• 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]

• Types of records you might find at a courthouse include civil and criminal court records, naturally, but also deeds and mortgages, tax lists,  county commissioner meeting minutes, vital records, business licenses, voter registrations, cattle brand registrations and more.

• But depending on the place your family lived, older records may have been turned over to a local or state archives, historical society or library. Check in advance before you plan a courthouse trip.

• "Keep in mind is that most of these facilities aren't really archives," Russell advised. "They're working offices trying to keep up with the day-to- day business of government. For the most part, they're not set up to do a lot of hand-holding." Find out as much as you can about the records you need—the date, a microfilm number or volume and page number, where they're located, etc.—before you go.
  
  
• More things to know before you go: Check online for courthouse hours, holiday schedules and access information. The court may have limited hours when staff will pull files. Some won't allow personal scanners or cameras. Different types of records might be in different buildings or rooms. The local genealogy librarian and genealogical society are good sources to ask ahead of time about courthouse quirks.
  

• See if the office holding the records you need has a busy season. Russell gave this example: "If the records you really want are the tax records, and the tax office's busy season is October, then going there in October just about guarantees that nobody is going to be available to help you—and they may not even allow record lookups at that time."

• One chat participant advises you to dress nicely—"so you look like you might be a lawyer or paralegal." And if you have allergies to dust or mold, bring medication.

• Look for an online or microfilmed index so you have all the volumes and page numbers you need in advance. Also see whether the Family History Library has microfilm of the records you need or even posted them online at FamilySearch.org.
  

• "Even 'burned counties' have some records," Russell said. "And don't forget many people re-recorded deeds, etc., after a courthouse fire."

Ready to head to the courthouse now? Click here to find out about our downloadable guide to researching in courthouse records, available in ShopFamilyTree.com.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012 10:21:02 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• Here in Ohio, the 10-acre Fort Meigs, Ohio's War of 1812 Battlefield in Perrysburg, gives you a look inside the Buckeye State's role in the War of 1812.

• If an ancestor worked for the railroad, try the Western & Atlantic Railroad Tunnel and Museum in Tunnel Hill, Ga., where you can tour the South's oldest railroad tunnel, a museum and the 1848 Clisby Austin house.

• Out West in Nevada, you can step into your Silver State ancestors' shoes at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City, which features American Indian artifacts, fossils, a recreated ghost town and underground mine, and more.

• At the Western Heritage Center in Billings, Mont., you can see special exhibits on Montana Women at Work and how the railroad shaped Billings. One of the museum's galleries replicates a 1930s dude ranch lodge.

• Among the many historic sites in Vermont is Burlington's Ethan Allen Homestead Museum, where the home of the Green Mountain Boys' leader has been restored.
  
  
• If you're lucky enough to be in Washington, DC, participating museums include the National Archives Experience, Newseum and National Building Museum.
  

Monday, September 24, 2012 2:02:13 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• This week MyHeritage.com announced the launch of its automatic Record Matching premium service. The service automatically searches the 4 billion records on MyHeritage.com websites (which now include World Vital Records and FamilyLink) for matches to people in your MyHeritage family tree. MyHeritage users will receive weekly email updates of new Record Matches and can visit MyHeritage.com to review, filter, sort, confirm and reject matches.

On his Genea-Musings blog, Randy Seaver has some detailed posts about using Record Matching to find information.

• Genealogy search engine Mocavo has acquired ReadyMicro, a company that develops document digitization technology. On its blog, Mocavo says it's planning several exciting announcements in the coming weeks about offering searchable records and forming partnerships to digitize organizations' records "at a very low cost and even, in many cases, at no cost." Stay tuned ...
  
  
• British burial records site DeceasedOnline has added records from London's Charlton Cemetery, opened in 1855. Records include scans of burial registers and some photographs. You can see a list of all the cemeteries included on the site here. You can search the site and get basic search results free; purchase credits to view additional details and records.
  

• Don't forget to enter our giveaway for a year's subscription to our Family Tree eBooks website—it's a digital library of dozens of ebooks on genealogy, history, heirloom identification, sharing and preserving your family history, and more, plus many issues of Family Tree Magazine. Click here to enter by September 30!

Friday, September 21, 2012 2:27:33 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• Many of the common resources for Connecticut research have been published, transcribed, retranscribed, and republished in various formats, so always look for the original source of the information. In the webinar, we'll discuss key resources for tracing Connecticut families, including the Barbour and Hale records collections, which require a bit of sleuthing to use effectively.
  
  
• Connecticut keeps probate records by districts, rather than by counties or towns. But there's a quick way to search all of Connecticut's probate records through one central source! Tune in to the webinar to learn how.
  
  
• Connecticut's shared borders can cause dilemmas for genealogists. We'll talk briefly about the complexities surrounding the western border with New York and ideas for tracing Connecticut families who might've spent time in and around Dutchess County, NY.
  
  
• Subscribe to the Connecticut Society of Genealogists' quarterly The Connecticut Nutmegger. It'll keep you up to date on Connecticut resources and provide book reviews, record abstracts and other guidance.
  
  
• If you have a chance, visit the Connecticut State Library. Although many of its resources are on microfilm (much of it available through interlibrary loan or from the Family History Library), there's nothing like researching on-site and using resources in the original formats.

Thursday, September 20, 2012 10:31:28 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• 30/30 for time management—you work for 30 minutes or another set length of time, then take a break (iPad)
• Ancestry for displaying your Ancestry member tree and doing quick record lookups, though the search capabilities are limited compared to the full version of the site (Android and iPad)
• AroundMe for finding gas stations and food in unfamiliar towns  (iPad)
• CamScanner for digitizing documents and turning them into PDFs (iPad and Android)
• Civil War Today for newspaper accounts, diaries, letters and more from this day 150 years ago (iPad)
• CousinCalc for figuring out exactly how you're related (iPad)
• DropBox for sharing and accessing files across devices (iPad and Android)
• Evernote for taking notes and making them searchable and accessible across devices—you can get Kerry's video class on using Evernote for $10 off in ShopFamilyTree.com (iPad and Android)
• Find A Grave for searching the cemetery transcriptions and info on Find A Grave (Android)
• Focus Time for time management; you work for 25 minutes and take a 5-minute break, with a longer break after four cycles (iPad)
• GoodReader for reading PDF files (iPad)
• Google Translate (iPhone and Android)
• LastPass for keeping and generating passwords (IPad and Android)
• MyHeritage for displaying your MyHeritage family tree and searching the site (iPad and Android)
• PrinterPro for printing wirelessly from iPad to printer (iPad)
• Reeder for managing blog RSS feeds (iPad)
• RestingSpot for adding your ancestor's burial location GPS coordinates to the RestingSpot database (iPhone and Android)
• Scanner Pro for digitizing documents and turning them into PDFs (iPad)
• Symbaloo.com as an iGoogle replacement (iPad and Android)
• Wikipanion (iPad) or Wapedia (Android) for using Wikipedia
• Wolfram Genealogy & History Research Assistant for a variety of tools including historical weather to an inflation calculator (iPad)
• Zite for finding news stories and blog posts about your pet topics, such as genealogy (iPad and Android)

Wednesday, September 19, 2012 12:34:15 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• preventing "sick" sources in your family tree
• documenting genealogy sources
• using DNA testing in your genealogy research

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Tuesday, September 18, 2012 10:12:52 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

For our final Guest Blog in our ‘Meet the Presenter’ series, we have a piece by genealogy Jedi Thomas MacEntee. Here’s what he has to say:

Welcome to the Fall 2012 Virtual Genealogy Conference at Family Tree University. Once again, I’m pleased to be a part of this unique, on-line event that provides important educational content to the genealogy community.

What’s So Great about a Virtual Genealogy Conference?

A virtual genealogy conference is just like a conference you attend in-person but with more flexibility and just as many opportunities to network with other genealogy researchers. At the Fall Virtual Genealogy Conference you’ll find pre-recorded webinars (a total of 15!), scheduled chats where you can ask the experts various questions, a message board and even a virtual gift bag filled with genealogy goodies!

The upcoming conference is a great alternative for busy genealogists as well as those that can’t travel long distances to attend genealogy conferences.

Why Technology Should Matter To Genealogists

I’m of an age where I remember the introduction of the personal computer and its impact on not just genealogy, but life in general. I don’t consider myself a “techie” especially since my academic background is more in the arts, language and literature. However, I’ve come to realize that if I don’t keep on top of technology that I risk being left behind. So even though it can be similar to “homework” in school, I make it a point to stay informed and to try out different apps, websites and other technologies. I may not incorporate them as part of my genealogy research, but knowing is better than not knowing.

That’s why I try to ensure that several of my presentations focus on how genealogists can use specific technologies to advance their own research. My goal is to present these new sites and apps in an easy-to-learn atmosphere where you’ll feel comfortable asking questions and making your own decisions as to what technology is best for your own situation.

My Presentations and Chats

During the conference I’ll be offering three new presentations covering tips for working with search engines, how to get what you want from the FamilySearch website, and easy ways to use a research log for your genealogy. In addition, there will be a live, on-line chat session covering cloud computing and genealogy where you’ll get to “pick my brain” on various programs and which program is best for you.

Stay In Touch

For me, the best part of any conference is making new genealogy friends and staying in touch with them. Sometimes we meet up again in person, or we stay in touch on-line. Either way, it always helps to network with other genealogists. Feel free to keep tabs on what I’m up to by following my websites GeneaBloggers and High-Definition Genealogy , or email me at hidefgen@gmail.com.

The conference starts TOMORROW! But there is still time to register--click here and use the code FRIENDSOFTHOMAS at checkout to save $40.

Thursday, September 13, 2012 12:53:07 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

Gena Philibert-Ortega is a genealogist, author and contributor to Family Tree Magazine. Her primary passions are history and food, which she'll blend together like cake batter at this weekend's Fall Virtual Conference. In this guest post, the author of From the Family Kitchen talks in detail about her VC sessions:

Social history and genealogy go hand in hand. As family history researchers we tend to focus solely on the dates and places of our ancestor’s life. That’s important, but it’s one thing to know the dates and places and another to fully understand what was going on during that historical time period. Social history is the story of people’s everyday lives. Social history places your ancestors in context. It will even help make your research more interesting to the non-genealogists in your family. The session itself is called "Top 10 Tools For Social History", in which we'll talk about resources you can use for any research project. These will include images, online catalogs and collections.

My second presentation, "Cook up Answers About Immigrant Ancestors", is a chance to see social history in action. What does food have to do with your ancestor? Everything! Food is so integral to everything we do in our families. It’s part of celebrations, holidays and even somber events. Food and food history resources can help us learn far more about our ancestors. I can’t wait to tell you about all the available resources, such as community cookbooks.

Please join me at the Virtual Conference. What a great way to spend a weekend. Talking genealogy from the comfort of your own home!

ACT QUICKLY:Only three days until the conference! Register now for the Fall Virtual Conference and save $40 with coupon code FRIENDSOFGENA.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012 9:28:10 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

Lisa Louise Cooke is both an author and podcaster extraordinaire. She produces the Genealogy Gems podcast, as well as the official podcast of Family Tree Magazine. In this guest post, she writes an open letter to those considering coming to her sessions for Family Tree University’s Fall Virtual Conference:

In the real estate world they say it’s all about Location, Location, Location! And the same holds true in the Genealogy world. Location is a key element in understanding the context of our ancestor’s lives and obtaining coveted genealogical documents. What better way to zero in on a location than with maps? My class Best Websites for Finding Historical Maps delivers the goods in a big way!

If you have ever listened to my show The Genealogy Gems Podcast at http://www.genealogygems.com then you know that maps, and working with them in programs like Google Earth, is one of my specialties. Historical maps offer an exciting way to do your own genealogical time travel. Please join me in a map-packed half hour that will provide you the best resources for obtaining FREE downloadable historical maps that will take you back to the time, and place, of your ancestors. See you in class!

NOTE:Act quickly—the conference starts this Friday, Sept. 14! Register now for the Fall Virtual Conference and save $40 with coupon code FRIENDSOFLISACOOKE.

Monday, September 10, 2012 4:16:24 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [1]

• how to find resources such as vital records (going back as early as 1650!), church records, censuses, court records and more
• tricks for tracing Dutch, English, Italian, Irish and other ethnic ancestors
• the best places to search for Connecticut ancestors online

• Date: Thursday, Sept. 27
• Time: 7-8 p.m. ET (starts at 6 p.m. CT, 5 p.m. MT and 4 p.m. PT)
• Price: $49.99 (register now to save $10 with our early bird special!)

Monday, September 10, 2012 1:16:18 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• on-demand webinars such as Using Probate Records or our Illinois or Michigan genealogy crash course
• the Genealogist's Census Pocket Reference to keep handy (it's full of information and tips, and it really does fit in your pocket)
• our Family Tree Essentials CD with how-tos on the basic genealogical records you need to search for
  
• any number of Family Tree University Independent Study courses

Friday, September 07, 2012 4:49:59 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• The International Society for Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE) has announced this year's winners of its annual Excellence in Writing competition—and we're thrilled to report first prize in the articles category goes to our own Sunny Jane Morton, for her December 2011 Family Tree Magazine article "Blue Collar Breakthroughs." In this article, Sunny explains how to research employment records of workers in the railroad, automobile and other industries. (You can get the December 2011 print issue here or the December 2011 digital download issue here.)

Congratulations to all the ISFHWE competition winners—you can see their names here!

• Shazami Design has released a Windows phone app called ThinkGenealogy, which aims to guide you through the research process. It features a research "map," shows how important concepts are related, explains the Genealogical Proof Standard, provides a glossary of genealogical terms and more. You can watch a video about how to use the app on YouTube  and purchase the app for $1.99 here. 
  
  
• Here's an interesting new product I saw at last week's FGS conference: The Heirloom Registry offers uniquely numbered labels (starting at 10 for $10) you affix to your family heirlooms, then you enter information about each heirloom in an online heirloom registry. Anyone who finds the labeled heirloom in the future can then go online and enter the number to access the details about it. Click here to learn more about how it works.
  

• The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) has promoted five-year staff member Ryan Woods to NEHGS assistant vice president for the website and library. Woods will oversee www.AmericanAncestors.org and the Boston-based NEHGS library, bringing those two areas into greater alignment with each other.
  
  

Friday, September 07, 2012 4:14:11 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

Diana Crisman Smith has been researching genealogy since childhood and has served as a lay librarian at the local Family History Center for more than 20 years. She has written for numerous genealogical publications, including current regular columns in the National Genealogical Society’s NewsMagazine and the Association of Professional Genealogists’ APG Quarterly. In this guest post, she talks about the two sessions she is presenting at Family Tree University’s Fall Virtual Conference: “Smarter Online Census Searching” and “Finding Land Records Online”.

I’m Diana Crisman Smith, and I’ve been researching my family since I was eleven years old. I have been helping others with their research for more than twenty years through writing, speaking, teaching and volunteering at the Family History Center. I have roots throughout the US and Europe, but US research is the starting place for all my family branches. Two of the most useful tools I use in US genealogical research are land records and census records.

Now that so many of the US censuses are available in online images or indexed online, researchers have a wonderful opportunity to use these important records. We all know that they are not perfect, since we can’t always find what we want easily. Join me to learn some tips to make the best use of these records by searching smarter.

I also love “playing in the dirt” with land records. If your ancestors were farmers, they are critical for you; if they were city folk, they still may have land purchases (they bought houses just like we do, which means land records). For those who were in the “Western states” (essentially west of the original colonies, plus a few special states), the Bureau of Land Management website is one of the most useful, but little-known, resources of the Federal Government. Come learn to use some of the great information available through this source.

Act quickly—the conference starts next Friday, Sept. 14! Register now for the Fall Virtual Conference and save $20 with coupon code FRIENDSOFDIANA.

Friday, September 07, 2012 10:20:37 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• Google Earth and using maps in your research, with Lisa Louise Cooke
• photo restoration, with Denise Levenick
  
• using a genealogy research log, with Thomas MacEntee
• immigrant ancestors and their foods, with Gena Philibert-Ortega
• German place-names, with James M. Beidler

Thursday, September 06, 2012 9:33:23 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [2]

• Quicksheet: Historical Biographer's Guide to Cluster Research with advice from renowned genealogist Elizabeth Shown Mills
  
  
• 101 Brick Wall Busters with Family Tree Magazine experts' answers to readers genealogy questions
  
  
• Research Remedies CD with guides to research obstacles from maiden name mysteries to incognito immigrants
  
  
• Using Cluster and Collateral Searches to Beat Brick Walls recorded webinar with techniques for getting clues from records of your ancestors' friends, neighbors and relatives
  
  
• Step-by-Step Guide: How to Fix Common Genealogy Errors, a digital download article with strategies for spotting errors in your family tree (and keeping them from coming back)
  
  
• They're Alive! Finding Living Relatives recorded webinar has tips from genealogy sleuth Thomas MacEntee on finding cousins who might have family information
  
  
• Family Tree Problem Solver by Marcia Hoffman Rising, the newly revised classic book with strategies and case studies for breaking through brick walls

Thursday, September 06, 2012 9:11:22 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• Today, Wednesday, Sept. 5, at 4:30 p.m. ET, join our Tweet-up on Twitter with Gena Philibert-Ortega, who'll be talking about social history and tracing immigrants (we'll be using hashtag #FTUVC).

• Visit Family Tree Magazine's Facebook page Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 3 p.m. ET, to ask Diana Crisman Smith about using online censuses and land records.

• Stop by our Facebook page Thursday, Sept. 13, at 1 p.m. ET to get Rick Crume's advice on tracking down ancestors in UK civil registration records and Ireland's Griffith's Valuation.
  

• Lisa A. Alzo's tips for finding female ancestors' maiden names (Facebook)

• Lisa Louise Cooke's Google Earth and search tips (Facebook)

• Thomas MacEntee's favorite online tools and tricks (Facebook)

The Family Tree University Fall 2012 Virtual Genealogy Conference, taking place online Sept. 14-16, gives you access to 15 video classes, live chats, our exclusive conference message board, and our virtual exhibit hall (where you can win prizes by being part of our exhibitor scavenger hunt).

To learn more, visit FamilyTreeUniversity.com. (Pssst!: You can save $50 on conference registration with coupon code FTUVCFACEBOOK.)

Wednesday, September 05, 2012 12:34:13 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [1]

Genealogy guru Rick Crume is a long-time contributing writer for Family Tree Magazine. At next week’s Fall Virtual Conference, he breaks free from his written word wheel house and brings you two interactive video presentations: "Using UK Civil Registrations" and "Tracing Irish Ancestors in Griffith's Valuation." No matter where over the pond your family hails from, the resources exist to dig out their stories. In this guest post, Rick gives a brief synopsis of his search-stimulating sessions:

If you have ancestors who emigrated from the British Isles in the nineteenth century, free online indexes are the perfect way to start tracing them. English and Welsh governments began recording births, marriages and deaths in 1837, but until recently, researchers had to physically visit Great Britain or spend hours scrolling through microfilm to thoroughly search the indexes. Now they’re available for free on several websites. By finding your ancestor's name in an index before requesting a copy of a birth, marriage or death certificate, you’ll get faster service, as well as ensure that the record you are requesting is for the right person.

Before beginning research on family history anywhere in Europe, it’s often important to first identify the specific place where your ancestors lived. While many Irish records have been lost over the years, a tax survey conducted across Ireland between 1848 and 1864 survives. This can now be used to help locate your ancestors’ exact parish of residence. Armed with that information, you can then pursue other Irish records for information on your family.

Join me next week for two courses: "Using UK Civil Registrations" and "Tracing Irish Ancestors in Griffith's Valuation." You'll learn where to find the best free online indexes to these resources, tips for searching them effectively and how to use them as springboards to assist with future record finding.

Wednesday, September 05, 2012 10:07:14 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

Local records here include municipal and county records; church, civic organization and business records; personal papers of local business and community leaders; and more. You'll also find plenty of microfilm here, including censuses and military records.

I’ve blogged a bit about the library and its digital collections, but here are some visuals to whet your genealogy research appetite:

The main Linn-Henley library entrance.

The main reading room, decorated with murals by Ezra Winter. Someone commented on Family Tree Magazine's Facebook page that the room "smells just like a library should," and that's exactly right. I love the smell of old books!

The print city and suburban directories start in 1883 and go into the 1990s.

Here's a small part of the family histories collection.

Many libraries have surname files like this one, full of assorted records and papers organized by family name. (There was nothing for Haddad or my other surnames—I wasn't expecting anything but you can bet I checked.) That envelope peeking out at the top of the photo was attached to 1990s letters relatives sent each other about their family history.

Tuesday, September 04, 2012 11:01:02 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [2]