Family History Digital Libraries

In the modern era, every family and local community can cultivate its own history, endowing living people with meanings inherited from the people of the past, by means of today’s computer-based information and communication technologies. A new profession is emerging, family historians, serving the wider public by assisting in collection and analysis of fascinating data, by teaching talented amateur historians, and by producing complete narratives. Essential are the skills and technologies required to preserve and connect photos, movies, videos, diaries, memoirs, correspondence, artefacts and even architecture such as homes. Online genealogical services are well established sources of official government records, but usually not for recent decades, and not covering the valuable records of legal, medical, and religious organizations. Information can be shared and interpreted by family members through oral history interviews, social media, and online private archives such as wikis and shared file depositories. This book explores a wide variety of online information sources and achieves coherence by documenting and interpreting the history of a particular extended American family on the basis of 9 decades of movies and videos, 17 decades of photographs, and centuries of documents. Starting now, any family may begin to preserve their current experiences for the historians of the future, but this will require social as well as technical innovations. This book is the essential resource, providing the fundamental principles, effective methods, and fascinating questions required to make our past live again.

Researching family history is the second most popular topic on the Internet (after sex). In Online Roots, Pamela Boyer Porter, a Certified Genealogical Records Specialist, explains how to search effectively on the Internet, how to assess the value of what you find, and the best way to make full use of the resources of the Internet to trace your family's history and heritage. Topics covered include: Judging your sources Checking modern lists and resources Finding clues to primary sources Researching military records When an ancestor has a criminal record Locating photographs on the web Researching on the Internet can be fun and challenging. Online Roots makes your search more effective and creative.

Your Guide to Online Genealogy The internet has made millions of records available to search any time, anywhere. Start finding your ancestors with just a few strokes of a keyboard using the detailed instruction in this book. Inside you'll find: • An overview of where and how to start your family history research • Detailed descriptions of the best online databases for family historians • Hundreds of helpful websites to further your research • Step-by-step search instructions to help you find exactly what you're looking for • Chapters dedicated to finding specific records, including birth, marriage and death; census; military; land; and immigration • Case studies that apply key concepts to real-life searches • Ideas for connecting with fellow researchers and distant relatives through social media, blogging and newsletters • Special resources for researching American Indian, African-American and Jewish ancestors • Plus access to bonus online video demonstrations If you're curious about who's hanging out in your family tree, there's never been a better time to find out. Get this book, get online and get started today!

Master the #1 Free Genealogy Website! Discover your ancestry on FamilySearch.org, the world's largest free genealogy website. This fully-updated in-depth user guide shows you how to find your family in the site's databases of more than 3.5 billion names and millions of digitized historical records spanning the globe. Learn how to maximize all of FamilySearch.org's research tools—including hard-to-find features—to extend your family tree in America and the old country. In this book, you'll find: • Step-by-step strategies to craft search queries that find ancestors fast • Practical pointers for locating your ancestors in record collections that aren't searchable • Detailed overviews of FamilySearch.org's major U.S. collections, with helpful record explanations to inform your research • Guidance for using FamilySearch.org's vast record collections from Europe, Canada, Mexico and 100-plus countries around the world • Tips for creating and managing your family tree on FamilySearch.org • Secrets to utilizing user-submitted genealogies, the site’s revamped Digital Library with digitized family history books, and the FamilySearch catalog of 2.4 million offline resources. • Expanded coverage of the FamilySearch mobile app, and updates on FamilySearch-compatible services and apps • A new chapter on accessing records on-site at the Family History Library, local FamilySearch Centers and affiliate libraries • Worksheets and checklists to track your research progress • Illustrated step-by-step examples teach you exactly how to apply these tips and techniques to your own research. Whether you're new to FamilySearch.org or you're a longtime user, you'll find the guidance you need to discover your ancestors and make the most of the site's valuable resources.

A guide to conducting genealogical research is updated to cover the latest online tools including social networks and mobile apps to explain how to trace ancestral histories, locate family members and get information from government records.

What websites should you visit first to trace your family tree? How do you figure out which family history websites have the information you need? Don't get overwhelmed by sifting through thousands of internet sitesâ€"take your family history research further faster by using the very best websites for genealogists. In this e-book, the editors of Family Tree Magazine, America’s leading genealogy publication, have hand-picked the 101 best genealogy websites to save you time and money.The list includes both free and paid genealogy websites that will help you: • Extend your family tree back generations • Be efficient and effective in your online genealogy searches • View historical records documenting your family's past • Share your family history research with other genealogists • Use new tools to discover ancestors • Determine if online subscription services are right for you Inside you’ll find website URLs, a brief description of the most important content you’ll find at the site, plus bonus tips to help you improve your online research experience.

Discover new ways to research your family history in the era of digital technology with this ultimate guide brought to you by the Family Tree team. From essential web resources to creating your tree in the cloud, from sharing your discoveries via social media, to treasuring the past with a Flickr album or YouTube channel, it's all covered. Family history at your fingertips will introduce you to the sources you need to begin tracing your family history, revealing what you can find online as well as what is available in physical libraries and archives. Plus it will help you get to grips with DNA testing, dating your family photos and learning what your ancestors' medals were awarded for.

Designed as a beginner's guide, its 64 pages pack more clout than any 64 pages ever written on the subject of online genealogy. If you ever wanted to trace your family tree online, this book will help you do it.

Record Your Family History! From the editors of Family Tree Magazine, this workbook makes it easy to record and organize your family history. Family Tree Memory Keeper helps you keep track of basic genealogy information and special family memories, including traditions, heirloom histories, family records, newsworthy moments, family migrations and immigrations, old recipes, important dates, and much more. This book features: • Dozens of fill-in pages to record all your essential family information. • Convenient paperback format for writing and photocopying pages. • Space for mounting photographs. • Maps to mark your family's migration routes. • Tips for researching your family history. • A comprehensive list of additional resources. Use Family Tree Memory Keeper to log your genealogy research. Bring it to family get-togethers to gather and share information. Create an invaluable record of your ancestry for future generations.

There are more historical newspaper resources than you think--and they're easier to access than you know. When researched properly, no other type of record can beat historical newspapers in "taking the pulse" of their times and places, recording not just the names, but also information important to the community. This comprehensive how-to guide will show you how to harvest the "social media" of centuries past to learn about your ancestors and the times and places they lived in. With step-by-step examples, case studies, templates, worksheets, and screenshots, this book shows you what you can find in online (and offline) historical newspapers, from city dailies to weekly community papers to foreign-language gazetteers. The Family Tree Historical Newspapers Guide features: • Tips and techniques for finding crucial genealogy records in newspapers, such as birth announcements, obituaries, and even news reports • Step-by-step guides for using popular online newspaper databases such as GenealogyBank and Newspapers.com • Case studies that will put information found in newspapers to use