F I N D I N G Y O U R R O O T S

YOUR FAMILY HISTORY ON THE INTERNET

16 Feb 2013

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO LEARN?

• Why should you examine your family’s history?

• Who benefits?

• Content and Context.

• Publication

.

THE INTERNET VS GOING THERE

• Going to the library

• Data that may never be

online.

• Get feel for what life was

like. (Context)

• Meet local folks and

relatives.

• See original homes,

cemeteries, and locations.

• Using the internet

• Hugh amount of content.

• allows access to records all over the world.

• Collaborate with others

• Access other’s research

WAYS TO RESEARCH

• Old way

• New way

GETTING ORGANIZED

• What do you already know?

• Family history?

• Anecdotes and stories?

• Old Photos

• Military Records

• Who is the oldest relative still available?

• Somebody alive in 1940!

GETTING ORGANIZED

• What do you already know?

• Family history?

• Anecdotes and stories?

• Old Photos

• Military Records

• Who is the oldest relative still available?

• Somebody alive in 1940!

THE TALE

• Family oral history said:

• Grammy from the south, disowned by family for marrying a yankee soldier.

• Grampy was an alcoholic

• Grammy left him, scratched his name from her ring, remmaried, and lived happily ever after.

MY MOTHER’S GRANDMOTHER

Emma

Moser

Born 1871

Died 1937

BASIC DATA

• Family oral history said:

• Grammy from the

south, disowned by

family for marrying a

yankee

• Grampy was an

alcoholic

• Grammy left him,

remarried, and lived

happily ever after

• Eli Moser 1824 –

1910

• Rachel Moser 1830 -

1905

ELI MOSER RACHEL ANN HUGHES

• Born – 1824 – Easton, PA

• Married – May 1850 – Anna Gibson

• Employed - 1845 – 63 – Canal Boat Operator

• Widower – 1862

• Joined Union Army – 1863

• Discharged – Dec 1865 – Charleston S. C.

• Married – 1867 – Bertie, North Carolina – Rachel White

• Residence – 1870 – Pennsylvania

• Death – 1910 –New Jersey

• Born – 1830 – Bertie, North Carolina • Married - 1848 – Billington White

• Residence – 1850 – North Carolina • Residence – 1860 – Mississippi • Work – Farming for cotton

• Widowed – 1863 – Husband died while in

Confederate Army

• 1865 – Back home in Bertie, North Carolina

• 1866 – Meets Eli Moser • Married – 1867 – Eli Moser – disowned by

family • Moves back to New Jersey with

husband • Death – 1905 – New Jersey

GETTING ORGANIZED

• What do you already know?

• Family history?

• Anecdotes and stories?

• Old Photos

• Military Records

• Who is the oldest relative still available?

• Somebody alive in 1940!

PHOTOS

Annotate photos - WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE

GETTING ORGANIZED

• What do you already know?

• Family history?

• Anecdotes and stories?

• Old Photos

• Military Records

• Who is the oldest relative still available?

• Somebody alive in 1940!

MILITARY HISTORY

GETTING ORGANIZED

• What do you already know?

• Family history?

• Anecdotes and stories?

• Old Photos

• Military Records

• Who is the oldest relative still available?

• Somebody alive in 1940!

VERY IMPORTANT RESOURCE

Talk to the old folks

Write it down!!

If you are the old folks

Write down what you know!!

OR

W H A T ’ S O U T T H E R E

TECHNOLOGY AND GENEALOGY

KEEPING TRACK OF YOUR DATA

It is not just your last name and your Mothers last name.

By the 5th generation you are researching as many as 16 last names.

FAMILY TREE PROGRAMS

Ultimate Family Tree Family Tree Maker Roots Magic Legacy Family Tree Family Tree Legends GenBox Family Tree

The Master Genealogist

Personal Ancestral File

Ancestral Quest

Family Historian

GenoPro

iFamily for Leopard (Mac)

Relatively Yours

FAMILY TREE MAKER 2012 PAGE

ANCESTRY AND FAMILY TREE MAKER 12

• Interactive research and update

• Automatic link from your computer to the

• web and return

MY FAMILY COLLABORATIVE

WEBSITE

SEARCHING FOR YOUR DATA

F E E A N D F R E E – G E N E R A L A N D S P E C I A L I Z E D

THE CHURCH OF LATTER DAY SAINTS – THE MORMONS

SEARCH SOFTWARE

A SELECT ION

WHAT’S OUT THERE

• Google

• GooReader, Google, Google Earth

• Census Records 1790 to 1940

• State Census Records

• Military Records

• Draft Cards, Burial Records, etc

• Find-A-Grave

• Newspapers

• Articles, obituaries

• Photos

WHAT’S OUT THERE

• Google

• Census Records 1790 to 1940

• State Census Records

• Military Records

• Draft Cards, Burial Records, etc

• Find-A-Grave

• Newspapers

• Articles, obituaries

• Photos

U.S. CENSUS RECORDS

1790 – 1840 Head of Household only

1850 – 1940 All members of household plus much more Different questions every census

1890 90% destroyed

Federal Law says census cannot be released to public for 72 years

How accurate is the census?

CENSUS CON’T

Great data but lots of potential errors

Spelling

Quality of copy

Operator error

BAD DATA

WHAT’S OUT THERE

• Google

• Census Records 1790 to 1940

• State Census Records

• Military Records

• Draft Cards, Burial Records, etc

• Find-A-Grave

• Newspapers

• Articles, obituaries

• Photos

DRAFT CARD

GET YOUR FAMILY'S MILITARY RECORDS

Military records are available free or at low cost

for everyone who served

I have my records from Vietnam

Eli Moser and Abram Rush – Civil War

Jacob Rush Revolution

WHAT’S OUT THERE

• Google

• Census Records 1790 to 1940

• State Census Records

• Military Records

• Draft Cards, Burial Records, etc

• Find-A-Grave

• Newspapers

• Articles, obituaries

• Photos

WHAT’S OUT THERE

• Google

• Census Records 1790 to 1940

• State Census Records

• Military Records

• Draft Cards, Burial Records, etc

• Find-A-Grave

• Newspapers

• Articles, obituaries

• Photos

NEWSPAPERS ONLINE

Just scratching the surface of what's buried in the vaults

Every little town had one or more newspaper

Morning and evening editions

Many pages for each copy

All have to be scanned “smart”

Many deteriorated

Many discolored

BUT WHAT A GREAT SOURCE OF INFORMATION

Obituaries, social events, pictures, etc

SURPRISES

Bakersfield, California 14 Sept 1916

WHAT’S OUT THERE

• Google

• Census Records 1790 to 1940

• State Census Records

• Military Records

• Draft Cards, Burial Records, etc

• Find-A-Grave

• Newspapers

• Articles, obituaries

• Photos

WILLS

1718 WILL OF

SAMUEL

DONNELL

of Maine

WHAT’S OUT THERE

• Google

• Census Records 1790 to 1940

• State Census Records

• Military Records

• Draft Cards, Burial Records, etc

• Find-A-Grave

• Newspapers

• Articles, obituaries

• Photos

WHAT PHOTO’S ARE ONLINE?

EUROPEAN AND ASIAN RESOURCES

Ireland – Genealogy is a major revenue source

England – Census records were destroyed but parish records

are emerging

Ancestry was just purchased by European

consortium

Eastern Europe – Ravaged by war but church and synagogue

records are coming online.

Asia – Growth area

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Canada – Good resources

RESOURCES

.

WHAT’S NEW OUT THERE

• 1940 census released

• Linked Research and Family Tree software

• ROOTSTECH 2012 and 2013

• Newspapers Online

• Geospatial support

• DNA

1940 CENSUS

• Ancient History or your lifetime

1940 CENSUS

• WWII Starts in 18 months

• War in Europe overcoming the Depression

• 1950 Census will be released in 2022

1940 QUESTIONS

RESEARCH USING YOUR COMPUTER

• Lots of good data available online

•

• But not all data is available online

• a lot of valuable data is still in the dusty archives

• And in peoples memories

HUNDREDS OF NON-COMMERCIAL SITES AVAILABLE ON THE WEB

JUST D IG IN

ROOTSTECH 2012

A FEW SUBJECTS 100 TOTAL

GEOSPATIAL SUPPORT

• Need to know the county

• GOOGLE EARTH

• Satellite imagery

• See where they lived

• Correlated data

• White pages online + Google Earth =

• http://neighbors.whitepages.com/

DNA

• WHAT IS IT

Deoxyribonucleic acid ( i/diˌɒksiˌraɪbɵ.njuːˌkleɪ.ɨk ˈæsɪd/; DNA) is a nucleic acid containing the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms (with the exception of RNA viruses). The DNA segments carrying this genetic information are called genes. Likewise, other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in regulating the use of this genetic information. Along with RNA and proteins, DNA is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life

DNA

• WHAT IS IT?

• What does it give you?

These tests can be fun, and

they have some definite use

in medical research, but they

simply can't tell you anything

definitive about your heredity

unless you're testing your

DNA and comparing it to

someone else's to find out if

you're related.

From Scientific American

DNA

• WHAT IS IT?

• What does it give you?

• What does it cost?

DNA TESTING SERVICES

• $99 - $150 per test

• Total test is over $400.00

•

DNA – THE DANGER

• Be careful what you ask for

• DNA might also show that your Dad was not

• your Dad.

• Or that you were adopted.

• Or something else you didn’t want to know

SUMMARY

• Lots of resources available on the WEB

• Many free

• Some costly

• Not all give what they promise

• Free Trials

• Best source is still the memories of loved ones

• WRITE THEIR STORIES DOWN NOW –

• before they are gone

H O W D O I K E E P I T A N D S H A R E I T W I T H O T H E R S ?

PUBLICATION

F I N D I N G Y O U R R O O T S

YOUR FAMILY HISTORY ON THE INTERNET

16 Feb 2013

YOUR FAMILY HISTORY ON THE INTERNET

• A lot of data available free

• Many search programs have free trials

Plan what you want to find before you start the

trial.

• Have a way to keep track of the data.

Typical software is $35.00

• Get your family members involved.

• Leave a history for your children

• HAVE FUN