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Plugged In July 2004 • Vol.15 Issue 7 Page(s) 52-53 in print issue |
Find It Online Trace Your Family Tree | ||
Jump to first occurrence of: [GENEALOGY]   Cyndi's List http://www.cyndislist.com If you collect genealogy research books, you probably already know about Cyndi Howells, the author of several research books, including "Planting Your Family Tree Online" and "Netting Your Ancestors." The aptly named Cyndi's List site provides links to thousands of other genealogy Web sites. Luckily, the site breaks its links into dozens of categories and subcategories. You also can browse the links in alphabetical order. New researchers should click Are You New To Genealogy? to browse tutorials and articles. The Beginners section also includes links to genealogy chat boards and mailing lists. Join Cyndi's mailing list to receive her newsletter, which includes information about site updates and answers to reader questions. Family-crests.com http://www.family-crests.com You'll probably stumble across at least one coat of arms or family crest when you trace your family's roots and history. Many surnames even have multiple coats of arms or crests. If you like your blazon, visit Family-crests.com and browse the site's selection of crest products. Family-crests.com, which researched and designed the coat of arms that appears in the movie "The Last Samurai," can put your crest or coat of arms on mugs, shirts, and plaques. You also can buy a digital image of your crest or coat of arms. As with most companies researching crests, Family-crests.com cannot show you your crest before you buy it because it invests so much time into researching your crest's heraldic description and illustrating the design. That said, Family-crests.com does not charge your credit card if it can't find your crest. Family Tree Searcher http://www.familytreesearcher.com General online search engines let you easily hunt down the local movie theater's Web site, but don't expect them to locate information about your family's ancestry, especially if you're searching for a common surname. Family Tree Searcher lets you enter your information into 10 specialized genealogy search engines, including Ancestry.com's and GenCircles' search engines. The Web site also links to Genealogy: Advice For Effective Searches (http://www.genealogy-search-advice.com), which lists more than 2,000 common surnames and offers surname-specific researching advice. In addition, Family Tree Searcher's author offers tips about searching and includes excerpts of the author's family tree. Free Genealogy Search Help For Google http://www.genealogy-search-help.com You type genealogy, I type geneology. When a search engine looks for genealogy-related information, the engine may overlook sites with relevant keywords that don't quite match your own. If, for example, a Web site misspells a keyword, a common search engine will pass right over that site. The Free Genealogy Search Help For Google site requests several search keywords and then creates a special search term for the popular Google search engine to use. We don't know whether a site that misspells "genealogy" (or other keywords) will have much in the way of useful information, but the Free Genealogy Search Help For Google site also tailors your search to include relevant words you didn't think to enter, so it's certainly worth a shot. Genealogy.org http://www.genealogy.org Genealogy.org keeps things simple: Just enter your ancestor's first and last name and then click Search to scour U.S. immigration records. Or, if you want to search Ancestry.com's database (http://www.ancestry.com), you'll need to enter your name and email address to register for a free Ancestry.com trial account. Genealogy.org also acts as a portal to hundreds of other Genealogy.org member Web sites. The Member Web Sites section ranks sites by popularity instead of content, but each site link includes a brief description, which means you can learn a little about a site before you enter it. Genealogy Today http://www.genealogytoday.com Add more tools to your genealogy research toolbox with Genealogy Today. The Web site's Genealogy Tools section not only includes links to several of its own tools, such as First Name Basis (which lets you search for ancestors by their first names), it also links to other research Web sites that offer additional help, including state genealogy sites. Whether you're new to genealogy research or simply looking for the latest research tricks, you'll love the site's Starting Points area, which includes a beginner's tutorial. And when you want to take a break from your research, browse the site's Special Selections articles. GenHelp http://genhelp.org GenHelp's classy Web site features plenty of genealogy articles and tutorials. If you're looking for articles about genealogy, browse the main page's articles or search for articles by category. The site offers free registration (and states that it does not share your personal information with other organizations), but you can read and post articles without registering. The Web site also offers more than 30 thorough tutorials that cover such topics as Courthouse Research Tips, Interview Pointers, and Record Keeping.  That's News To You Finding the appropriate Usenet discussion group to match your interests can be a monumental task. So each month, we scour tens of thousands of newsgroups and highlight the ones that delve into popular topics. If your ISP (Internet service provider) doesn't carry these groups, ask it to add the groups to its list. This month we dig into our ancestors' pasts. soc.genealogy.computing Having trouble using your brand-new genealogy software? Can't use your scanner to scan microfiche? No problem. soc.genealogy.computing users regularly post genealogy-related hardware and software questions. You also can post questions about general computer problems, but keep in mind that many users are genealogy researchers first and techies second. If you have a complicated computer question, you may want to try a computer-related user group. soc.genealogy.methods If you're sick of spam-cluttered user groups, take a look at soc.genealogy.methods. This group is moderated, which means that when a user submits a message, a moderator receives the post and determines whether to post it to the group. As a result, your message may not reach the group as quickly as it would in an unmoderated group, but it's a small price to pay to avoid spam. The group focuses on research methods, so users here often trade tips about new research sites and tricks. Compiled by Joshua Gulick
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