Is anyone here into genealogy?

[aw]

I've been doing a lot of genealogical research and putting together books for my grandparents for Christmas. I've gotten back twelve or more generations on a lot of lines just using free resources on the internet (and only trusting information that is proven with documentation).

I've been going back and forth about getting a subscription to ancestry.com to fill in some of the missing pieces and to see if there are any pictures and things out there for some of my tree. Does anyone have a membership? Is it worth it? Are there a lot of pictures or copies of documents available with the membership?

[Deleted]

Check with your public library, many have subscriptions to ancestry. It is termed limited because some of the documents can be found on other sites that the library has a subscription too also. Do you have a Natural History Museum. Ours has an extensive library of local documents. Let me pull some other sites for you. I'll be back.

[karinothing]

I don't have a membership BUT my dad was just contacted by a half brother he never knew about and now we have an entire family we never knew existed (we have never known any of my dad's family). And it was all thanks to ancestry.com. So I recommend

[aw]

Aug 10, 2012 9:35:11 GMT -5 rehabaddict said:

Check with your public library, many have subscriptions to ancestry. It is termed limited because some of the documents can be found on other sites that the library has a subscription too also. Do you have a Natural History Museum. Ours has an extensive library of local documents. Let me pull some other sites for you. I'll be back.

I live in the middle of nowhere, Ohio. I have used the library resources, but their ancestry.com membership was limited like you said. I could see documents, but couldn't create and access other people's family trees like you can with an individual membership.

I used familysearch.org and findagrave.com for most of my initial research, but that only went so far back. From there I just starting reliying on the published research of genealogists I could find online. I just have roadblocks in certain areas in which people haven't done a lot of research that is out there.

[passthewine]

I've never done it but I've always found it fascinating. Any suggestions on where to begin, or books to help get started?

[Deleted]

Good links:
www.mohistory.org/lrc/family-history/genealogy-links

City Directories are a great resource. You can search by name, it should give the home address and business. Then cross reference the business. You may need a library card number to access.

www.fold3.com/

Search Google Books

Go to your library that holds the Genealogy Department, they are usually very helpful. You can also call other libraries to do a research look up if you find they have info you need.

Heritage Quest is also helpful, I need a library card for this one.

Feel free to pm me if you have specific questions - historical research is a large part of my job.

[Deleted]

Also, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make you info available online somewhere to help others out who may attach to your tree!

[Deleted]

Is your family from Ohio also? The State Historical Societies are a great resource.
www.ohiohistory.org/collections--archives/archives-library

[ringstrue]

I have a subscription too. It's not cheap but I'm sorta addicted to it. Its really interesting!

[Deleted]

Aug 10, 2012 9:44:27 GMT -5 passthewine said:

I've never done it but I've always found it fascinating. Any suggestions on where to begin, or books to help get started?

If you have a research library at you Natural History Museum or your State Historical Society. Get a library card so you can access some of the links I posted. I like Fold3 (Footnote). And google, do a book search and patent search. My research pertains to business and buildings more than family history but there is a huge overlap.

[aw]

Aug 10, 2012 9:44:27 GMT -5 passthewine said:

I've never done it but I've always found it fascinating. Any suggestions on where to begin, or books to help get started?

I went to my grandparents first and asked them to go back as far as they could and with as much information as they could. From there I could access local obituaries at my library to get more details about their lives.

familysearch.org allowed me to access all of the census records. I was able to go back to the mid-1800s that way. And then I used findagrave.com to get more info. Some people put up family trees on that site in the notes and link to parents' graves.

From there I relied on google. There are professional genealogists out there that publish their stuff. And if I found out that someone helped settle a certain area I was able to find the texts of "The History of _______ County" out there and got a lot of info from them. If you luck out and get some Quakers on your family tree the records are amazing. You can get old meeting minutes from their churches and learn so much.

I've loved doing this so much. I'm a sentimental person and am really into family history and tradition. I've learned that I have an ancestor that was on the Mayflower, one that published the first medical journal in America, captains in the revolutionary war, distant relatives to Richard Nixon and George Washington, an ancestor that was a chamberlain to Henry VIII's daughter and was eventually beheaded for treason, and so much more. This stuff fascinates me and I think it will be great for my kids as we are learning about history to know that they have family that were a part of these things.

I'm considering joining DAR for access to more stuff now that I have proof that I actually am a DAR.

[aw]

Aug 10, 2012 9:49:21 GMT -5 rehabaddict said:

Is your family from Ohio also? The State Historical Societies are a great resource.
www.ohiohistory.org/collections--archives/archives-library

Yes, they are. Thank you!

And I will definitely make my info available. Like I said, I've gotten at least 12 generations back on some areas of my tree and it was a lot of work. I'd love to save someone else the time (even though the search is part of the fun - like doing a big puzzle).

[Deleted]

Aug 10, 2012 9:53:45 GMT -5 aw said:

I've loved doing this so much. I'm a sentimental person and am really into family history and tradition. I've learned that I have an ancestor that was on the Mayflower, one that published the first medical journal in America, captains in the revolutionary war, distant relatives to Richard Nixon and George Washington, an ancestor that was a chamberlain to Henry VIII's daughter and was eventually beheaded for treason, and so much more. This stuff fascinates me and I think it will be great for my kids as we are learning about history to know that they have family that were a part of these things.

I'm considering joining DAR for access to more stuff now that I have proof that I actually am a DAR.

This is awesome! You have a lot of information.

[2curlydogs]

I don't have a subscription but my sister does. She highly recommends. She's traveled around the world researching our family history. We're able to track my dad's side of the family way back to the 1500s. My mom's side not so much (curse the Irish for settling in the southwest where they didn't keep records. my great-grandfather and great-grandmother's wedding is the first one recorded on the books).

I've been meaning to do this for my H. His grandfather wrote a very, very informal family history that they've all taken as gospel but I'm sure there's a lot of inaccuracies. Just poking about a bit on what I can find for free has debunked some family lore....

[NitaX]

Very cool AW.

[EllieArroway]

Do y'all have any good (preferably free ) resources for checking genealogical records overseas? My grandparents came here from Germany & I would love to know more about their family, but I haven't been able to find much at all on my own.

[aw]

Aug 10, 2012 11:02:27 GMT -5 EllieArroway said:

Do y'all have any good (preferably free ) resources for checking genealogical records overseas? My grandparents came here from Germany & I would love to know more about their family, but I haven't been able to find much at all on my own.

I'm interested in this too. I've found Scottish census records online (even ones I can print for free), but nothing else. They were on familyheritage.org. It's a bummer because I have some gggrandparents who came off the boat (from England mainly) and they are a roadblock for me. It's much easier to trace back the people who settled in America a long time ago.

My FIL's family did a big genealogical project about a decade ago and someone had to actually go overseas to look at church records and stuff.