August 31, 2011

Marriage Index: Michigan and Wisconsin, 1830-1900

This database contains information on approximately 52,800 individuals married Wisconsin and 108,500 individuals married in Michigan. It brings together previously uncollected marriage records and gives you easy access to information that you would otherwise have to obtain at from local sources. Data included in this database was collected through the efforts of Jordan Dodd at Liahona Research... Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

August 30, 2011

Marriage Index: Illinois, 1851-1900

This database contains information on approximately 707,000 individuals who were married in Illinois between 1851 and 1900. It is a great resource because it brings together previously uncollected marriage records from fifty-eight Illinois counties... Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

August 29, 2011

Marriage Index: Alabama, 1800-1900s

This database contains information on approximately 179,000 individuals who were married in Alabama between 1800 and 1900. It offers information on marriages that took place before marriage licenses were required and brings together previously uncollected information from forty-one Alabama counties...

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August 28, 2011

First Things First


GENEALOGY IS AN ADDICTIVE hobby: the fact that you are reading this probably means that you have been smitten. There are a number of theories as to why genealogy has become so popular in the last few years; the huge growth of the Internet, the availability of information on CD-ROM or because North American society, as it ages, feels that it is losing touch with its roots. Probably all of these have contributed to the increased interest in genealogy.

What keeps people interested is the chance to become detectives and pursue unique goals (we are researching our own families). As detectives we should learn to become logical in our quest. Most amateur genealogists will admit that they started their research inefficiently...



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Marriage Index: North Carolina, 1851-1900

Marriage indexes can save you research time by telling you that a particular marriage record containing your ancestor's name exists. With the information provided, you may be able to find a newspaper announcement, which may provide more details about the bride, groom, and their families...

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August 27, 2011

Marriage Index: Arkansas, 1850-1900

This database contains information on approximately 287,000 individuals married in Arkansas. Because this database compiles and indexes marriage records collected at the county level, it makes it easier than ever to locate your family among local records.

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August 23, 2011

Marriage Index: Indiana, 1851-1900

This database contains information on approximately 292,000 individuals who were married in Indiana between 1851 and 1900. It includes previously uncollected information from thirty-six Indiana counties...

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August 22, 2011

Calendar Change

I felt so smart!! They had just asked the $1,000,000 question on a popular game show and I knew the answer (believe me it was a first!). The reason I knew the answer is because it was about the calendar change and as a genealogist, I had learned the importance of understanding how this change affected historical records.

During the time of Julius Caesar, the calendar was very inaccurate and he set about to improve it. He did a great job, but there was still a small error - each year, the calendar was over 11 minutes off. It doesn't sound too important, but after 128 years it was a full day off! By the time Pope Gregory XIII decided a change had to be made, the calendar was 10 days behind the actual time. In 1582, the Pope declared that the Catholic world would begin using his new calendar, the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar is almost perfect, but to bring the world up to the right starting time, the Pope declared that the calendar would "skip" the next 10 days and that October 4, 1582 would be followed by October 15, 1582. New Years day was also changed from March 25th to January 1st...

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August 19, 2011

Marriage Index: Mississippi and Florida, 1800-1900

This database contains information on approximately 154,000 individuals who were married between 1800 and 1900 in Mississippi and 37,000 individuals who were married between 1823 and 1900 in Florida (191,000 individuals total). It brings together previously uncollected marriage records and gives you easy access to information that you would otherwise need to obtain from a county office.

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August 18, 2011

Marriage Index: West Virginia, 1863-1900

This database contains information on approximately 177,000 individuals who were married between 1863 and 1900 in select West Virginia counties. Fully indexed, it is a great resource because it brings together previously uncollected marriage records and gives you easy access to information that you would otherwise have to obtain from local sources...

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August 16, 2011

Trace My Ancestors


My family always said that we had an ancestor who came over on the Mayflower, but I never knew if that was true. When I decided I wanted to trace my ancestor, I started with the obvious sources. I asked my parents, grandparents, and cousins to share any family stories and records. Some could give me specific data; some could only give me clues about how to trace my ancestor.

Then I went online and started searching for documentation of my ancestry. One resource that helped me start to trace my ancestor was the Social Security Death Index. It is available at OneGreatFamily.com, and it is a great place to start. However, the Social Security Death Index is only useful for twentieth-century sources. I needed to go further into the past...

August 15, 2011

Marriage Index: New Jersey, 1680-1900

This database brings together previously uncollected marriage records for approximately 179,000 individuals married in New Jersey between 1680 and 1900...

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August 14, 2011

Given Names

Given names can be clues that help you find our ancestors. Many times a child's middle name would be the maiden name of the mother. Even today many boys are named after their father, but society in general has drifted away from many of the traditional naming customs. The first given names, for example, often followed the pattern below... 

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August 13, 2011

Texas Genealogy

Texas state records usually date to at least 1903 though older records can be found if you start looking at individual county offices. But for the main state database, that's the date they start. Texas genealogy usually starts with the standard vital records of birthdeath and marriages... Read More

Marriage Index: New York City, 1600s-1800s

This database contains listings of more than 411,000 individuals who were married in or near New York City between 1622 and 1899. While over 90% of the marriages included in this database were recorded in New York City and its boroughs, some were recorded on Long Island or elsewhere in the state. In addition, approximately 300 of the records are from Connecticut or New Jersey... Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

August 11, 2011

Genealogical Records: New York, 1675-1920

This database is a comprehensive index of more than 600,000 individuals who lived in New York between 1675 and 1920. It indexes a broad range of New York records including passenger lists, land records, city directories, and census records. This index helps you locate a particular individual at a specific place and point in time.

Listings Include:

In general, each record in the index tells you about an event, giving the individual's name and the year and location in which the event took place. Each record typically also tells you what the source of this information is, so you can refer to the original materials for more detailed information about the individual. Knowing a name, location, and year may help you find your ancestor in other records of genealogical value, which are not necessarily included in this index.

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Pennsylvania Genealogy


Researching Pennsylvania genealogy can involve several hundred years of history, though official state records typically start around 1906. Libraries and county offices may have older material for some area.

Pennsylvania Vital Records

The first place to start for any genealogical search is the vital records office. In Pennsylvania, there are 6 separate offices that can issues copies of birth and death records. Going in person can mean you get your records while you wait, rather than deal with long processing delays when sending by mail. So if you can visit the offices in Pittsburg, Scranton, New Castle, Erie, Harrisburg or Philadelphia, you will get much better service. Mailing will take up to 3 months, but in person service is typically while-you-wait.

You have to be a relative in order to make a request for a birth certificate, but if the person is now deceased then there are no restrictions at all (you have to provide proof of death with your application). There is a $10 fee for a certified birth record to be issued. For death records, you do have to be a relative in order to request any copies. These documents have a fee of $9 each. Either way, you can get the forms from the Pennsylvania Department of Health website...Read More

August 9, 2011

Florida Genealogy

Most state records date from 1917 though some regions have vital records material from 1877. So if you are researching Florida genealogy, that is roughly your available timeline for getting records and documents.

Florida Vital Records

Most investigations into Florida genealogy start with the state collection of vital records, which are the documents recording births, deaths and marriage for the area. The Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville is the main source for these types of records in Florida, so you can direct your requests to them... Read More

August 8, 2011

California Genealogy


The state began to keep their own collections of vital records in 1905 but many individual counties have material that is older than that. You can go back as far as 1824 if you are looking in Monterey County.

California Vital Records

There are no privacy restrictions or time limits when looking to get any kind of California birth or death records. Instead, they have a system with two types of records. The authorized copies are legal forms of identification, and the informational ones are not (generally ideal for California genealogy). Authorized copies are only given out to immediate relatives, and the informational one will be issued to anyone. So as long as you request the right type of document, there should be no problems.

Getting either copy means you have to send an application form either to the Vital Records branch of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in Sacramento, or at the local county clerk's office where the event took place. If you are getting an authorized copy, you will have to provide notarized proof of your own identity along with the forms...



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August 7, 2011

Genealogy Research

Genealogy Research is done in two phases, the survey phase and the original research phase. The purpose of the survey phase is to find out what research has already been done by other researchers. Original research is exciting but it can be time consuming and costly, so a thorough search of the work of others is essential. The process for following the survey phase is very straightforward.
  1. Check home and family sources.
    • Go through the old records, bibles, and photographs in your home as well as the homes of other family members.

    • Call, email or mail your relatives and ask questions. Get as much personal knowledge as you can from living relatives (be sure to list the source of each piece of information). If there is a specific topic that your family is sensitive about, think carefully how or even if the question should be asked. When I took my first class in genealogy, my professor shared an old adage that I think is very important, "We should never hurt the living to find the dead...
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August 6, 2011

Marriage Index: Georgia, 1851-1900 (Today's Free Lookup)

This database contains information on approximately 277,000 individuals who were married in Georgia between 1851 and 1900. It is a great resource because it includes information on marriages that occurred before marriages were registered with the state and brings together previously uncollected marriage records... Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

August 5, 2011

Discover Your Ancestry

When you research your ancestry, you will find more than just a family tree. Besides finding the names, dates, and records of your ancestry, you'll find the stories of your family - the real lives of people that will give you perspective on your own place in history.

Many people find a great emotional satisfaction in tracing their ancestry.  They also discover that genealogy is a wonderful way to bring together all the generations of the family... Read More

Marriage Index: Ohio, 1851-1900

This database contains information on approximately 272,000 individuals who were married in Ohio between 1851 and 1900. It includes information on marriages that occurred before marriage licenses were required and brings together previously uncollected information... Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

August 4, 2011

Marriage Index: Tennessee, 1851-1900

This database contains information on approximately 439,000 individuals who were wed in Tennessee. Tennessee's settlers came largely from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. In addition, many Scotch-Irish traveled through the Shenandoah Valley to reach Tennessee territory. The state's marriage records have been maintained consistently throughout its history and marriages that occurred between 1851 and 1900 in selected Tennessee counties have been included in this datebase... Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

August 3, 2011

Civil and Criminal Court Records

I jokingly tell my students that as genealogists we hope our ancestors were famous or infamous.  While this certainly makes them easier to find, most of our ancestors who were neither famous nor infamous will still show up in court records.

In a twenty year period, a person shows up in court records an average of three times.  However these records are often overlooked because searching them can be a slow process.  Not all of them have been indexed and it requires reading through the minutes to discover if your ancestor is mentioned.

There are several levels of courts in the United States, namely; Federal, State and County.  As researchers, your main interest will be the State and County records.

A few things to remember about these records... Read More


August 2, 2011

Marriage Index: Missouri, 1851-1900

Missouri's central location attracted settlers from many different locations including New England, the Ohio Valley, the Appalachian region, the South, as well as Germany and other European nations. Because of this, Missouri family history information will be of interest to a great many researchers. This database contains information on approximately 409,000 individuals who were married in Missouri between 1851 and 1900. It includes information on marriages that occurred before marriage licenses were required and brings together previously uncollected information... Request a Free Lookup From This Database.