Center, billed as one of the nation's largest libraries for people tra...
Genealogy: A special query goes out to readers
The two sites I use are Roots Web, operated by Ancestry.com, and GenForum at Genealogy.com. I have a...
Learn about genealogy
MEREDITH ? A session on genealogy will be available at the local library, sponsored by the Friends...
Genealogy group to hear from chief
Janith English, Chief of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas, will be the featured speaker at next week's...

Genealogists and Their iPods! 

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Genealogy Greats 

Useful Genealogy Links 

The Desperate Genealogist's Ideas Book

This 150-page Genealogy e-book is packed with arti more...0 points