Best Genealogy Websites of 2013
description
Transcript of Best Genealogy Websites of 2013
Best Genealogy Websites of 2013
May P. ChanPrairie History Librarian, Regina Public Library
Presented October 5, 2013SGS Conference, Moose Jaw, SK
© 2013
Why do you need this list?Selection criteria“The Usual Suspects”“Journey Around the World”
Canada, United States, UK, Scandinavia, Europe, Australia and New Zealand
Something Extra…Conclusion
Outline
Why do you need this list?
Not all genealogy websites are the samePaid (monthly vs per image) vs Free (search
vs full record)Database vs IndexNominal Searching vs Geographic SearchingDifferent Creators - Institutions vs Individuals
List of online resources is not meant to replace “traditional” formats like books & microfilm. Rather the list is meant to be used “in addition to” and is meant to help save you time and money
List features both paid ($) and free web resources
Selection CriteriaOffers the most authoritative and
trustworthy websites to use for genealogyHow did I select the best genealogy websites
for you to use?Annual “Best of” featured on the Family
Tree website Magazines such as Internet Genealogy &
Family ChronicleVarious genealogy blogsTips from other genealogistsPersonal experience helping patrons
“The Usual Suspects”
These websites consistently top the “Best of the Best” online resources to use:Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com or
http://www.ancestry.ca) - $ Helpful Tip!!! Check with your public library to see if
they provide access to Ancestry Library Edition (library’s equivalent to Ancestry.com)
FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org) – FREE
Cyndi’s List (portal; http://www.cyndislist.com/) – FREE
World Vital Records (www.worldvitalrecords.com) - $
Ancestry + FamilySearch = A Very Good Combo!!!
Ancestry largest paid genealogy resource US census records
State census records Vital records
England census records Scotland census records Canada census records
1921 Canadian Census!!! Searchable only by location at the present momentPrairie census recordsIncoming passengers lists
FamilySearch largest free genealogy resource Saskatchewan
Homestead files (look under SK Provincial Records!) Probate Estate records from 1887-1931 (SGS volunteer project)
Other countries’ records! Austria, Belgium, Russia, South Africa, China, India, Brazil, Argentina, etc.
Tip #1: Ancestry Insider Bloghttp://www.ancestryinsider.blogspot.com
Another Great Site to Consider…Internet Archive
http://archive.org/index.php
My favorite tool – archived websites!
Internet Archive
Non-profit digital library offering books, articles, movies, and audio recordings – Best part, all of the content is FREE!!!
Hidden genealogy resourcesUS Census Records – 1790-1940 (not
indexed)city directoriesyearbookslocal and family histories
Henderson City Directory – Saskatoon 1911
Oh Canada!
Canadian Genealogy Centre, Library and Archives Canada (http://www.genealogy.gc.ca) - FREE
Canadian GenWeb (portal; http://www.canadagenweb.org) – FREE
Automated Genealogy (census; http://www.automatedgenealogy.com) – FREE
Peel’s Prairie Provinces (newspapers & city directories; http://www.peel.library.ualberta.ca) – FREE
Manitobia (newspapers, maps & books; http://manitobia.ca/content/en) - FREE
Oh Canada! Continued…
OurRoots (local history books; http://ourroots.ca) - FREE
Canadian County Atlases (ON county atlases; http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/countyatlas) – FREE
Canadiana (historical materials; http://canadiana.ca/en/home) – $
Hudson’s Bay Archives (biographical sheets; http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/hbca/biographical/index.html) - FREE
Google News Archives (http://news.google.com/newspapers) - FREE
Oh Canada! Continued… Olive Tree Genealogy (portal;
http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/index.shtml) - FREE
Definitely check out the site’s passenger lists
links!!!
America Land of Plenty
National Archives and Records Administration (1940 census, military & immigration records; http://www.archives.gov/) – FREE
US GenWeb Project (portal; http://usgenweb.org/) – FREE
HeritageQuest Online (census, local histories, & Freedman Bank records; http://www.heritagequestonline.com) - $ but FREE access for Regina Public Library card holders!!!
America – Continued…
Ellis Island (immigration; http://www.ellisisland.org) – FREE
Castle Garden (immigration; http://castlegarden.org) – FREE
Distant Cousins (city directories & school yearbooks; http://www.distantcousin.com) – FREE
Chronicling America (newspapers; http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/) – FREE
GenealogyBank (newspapers; http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/) - $
America – Continued… Digital Public Library of America (newspapers,
photos & maps; http://dp.la/) – FREE
America – Continued…
Fold3 (military records, newspapers & city directories; http://www.fold3.com/) - $ but their War of 1812 Pension files are FREE
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR lineage records; http://dar.org/) – FREE
Bureau of Land Management General Land Office Records (land records; http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/) - FREE
Find a Grave (cemetery records; http://www.findagrave.com/) - FREE
Jolly Ol’ England
FindMyPast (http://www.findmypast.co.uk/) - $ but FREE with valid SGS membershipNote: FindMyPast recently added Canadian
history books to its World Collection! Free BMD (UK civil registration; http://
freebmd.rootsweb.com) – FREE UK National Archives (immigration, wills and
military; http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) - FREE
Origins Network (wills; http://www.origins.net/) - $ Genuki (portal; http://genuki.org.uk) – FREE
Jolly Ol’ England – Continued…
Historical Directories of UK (http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd) - FREE
Deceased Online (cemetery records; http://www.deceasedonline.com) - $
British Newspaper Archive, 1700s-1900s (http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/) - $
Commonwealth War Graves Commission (British Commonwealth; http://www.cwgc.org/) – FREE
The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1674-1913 (Criminal law proceedings, http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/) - FREE
Let’s not forget about Wales… The National Library of Wales
Wills (http://www.llgc.org.uk/index.php?id=487) - FREE
Welsh Newspapers Online (http://www.llgc.org.uk/index.php?id=4723) - FREE
Scotland to “Emerald Isle”
ScotlandsPeople (Scottish census & BMDs; http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) - $
Scottish Emigration Database (immigration; http://abdn.ac.uk/emigration) - FREE
National Archives of Ireland (Irish census; http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/) – FREE
Irish Family History Foundation (census & BMDS; http://www.rootsireland.ie) - $
“Land of the Vikings” Digitalarkivet (Norwegian census, probate &
parish; http://arkivverket.no/eng/content/view/full/629) – FREE
Swedish National Archives (Swedish census; http://www.svar.ra.se) – FREE
Arkividigital (Swedish parish records; http://www.arkivdigital.net) – $
Finnish Family History Association (FFHA) (Finnish church & census; http://www.sukuhistoria.fi/sshy/index_eng.htm) – FREE
“Land of the Vikings” Danish Demographic Database (Danish census &
church; http://www.ddd.dda.dk/ddd_en.htm) - FREE
“Europa”
WieWaeWie (Dutch census & civil registers; https://www.wiewaswie.nl) - FREE
Greek Genealogy (portal; http://www.greekgenealogy.org) – FREE
JewishGen (cemetery; http://www.jewishgen.org) - FREE
HalGal (portal for Western Ukraine & Galicia; http://www.halgal.com) – FREE
EastEuropeGenWeb (portal; http://www.rootsweb.com/~easeurgw) – FREE
“Europa” - Continued
Federation of East European Family History Societies (portal; http://feefhs.org) – FREE
“Europa” - Continued
PolandGenWeb (portal; http://www.rootsweb.com/~polwgw/polandgen.html) - FREE
Black Sea German Research (family trees & maps; http://blackseagr.org) – FREE
Atlas of the German Empire by Ludwig Ravenstein (1883 German map; http://www.library.wisc.edu/etext/ravenstein) – FREE
Bremen Passenger Lists, 1920-1939 (Germany; http://passengerlists.de/) - FREE
“Down Under” Trove, National Library of Australia (newspapers;
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper) - FREE
Nice feature – geographical interface!
“Down Under” - Continued
Australian Cemetery Index (http://austcemindex.com/) – FREE
Australian War Memorial (military indexes; http://www.awm.gov.au/) - FREE
Papers Past (New Zealand newspapers; http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast)– FREE
Websites of New Zealand Cemeteries (http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~shipstonz/cemeteries.html) - FREE
“Something Extra”
General Reference – Encyclopedias & Dictionaries The Canadian Encyclopedia (www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com) – FREE Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan (http://www.esask.uregina.ca/) – FREE Rudy’s List of Archaic Medical Terms – (http://www.antiquusmorbus.com/) - FREE
General Reference - Maps Google Earth (http://earth.google.com/) – FREE Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection (http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/) – FREE
“Something Extra” - Continued
Keeping OrganizedFree Genealogy Forms and Charts (http://www.genealogysearch.org/free/forms.html) – FREEGenSoftReviews (genealogy software; http://www.gensoftreviews.com) – FREECNET (software and hardware; http://www.cnet.com/) – FREEDropbox (cloud computing; www.dropbox.com) - FREEEvernote (online note taking; www.evernote.com) - FREEOnline-Convert (file conversions; www.online-convert.com) - FREE
“Something Extra” - Continued
Staying Up-to-Date Dick’s Eastman’s Newsletter (http://blog.eogn.com/) – FREE Genealogy in Time Newsletter (http://www.genealogyintime.com/index.html) - FREE Dear Myrtle (http://blog.dearmyrtle.com) – FREE Genealogy Blog Finder (http://blogfinder.genealogue.com/) – FREE
Staying Up-To-Date – Continued…Genealogy Guys (http://www.genealogyguys.com)
- FREE