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Genealogy Course Websites

Copies of the slides for both Spring courses are available on this website.  Click on OGC's Documents.


Websites for Beginning Genealogy

Basic Free Search Websites                     Basic Pay Sites

            www.oakgenclub.org                      www.ancestry.com (note some free)

www.Google.com                            www.heritagequest.com *

            www.familysearch.org                    Fold3.com

            usgenweb.org                                  www.Newspaperarchive.com

            germanroots.com                             www.americanancestors.org

            DAR website                                     www.californiaancestors.org

            *Heritage quest signin with library card: Heritage Quest Sonoma Library

 For use in class

            www.wvculture.org

To find additional websites for a specific location or topic

            cyndislist.com

Books and newspapers

chroniclingamerica.loc.gov

            lib.byu.edu/fhc

books.google.com

 Immigration

            www.stevemorse.org

      also: ellisislandrecords.org

      also: www.castlegarden.org

 Place names over time

            maps.n2genealogy.com

 Cemeteries

            www.findagrave.com

 In Europe

www.Worldgenweb.org

www.jewishgen.org

http://worldnames.publicprofiler.org/ (location of names)

Translation

            Google Translate

 Compiled genealogies

             wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com

 Living people

            411.com

zabasearch.com

            ancestry.com free (US Public Records Index)


Genealogy on the Internet

OCLC – Spring 2012

Recommended Websites

 (Go to oakgenclub.org, click on the left where it says, “Genealogy Course Websites”)

 Session 1 – Basics

 Used during session:

familysearch.org

learnwebskills.com

            findagrave.com

 Primary websites mentioned during Session 1:

 Websites that offer research help:

familysearch.org/learningcenter – Research Helps

learnwebskills.com

rwguide.RootsWeb.com – Roots Web’s Guide to Tracing Family Trees

Websites that lead to other websites:

            cyndislist.com most comprehensive

linkpendium.com good for surnames

            liveroots.com consolidated search of many websites

 Important free websites

Google

Family Search sites

familysearch.org  (primary)

familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp (old site)

rootsweb.com

usgenweb.org/ State and county information

stevemorse.org/ Search Ellis Island and Castle Garden records

germanroots.com

Online Death records, online Birth  &  Marriage records

Online military records

            findagrave.com (volunteers recording and photographing tombstones)

maps.n2genealogy.com/ County formation maps

digitalstatearchives.com/ What’s available in state archives

services.dar.org/public/dar_research/Search DAR membership genealogies

Library of Congress newspapers (1880-1920)

chroniclingamerica.loc.gov

            Books on-line: 

                        lib.byu.edu/fhc for Family History Center books

Books.google.com  Google Books

Session 2 – Names and Collateral Searches

 Used during session:

familysearch.org  

HeritageQuest – with library card

Heritage Quest Login for Sonoma Library

            cyndislist.com

 Primary websites mentioned during Session 2:

Topic – Important subscription ($$) websites

ancestry.com (available at Sonoma County Library)

 

Fold3.com  (military records) (available at LDS library)

HeritageQuest – at home with library card

   Heritage Quest Login for Sonoma Library

newspaperarchive.com (old newspapers)

americanancestors.org (New England Genealogical Society)

californiaancestors.org (California Genealogical Society)

Session 3 – Places, immigration, and European research

 Used during session:

www.maps.n2genealogy.com/

http://sites.google.com/site/onlinedirectorysite/

            stevemorse.org/

familysearch.org  

 Primary websites mentioned during Session 3:

 Topic – What county is a specific town in?

Use Google

Or resources.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/townco.cgi

            What county was a location in on a specific date?

      maps.n2genealogy.com/

Topic – Mapping locations and features (e.g., streams, mountains)

US Geological Survey – US primarily, some foreign

geonames.org/ – Basic site

geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic - Includes historic sites

Getty Institute – US and foreign names http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabularies/tgn/index.html

- City Directories

http://sites.google.com/site/onlinedirectorysite/

 Topic – Immigration information

            Ellis Island direct records (1892-1954) - ellisislandrecords.org

            Castle Garden (1855-1890) - castlegarden.org

            Best search routine for these and other immigration records is

                        stevemorse.org/

            National archives have some records on Russia/Ireland/Germany/Italy at

aad.archives.gov/aad/

And some German records are at germanroots.com

Topic – Stories of immigration

            Library of Congress

www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immigration/

            FamilySearch Wiki

                        https://familysearch.org/learn (limited)

            Who Do You Think You Are?

www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/

Topic – Europe Research

www.worldgenweb.org

www.jewishgen.org

(http://worldnames.publicprofiler.org/)


Session 4 – Google, Family Trees, and other interesting things

 Used during session:

            http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com

www.411.com

Primary websites mentioned during Session 4:

 Topic – Free Ancestry

www.searchforancestors.com/ancestryfreebies.html

Topic – Google

            Page 1 includes searches of the web, images, videos, and news

            Click on “more” and find books, scholar, blogs

            Click on “even more” and find translate and alerts, also how to set up desktop

 Topic – Family Trees

            Best site is free and is found at WorldConnect wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com

            Ancestry.com also has some interesting databases

    

Topic – Mailing Lists and other Volunteers

            Mailing lists can be a great source of information and contacts

Go to rootsweb.com.  Under Mailing Lists click “Find a List Search”

 Topic – Forms and charts

            familysearch.org (Under Start “Your Family History”)

rootsweb.com (Go to Charts and Forms)

Topic – Living People

            411.com (living people – national white pages)

            zabasearch.com (more on living people)

Topic – Local resources

            Sonoma Library (particularly Genealogy Annex)

                        sonoma.lib.ca.us for on-line catalog

                        Genealogy annex (behind library on 3rd street) is open Wed-Sat 10-4

       

Santa Rosa Family Historic Center (order films for a cost, some information free)

                        1725 Peterson Lane (West Santa Rosa, off Guerneville Road)

                        Monday-Wednesday, 1-5; Thursday, 9-5; Saturday 9-1

                        Closed July 4 week, Thanksgiving week, 12/18-1/1 and holidays

          

            Oakland Family History Center (a regional library with much more than here)

                        oaklandfhc.org/

4766 Lincoln Avenue (Oakland)

                        Tuesday-Wednesday 10-9; Thursday-Saturday 10-4

 

            Sutro Library (part of the California State Library System)

                        library.ca.gov/collections/index.html#sutro to see holdings

“Largest genealogical library West of Salt Lake City”

                        Moving, will reopen in late May at San Francisco State

catalog.libary.ca.gov for on-line catalog

 

California Genealogical Society (pay site)

calgensoc.org to get information

Good for California information

 

National Archives, San Bruno

            archives.gov/pacific/san-francisco/index.html to see holdings

 

California State Library, Sacramento

            library.ca.gov/calhist/genealogy.html to see holdings

            Shares on-line catalog with Sutro