EXPLORING INTERNET SITES FOR GENEALOGISTS June 17, 2010 Anne V. Shaughnessy
Presentation Goals Review types of sites available to genealogists Review methods for evaluating websites Look at six free reputable genealogy web sites Cyndi s List Family Search US Gen Web Illinois State Archives Cook County Genealogy Online Newberry Library Time for individual research
Websites for Genealogists Fee-based: Ancestry.com, Heritage Quest Free (General): Rootsweb, US GenWeb, Cyndi s List, Family Search, GenealogyBuff Hybrid: Footnote
Evaluating Web Sites Who authored the site? What type of information is it? When was the web page created? What is the scope of the information? Is the information primary, secondary or tertiary? Is the information documented?
Getting to the Web Sites: MPPL Genealogy Page Go to www.mppl.org Click on category Research and Reference Click on Genealogy under the heading Research Guides
MPPL Genealogy Page
MPPL Genealogy Page Description of MPPL Genealogy collection Recommended web sites arranged by categories Databases General Resources Local Resources Illinois Resources National Resources Ethnic Resources
Cyndi s List (www.cyndislist.com)
Cyndi s List Created in 1996 by experienced genealogist Cyndi Howells Very carefully indexed (main, topical, alphabetical) Good for finding historical and cultural sites Has search option Continually updated Has link to Cyndi s blog
Family Search (LDS) (www.familysearch.org)
Family Search Created by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1999. Wide range of resources for genealogists Catalog to microfilm holdings Historical books Research helps (articles, wiki, online classes) Search records-2 ways General search (IGI, Pedigree Resource File, 1880 Census) Record search pilot (variety of vital records with images) Free Personal Ancestral File (PAF) software
Family Search: Record Search (Richard Philpott)
Record Search Pilot (Richard Philpott)
Record Search Pilot: Browse
Click on map to select area of interest or use drop down menu to choose geographic area
Record Search Pilot: Illinois Records
US GenWeb (www.usgenweb.org)
US GenWeb Established in 1996 by volunteers interested in genealogy Totally committed to free access to genealogy information Offers links to free websites for genealogy information in every county and every state of the United States Totally non-commercial Organized first by state then by county in that state Several ways to access state pages (drop-down menu, map, link from home page) Each page is managed by volunteer and is unique Developed several ongoing special projects
IL GenWeb Project (http://ilgenweb.net)
Cook County IL GenWeb (http://cook.ilgenweb.net)
Illinois State Archives
Illinois State Archives Indexes available online for over ten years Includes indexes to marriage, death, military, land tract sales, servitude and emancipation records Explanation of records held by IRAD depositories Includes Illinois records from 1722-1977 (most 1850-1950) Mostly just basic information (names, dates, certificate numbers) Some full records (transcriptions) available (eg. Civil War Muster Rolls) Simple search interface Global Database Search option
Illinois State Archives: Databases
Marriage Index
Marriage Index: Abraham Lincoln
Civil War Muster Rolls (Shaughnessy)
Civil War Muster Roll: Detail Report
IRAD: Illinois Regional Archives Depository System
IRAD Consists of holdings housed at seven state universities (EIU, ISU, NEIU, NIU, SIU, UIS, WIU) Purpose: House and service records of local governments with long-term value Phone or mail research requests are accepted On site research visits are permitted Reasonable costs for copies Titles of holdings at each institution can be searched online PDF of holdings for each county can be printed
Cook County Genealogy Online (www.cookcountygenealogy.com)
Cook County Genealogy Online Resource prepared by the office of the Cook County Clerk Requires registration but searching is free Records can be downloaded for a fee Access to the following records: Birth certificates 75 years or older Marriage licenses 50 years or older Death certificates 20 years or older
Registration Screen
Search: Richard Daley
Downloading Records
Newberry Library (www.newberry.org)
Newberry Library Established in 1887 from estate of Walter Loomis Newberry Independent research library focused on humanities Extensive collection ranging in date from early manuscripts to present-day books Free and open to public (over age 16) Allows access to many research databases in the library Offers online research tools accessible from home
Newberry Library: Genealogy Resources
Newberry Library: Genealogy Guides and Tools
Newberry Library: Online Resources
Newberry Online Resources
Chicago Ancestors (www.chicagoancestors.org)
Chicago Ancestors 1. Project of the Newberry Library Department of Local and Family History. Funded by grants. 2. Free access. Registration required to contribute family information 3. Offers browsing and searching options 4. Features special section called Tools Offers access to full text city directories Features digitized and searchable maps Includes links to other Chicago, Cook County and State resources
Chicago Ancestors: Tools
Additional resources Magazines Internet Genealogy Books Complete Idiot s Guide to Online Genealogy (GS929.1028 MCC) Genealogy Online (GS 929.1072 CRO) Plugging Into Your Past (GS 929.1028 CRU) People Anne Shaughnessy 847-253-5675 annes@mppl.org Genealogy volunteers at MPPL Mondays & Fridays 9AM-Noon