• Canadian Genealogy Websites
  
  
• Finding Canadian soldiers in World War I
  
  
• Finding Canadians in the War of 1812
  
  
• Resources for tracing immigrants to Canada
  
  
• All about dit names
  
  
• 101 Best Websites for Genealogy in 2012: Canadian Genealogy Sites
  
  
• Finding Irish immigrants to Canada
  
  
• Canadian Genealogy Guide digital download (from ShopFamilyTree.com)
  
  
• Finding Canadian Immigration records video class (from ShopFamilyTree.com)
  
  
• French Canadian Genealogy Guide digital download (from ShopFamilyTree.com)

Monday, October 08, 2012 11:03:34 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• UK genealogy website Origins.net is making its York Marriage Bonds and Allegations Index (1613-1839) free to search until Monday, October 8 at midday BST (if midday is the same as noon, that would be Oct. 8 at 7 a.m. EST). Learn more about this index here. You'll need to set up a free registration on the site to search. If you find a record you need in the index, you can order a copy by clicking "Add to cart."

• Free, collaborative family tree site WikiTree has reopened member registration after closing it in January. The closure was "to give the WikiTree community time to absorb the flood of information that had been added by people who registered for a free membership and uploaded GEDCOMs, but did not take the time to integrate their genealogy into the shared family tree."

To help ensure that new members understand the site's mission, newly registered members now receive a temporary and limited Guest Membership. Those who want to become permanent members can volunteer to participate in the community as a Wiki Genealogist (requires signing an honor code), or they can ask if a Wiki Genealogist will help connect their family to the shared tree. 

• The Civil War Trust has announced the winners of its 17th annual photography contest. The grand prize winner is Buddy Secor of Stafford, Va., who took a gorgeous sunrise shot of the Chancellorsville battlefield. You can see this and the other winning images on the Civil War Trust website.

Friday, October 05, 2012 3:46:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

Most genealogists rely primarily on records to root out their relatives. However, the Internet has opened the doorway to other digitized documents. In particular, I'm referring to an oft-underutilized family research resource: Published Genealogies.

The new First Steps course from Family Tree University, Finding Family History Books About Your Ancestors, will show you where to find these manuscripts and what they might contain.

Genealogy is not a new pastime. During the colonial period, genealogy was seen as an attempt by early settlers to secure a measure of social standing within the British Empire. The truth is, people have been conducting family research for centuries, and many of these individuals might have published family trees--a resource that you now have the opportunity to plunder. From articles in genealogical society journals to entire books outlining specific lineages to searchable online databases of user-contributed family trees, this new course shows you how and where to look for the work others have already done, allowing you to save time and add branches to your family tree.

You'll learn to search for manuscripts on databases such as:

• FamilySearch
• Ancestry.com
• HeritageQuest Online
• World Vital Records
• Internet Archive
• WorldCat
• Interlibrary Loan

The first session of this 2-week long course starts on Monday, Oct. 15. Click here to learn more about our course First Steps: Finding Family History Books About Your Ancestors (and save %20 on your registration with coupon code FTU1012).


Family Tree University | Research Tips

Thursday, October 04, 2012 11:36:17 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [1]

1000memories, founded in 2010, has a website where people can store and share digitized photos. Shoebox, the site’s accompanying mobile app for iPhone and Android, lets you use a cell phone camera to “scan” and upload documents to the site.

The app has been downloaded more than 500,000 times since its launch.

Ancestry.com has already begun incorporating the app into its services. To mark this announcement, 1000memories has launched a new version of ShoeBox for iOS (iPhones), enabling Ancestry.com members to post photos directly to ancestors profiles in their Ancestry.com member trees.

“This is the first step in a broader plan that will see tighter integration of the two services in the coming months,” according to Ancestry.com’s official press release.

Wednesday, October 03, 2012 11:55:31 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

Detailed logs are an important tool in organizing your genealogy research.

These Fall 2012 Virtual Genealogy Conference tips come from the video session "Research Logs for the Rest of Us," hosted by Thomas MacEntee.

• It's important to understand the "why" of using a research log. If you're using a log only because you know other people who are doing so, then you're wasting your time. Understand the benefits of tracking your research journey.
• Select a format that you will continue to use. For instance, it is a poor idea to start your research log in Excel if you don't like using spreadsheets. Use a format you are comfortable with. Otherwise you'll only frustrate yourself and abandon the log.
• Spend time setting up headings or categories. When you use a spreadsheet or table, take time to consider which headings to use. Don't be afraid to add or remove headings over time. It's only through constant use of the research log that you'll figure out the best headings for your research.
• Shoot for a "one pass" goal. When you find a record or piece of information, note all of the information as if you might never find it again. This means noting the date you found it, the type of record, and even whether you are transcribing or abstracting it. You're only kidding yourself if you say that you'll come back to it later.
• Maintaining a research log is a discipline. A discipline created through handwork, dedication and repetition until it becomes habit. Realize that you will make mistakes the first few entries, then you'll become better at entering information accurately and quickly.
• Source citations matter, but take a shortcut! Create a cheat sheet--a document or spreadsheet tab where you can keep the most commonly used source citation formats. Then you can copy and paste them over to your research log to fill in the blanks.

Ready to start your own research log? Click here to buy this video session and get started documenting your research today.

Video classes from our Virtual Genealogy Conferences are available in ShopFamilyTree.com. And mark your calendar now for our Winter 2013 Virtual Genealogy Conference, Feb. 22-24.

Wednesday, October 03, 2012 10:27:22 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• Got family who landed in Australia? This weekend, Ancestry.com.au (Ancestry.com's Australia site) is giving free access to its Australian Birth, Marriage and Death and Cemetery indexes, containing more than 17 million records of those who were born, married or died in Australia from 1788 until the early 20th century. The free period runs through Monday, Oct. 1, 11:59 p.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time on Monday 1 October, 2012 (that's 9:59 a.m. Monday EST in the United States). You'll need to set up a free registration with the site to search the records.
  

• Registration is open for FamilySearch's  2013 Rootstech genealogy conference, taking place March 21-23 in Salt Lake City. Organizers are planning for the 2013 conference to have a 40 percent larger exhibit hall and more classes, including a new track for those beginning their family history research. Registration fees range from $19 for a one-day pass to the Getting Started track ($39 for all three days) to a $149 early bird special (regularly $219) for a full three-day pass. Click here to register for the conference.
  

• A new tv series aiming to document American family heritage one family at a time is airing on some PBS stations this fall. You can preview the pilot episode of Our American Family, which documents a family of Mississippi tenant farmers, online, and apply to have your family featured on the show.
  

Friday, September 28, 2012 1:14:50 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• Chicago: The Newberry Library is holding presentations and genealogy workshops throughout the month, including free help with lookups in the Daughters of the American Revolution genealogy database on Oct. 26. See the library's list of Family History Month events here.

• Cincinnati: The public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County will hold a Day with the Experts on Saturday, Oct. 6, with genealogy tours, a Researching Your Civil War Online class, consultations with experts and a presentation on Cincinnati's legendary military officer Gen. William Haines Lytle. For more details, call (513) 369-6905 or email history@cincinnatilibrary.org.

• Conroe, Texas: The Montgomery County Library will have a Genealogy Basics Boot Camp Oct. 10, a Get Your research into Shape session on Oct. 20, and more. Here's the library's October events calendar; hover over a listing to learn more about it.

• Fort Myers, Fla.: The Fort Myers-Lee County Public Library is holding a Family History Month Series on Saturdays in October covering topics such as tracking your research, using courthouse records, finding censuses and substitutes and using immigration records. Click here to find out more.

• Fort Wayne, Ind.: Of course the biggest public genealogy library in the country, the Allen County Library, is celebrating with classes on cemetery research, state and regional research, census research, photograph analysis, brick wall research and more. The library's Genealogy Center also will have extended research hours on Oct. 26. Learn more and download a class schedule here.

• Oakland, Calif.: The African-American Genealogical Society of Northern California and the Oakland FamilySearch Center are holding a Black Family History Day Oct. 13 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the FamilySearch Center. Click here to learn more about the event (including how to register for a free family history consultation).

• Santa Barbara, Calif.: The Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society has classes all month long, including a Genealogy and DNA workshop (Oct. 5 at 10 a.m.) and Beginning Genealogy (Oct. 8 at 10 a.m.). Registration is required, with a fee for nonmembers. You also can go to free open houses on Sept. 30 and Oct. 13, 14, 20 and 27. To learn more, go to the society's website and click READ HERE to download a PDF listing the events.

• Tucson, Ariz.: The Pima County Genealogy Society and the Pima County Public Library are teaming up to offer family tree workshops at the library throughout October. See the dates and times here.

• Vermilion, Ohio: Ritter Public Library is holding genealogy classes on researching a house history (Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.), creating a computerized family photo project (Oct. 27 at 10 a.m.) and getting started (Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m.). Learn more on the library's blog.

Friday, September 28, 2012 12:02:45 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [2]

• what types of military records might exist for your ancestors and where to find them
  
• how to track down draft registrations (even if your ancestor never served)
• how to trace ancestors' service in the American Revolution, Civil War, World Wars and other US wars
• the best websites for finding military records, including Fold3, the Daughters of the American Revolution genealogy database and more

Thursday, September 27, 2012 9:59:22 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [3]