FamilySearch Tips

From time to time I will post tips for using the FamilySearch website. It is a vital website, and you will want to use it to the fullest extent.

Today's Tip:
Register for a free account. Sign in every time you use the site.

Why? Some information and some images are restricted, accessible only to registered users. Don't miss out because you don't have an account.

Click on "Free Account" in the top right corner. Supply your name, make up a user name and password, then give your email and a few other bits of information. Make sure you remember your user name and password.

Once you've registered, sign in (click on "Sign In" in the top right corner) and then type your User Name and Password in the boxes every time you use the site. Now you'll see everything that's available for you to see.

 

 

Happy researching!

~Sonia

British Genealogy

Last night at the Lake County (IL) Genealogical Society meeting, Maureen Brady gave an information-packed presentation on doing genealogy in the British Isles. If you have ancestors from the British Isles (loosely defined for our purposes as England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland). Here are some of the databases she mentioned:

• GENUKI (UK and Ireland Genealogy), most useful for getting background information and learning about topics like the history and geography of the area you're researching. Free.
• Deceased Online includes indexes and images of sexton records for cemeteries and churchyards for England, Scotland and Wales. It is not complete but being added to. Searching is free. To view the records you must buy credits or have a subscription.
• Findmypast is a good site but not easy to use. Useful for British military information. Subscription or pay-as-you-go, also free at Family History Centers.
• Scotland's People is the official government site for all Scottish records. Pay-as-you-go with credits.
• IrishGenealogy.ie is a sort of "gateway" site. Use its index to find records in other databases.

In addition to the above databases, of course you will still want to use the old standbys: Ancestry, FamilySearch, CyndisList, and even Google.

And remember, these sites are adding new material and records all the time. Check them every week.
~Sonia

Look for Page 2

Here's something to watch out for when you're searching and finding records in an online database like Ancestry: look and see if there is a page 2 to the image that you have found. The two examples below should tell you why.

Example 1: A World War II Draft Registration card for Charles Peterson gives all the information you might expect, including address, birth date, and place of employment, even a fairly nice signature:

Page 1

But take a look at the next screen and you might find something surprising:
Page 2

Charles Peterson is 5'8", 165 pounds, blue-eyed, blond, and blind. You might never have known this about your ancestor if you hadn't looked for page 2.

Example 2: On line 3 of the passenger list below we find Hedvig Rosalie Helgeson and learn her place of birth and that she lives in Winnetka. (She had probably left the country and was now coming back)

However, when you look on page 2, you will learn more about Hedvig Rosalie:

Line 3 now tells us the name and address of Hedvig Rosalie's father, not to mention the facts that she is 5'6", has brown hair, and is in good health, and is going to see her friend in Winnetka, Hans Philips. A close inspection of page1 might have given us a clue that there is more. Notice the incomplete heading at the top of the page: "List or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United."

Often we are so excited when we find our ancestor in a record that we don't take time to examine the record fully or look for more. The next time you find an ancestor in an online database, remember to slow down and look for page 2!
~Sonia



You've Got To See This!

Local Author Appears on PBS' Genealogy Roadshow

Libertyville author Gail Lukasik filled out an application for PBS' Genealogy Roadshow, saying, "I'm a mystery writer with a family mystery I couldn't solve." The producers of the show interviewed her and accepted her for their program which will air on January 20, 2015 on WTTW, Channel 11 at 10 p.m. Make sure to watch to discover the secret that Gail promised her mother to keep until after her mother's death, involving her New Orleans grandfather and the Civil War.

Genealogy 101 CORRECTION

Our Genealogy 101 class this Saturday will be held in the Meeting Room at Cook Park Library in Libertyville. I apologize for giving the wrong information in the previous post.

See you at Cook Park Library on January 10, 2015, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
~Sonia

Genealogy 101

If you're curious about getting into genealogy research but don't know where to start, here's your chance. Attend our Genealogy 101 program this Saturday morning, January 10, 2015, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m., at Aspen Drive Library . We'll start at the beginning with home sources, talk about the building blocks of genealogy, make sure you know how to cite your sources, and give a preview of the different genealogy records you will need to know.. Call 847-362-2330 to sign up or register from our weblink.