Ready Reference Genealogy
Tips | "How to" Pages | General Guides | Databases and Search Engines | Census Sites | Discussion Groups, Mailing Lists, and Blogs | Library Catalogs | Local and State Resources | National Resources | Charts and Forms | Books | Other ResourcesTIPS
Google - When using Google you may want to try several different wordings to find what you are looking for. You can start by entering the family name, place they lived or where they were born. If it is another country sometimes it will be harder to find information, but if the ancestors family have been in America for a long time it is much easier.
Message Boards/Forums - Extremely useful to find sources from people who have experience searching for genealogy. Asking for help is very common and occasionally people reconnect family trees by finding other distant family members this way. Rarely can you find people who join these boards/forums who are not serious in their search.
Private Information - Any private information about grandparents or parents (or even yourself) should not be given out. This is for the safety of personal information that could be used for fraudulent purposes. Do not give information about names, birth or death dates, address, phone number, and especially not social security numbers.
Spelling - When searching genealogy the names may have a different spelling. Many names were changed, while on or departing the ships, to the spelling of how the name sounded or shortening the surname. While searching by databases include the word genealogy or a similar word (ancestry, blood line, heredity, lineage, or pedigree).
Tips for Searching Ellis Island Passenger Records
This will redirect you to the Ellis Island website and provides information about searching on their site or information that can be used when searching else where for ship manifests.
http://www.ellisisland.org/genealogy/ellis_island_search_tips.asp
Using Relatives Papers - Another problem that might occur while searching is due to individuals in a family using their relative’s papers. When searching for a particular name it may not be the same name used when entering the country.
"HOW TO" PAGES
Beginning Genealogy
An extensive list of topics and/or tutorials to act as guide or to provide advice. Includes special area for countries/ethnic groups.
Genealogy Learning Center
Free from the website Genealogy.com; learn how to begin researching, become organized, share family stories, develop research skills, and reference tools are available for further assistance. Take free online classes under "How-to Highlights", broken into lessons for easier learning.
The Library of Congress: Local History & Genealogy
"Listed below are published guides to the genealogy collections of the Library of Congress, written by reference librarians and available in full text by selecting the desired link."
The National Archives and Records Administration: Research
Explains how to begin research in archives and what information an archive or a library may provide searchers. Click here to learn about other online tools, such as: Archival Research Catalog (ARC), Guides to Federal Archives, Online Guides and Research Aids for holdings in the Regional Archives.
Standards and Guidelines for Research
From the National Genealogical Society, a listing of the following information for: sound genealogical research; using records, repositories (archives), and libraries; technology in genealogical research; sharing information with others; publishing web pages on the internet; and genealogical self-improvement and growth.
Treasure Maps
Another how-to genealogy site, with special attention given to the guide of the US Census, tombstone rubbings, and popular genealogy tutorials.
GENERAL GUIDES
Access Genealogy: A Free Genealogy Resource
This site provides 16 large categories to search from, also includes: surname search, recently added data, family tree programs, and e-newsletter Genealogy Guide.
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
Extensive, indexed and cross-referenced list of Internet genealogical sites. Indicates last time categories have been updated.
Genealogy Reviews Online
"Providing news, reviews and other interesting items related to genealogy and history." Receivable by e-mail, this site provides vast amount of information. Includes sections for: blogs, websites, categories, and an archive of previous posts.
GenGateway: open up to a world of heritage
By Genealogy Gateway, it has vast amounts of information and sources; this site will list what sources are free or if they will cost money. Their section "New Online Genealogy Data" provides many books or manuscripts that are able to read or download for free. Categories include: American genealogy, beginning genealogy, DNA genealogy, family genealogy, free genealogy, genealogy software, world genealogy, genealogy definitions, and much more.
The National Archives and Records Administration: Genealogist/Family Historians
Provides information on the following topics: new to genealogy, most requested, highlighted resources, Native Americans in the census, World War II army enlistment records, and workshops.
Olive Tree Genealogy: Your Link to the Past
An amazing site that provides unique resources: custom search engines for ship passenger lists, genealogy goodies & surprises, Past Voices: Letters Home- "Find ancestors in Civil War letters, War of 1812 letters, Revolutionary War letters," and much more.
Research Records
From the PBS show Ancestors, a list of what records are important while researching. An example of each record is given from past shows and often gives a video clip.
RootsWeb.com
Contains projects and archives hosted by national and world genealogy groups/societies. Includes: getting started, search engines and databases, family trees (World Connect), mailing listings, message boards, research templates, websites, other tools and resources, and hosted volunteer projects. A weekly e-mail newsletter RootsWeb Review available in html.
The USGenWeb Project
A volunteer effort to organize genealogical information by state, and by county or parish. Content will vary with each site, plus each usually includes areas for queries and information on local resources. Click on "Projects" to see more specialized searches and websites providing further information.
DATABASES AND SEARCH ENGINES
Ancestor Hunt- Free Genealogy Search Engines
"Search for ancestors and locate your family surnames in some of the best and largest free genealogy databases online. Start with the Genealogy Search Engines and Contents menu which is found on each page so you can't get lost."
Ancestry.com
A lot of free information, specializing in family trees created by members (paying and nonpaying). With the pay site you can find people’s address that are living, and where they lived up to 2003. Allows you to publish your own family history book, family trees, or charts (for a fee).
DAR Library
A listing of online databases searchable by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Library or ask your local library to see if they have access or if you can InterLibrary Loan the material. Select "Online Library Catalog" button to the left to bring up the DAR catalog.
East Baton Rouge Parish Library- Online Databases
Must have a library card to enter, databases are restricted to only Baton Rouge residents.
Family Search
An index and access to the resources of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (The Mormon Church). Includes a special section for Jewish family history and African American resources. Contains their own libraries, more information can be found by clicking here.
Social Security Death Index Interactive Search
"The most full-featured and up-to-date SSDI search engine on the internet."
Subject Guides to Manuscripts in the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collection
Part of LSU's Special Collection. "These guides include collections cataloged in the LSU Libraries Online Public Access Catalog and those previously accessible only in the manuscript card catalog in the Hill Memorial Library reading room."
CENSUS SITES
CensusFinder
"Our mission is to provide access to all available census records online. This includes both free and paid subscriptions." Searchable by state and county/parish.
Guide to United States Census
Provided by LSU Library, this site has both electronic and microform sources. Most helpful will be the material found in Middleton’s (the main library) collection. Also contains: federal sources, state/local sources, international sources, subject guides, and much more.
DISCUSSION GROUPS, MAILING LISTS, AND BLOGS
About Genealogy Forum
About.com provides: "an interactive place for meeting fellow genealogy enthusiasts, asking questions, posting surname queries, sharing knowledge and experience, and just relaxing".
Ancestry.com Message Boards
Over 17 million posts, the message boards are searchable by surname, keyword, location, or category.
Davidlambertblog.com
"David’s genealogical expertise includes specialties in New England and Atlantic Canadian research, military records, and Native American and African American genealogical research." Quote provided by the New England Historic Genealogical Society.
Genealogy Blog Finder
A wonderful source to finding several different types of blogs: library, organizations, ethnic, questions, corporate, and even podcasts. With 28 different categories and over 800 blogs categorized this is a source that should not be overlooked.
Genealogy Resources on the Internet
Complete listing of mailing lists and newsgroups with descriptions and instructions.
GenForm
From Genealogy.com, providing forums searchable by: surnames, regions, or general topics.
Top Genealogy Blogs
A listing of important topics that can be hard to find otherwise. For example: The Paper Trial- paper documents (including everyday receipts); Past Voices- Civil War letters; Genealogy and How- daily updates on new information with genealogy; and Genealogy News Center- research articles.
LIBRARY CATALOGS
East Baton Rouge Parish Library
This catalog is searchable using three languages: English, Spanish, and French.
Family Search: Family History Library Catalog
From The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (The Mormon Church, but it is an excellent source, regardless of religion). Searchable by: place, surname, keyword, title, film/fiche, author, subject, or call number.
LibDex: The Library Index
A worldwide directory of library homepages, and web-based catalogs.
Library of Congress Online Catalog
Search the Library of Congress and other catalogs.
The LSU Libraries Online Catalog
Special Collections at Hill Memorial Library
As part of LSU's Libraries, the Special Collection provides search information, research tools, services, and links to several LSU provided Collections and Research Centers.
The State Library of Louisiana
"The State Library of Louisiana is one of your greatest sources for research, cultural, and governmental information, with special emphasis on resources unique to Louisiana."
The United States Civil War Center: Civil War Collections & the Civil War Book Review
Part of LSU's Special Collections, the United States Civil War Center contains the following sections: Civil War book review, book collections, manuscript collections, online exhibitions and resources, Shaara Award, and the Civil War index.
The WEBINDEX of the Louisiana Newspaper Project
"Parish and chronological index to over 1,700 extant and currently published Louisiana newspapers dating from 1794, the Moniteur de la Louisiane, (the first newspaper printed in French and published in New Orleans), as well as Times- Picayune, the longest-lived Louisiana newspaper, established in 1837."
GEOGRAPHIC TOOLS
1895 U.S. Atlas
Scanned images of 1895 U. S. Atlas, with city and town data, for location of elusive places.
American Memories: Map Collections
"The Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress holds more than 4.5 million items, of which Map Collections represents only a small fraction, those that have been converted to digital form. The focus of Map Collections is Americana and Cartographic Treasures of the Library of Congress. These images were created from maps and atlases and, in general, are restricted to items that are not covered by copyright protection."
Maps Index
From the University of Alabama, almost 30,000 maps with over 8,000 of them air photos. Contains three main indexes: historical, contemporary, aerial photography. Historical index includes: the United States and Canada, the world, western hemisphere, eastern hemisphere, and special topics (i.e. wars, coastal navigation charts, topographical sheets, Mississippi River, national forests, Native Americans, railroads, and U.S.D.A. soil survey).
The Official Federal Land Records Site
Provided by the Bureau of Land Management: General Land Office Records. "We provide live access to Federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States. We also provide image access to more than three million Federal land title records for Eastern Public Land States, issued between 1820 and 1908. Images of Serial patents (land titles issued between 1908 and the mid-1960's) have been added to this web site. Images related to survey plats and field notes, dating back to 1810, are added to the site state-by-state as each state's documents are completed."
Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection
The University of Texas at Austin presents an impressive collection of maps ranging from state, city, topographic, historical, and maps of national parks, monuments, historical sites, and many more. The page presents a large collection of current maps and has links to redirect to other sites for more sources.
United States and Territories Data Base Query Form
Search form for geographic features, from U. S. Geological Survey.
United States Digital Map Library
From the volunteers of USGenWeb Archives Project. Includes the following maps: state/county, United States, and Indian Land Cessions to the United States Treaty.
RESOURCES
Local/State
Family Trees for Louisiana Newspapers
Listing of Louisiana newspapers from LSU's Library- Special Collections; searchable by city, parish, and title. This will help researchers when the titles of the newspaper have changed over time, giving dates for each title.
Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections (LLMVC)
Special collection of the LSU Libraries, "devoted to the history and culture of the region."
LOUISiana Digital Library
"An online library of over 84,000 digital materials about Louisiana's history, culture, places, and people. Its purpose is to make unique historical treasures from Louisiana's archives, libraries, museums, and other repositories in the state electronically accessible to Louisiana residents and to students, researchers, and the general public in other states and countries."
Louisiana Division: City Archives & Special Collections
Includes: the rare vertical file, the Carnival Collection, the Louisiana photograph collection, the map collection, the menu collection, the postcard collection, the manuscript collection, and the rare book collection. The genealogy collection "contains books, periodicals and microfilms with emphasis on New Orleans, Louisiana, the Southeast United States, Nova Scotia, France, and Spain."
Louisiana Genealogical & Historical Society
Founded 1953, "to assist its members in tracing and recording their family history."
The Louisiana State Archives
Outline of resources available, as well as hours, location, and contact information. They have their own Research Library which carries "books on general histories, census indexes, immigration schedules, church records, and family histories."
New Orleans City Archives
This link directs you to the finding aides and inventories of the New Orleans City Archives.
NOLA.com Genealogy Forum
A New Orleans forum to discuss genealogy.
Tulane University- Louisiana Collection
"The Louisiana Collection, a research library within Tulane University's Special Collections Division, preserves publications (books, pamphlets, magazines) pertaining to all aspects of Louisiana from colonial times to the present."
United States Resources: Louisiana
Nearly complete list of resources for Louisiana research.
RESOURCES
National
Association of Professional Genealogists
"A Professional Association For All Genealogists Supporting High Standards in the Field of Genealogy".
Board for Certification of Genealogists
Founded 1964, promotes high standards in genealogical practice, both as a profession, and as a hobby.
Ellis Island
A free search from The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. which gives information about the passengers of boats as they landed on Ellis Island. See a picture about the ship, read about the individual ships, and read the ships manifest. Many times the manifest will include the amount of money they had, where they were going, and the name of the person in the U.S. they were going to be stay with.
Federation of Genealogical Studies: Linking the Genealogical Community
Connects more than 500 genealogical societies in the US and Canada. They produce a quarterly magazine entitled FORUM.
Footnote
"Footnote has made available, through their partnership with the National Archives, original source documents that include information about an individual's birth, immigration history, marriage, occupation, death, and other genealogical research data". This is a pay-to-use site, but it does provide a 7 day trial.
Free Genealogy Look Ups
Provided by GeneaSearch.com: Free Genealogy Data to Help Find Your Ancestors. One question per month is permitted (as it is run by volunteers). "Free genealogy lookups in the genealogy resources of our volunteers include FTM CDs, WFT CD's, and other genealogy CDs, family, and regional census, marriage, obituary, and birth and death records genealogy resources."
National Genealogical Society
Founded 1903, promotes interest and education in genealogy.
Obituary Project
Provides the following sections: search files by state, national search engine, archives newsletter, how to submit files, guidelines about the obituary project, and obituary tips.
Vital Records
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services- Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a list by state of where to write for vital records (birth, death, marriage, and divorce).
CHARTS AND FORMS
Census Records Abstracts
Blank forms of the questions asked from the 1790-1930 censuses.
Free Genealogy Charts
Access Genealogy: A Free Genealogy Resource lists the following charts: family tree, research calendar, research extract, census, correspondence record, family group, and source summary.
Free Genealogy Forms or Newsletters
From 1 Stop Free Shop: "Find online forms to record your pedigree, abstract census records, compose letters, request records from the National Archives and other agencies, record information from deeds, and more for your genealogy research."
PBS's American 1900 Family Tree Builder
Free downloadable copy of their American 1900 Family Tree Builder chart, includes individual electronic index cards, and gives a listing of historical events "organized by region and continent -- events that may have impacted your ancestors' lives".
BOOKS
Genealogical.com
Publishes books, CDs, and free weekly e-newsletter. Search site by browsing by name, US, world, or category.
Genealogy Review Online Bookstore
A page powered by Amazon.com, Genealogy Review Online lists several books on genealogy and gives a list of their own "My Favorite All-Time Books" provided by Listmania!.
Genealogical Materials in the New Orleans Public Library's Louisiana Division & City Archives
A book printed by the New Orleans Public Library that is available for purchase (there have been sever editions). Clicking on the title will take you to a page with the contents list; the book is viewable online.
GeneaSearch
Provides a list of books and other forms of publications from societies and individuals, search by keyword.
OTHER RESOURCES
About.com
Lists: essentials, offers (from other websites and/or organizations), topics, and buyer's guide.
AltaVista - Babel Fish Translation
Translate a word, a sentence, a "block of text", or complete webpage.
Google Language Tool
Allows you to search the World Wide Web with a translation of your choice. Also provides the following: translate text, translate web site, or transform Google’s main page to read completely in your native language. While searching and translating, the search will allow the user to change spelling if translation isn’t correct.
Translation Tip: When translating try to reverse the search to make sure the information you are seeking makes sense in both languages. For example, when typing in "How do I find information on genealogy?" for English to French re-enter the answer (Comment est-ce que je trouve l'information sur la généalogie?) in French to English to make sure you receive the same answer "How do I find information on genealogy?"
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