Online Genealogy Resources An Overview

Sequoya Branch Library August 6th, 2011

Ancestry.com: A subscription database available in library only. The largest online collection of genealogical documents, ancestry.com provides a portal to hundreds of collections including: US Census records & Voter lists Birth, Marriage, and Death records Immigration records Military records

Ancestry.com also allows you to search published family histories and local history books, as well as historical photos and maps from around the world. You can access these databases by clicking on Search. Scroll to the bottom of the page and look for the links under the headings Stories & Publications and Photos & Maps. Tips for searching Ancestry.com: Click on the Search button near the top of the screen. Depending on your search needs, you can search all sets of records at once simply by entering names into the search fields. You can select a particular record set from the list on the right side of the screen. You may also browse by state, below. Unless you limit your search to a particular category or record set, Ancestry will search all types of records. You may also choose to search within a broad category of record sets (e.g., Census & Voter Lists, Immigration and Emigration, Military Records, etc.). You can select a category of databases by placing the cursor over the Search button at the top of the screen, or from the list on the right. Looking for a particular record set? Search Ancestrys catalog by moving the cursor over the Search button and selecting Card Catalog from the menu. To search within a particular record set, click on the name of the collection (e.g., 1910 United States Federal Census) and enter your search terms. Scroll down for more information about this record set and links to related collections. Entering a place name such as a city, county, or state will greatly reduce the number of unwanted results. Ancestry.com automatically returns alternate spellings and abbreviations for your ancestors names. For example, a search for "Bill Smith" might return "William Smith", "Wm Smith", "Bill Smyth" or "B. Smith". An exact name match is the closest match, and therefore the most relevant, followed by common variants, misspellings, and nicknames. For greater control, you can check the box in the upper-right corner labeled Exact matches only. When searching for exact matches you can use wildcard placeholders: * replaces one to six characters; ? replaces a single character (e.g., a search for "john*" might return "john, johnson, johnsen, johnathon, johns", etc.). Ancestry also offers downloadable family trees and other charts to document your research (Click Charts and Forms near the top of the page).

Heritage Quest: A subscription database available both in the library and at home. It is smaller than Ancestry.com, but has the advantage of a document image viewer that is easier to use. Heritage Quest provides access to:

Census data back to 1790, similar to Ancestry.com. However, the 1930 census is only partially digitized as of late-2009. Thousands of e-books of family and local histories. Periodical articles about family histories and genealogy. A selected number of Revolutionary War documents. Records for the Freedmans Bank, established during Reconstruction to serve African-Americans. The US Serial Set, containing records from the Senate and House of Representatives covering a wide variety of topics.

Tips for searching Heritage Quest: From the main page, you must select a database to search. Unlike Ancestry.com, you cannot search more than one database at a time. You can search Census Data or browse by year and location (The Browse link near the top of the screen). When browsing, you will be asked to select different criteria from a series of drop-down menus. In addition to articles about particular people or places, you can also search for articles on research methodology (i.e., articles about how to conduct genealogical research). From the main page, click on PERSI and click How Tos. You can save search results in your Notebook by checking the Add to Notebook box near the top of the screen when displaying a search result. You can also take notes on a citation or search result by clicking on the Take Notes link next to the citation in your Notebook. Please Note: You must download any information in your Notebook before you end your session. Records left in your notebook when you close your browser will NOT be saved

The Wisconsin Historical Societys online genealogical resources are free and open to the public. No login or password is required; simply go to http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/genealogy The largest databases available through WHS are: Wisconsin Genealogy Index: Includes 150,000 Wisconsin obituaries and biographical sketches published before 1999, as well as 1,000,000 births, 400,000 deaths and 1,000,000 marriages registered before September 1907. Civil War Records: Request a copy of your ancestors Civil War Service Records by clicking on the Wisconsin Genealogical Research Service link on the left side of main page (The fee for non-WHS members is $20). You can also search the Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865 by clicking on the link further down the page. You can also browse census lists of former soldiers living in Wisconsin during the years 1885, 1895, and 1905 (Follow the More About Civil War Veterans link). Wisconsin Historical Collections: Search thousands of articles, memoirs, interviews, and essays on Wisconsin history and archaeology first published 1855-1915. Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles: Search 16,000 historical and biographical articles. The links listed under Topics on the right side of the screen contain information and research hints about searching various types of historical documents. Especially helpful are the tips for getting started researching your family history (Follow the Beginning Your Family History link on the right side of the main page). Also try searching the UW library catalog (MadCat) and the WHS archives catalog (ArCat) for places or topics related to your research.

Family Search is one of the largest free genealogical websites. Maintained by the Church of Latter Day Saints, this site is the online presence of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, the largest genealogical library in the world. No login is required; simply go to http://www.familysearch.org Family Search provides access to hundreds of record sets, including census data, vital records, immigration records and more. To search the entire collection, click on Records and enter your search terms. You can browse by location below or search for collections by clicking on All Record Collections Tips for searching Family Search: Click on Search Records to go to the Advanced Search screen. Last Name is the only required field, but a search for a last name only will return a maximum of 25 results for each type of record searched. Last names are standardized so that spelling variations are also retrieved. Entering a place name such as a city, county, or state will greatly reduce the number of unwanted results. Use the links along the left side of the screen to filter (narrow) your results by collection, place, year, etc. To view the full record and image (if available) click on your ancestors name or click on the small grey arrow on the right side of the screen. In addition to vital records and census data, Family Search also provides access to Pedigree Charts and Family Group Records held at the Family History Library. These are records contributed by other researchers. To search these collections, click on Trees link at the top of the page. Looking to get started? Click on the Learn link at the very top of the screen. Here you can: Search the Research Wiki, a free collection of family history articles provided by family history enthusiasts from around the world. Take virtual research classes and watch instructional videos on genealogy research. Another set of resources available through FS are the Research Helps. Currently, these are available only through the old version of the Family Search site. From the homepage, click on the blue Go to previous site button. Place the cursor over Research Helps. From the drop-down menu, select either Articles or Guidance for a list of resources arranged by place. There is a wealth of information here, including historical background sketches, research guides, and maps.

Other useful genealogy sites

Cyndis List of Genealogical Websites - http://www.cyndislist.com/ Rootsweb (maintained by Ancestry) - http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ Vital Records Information - http://vitalrec.com/index.html