How to Do Everything Genealogy

526 Pages·2009·18.58 MB·English

by  George G. Morgan

Genealogy
Second Edition
George G. Morgan
Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of
this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means,
or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission
of the publisher.
ISBN: 978-0-07162535-7
MHID: 0-07-1625356
The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN:
978-0-07-162534-0, MHID: 0-07-162534-8.
All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a
trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names
in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no
intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in
this book, they have been printed with initial caps.
McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as
premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. To
contact a representative please e-mail us at [email protected].
Information has been obtained by McGraw-Hill from sources believed to be
reliable. However, because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by
our sources, McGraw-Hill, or others, McGraw-Hill does not guarantee the
accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any information and is not responsible
for any errors or omissions or the results obtained from the use of such
information.
TERMS OF USE
This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“McGraw-
Hill”) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is
subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and
the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile,
disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based
upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or
any part of it without McGraw-Hill’s prior consent. You may use the work for
your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly
prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply
with these terms.
THE WORK IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS
MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY,
ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED
FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN
BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR
OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or
guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements
or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor
its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or
omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting
therefrom. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information
accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or
its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential
or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if
any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation
of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or
cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise.
Contents at a Glance
PART I Begin Your Family History Odyssey
1 Why Explore Your Genealogy?
2 Balance Traditional and Electronic Research
3 Organize and Create Your Family Tree
4 Place Your Ancestors into Context and Locate Vital Records
5 Use Census Schedules and Records to Locate Your Ancestors
6 Extend Your Research with Advanced Record Types
7 Use the Many Types of Military Service Records
8 Understand and Use Land and Property Records
9 Locate and Use Immigration and Naturalization Records
PART II Research Methods and Strategies
10 Discover Where to Locate Documents About Your Family
11 Learn How to Successfully Research Your Ancestors on the
Internet
12 Research and Verify Your Ancestors Using Genetic Genealogy
(DNA)
13 Follow Alternative Research Paths to Locate Difficult Records
14 Plan a Very Successful Genealogical Research Trip
15 Harness Technology for Your Genealogical Research
Index
To the memories of three of my dearest friends, Melvin Orval Brown, Shirley
Ruth Neprasch Brown, and Thomas Norman Ryder. While they have passed on
and are missed, they have left this world and the genealogical community a
richer place.
About the Author
George G. Morgan is an internationally recognized genealogical expert,
lecturer, and consultant. He is president of Aha! Seminars, Inc., a Florida-based
company providing continuing education to librarians in the United States and
genealogy presentations to societies in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere.
He also has led genealogy tours to the United Kingdom and has spoken on
several genealogy cruises.
He is a prolific author of eight books, including the first and second editions
of The Official Guide to Ancestry.com (Ancestry Publishing), and the first and
second editions of this book. He has written literally hundreds of magazine,
journal, and online articles on the subject of genealogy. He currently writes
online for Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter each week, for Digital
Genealogist, and has written scores of articles articles for the Ancestry.com
website. He is a frequent writer for Ancestry Magazine, Everton’s Genealogical
Helper, Family Chronicle, Internet Genealogy, Discovering Your Family History,
Family Tree Magazine, the FGS FORUM, the Association for Professional
Genealogists Quarterly, and others.
George is the co-host, with his partner Drew Smith, of The Genealogy
GuysSM Podcast, the longest-running genealogy podcast in the world, published
each week at http://genealogyguys.com. The two also have appeared in the
RootsTelevision series “Down Under: Florida” at www.rootstelevision.com.
He is the past president of the International Society of Family History Writers
and Editors (ISFHWE) and was a director on the board of the Genealogical
Speakers Guild. He currently serves as a director for the Florida Genealogical
Society in Tampa and as the Public Relations/Publicity Director of the Florida
State Genealogical Society. He belongs to more than a dozen other societies in
the United States and the United Kingdom.
George has won a number of esteemed awards, including the Genealogy
Outstanding Achievement Award and the President’s Citation from the Florida
State Genealogical Society, the Award of Merit from the Federation of
Genealogical Societies, and an Excellence in Writing Award from ISFHWE,
among others.
He lives in Citrus Park, Florida, a suburb of Tampa.
About the Technical Editor
Drew Smith, MLS, is a librarian with the University of South Florida in Tampa,
and a nationally known genealogy writer and speaker. He is the author of a
regular column for Digital Genealogist magazine, and is the editor of the
Federation of Genealogical Societies’ Voice newsletter. He also is the author of a
new book, Social Networking for Genealogists (Genealogical Publishing
Company). Since it began in September 2005, he has co-hosted the weekly “The
Genealogy GuysSM Podcast” with George G. Morgan. He is a Director of the
Federation of Genealogical Societies, and President of the Florida Genealogical
Society of Tampa.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART I Begin Your Family History Odyssey
CHAPTER 1 Why Explore Your Genealogy?
Start at the Beginning: Yourself and Your Family
Discover Sources of Information in Your Own Home
Vital and Civil Records
Religious Records
Personal or Family Bible
Photograph Albums
Scrapbooks
Letters
Diaries and Journals
Family Histories
Local Histories
Baby Books
Marriage Books
Funeral Books and Memorial Cards
Identification Documents
Immigration Papers
Naturalization Papers
Land Records
Military Records
Directories
Religious Publications
School Records
Employment Records
Search for the Less-Than-Obvious Items
Interview All Your Relatives
Consider Several Types of Interview
Schedule Interviews for Best Results
Ask the Right Questions
Use the Right Equipment for Your Interviews
Set the Tone of the Interview
Don’t Forget the “Thank You”
Begin to Organize What You Find
Get Started
CHAPTER 2 Balance Traditional and Electronic Research
Be a Modern Genealogical Researcher
Understand Traditional Research
Discover Documentary Evidence and Where It Is Found
Books and Periodicals
Manuscripts
Maps
Indexes
Histories
Biographies
Newspapers
Documents from Many Traditional Locations and Sources
Understand Electronic Research Materials
Email and Mailing Lists
Message Boards
Web Pages
Compilations and Indexes
Subscription Internet Sites for Genealogy
Blogs
Podcasts and Vidcasts
Social Networking Sites
Integrate Traditional and Electronic Research Findings
CHAPTER 3 Organize and Create Your Family Tree
Evaluate Primary vs. Secondary Sources
Birth Certificates
Marriage Certificates
Death Certificates
Obituaries
Cemetery Markers
Bible Entries
Recognize and Evaluate Original vs. Derivative Sources
Understand Types of Derivative Sources
Avoid Errors in Derivative Sources
Apply Critical Thinking Skills to Your Genealogical Research
Place Your Ancestors into Context
Format Names, Dates, and Locations Correctly
Record Names
Record Dates
Record Locations
Work with Pedigree Charts
Work with Family Group Sheets
Record Multiple Family Units with a Common Spouse
How to Handle Nontraditional Family Units
How to Handle Adopted Children