Skip to navigation | Skip to content

Share your knowledge. Make a difference.

The World of Genealogy Research

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 17 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

Ranked #3755 in People, #56408 overall

Rated G. (Control what you see)

The Theory of "Relativity"

 

After spending a few years researching my own family tree I wanted to "branch" out a bit.  I enjoy digging up new finds and not only strictly for myself.  I love doing research in general and jump on the chance to look up information for others.  I've collected many links to very useful sites and decided it was time to share with other genealogists.

Search Engine Optimization and SEO Tools

Starting Tips For Newbies 

Before starting your search, be prepared.

Here are several things that you should do before actually starting your research.

This should get you started, but it's only the beginning.
  • Set up a spot in your home just for doing your research and organize it accordingly. A computer, printer/scanner, notebooks, filing cabinet or portable file boxes, file folders, labels, etc. Even if your research is done entirely on your pc you will most likely have to print things out so be sure to have set up that will be helpful.
  • Determine what method you will use to keep track of all of your family data. Take your time in choosing a family tree software program for your pc. Compare a few different ones carefully before deciding which will best fit your needs and level of computer skill.
  • Gather together any family information you already have. Look through drawers and/or albums and pull out copies of birth certificates, obituaries, birth/wedding/graduation announcements, etc. If you check out my genealogy blog, The Neverending Search, I have posted a list of suggested sources for finding information on family members. Quite a few of the sources on this list are places I probably never would have thought to look.
  • Write down any and all information you already have on yourself and other family members working backwards (i.e. yourself, your parents, your grandparents, etc.)
    Whether using a notebook or family group sheets, always start with yourself. Make note of full names, birthdates/birthplaces, spouse(s), children, etc. Everything. Trust me, the more information you start with the easier (sometimes) it is to find new information.



Great Ancestry Research Software on Amazon 

There was an error connecting to the Amazon web service. Please try again. Sorry, there are no results available from Amazon.

Basic Rules of Online Research 

Mind Your Manners....

A few rules to remember when doing online genealogy research. These pertain mainly to email correspondence and message board queries.
  • Do not type in ALL CAPS because it is considered shouting. The only words that should be in all uppercase are surnames (last names). Try and use punctuation to the best of your ability, also.
  • RE: Subject Lines. Make your subject line specific. Examples of vague subjects: "Searching for family" or "I need all you have on the SMITH family". Also, if you're on a surname specific message board, say, JONES, please do not use "Looking for the JONES family" as your subject line. Most people searching on the JONES board will assume that this is the family you're looking for. Try to include as much information in your subject line as possible. Ex: Noah EVANS b. 1877 Michigan.
  • Once you have your subject line you can move on to your message. Again, include as much information as possible and be specific about what you are wanting to know.
  • Be sure to leave a way to be contacted. An email address is probably best for researching online. I have an email that is ONLY for my genealogy research.
  • If possible, if or when someone responds to your message board postings, try to thank them by email instead of responding with another post. This keeps from adding to the off-topic messages and makes searching a little easier. But, either way a thank-you is always appreciated.

My Personal Genealogy Sites 

Old Photos of the Evans/Braun Family of Michigan, Ohio & West Virginia
Old family photos with connections to the EVANS and BRAUN families of Saginaw County, Michigan, Washington County, Ohio and Pleasants County, West Virginia.
Family History Quest - The Neverending Search
Family History Quest - The Neverending Search
I believe the title explains it all.. I am the unofficial family historian and am always in search of present and past relatives. I am researching the surnames EVANS, MALCOLM, WHALEY, BRAUN, DOTSON, KLEIN, MORAN, RHEINHOLD and many, many more...

Help To Get You Started 

Helpful genealogy links for the beginning researcher.

Cyndi's List - Beginners

GEN-NEWBIE-L Mailing List A mailing list where peo more...1 point

Amazon.com: Family Tree Maker 9.0 Collector's Edition: Software

Better for the total genealogy newbie, December 18 more...1 point

Free Genealogy and Family History Online - The USGenWeb Project

Free genealogy and family history online made poss more...0 points

Mary's Genealogy Treasure

Extensive list of links to help get you started. more...0 points

The 5-Step Genealogical Research Process

The 5 basic steps involved in working on your fami more...0 points

The Genealogy Home Page

Excellent collection of research links from rootsw more...0 points

Welcome to Gen-Newbie

Gen-Newbie started as an electronic mailing list f more...0 points

Getting Started at Genealogy Today

Whether you've been working on your family history more...0 points

Free Genealogy Software

Regardless if you are a seasoned veteran or a Gene more...0 points

FREEWARE GUIDE - Home & Education - Genealogy

For the seasoned veteran or the genealogy newbie, more...0 points

GENUKI: Newbies Guide by Roy Stockdill

FIRST, an explanation of why in the headline I put more...0 points

Introduction to Genealogy - Lesson 1C: Charting Your Course

It is important as a genealogy newbie that you und more...0 points

Genealogy Resources on the Internet - General Information ...

GEN-NEWBIE-L. A mailing list where people who are more...0 points

Macworld: MacFamilyTree 4.4

And a free piece of advice from an old hand who st more...0 points

Pod-Planet.com - The World's Largest and Most Accurate Podcast ...

Juliann.net - Roots Rookie Podcast Rate and Review more...0 points

Where's MY Family Tree? - A Newbie Column at Genealogy Today

This column will give you some of the tools to hel more...0 points

The Attic ... Genealogy Resources

Newbie Tips Searchable Files Ethnic, Religious, St more...0 points

The Genealogy Spot: the spot to find ancestors in Census Records ...

Are you a beginning Genealogist? A newbie to genea more...0 points

New to Genealogy - Help for Beginners

Are you new to Genealogy? Are you lost and bewilde more...0 points

Genealogy Research Resources

Would you like some help with the design and layou more...0 points

Message board - Newbie Questions

MyHeritage - Genealogy family tree - Family websit more...0 points

Journal of Online Genealogy - August 1996 - Newsgroups/Mailing Lists

When searching, remember that we spell it geneAlog more...0 points

Texas History Hunter

Texas genealogy and family history.0 points

Online Research Assistance - Cheap to Free 

or how to avoid having to pay expensive professionals

The first thing I can say about this topic is to save the "professional" genealogists for getting around those impassable "brick walls" or researching in foreign countries. Personally, in my almost 10 years of researching my own family lines, I have unearthed and gathered information on over 1300 people connected to my research and, with the exception of a few books and magazines, have not paid a single penny for any of what I have.

Admittedly, I'm a world class cheapskate. My favorite word is free and if it's free I'll find it eventually. I have sent for certain state/county kept records and still not paid for anything. If you get lucky, some states and/or counties don't charge for certain records on file. Especially if they don't actually have to search for anything. The best way for that to happen is, of course, to check the location online and use any online database search available and then simply submit that data for them to retrieve, copy and mail out to you.

There are a lot of government kept records that are relatively, no pun intended, cheap to order. Depending on the type of information you are requesting you will most likely pay for postage (if the request can't be sent online) to mail the request and for a self-addressed stamped envelope for the forms to be mailed back to you, possibly a small charge for their time and usually no more than a few dollars for the actual copies. Now, price of copies will certainly vary depending on whether your copies are certified or uncertified so be careful to verify what their prices are.

My favorite way to find my information for free is by using genealogy message boards. You can usually find someone living in or near your location of interest that is willing to visit libraries and court houses in that area to look up the records you need. Most of the time they only request that you reimburse them for copy charges and postage. Most often, at least in my case, all they request is a heartfelt thank you and that you pay it forward by assisting other researchers in the same way.

Note: Never ASSUME they don't want to be reimbursed. At the very least, OFFER to pay them for whatever charges they accrue for helping and if you really can't afford to pay them then at least let them know up front.

In the end, I have come to the conclusion that almost anything can be had for little or nothing. All it takes is some searching and a polite attitude.

Happy Hunting

Genealogy Videos on YouTube 

YouTube thumbnail
The joy of genealogy and famil...

Runtime: 5:14 | 10920 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Genealogy and Family Tree Rese...

Runtime: 3:41 | 19455 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Genealogy or Looking For One's...

Runtime: 1:47 | 5816 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Genealogy Center, Allen County...

Runtime: 9:17 | 8047 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Genealogy Search Variant Surna...

Runtime: 5:16 | 1818 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
countrey genealogy 1

Runtime: 2:41 | 21467 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Jesus' Genealogy

Runtime: 5:54 | 6819 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Genealogy Center, Allen County...

Runtime: 7:30 | 2886 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Family History Christmas Wreat...

Runtime: 9:27 | 1100 views | Comments

New Amazon Plexo 

Don't Forget The Breadcrumbs

This means to track your steps. If you've started using genealogy messages boards to ask for help when you've hit a dead end or brick wall you want to make sure that the person with your answer is able to contact you. Keep notes of where you've posted so that if you ever have to change email addresses you can update your posts. It's terrible to know you have the information someone is looking for only to have out of date emails and no other way to track that other person down.

Family History with Amazon 

There was an error connecting to the Amazon web service. Please try again. Sorry, there are no results available from Amazon.

Current Favorite Links 

BlackSheepAncestors.com
Search for your ancestors in free genealogical convict and prison records,
historical court records, executions and biographies of famous outlaws, bandits & criminals in the US, Canada and UK
2007 November 18 « Your Future, Your Past
Your Future, Your Past
Home
About
November 18, 2007
The Best Genealogy Charting Available

We're glad that many others will now be discovering what Family Forest® explorers have known for years. The very talented folks at Progeny Software have created the very best geneal
Trace Your Ancestry with DNA - DNA Ancestry Project
The DNA ANCESTRY Project
Discover your deep ancestral origins.
Find out where your ancestors came from, their ethnic background, and how they have scattered throughout the world
Ancestry Space
Genealogy version of MySpace. This is an entirely ancestry based community.
Female Ancestors - Resources to Help Find Your Female Ancestors
Databases and other resources to help find your female ancestors.
Family Heritage Fact or Fiction
If you've been researching your family history very long, no doubt you've had an unnerving discovery that what you thought was a family fact subsequently turn into family fiction. So be on your guard for these fact or fiction traps
Family History Of A Kind |
Maybe you have lost an ancestor and wondering where to look next. Sometimes you don t know when an ancestor dies, especially if the name is popular- just knowing they were alive that year means less searching. Transcription of prize winners names etc fr
Ohio Genealogy
Ohio genealogy resources blog.
Online Cleveland & Cuyahoga County, Ohio Death Indexes, Records & Obituaries
A directory of online death indexes, including obituaries, cemeteries and probate records.
Directory of Family Associations and Organizations
Directory of Family Associations and Organizations. This is exactly what is says. You can add your own family groups or join those already available. Site it set up to search by surname.
The Genealogists - The Genealogists is a network of people who are interested in exploring their ancestry and family history. Together we can share our knowledge of genealogy and learn more from each other. - A FeedBurner Network
The Genealogists is a network of people who are interested in exploring their ancestry and family history. Together we can share our knowledge of genealogy and learn more from each other.
Family Genie Toolbar
This page is about the Family Genie Toolbar for Genealogy research.
The Ancestry Insider
The Ancestry Insider
The unofficial, unauthorized view of the big genealogy websites. Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org aren't the best communicators, leaving a need for the Ancestry Insider. The Insider reports on, defends, and constructively criticizes these organizations. (more...)
Ancestry Locator -- Welcome
Great page for the beginning genealogist. Provides a very basic list of what genealogy is and where to start.
Christine's Genealogy Website
African American Genealogy African American History General Genealogy General History
eNews & Updates
Sign up to receive the latest breaking news, as well as all of your other favorite headlines!
African American Genealogy Resources
Papers relating to crimes
5 Things You Can Learn From Death Records - Besides the Place and Date of Death!
5 things you can learn from death records
About Genealogy - Where to Find US Birth Certificates, Death Certificates, Marriage Certificates and other Vital Records
How and where to get birth certificates, death certificates and other vital records in each of the US states and territories, including free online vital records databases and indexes.
Social Security Death Index Search - A How To Guide to Using the US Social Security Death Index
Learn how to search and use the free US Social Security Death Index to find information on your deceased ancestors. The Social Security Death Index is a database containing names, birth and death dates for over 72 million Americans. Learn how to use the Social Security Death Index and where to searc
DearMYRTLE - Read her columns
Your friend in genealogy.
Welcome to the Ancestors Web Site
Ancestors: A PBS series on family history and genealogy - Front Page
Welcome to GenCircles!
Genealogy and Family History Research
Genealogy and Family History Research including city directories, obituaries, military, cemetery photographs, marriage records
Military Records
Military Records
Over 50,000 Genealogy Links; geneology for US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ
Over 50,000 genealogy links to ships passenger lists, cemetery transcriptions, censuses for UK, Ireland, Scotland, US, Europe, Canada, Australia..
Free genealogy search tips, how to articles, and family tree helps
Genealogy resources and family history articles, genealogy search tips, online genealogy tutorials and reviews from Treasure Maps genealogy site. Visit Treasure Maps how to genealogy site for genealogy help, tutorials and information on how to search your family tree.
MyHeritage - Free Family Tree - Genealogy
Face recognition for your photos and family tree. Free genealogy software. Tools for researching your heritage and sharing it on the Internet.

eBay for the Family Historian 

Loading Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
eBay

More Genealogy Vidoes on YouTube Voting (Plexo) 

Genealogy and Family Tree Researchers - The Google Toolbar

Genealogy and Family... 0 points

The Genealogy Guy - Intro from Robert Ragan

The Genealogy Guy -... 0 points

Genealogy Search Basics

Genealogy Search Bas... 0 points

Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library II

Genealogy Center, Al... 0 points

Part 2 of Online Genealogy Information Gathering Method

Part 2 of Online Gen... 0 points

Genealogy or Looking For One's Own Peeps

Genealogy or Looking... 0 points

genealogy

genealogy 0 points

Barrer Genealogy movie

Barrer Genealogy mov... 0 points

Genealogy section.

Genealogy section. 0 points

Understanding the Genealogy of Jesus

Understanding the Ge... 0 points

Wynne Genealogy BBC Wales

Wynne Genealogy BBC... 0 points

Genealogy

Genealogy 0 points

Genealogy Project

Genealogy Project 0 points

Gravestones Genealogy Purdue and assoc. Families

Gravestones Genealog... 0 points

Family History Christmas Wreath Part 1 - Genealogy Gems

Family History Chris... 0 points

Genealogy

Genealogy 0 points

Guyanese Genealogy

Guyanese Genealogy 0 points

Family History Christmas Wreath Part 2 - Genealogy Gems

Family History Chris... 0 points

Genealogy Photos

Genealogy Photos 0 points

McConney Genealogy & You

McConney Genealogy &... 0 points

Swedish & Swede-Finn Genealogy

Swedish & Swede-Finn... 0 points

Genealogy Memory Allen Scanlon Kidneigh Family rememberwhen

Genealogy Memory All... 0 points

Murdoch Family Genealogy Video

Murdoch Family Genea... 0 points

Jesus Fraud-the Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Jesus Fraud-the Gene... 0 points

Demo of Genealogy Website FamilyInHistory.com

Demo of Genealogy We... 0 points

Rauch Family Genealogy From New Braunfels, Texas

Rauch Family Genealo... 0 points

Video Genealogy: (1958?) Morgan & Leer Families

Video Genealogy: (19... 0 points

Video Genealogy: (1940) Leer Family Washington, DC

Video Genealogy: (19... 0 points

Généalogie des Soussi / Genealogy of the Soussi

Généalogie des Souss... 0 points

Genealogy Help-Part Three

Genealogy Help-Part... 0 points

irish genealogy

irish genealogy 0 points

Mary Agnes Holsing 1877 - 1962

Mary Agnes Holsing 1... 0 points

Who Do You Think You Are?

Who Do You Think You... 0 points

Ancestry.com Puts 90 Million War Records Online

Ancestry.com Puts 90... 0 points

Family History Research - Child Detectives

Family History Resea... 0 points

Adding persons

Adding persons 0 points

Adding multimedia content

Adding multimedia co... 0 points

Create a family

Create a family 0 points

Finding a lost mother

Finding a lost mothe... 0 points

demo of geni.com

demo of geni.com 0 points