Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART I
The Basics
1 Beginning a Genealogy Project
Organize from the Beginning
Your System
Good Practices
Pick a Line
Adventures in Genealogy
References to Have at Hand
Analyze and Repeat
Know Your Terms
Sources and Proof
How to Judge
Who Created It?
How Long Ago Was It Created?
Where Does the Information Come From?
In What Form Is the Information?
How Well Does the Author Use and Define Genealogical Terms?
Does the Information Make Sense Compared to What You Already Know?
Standards of Genealogical Research
How to Write a Query
Documentation
Backup
Publishing Your Findings
Caveats
Wrapping Up
2 Software You’ll Need
Look Ma, No Wires!
Software
Which Browser Should I Use?
Genealogy Programs
Smart Phones and Tablets
Tablets
Additional Programs
Add-On Programs
Database CD-ROMs
Word-Processing Programs
Maps
E-mail
Viruses and Worms
Wrapping Up
3 Ethics, Privacy, and Law in Genealogy
Privacy
Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
Gormley’s View
DearMYRTLE’s View
Eastman’s View
Copyright
Protecting Yourself
Other Matters
Give Back
NGS Standards
Wrapping Up
PART II
Using the Internet for Genealogy
4 Genealogy Education
Teach Yourself, Be Taught, or Do Both
Teaching Yourself: Columns, Podcasts, and Blogs
Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
Other Blogs and Feeds
Online Courses
MOOCS
Genealogy.com
Brigham Young University
National Institute for Genealogical Studies/University of Toronto
Search College Sites for Other Courses
Offline
Professional Organizations
Regional and Local Workshops and Seminars
Wrapping Up
5 Revving Up Search Engines
Defining Terms
Searching with Savoir Faire
Using Boolean Terms
The Boolean OR
The Boolean AND
The Boolean NOT
Beyond AND/OR/NOT
Search Sites
Ancestral Findings
Linkpendium
Access Genealogy
Ancestor Hunt
Biography Guide
Cyndi’s List
Free Genealogy Search Help for Google
GenGateway
RootsWeb Search Thingy
Obituary Search Pages
White Page Directories
Wrapping Up
6 Talk to Me: Twitter, Skype, IM, and Google
Twitter
Replies and Mentions
Hashtags
VoIP and Video Chat
Google
Skype
Facebook, Yahoo! et al
Instant Messaging
Reach Out and Touch the World!
Wrapping Up
7 Fun with E-mail: Mail Lists, Newsletters, and More
Mailing Lists
Subscribing to Mailing Lists
Forums You Might Explore
Forums
Finding More Mailing Lists and Forums
Wrapping Up
8 Social Networking
A Few Definitions
Social Networking 101
Social Networking Services with Avatars: Second Life
Just Genealogy
The Main Event: Live Chats with Sound and Animation
Google+
Profile
Circles
Pages and Communities
Stream
Hangouts
MeetUp
Wrapping Up
9 Blogging Your Genealogy: Sites, Software, and More
Blogging Guidelines
How to Blog Effectively
Software and Services for Blogging
Time and Circumstance
Wrapping Up
10 DNA Genealogy
DNA Overview
Online DNA Sites
Wrapping Up
PART III
The Nitty Gritty: Places to Find Names, Dates, and Places
11 Vital Records and Historical Documents
Vital Records
Library of Congress
American Memory
American Treasures
Using the Library of Congress
The Library Today
Research Tools
National Archives and Records Administration
Other NARA Areas to Explore
Access to Archival Databases
Government Land Office
Land Patent Searches
Census Records
The U.S. Census Bureau
Some Census Sites
State and Local Sources
Obituaries and SSDI
Interment.net
Fold3
Online Searches
Transcriptions
CDs and Microfilms
Bible Records Online
Wrapping Up
12 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: FamilySearch.org
FamilySearch.org Tour
Search
Trees
Puzzilla
FamilySearch Indexing
Get Help
A Visit to a Family History Center
Wrapping Up
13 Ellis Island Online: The American Family Immigration History Center
Genealogy Getting Started Tips
Genealogy Charts and Forms
Locating a Genealogy Society
Hiring a Professional Genealogist
Helpful Websites for Genealogy Research
Using the Site
Searches
Community Archives
Ellis Island Family History
Visiting in Person
Morse’s Forms
Other Forms
Wrapping Up
14 Online Library Card Catalogs and Services
Connecting to OCCs by Web Browser
Google Books
The Library of Congress Card Catalog
Where to Find More Online
Card Catalogs
Using Your Local Library Online
Periodical Source Index on Microfiche
America’s Genealogy Bank (NewsBank)
America’s Obituaries & Death Notices (NewsBank)
Ancestry Library Edition (Available Only Inside the Library)
Heritage Quest
ProQuest Obituaries
Sanborn Fire Insurance Company Maps of Florida
Wrapping Up
15 International Genealogy Resources
Following the Past
Beyond the Boat
Translate a Site
Country-Specific Sites
Asian Genealogical Sites
European Genealogical Sites
North America
Wrapping Up
16 Ethnic Genealogy Resources
Special Challenges
African-American Genealogy
AfriGeneas
Africana Heritage
More Good Resources
Arab Genealogy
Australian Aborigines
Caribbean Genealogy
British Virgin Islands Genealogy
Creole/Cajun Genealogy
Cuban Genealogy
Doukhobors Genealogy
Gypsy, Romani, Romany, and Travellers Genealogy
Hmong Genealogy
Quaker and Huguenot Genealogy
Jewish Genealogy
Native American Genealogy
Metis Genealogy
Melungeon Genealogy
Wrapping Up
17 The National Genealogical Society
About the NGS
Educational Courses
Publications and Videos
Conferences and Events
Awards and Competitions
Calendar
My Account, My Orders, My Downloadable Products
Store
Wrapping Up
18 Ancestry.com and RootsWeb
Ancestry.com
Using Ancestry.com
RootsWeb
Digging in RootsWeb
Other Search Engines
Message Boards and Mailing Lists
Newsletters
Wrapping Up
19 Genealogical Publishing Houses and Their Sites
Publishing a Genealogy Book
Buying Genealogy Books
Avotaynu
Genealogical Publishing Company
Family Roots Publishing
Martin Genealogy Publishing
Heritage Books
BookLocker
Lulu.com
iUniverse.com
Smaller Publishers
Family Heritage Publishers
Modern Memoirs, Inc.
Shortrunbooks.com
Finding More
Wrapping Up
20 A Potpourri of Genealogy
Alexa.com Top 25 Genealogy Sites Early 2014
Golden Needles in the World Wide Haystack
Adoption
Beginners’ “Classes,” How-to Articles, Tips, Etc.
Blogging and Genealogy Blogs
Birth, Death, Marriage, and Other Records
DNA
Ethnic/National
Historical Background
Libraries
Maps, Geography, and More
Regional
Starting Places
Supplies, Books, Forms, and More
Wrapping Up
PART IV
Appendixes
A Genealogical Standards from the National Genealogical Society
Genealogical Standards
Standards for Sound Genealogical Research
Genealogical Standards
Guidelines for Using Records Repositories and Libraries
Genealogical Standards
Standards for Use of Technology in Genealogical Research
Genealogical Standards
Standards for Sharing Information with Others
Genealogical Standards
Guidelines for Publishing Web Pages on the Internet
Genealogical Standards
Guidelines for Genealogical Self-improvement and Growth
B How to Find a Professional Genealogist
Australia
Canada
England
France
Ireland
New Zealand
Scotland
Set Terms
Glossary
Index
