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Amy Coffin at the We Tree blog is challenging bloggers to become better genealogists, with a new prompt each week through her 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy:
Week 7: Play with Google Maps. This is a helpful tool for determining the locations of addresses in your family history. Where your ancestral homestead once stood may now be a warehouse, a parking lot or a field. Perhaps the house is still there. When you input addresses in Google Maps, don’t forget to use the Satellite View and Street View options for perspectives that put you were right there where your ancestors once stood. If you’ve used this tool before, take sometime and play with it again. Push all the buttons, click all the links and devise new ways it can help with your personal genealogy research. If you have a genealogy blog, write about your experiences with Google Maps, or suggest similar easy (and free) tools that have helped in your own research.
I learned about the miracle of Google Maps for genealogy, particularly for timelines, while at the Genealogy Reference Desk Institute. I have been meaning to play with them ever since and this weeks challenge gave me the perfect opportunity. I recommend looking at the help articles, as they are very clear and concise and helped my greatly.
View German Ancestral Villages in a larger map
This is my map on my German (with a couple in the Alsace Region of France) ancestral towns. I will be living in Hamburg - way up at the top if you scroll the map up - and hope to visit these places over the next five months. If you click on the map, I listed each ancestral line who lived in each town so that I remembered who was where. This is also one of my GeneaBloggers Games entries.
Showing posts with label 52 weeks to better genealogy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 52 weeks to better genealogy. Show all posts
Saturday, February 13, 2010
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Friday, February 12, 2010
52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week #6
Amy Coffin at the We Tree blog is challenging bloggers to become better genealogists, with a new prompt each week through her 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy:
Online databases at your public library. Search your library’s web site and see if your card grants you access to online databases. Libraries (even small ones) often have wonderful online tools including genealogy databases, historical newspapers and more! Take some time and play with these little perks that come with a library card. You just may get some help in your own genealogy research and gain some free research tools to boot. If you don’t know how to access online library databases or you’re not sure if your branch has them, ask a librarian for guidance. If you have a blog, discuss which databases (if any) to which your library subscribes.
Online databases are one of my favorite things my library offers. My library breaks them down by topic, so I often look in genealogy, but make sure to look under other headings, too, such as newspapers and biographies.
From home, I can access:
- HeritageQuest
- Newbank (which has the Buffalo News from 1989 - present, the most complete I have found online)
- NewspaperArchive - National
- Gale Newspapers
- American National Biographies
- Gale Biography Resource Center
- Reference USA
At the library, I can access:
- Ancestry
My mother has access to:
- Sanborn Maps of New York 1867-1970
I hope one day they will get Footnote!
52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week #5
Amy Coffin at the We Tree blog is challenging bloggers to become better genealogists, with a new prompt each week through her 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy:
Play with WorldCat.org. WorldCat is a massive network of library content that the public can search for free (user name and password not required). Not every library is a part of WorldCat, but the vast size of the network makes it an important genealogy tool. If you are looking for a specific book or publication, enter the identifying information into the WorldCat search box and see which libraries hold the item. You may even find that you can get the item through your library’s inter-library loan program. Don’t forget to search for some of your more unusual surnames and see what comes up. The goal is to play with WorldCat and examine its possibilities for your own research. If you’re already familiar with WorldCat, play with it again. The network and collection grow and change constantly. If you have a genealogy blog, write about your experiences with searching WorldCat for this exercise.
I love WorldCat! So much so that I have even downloaded their app to my iTouch and use it often to check if I can get a book I read about on a blog or magazine review. As a college student, inter-library loan is tremendously easy - I can even do it from the comfort of my couch and they email me when the book or article comes in. Although I did not find any of my surnames for books, I did come up with a few books on towns I am researching that I will have to order.
Play with WorldCat.org. WorldCat is a massive network of library content that the public can search for free (user name and password not required). Not every library is a part of WorldCat, but the vast size of the network makes it an important genealogy tool. If you are looking for a specific book or publication, enter the identifying information into the WorldCat search box and see which libraries hold the item. You may even find that you can get the item through your library’s inter-library loan program. Don’t forget to search for some of your more unusual surnames and see what comes up. The goal is to play with WorldCat and examine its possibilities for your own research. If you’re already familiar with WorldCat, play with it again. The network and collection grow and change constantly. If you have a genealogy blog, write about your experiences with searching WorldCat for this exercise.
I love WorldCat! So much so that I have even downloaded their app to my iTouch and use it often to check if I can get a book I read about on a blog or magazine review. As a college student, inter-library loan is tremendously easy - I can even do it from the comfort of my couch and they email me when the book or article comes in. Although I did not find any of my surnames for books, I did come up with a few books on towns I am researching that I will have to order.
Monday, January 25, 2010
52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week #4
Amy Coffin at the We Tree blog is challenging bloggers to become better genealogists, with a new prompt each week through her 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy:
Week 4: Learn about your local public library’s inter-library loan (ILL) policy. Pick a genealogy-related book that you want to read that is not in your library’s collection. Ask the librarian how to request the book from another library. Find the different library systems from which you can request books through your own library, as this can dramatically increase the number of genealogy books to which you have access. If you have a genealogy blog, write about your experience with requesting items through your library’s ILL service.
I adore inter-library loan. As a college student, I tend to use the universities system, because I can do it from my couch, while for the public library I have to go in to request an item. I recently received my first ILL for a genealogy book. While looking for films on Knockholt, Kent, England from the FHL, I noticed a book that seemed useful: A History of Knockholt in the County of Kent by David Waldron Smithers. This was published in England in 1991 and is currently out of print. Only 3 libraries in the USA own it, according to WorldCat: Princeton, Harvard and the Library of Congress. I ILL requested it through SU and a couple weeks later arrived the apparently never before used (it is pristine!) book from Princeton University.
This book is FANTASTIC! It was written by a lifelong resident of Knockholt and it mentions surnames such as Bond, Whitehead and Wells. Are they my Bonds, Whiteheads and Wells'? It was a small town, so I am sure there is some relation (hopefully I will know for sure when my films come in...) It also gives the towns history, beginning in the stone age, has photographs, gives information about the parish church records and has more information that gives a genealogist a background on the town their ancestors came from.
If you are new to ILL, be sure to check out WorldCat. According to their website, "WorldCat is the world's largest network of library content and services. WorldCat libraries are dedicated to providing access to their resources on the Web, where most people start their search for information." Although not every library in the world is a member, most large libraries, particularly in the US, are and it will give you an idea of what books are out there and where they are located.
Week 4: Learn about your local public library’s inter-library loan (ILL) policy. Pick a genealogy-related book that you want to read that is not in your library’s collection. Ask the librarian how to request the book from another library. Find the different library systems from which you can request books through your own library, as this can dramatically increase the number of genealogy books to which you have access. If you have a genealogy blog, write about your experience with requesting items through your library’s ILL service.
I adore inter-library loan. As a college student, I tend to use the universities system, because I can do it from my couch, while for the public library I have to go in to request an item. I recently received my first ILL for a genealogy book. While looking for films on Knockholt, Kent, England from the FHL, I noticed a book that seemed useful: A History of Knockholt in the County of Kent by David Waldron Smithers. This was published in England in 1991 and is currently out of print. Only 3 libraries in the USA own it, according to WorldCat: Princeton, Harvard and the Library of Congress. I ILL requested it through SU and a couple weeks later arrived the apparently never before used (it is pristine!) book from Princeton University.
This book is FANTASTIC! It was written by a lifelong resident of Knockholt and it mentions surnames such as Bond, Whitehead and Wells. Are they my Bonds, Whiteheads and Wells'? It was a small town, so I am sure there is some relation (hopefully I will know for sure when my films come in...) It also gives the towns history, beginning in the stone age, has photographs, gives information about the parish church records and has more information that gives a genealogist a background on the town their ancestors came from.
If you are new to ILL, be sure to check out WorldCat. According to their website, "WorldCat is the world's largest network of library content and services. WorldCat libraries are dedicated to providing access to their resources on the Web, where most people start their search for information." Although not every library in the world is a member, most large libraries, particularly in the US, are and it will give you an idea of what books are out there and where they are located.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week #3
Amy Coffin at the We Tree blog is challenging bloggers to become better genealogists, with a new prompt each week through her 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy:
Assess yourself! You’re great at researching everyone else’s history, but how much of your own have you recorded? Do an assessment of your personal records and timeline events to ensure your own life is as well-documented as that of your ancestors. If you have a genealogy blog, write about the status of your own research and steps you may take to fill gaps and document your own life.
This is an aspect of my research that I have pretty much skipped over entirely. I do have a few events for my life in my genealogy program, mainly addresses, schools and diplomas. Outside of this, I have no information that will help my (future) descents.
Plan of attack: I need to do some (it will someday be) Spring Cleaning! I will go through my folders and boxes and pull out important documents and give myself a space in my genealogy binders. I will also write up a short narrative of my life thus far. Additionally, I need to start adding information about my memories to this blog, as that will make it more useful.
Although I would like to say that I plan to do this soon, the odds are that it will not be until I get back from Germany in July, as I have my plate pretty full for the next month before I leave.
Assess yourself! You’re great at researching everyone else’s history, but how much of your own have you recorded? Do an assessment of your personal records and timeline events to ensure your own life is as well-documented as that of your ancestors. If you have a genealogy blog, write about the status of your own research and steps you may take to fill gaps and document your own life.
This is an aspect of my research that I have pretty much skipped over entirely. I do have a few events for my life in my genealogy program, mainly addresses, schools and diplomas. Outside of this, I have no information that will help my (future) descents.
Plan of attack: I need to do some (it will someday be) Spring Cleaning! I will go through my folders and boxes and pull out important documents and give myself a space in my genealogy binders. I will also write up a short narrative of my life thus far. Additionally, I need to start adding information about my memories to this blog, as that will make it more useful.
Although I would like to say that I plan to do this soon, the odds are that it will not be until I get back from Germany in July, as I have my plate pretty full for the next month before I leave.
52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week #2
Amy Coffin at the We Tree blog is challenging bloggers to become better genealogists, with a new prompt each week through her 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy:
Go to your local public library branch again. Examine the local history, archives and/or special collections section. Ask a librarian if you don’t know if your library has special collections or where they are located. Be sure to check the reference section, too, as many of the newer and more valuable books are held in that area. If you have a genealogy blog, write about what you find in your library’s local history and special collections.
Slightly late, but better than never;-)
At the Onondaga County Public Library Central Branch, the Local History/Genealogy room is amazing. It is on the 6th floor and contains a tremendously large amount of books and microfims. Some of the items I have used in the past or need to check out that are useful to my searching are:
| Marriages from Buffalo church records 1825-1900, volume 1 : transcribed from microfilm of English-speaking Protestant church records and compared with marriage license records in Erie County Hall | | ||
by Zintz, June P. (June Partridge)
|
Monday, January 4, 2010
52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week #1
Amy Coffin at the We Tree blog is challenging bloggers to become better genealogists, with a new prompt each week through her 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy:
Week 1 is: Go to your local public library branch. Make a note of the genealogy books in the collection that may help you gain research knowledge. Don’t forget to check the shelves in both the non-fiction section and the reference section. If you do not already have a library card, take the time to get one. If you have a genealogy blog, write about what you find in your library’s genealogy collection.
As my library is part of a large county library system, I went to their website and started searching for genealogy books that I have not yet read. I have requested the following, which will be delivered over the next few weeks as they become available:
Finding your Italian Ancestors: A Beginners Guide by Suzanne Russo Adams: I have a long list of microfilms to order from the FHC for my Italian ancestors. This book will hopefully help me see where to take the search beyond the FHC.
In Search of your German Roots: A Complete Guide to Tracing your Ancestors in the Germanic Areas of Europe by Angus Baxter: One of my goals this year is to trace my German ancestry further, this book is highly rated to help me do just that.
Tracing your Pauper Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians by Robert Burlison: This guide is for tracing your English ancestors who were affected by poverty. As I have found some living in workhouses, this book will be very useful for finding additional records on them.
Genealogy by George G. Morgan: It's by George C. Morgan, how can I not read this?
Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing your Family History by Megan Smolenyak: See above title, just replace author name:-)
Finding Anyone, Anywhere, Anywhen by Noel Montgomery Elliot: This should be useful in my goal to find living relatives this year.
Social Networking for Genealogists by Drew Smith: I have wanted to read this since it came out and my library has just recently bought it.
Google your Family Tree: Unlocking the Hidden Power of Google by Daniel M. Lynch: I need some assistance in setting up Google alerts for my ancestors.
The Oxford Guide to Library Research by Thomas Mann: There is a chapter in here on genealogy. It should also be helpful for my current schooling.
Week 1 is: Go to your local public library branch. Make a note of the genealogy books in the collection that may help you gain research knowledge. Don’t forget to check the shelves in both the non-fiction section and the reference section. If you do not already have a library card, take the time to get one. If you have a genealogy blog, write about what you find in your library’s genealogy collection.
As my library is part of a large county library system, I went to their website and started searching for genealogy books that I have not yet read. I have requested the following, which will be delivered over the next few weeks as they become available:
Finding your Italian Ancestors: A Beginners Guide by Suzanne Russo Adams: I have a long list of microfilms to order from the FHC for my Italian ancestors. This book will hopefully help me see where to take the search beyond the FHC.
In Search of your German Roots: A Complete Guide to Tracing your Ancestors in the Germanic Areas of Europe by Angus Baxter: One of my goals this year is to trace my German ancestry further, this book is highly rated to help me do just that.
Tracing your Pauper Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians by Robert Burlison: This guide is for tracing your English ancestors who were affected by poverty. As I have found some living in workhouses, this book will be very useful for finding additional records on them.
Genealogy by George G. Morgan: It's by George C. Morgan, how can I not read this?
Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing your Family History by Megan Smolenyak: See above title, just replace author name:-)
Finding Anyone, Anywhere, Anywhen by Noel Montgomery Elliot: This should be useful in my goal to find living relatives this year.
Social Networking for Genealogists by Drew Smith: I have wanted to read this since it came out and my library has just recently bought it.
Google your Family Tree: Unlocking the Hidden Power of Google by Daniel M. Lynch: I need some assistance in setting up Google alerts for my ancestors.
The Oxford Guide to Library Research by Thomas Mann: There is a chapter in here on genealogy. It should also be helpful for my current schooling.
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