best genealogy websites and tools of 2014
DESCRIPTION
Round-up of 93 best genealogy websites and tools for 2014.TRANSCRIPT
Best Genealogy Websites and
Tools of 2014
Presented by May P. ChanPrairie History Room, Regina Public Library
Harvest Your Family Tree Conference, Kelowna, BC – Sept. 27, 2014
© 2014
Agenda
Why do I need this type of list?Why do I need this type of list?
How was this list compiled?
Wrap-up
Best of 2014 List – 81 Resources
Online Search Advice
Bonus #1: Best WWI Resources
Bonus #2: Best ”Hidden Genealogical Gems”
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This list is intended to help you cut through the “information overload” by helping you to focus your research (saving
you time and money) and providing you with a toolkit of the most authoritative and trustworthy genealogy websites
and research aids.
Why do I need this type of list?
Because as powerful as Ancestry and Google are, they do not always provide you with the answers or clues you need for your family history research!!!
How 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
Websites offers both paid ($) and FREE resources
How Was The List Compiled?
Learn how to utilize advanced search techniques to help you refine your basic keyword search terms: Learn how to utilize advanced search techniques to help you refine your basic keyword search terms:
Always check with your local library, archives and genealogical society to see what online resources they offer with “membership”
Treat genealogical resources, both print and online, with some scrutiny. Always try to validate your sources!
Always read the “scope and content” information about the database to learn how the data was gathered, what the database covers and what it does not cover.
Always record your sources even if it is online!
Online Search Advice
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For example:
Soundex search is used to search all surnames with variant spellings CHAN, CHEN, CHIN and CHINN
Wildcard and Truncation search is used to replace letter(s) with symbols (*, ?, $) Sm*th for SMITH and SMYTH Roosevelt, Franklin* for Franklin D. Roosevelt and Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Best Big Genealogy Websites
(Usual Suspects)
Ancestry.com (census, vital records, passenger lists, etc.; www.ancestry.com) – $
FamilySearch (census, vital records, etc.; www.familysearch.org) – FREE
MyHeritage (vital records, census, family trees & Scandinavian records; www.myheritage.com) – $
World’s Vital Records (vital records, US census and family trees; www.worldvitalrecords.com/) - $
Cyndi’s List (portal; www.cyndislist.com) – FREE
“Usual Suspects”
Best Canadian Genealogy Websites
Canadian Genealogy Centre (census, military, immigration & directories; www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/index-e.html) - FREE
Automated Genealogy (census; www.automatedgenealogy.com/) – FREE
Canadian GenWeb Project (portal; www.canadagenweb.org/) – FREE
Canadiana (historical materials; http://www.canadiana.ca/en/home) - $
Canadian Genealogy
British Columbia City Directories 1860-1955 - FREEhttp://ww.vpl.ca/bccd/index.php
Peel’s Prairie Provinces (newspapers & directories; http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/index.html) - FREE
The British Colonist 1852-1920 (newspaper; www.britishcolonist.ca) - FREE
OurRoots (local history books; http://ourroots.ca) - FREE
Glenbow Museum (CPR land sales index, school districts index & historical materials; http://www.glenbow.org/collections/search/) - FREE
Canadian Genealogy continued
Métis National Council Historical Online Database (Métis-related census, affidavits & scrip records; http://metisnationdatabase.ualberta.ca/MNC/index.jsp) – FREE
The Canadian County Atlas Digital Project (ON county maps; http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/countyatlas/searchmapframes.php) – FREE
The Globe (Globe & Mail newspaper from 1844-2011; http://www.proquest.com/products-services/canada_heritage.html) - $
Canadian Genealogy continued
OurOntario - FREEhttp://ourontario.ca/
OurOntario Newspapers Portalhttp://news.ourontario.ca/results?q=+
Bibliothèque et Archives and Nationales du Quebec (notaries & civil registers; http://tinyurl.com/banq-genealogy) – FREE
Daniel F. Johnson’s New Brunswick Newspaper Vital Statistics (index of BMDS; http://tinyurl.com/nb-danjohnson) – FREE
The Olive Tree Genealogy’s Canada Ships Passengers Lists (portal; http://tinyurl.com/59cgo) – FREE
Newfoundland Grand Banks (portal; http://ngb.checucto.org/) - FREE
Canadian Genealogy continued
Best American Genealogy Websites
National Archives and Records Administration (1940 US census, military & immigration records; http://www.archives.gov/) – FREE
USGenWeb Project (portal; http://usgenweb.org/) – FREE
HeritageQuest Online (census, local histories & PERSI index; http://www.heritagequestonline.com/hqoweb/library/do/index) - $
Find a Grave (cemetery records; http://www.findagrave.com/index.html) - FREE
American Genealogy
Chronicling America (newspapers; http://chroniclingamerica.loc/gov/) – FREE
GenealogyBank (newspapers; http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/) - $
Afrigeneas (slave records, BMDs and census schedules; http://afrigeneas.com/) – FREE
Digital Sanborn Maps 1867-1970 (fire insurance maps; http://sanborn.umi.com/) - $
Bureau of Land Management – General Land Office Records (federal land records; http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/) - FREE
American Genealogy continued
Atlas of Historical County Boundaries - FREEhttp://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/
Distant Cousins (city directories & school yearbooks; http://distantcousin.com/) – FREE
Fold3 (military records, newspapers & city directories; http://www.fold3.com/) - $
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR lineage records; http://ww.dar.org/) – FREE
Ellis Island (immigration records for NY from 1925 to 1957; http://ellisisland.org/) – FREE
Castle Garden (immigration records for NY from 1820 to 1892; http://www.castlegarden.org/) - FREE
American Genealogy continued
Best UK & Irish Genealogy Websites
FindMyPast (census, BMDs & newspapers; http://www.findmypast.com) - $
Free BMD (UK civil registration; http://www.freebmd.org.uk/) – FREE
Genuki (portal; http://www.genuki.org.uk/) – FREE Deceased Online (cemetery records;
http://www.deceasedonline.com) - $ Historical Directories of England & Scotland (directories
covering years 1760 to 1910; http://tinyurl.com/ukhistdirectories) – FREE
The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1674-1913 (criminal court records; http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/) - FREE
UK & Irish Genealogy
The National Library of Wales - FREEhttp://www.llgc.org.uk/
Welsh Wills prior to 1858http://tinyurl.com/ksw83tz
Welsh Newspapers 1804-1919http://tinyurl.com/abk3h64
ScotlandsPeople (census & BMDS; http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/) - $
Scottish Post Office Directories (directories from 1773 to 1911; http://digital.nls.uk/directories/) – FREE
British Newspaper Archives, 1700s-1900s (newspapers; http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/) - $
Times of London Digital Archive 1785-2008 (newspaper; http://gale.cengage.co.uk/times.aspx/) - $
National Archives of Ireland (census & wills; http://www.genealogy.nationalarchives.ie/) – FREE
Origins Network (Griffith’s Valuation, wills & probate records; http://www.origins.net/) - $
UK & Irish Genealogy continued
Best Continental European
Genealogy Websites
Danish Demographic Database (Danish census & church records; http://ddd.ddda.dk/ddd_en.htm) – FREE
Digitalarkivet (Norwegian census, probate & parish records; http://arkivverket.no/Digitalarkivet) – FREE
Wie Was Wie (Dutch census & civil registers; https://www.wiewaswie.nl/) – FREE
Arkivdigital (Swedish church records, court records & estate lists; http://www.arkivdigital.net/) - $
FranceGenWeb (portal; http://www.francegenweb.org/) – FREE
Continental European Genealogy
Genealogy Indexer (historical directories) –FREE
http://genealogyindexer.org/
German Roots German Genealogy (portal; http://www.germanroots.com/) - FREE
Foundation for East European Family History Studies (portal; http://feefhs.org/) - FREE
Polish Roots (portal; http://www.polishroots.org/) – FREE
Name Adoption and Other Lists (Jewish adoption lists; http://www.a-h-b.de/AHB/links_e.htm) – FREE
Europeana (digital library of books, photos & newspapers; http://www.europeana.eu/portal) - FREE
Continental European Genealogy continued
Best South East Asian, Australian and New Zealand Genealogy
Websites
Families in British India Society (census, civil service, etc.) – FREEhttp://www.fibis.org
Trove, National Library of Australia (newspapers, books & maps; http://trove.nla.gov.au/) - FREE
British Convict Transportation Registers Database 1787-1867 (convict passenger lists; http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/resources/family-history/convicts) - FREE
Papers Past (New Zealand newspapers; http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast) - FREE
New Zealand GenWeb (portal; http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nzlwgw/resources.html) - FREE
Australian & New Zealand Genealogy
Best GenealogyNews
Websites
The Ancestry Insider (blog; http://www.ancestryinsider.org/) – FREE
Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter (newsletter; http://blog.eogn.com/) – FREE but $ for premium edition
Dear Myrtle’s Genealogy Blog (blog & online webinars; http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/) – FREE
Genealogy Guys (podcasts; http://genealogyguys.com/) – FREE
GenealogyInsider (blog; http://blog.familytreemagazine.com/insider/) - FREE
Genealogy News
Best Tech/Social Media Tools
Evernote (online note taking; http://www.evernote.com) – FREE
Dropbox (cloud storage; http://www.dropbox.com) – FREE
Trello (project management; https://trello.com) – FREE
LiBib (home library management system; http://www.libbi.com/) FREE
GenSoftReviews (genealogy software; http://www.gensoftreviews.com) - FREE
Best Tech/Social Media Tools
Facebook (social media; http://www.facebook.com) – FREE
Pinterest (bulletin board; http://www.pinterest.com) – FREE
Flickr (online photo sharing; http://flickr.com) – FREE HistoryPin (online exhibits;
http://www.historypin.com) – FREE Twitter (micro-blogging; http://www.twitter.com) -
FREE
Best Tech/Social Media Tools continued
Best WWI Resources
Bonus # 1
Soldiers of the First World War – 1914-1918 (Canadian Expeditionary Forces military records; http://tinyurl.com/lac-cefdatabase) – FREE
Canadian Great War Project (biographical info, letters & diaries; http://www.canadiangreatwarproject.com) – FREE
Commonwealth War Graves Commission (British Commonwealth cemeteries; http://www.cwgc.org/) – FREE
First World War (multimedia; http://www.firstworldwar.com) –FREE
Lives of the First World War (military lists & stories; http://livesofthefirstworldwar.org/) – FREE but $ for premium
WWI Resources
Prisoners of the First World War, the ICRC Archives – FREE
http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/
Best "Hidden Genealogical Gems"
Bonus # 2
Internet Archives (historical materials including directories, census records, etc.; https://archive.org/index.php) - FREE
WorldCat (online library catalog; https://www.world.cat.org/) - FREE
WolframAlpha (computational search engine: http://www.wolframalpha.com) - FREE
Google Newspaper Archives (US & Canadian newspapers; http://news.google.com/newspapers) - FREE
YouTube (video sharing site; http://www.youtube.com) - FREE Hobbies and Crafts Reference Center (EBSCO database;
http://www.ebscohost.com/public/hobbies-crafts-reference-center) – $ but FREE with library card
Hidden Genealogical Gems
THANK YOU!
Contact: May P. [email protected]
www.slideshare.net/maychan(for a copy of this presentation)