Genealogy Websites I Don't Hate

Name Changes in Patents

2007-05-06T01:21:00.000-04:00

Wyoming State Library came up with a great idea with its Name Changes in Patents Database. They've indexed all the patents in the USPTO's online collection that identify a legal name change, and linked search results to the relevant patent images. It may be longshot that you'll find a relative, but longshots can pay off big.

Métis National Council Historical Online Database

2007-05-06T01:11:00.000-04:00

Anyone with deep roots in western Canada should be excited about the new MNC Historical Online Database. It brings together data from the 1881, 1891, and 1901 censuses, the Manitoba Act Affidavits, and the Northwest "Half-breed" Scrip Applications, and provides links to the original documents. There's even an option for registered users to build a family tree online. This looks like a model other First Nations will want to emulate.

The Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

2007-05-06T00:09:00.000-04:00

The Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project has fully searchable digitized images of Jewish papers published in the 'Burgh as far back as 1902. Search results are not descriptive or ranked by relevance, but the linked images for later issues (those not scanned from microfilm) are some of the finest I've seen on the web.

[Hat tip: Illuminated Heritage]

Old Pictures

2007-05-02T02:48:00.000-04:00

Need a photograph of a moose in harness, the First Lady's raccoon, or an overdressed woman typing? Probably not, but you might find something you need in the remarkable collection at Old Pictures. The quality of the photos is top-notch, and the range of subjects impressive. Subscribe to the associated Old Picture of the Day blog for a daily fix of old-fashioned shutterbuggery.

The Turnbo Manuscripts

2007-05-01T14:22:00.000-04:00

The Turnbo Manuscripts comprise 28 volumes of anecdotes from the Ozarks collected by Silas Claiborne Turnbo—a handy palette for adding color to a drab family history. In stories such as "Mistook Him For a Wild Turkey and Killed His Own Son," "She Did Not Want to Be Dead as Bad as She Pretended To," and "A Happy Courtship That Ended with a Tearful Disappointment" you may well find a reference or two to relatives from that part of the country. Just don't expect a happy ending.

The Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names

2006-11-01T01:01:00.000-05:00

An article by Schelly Talalay Dardashti led me to this amazing resource. The Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names holds more than three million records of Holocaust victims. Biographical data is given for each person, usually abstracted from Pages of Testimony submitted by friends or relatives. The digitized supporting documents may also be viewed (knowledge of the Hebrew and Cyrillic alphabets would be helpful). Visitors may attach additional documents or photographs to existing entries, or submit names not yet included. This database is a major step toward restoring links lost in the Shoah—a genealogical tragedy of the first order.

Whaling Collection Archives

2006-09-21T01:26:00.001-04:00

New Bedford's Whaling Collection Archives has a search interface that's extremely lenient. Not only can you search for crewmen by name, but also by hair color, skin color, rank, and residence. (Useless fact: Edmund Butler of Edgartown was the only crewman of the period reported to have freckles.) You may also search by ship name, port of registry, departure date, and whaling ground. No single field is required, so queries may be as broad or narrow as you like. At least one famous name appears in this index: Herman Melville departed on the Acushnet on Jan. 3, 1841.

Cemetery Surveys, Inc.

2006-09-18T02:02:00.000-04:00

Cemetery Surveys, Inc., is a blog with gravestone photos and inscriptions, plus transcriptions of birth certificates, marriage licenses, and other records that tend to get genealogists hot and bothered. The emphasis is on the Southeastern United States, with some contributions from farther afield. Users can add to the documentation for any particular resource by dropping a comment on the appropriate page. CSI is a good example of how a blog platform may be used to organize and display genealogical documents.

General Land Office Records

2006-08-26T03:34:00.000-04:00

General Land Office Records were useful before, but with the recent addition of survey plats they're downright irresistible. If your ancestor bought land from the U.S. federal government, it's quite possible you'll find a record of it here. Should you find a land patent you need, jot down the details given under the heading "Legal Land Description," then click over to Survey Search to see what plats are online for that location. In a perfect world the land patents would be directly linked to corresponding surveys, but government websites are forbidden by law from being perfect.

Historic Map Works

2006-08-18T03:35:00.000-04:00

Seldom do I run across a website that makes me giddy with excitement. Historic Map Works managed to push me over the edge. Founder Charles Carpenter has begun digitizing his massive antique atlas collection, starting with town and county maps from ten states, mostly in the Northeast. Two cities—Portland, Maine, and New York City—receive in-depth treatment, with every borough, block, and ward presented in colorful (and searchable) detail. Many of the maps are of the sort loosely called "cadastral," giving the names of owners and occupants and showing the location and layout of buildings. Is it any wonder I'm excited?

Society Hill

2006-07-22T17:30:00.000-04:00

Society Hill is the first place I go to find info on historical societies. They have listings for nearly 6,000 societies in the United States, Canada, and Australia—many of which have no web-presence. An online submission form is provided if omissions are found. Some entries fail to link to society websites, but undoubtedly this too could be remedied by dropping a line to the webmaster.

Linkpendium

2006-07-14T03:09:00.000-04:00

Linkpendium is a website that proves the adage "Still waters run deep." Without a lot of hoopla and promotion, founders Karen Isaacson and Brian Leverich (the brains behind RootsWeb) have created a massive collection of nearly 5 million genealogy links—all from a California cabin "equipped with indifferently reliable indoor plumbing." In addition to accepting user submissions, the proprietors mine USGenWeb and other genealogical catchalls for resources easily missed by Googlers. Resources are arranged by geographic location (USA only) and surname (worldwide), though even the surname-specific sites are geographically located whenever possible. All in all, a worthy complement to Cyndi's List.

JCAM Jewish Burial Records

2006-06-20T14:06:00.000-04:00

The Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts has placed online records of 55,000 Bay State burials in more than 100 Jewish cemeteries. Dates of death are given, as well as the exact location of each grave. Click on "Cemeteries" in the navigation bar for maps and cemetery hours (a hint: don't show up on Saturday).

Old Fulton NY Post Cards (New York Newspaper Database)

2006-06-12T03:20:00.000-04:00

"1,615,000 Old Upstate, Western & Central NY Newspapers" may be searched on a site rather deceptively called Old Fulton NY Post Cards. Since 1,615,000 newspapers would come to about 155 issues per week for the last 200 years, I'm pretty sure that 1,615,000 pages is meant—still a remarkable accomplishment. The site's use of frames is stifling, but the search engine works well enough, and the pages are rendered as legible PDF files.

Maine Genealogy

2006-06-04T15:44:00.000-04:00

It would be impossible for me to hate Maine Genealogy—mostly because it's my own website. I've drawn together databases already on the web—namely Maine Marriages, 1892-1996, Maine Deaths, 1960-1996, and World War II Enlistment Records—spent months correcting typos, and created new search engines to make the data more accessible. I've also uploaded hundreds of Maine passenger lists, and thousands of divorce records. All of the wills recorded in Maine prior to 1760 are also available, and thousands more birth and marriage records are being added to the Maine Genealogy Blog. What's not to love?

Utah Burials Database

2006-05-30T15:34:00.000-04:00

If there's one thing Utah does well, it's genealogy. The Utah Burials Database is just one thoroughly splendid example. It now boasts more than 600,000 entries from 365 cemeteries—about two-thirds of the 550 known cemeteries in the state. If I have any criticism, it's that dates of birth seem to have been calculated in many cases from ages carved on stones (the submission format doesn't have "Age at Death" fields). But this is a small oversight, and one that can be easily overcome by driving 20 or 30 hours to Utah and consulting the original sources.

New Jersey State Archives Searchable Databases

2006-05-30T15:20:00.000-04:00

New Jersey is building an impressive collection of searchable databases on its website. The Index to Marriage Records, 1666-1799 has "Secretary of State's Marriage Bonds and Licenses, 1711-1795, as well as marriages recorded in colonial deed books and other collections," while the Index to Marriage Records, 1848-1867 covers state marriage returns for the period. The Index to Supreme Court Cases, 1704-1844 has about 65,000 entries, indexed by plaintiff and defendant. Though each search page links to a schedule of fees, online ordering isn't available. This means that you'll have to leave your computer desk long enough to mail the check.

SiteFinder

2006-05-25T20:28:00.000-04:00

SiteFinder from The Gold Bug takes place names from the USGS and elsewhere and plots them on Google Maps in one easy step. You can search for towns (cities, townships, etc.), cemeteries, courthouses, schools, churches, and military sites using the online version, though other types of locations may show up in your results as well. Buy AniMap Plus from the same company and you'll be able to track changes in county boundaries over the years.

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Grave Registration Database

2006-05-25T14:47:00.000-04:00

If the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War have their way, the Grave Registration Database will someday include every known resting place of a Union veteran. There are now about 380,000 Union soldiers represented in the database—an impressive number, though less than a tenth of the 4.2 to 4.8 million who served. Despite the title, almost 4,000 Confederate veterans are listed here as well. Submission of new records is encouraged.

Genealogy.com Weekly Columns

2006-05-17T17:27:00.000-04:00

Among the losses that followed MyFamily.com's 2003 acquisition of Genealogy.com were the weekly articles by Rhonda R. McClure. Her three columns—Ask the Expert, Twigs & Trees, and Overheard on the Message Boards—are still archived at Genealogy.com, and still provide hours of good reading. I especially like the "Overheard" articles, in which she stepped in to tackle queries posted to GenForum. I, for one, was sorry to see these columns go, but am glad to see they remain online.

Canadian Census of 1851

2006-05-14T19:50:00.000-04:00

I was pleased to learn today that the Canadian Census of 1851 has been placed online by Library and Archives Canada. The returns are not searchable by name, but are arranged by province, district, and sub-district (ward, town, village, or parish). Browse for sub-districts here, or do a geographic search here. (Use the Atlas of Canada to locate unfamiliar places.) Each census image is delivered as a PDF file, and those I viewed today were very legible. The lack of a nominal index requires some extra work on the genealogist's part, but this makes positive results all the more rewarding.

[hat tip: EOGN]

Historical Census Browser

2006-05-12T04:22:00.000-04:00

The Historical Census Browser might help you put your ancestor's census data into perspective. Let's say you need the literacy rate in 1870 among white men over 21 living in Indiana. This site will tell you the number of reported illiterates in each Indiana county, and then will give you a map that offers immediate insight into their distribution. You can examine and map data in other categories as well, like employment, place of birth, and slave population. Looking at wage and employment data may explain why your ancestors left the farm to risk losing fingers in a factory.

Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations: Spanish-American War, 1898

2006-05-11T16:40:00.000-04:00

Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations: Spanish-American War, 1898 from the National Archives features compiled military service records for 1,235 Rough Riders—including Teddy Roosevelt himself. The notoriously user-unfriendly NARA website requires that you jump through a few hoops to access the records. Follow the instructions here for using the ARC Search engine to view digitized images of the records.

Library Ireland

2006-05-09T19:40:00.000-04:00

Library Ireland lets you sneak in the backdoor of the BooksUlster.com online bookstore and make off with an armload of useful Irish titles. The collection of free books and articles includes A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, A Compendium of Irish Biography, town and county directories, religious histories, famine reports, and monographs on dozens of diverse subjects. By my count, well over 600 items are listed in the Subject Index—enough to keep your Irish eyes smiling for weeks to come.

German Genealogy Group

2006-05-05T02:09:00.000-04:00

The German Genealogy Group's website is the perfect complement to that of the Italian Genealogical Group. In fact, the two groups have worked together on several important New York databases, like New York City Death Records, 1891-1948, and New York City Marriage Records. The German Group's website has extra features, like a contact list for German surname researchers, and baptism, marriage, communion, and burial records from five New York churches with German membership. As these records are part of the "invisible web" unindexed by search engines like Google, they are an easily overlooked and underappreciated resource.