Paid Online Genealogy Tools (52 weeks of Abundant Genealogy, Week 2)

In '52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy', this year's series of weekly blogging prompts by Amy Coffin, we are invited to make others aware of genealogy resources, share our tips on their use, and show the providers that we appreciate them.

Week 2 - Paid Online Genealogy Tools.  Which paid genealogy tool do you appreciate the most? What special features put it at the top of your list? How can it help others with their genealogy research?

Last week's LostCousins newsletter referred to a 7-page article in which four family historians compared the four main subscription sites. Three of the four historians said that overall they preferred FindMyPast. I agree - partly because FindMyPast's transcriptions and indexes are the most accurate, and partly because my research is mainly in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia.

I suspect that many posts this week will be about the 'Big Four', so instead of dwelling on FindMyPast I want to highlight a smaller site, 'LostCousins'. Its claim to fame is that it is the only web site that is virtually 100% accurate in identifying people who share the same ancestors. You do not waste time corresponding with people who are not related to you! The automated system also keeps your data hidden.

To use LostCousins you need to find your relatives in specific online censuses for England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada or the United States. Then you enter the source/page details at LostCousins. Read the instructions carefully before gathering and entering data, as requirements for each census are different. If you prepare well, entering the data is a lot quicker. Be sure to include brothers and sisters of your direct ancestors, because it is their descendants who are the cousins you want to contact.

After entering your relatives' census references, click 'Search', and the system checks whether anyone else has already entered identical data. Remember to log in periodically, go to your 'My Ancestors' page and repeat the search.

The more people who enter census data for direct ancestors and their siblings, the greater the chances of finding our 'lost cousins'. For updated information about LostCousins, see Why I Recommend LostCousins.
- - -
(This post first appeared on http://genie-leftovers.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/paid-online-genealogy-tools-52-weeks-of.html.)

Blogs (52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, Week 1)

In 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, this year's series of weekly blogging prompts by Amy Coffin, we are invited to make others aware of genealogy resources, share our tips on their use, and show the providers that we appreciate them.

Week 1 - Blogs.  Blogging is a great way for genealogists to share information with family members, potential cousins and each other. For which blog are you most thankful? What is special about the blog and why should others read it?

For blogs, the word 'abundant' is an understatement. The Genealogy Blog Roll lists over 2,000 genealogy blogs, with more being added each week. In addition to genealogy blogs, I also look for those about the history of places, occupations, health, education, religion, clothing, food and so on. To understand our ancestors, we need to study them in the context of local, national and world history.

I follow many of the blogs recommended by others this week, but I want to highlight two that receive less attention than they deserve.

Sassy Jane Genealogy:

Practical advice from Nancy Loe, a family historian who is also a librarian and archivist, includes 'Five Simple Things You Can Do Today to Preserve Your Family Papers', 'Step Away from the Laminator!' and 'Planning a Genealogical Research Trip'. Nancy's e-book, Sassy Jane’s Guide to Organizing Your Genealogical Research Using Archival Principles, is also very helpful.

London Roots Research:

Rosemary Morgan shares information and tips on research in the Greater London area in England. My favourite posts in London Roots Research include 'London Parish Records Uncovered' (parts 1 & 2), 'A Place in the Sun - using Fire Insurance Records for London Genealogy Research', 'New FamilySearch - Some Tips for UK Genealogists' and 'Spotlight On: The Parish of St George The Martyr, Southwark'.

I learn so much by reading blogs, and I appreciate the time and effort that goes into writing them. On a personal note, I would also like to thank Pauleen Cass for mentioning my blogs in her post Blogs to Inspire.

Family History Library catalogue (52 Weeks to Better Genealogy, no.36)

Challenge no.36 was 'Check out the Family History Library catalog. Search by place, surname, keyword, title, film/fiche, author, subject, and call number. You do not have to be a member of the LDS Church to utilize this service.'

I had previously used this site to find English parish registers and Australian probate records. For a few dollars I was able to order microfilms for use at a Family History Centre near me. Nowadays members of some genealogical societies in Australia can also order films for use in their society's library.

This week I did searches using both the original site and the new 'beta' site. The beta version produces results that look nicer, with all details on one screen; but identifying a particular parish is sometimes more difficult. It depends how the 'place search' results are presented when there are several places with the same name. Presumably this issue will be resolved as the site develops.

('52 Weeks to Better Genealogy' is a series of tasks devised by Amy Coffin.)

Emergency Chain (52 Weeks to Better Genealogy, no.30)

This week's '52 Weeks to Better Genealogy' challenge was 'Create an emergency chain. If you are unable to get online for a significant period of time, how will you let everyone know? This challenge was inspired by Hurricane Ike and 14 days without power.'

I asked two close friends who are familiar with the Internet to be my 'emergency chain':

1. I will ensure that my 'chain members' - can I call them my 'chain gang'? (wicked grin) - always have my current postal address, telephone number, and main and alternative email addresses.
2. I will let them know if I will be without Internet access for more than a couple of weeks. If I am silent for an unusually long time, I hope they will check whether I am OK.
3. In case they are unable to contact me, I have given them my sisters' phone numbers.
4. I will ask them to inform the genealogical community, in whatever way they think appropriate, when I go to meet my ancestors in Heaven.
5. I have given my sisters a printed page entitled 'In the event of my death' (which includes instructions on how to access my email accounts). I will update that page to include contact details for the friends in my Emergency Chain.
6. In my electronic calendar I have set periodic reminders to check that the details I have given everyone are current.

('52 Weeks to Better Genealogy' is a series of tasks devised by Amy Coffin.)

Reading Handwriting (52 Weeks to Better Genealogy, no.29)

Challenge no.29 in '52 Weeks to Better Genealogy' was, Practice reading handwriting. Deciphering the penmanship of our ancestors is an exercise in patience, but this is a great skill to have.

Family historians love indexes, but most indexing errors arise from difficulty in interpreting handwriting. If the first letter of the name is indexed incorrectly, you will not find that entry unless you 'think outside the box'. To help you do this, my Web page on using and compiling indexes has examples of letters that are commonly misinterpreted and names that have been incorrectly indexed. It also warns of other indexing mistakes, such as incorrect sorting of names, listing a person's middle name instead of their surname, listing 'Senior' or 'Junior' as a surname, etc. (I was honoured when Shauna Hicks recommended this page in her book Family History on the Cheap.)

Here's an example of an indexing error due to semi-legible handwriting:

Ancestry's index got it wrong!
It's Fredk, not Freak.

There is always something new to learn, but indexing tens of thousands of names from old documents at Queensland State Archives has given me lots of practice. About 51,000 of those names are on my Web site.

('52 Weeks to Better Genealogy' is a series of tasks devised by Amy Coffin.)

Google Books (52 Weeks to Better Genealogy. No.26)

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy is a series of tasks devised by Amy Coffin. Challenge no.26 was 'Take a stroll through Google Books. Most of us have probably used Google Books in our genealogy research, but have you really taken the time to explore what's there?'

I had used Google Books before, but I had never looked at their section for Magazines, so I started by searching there for ancestry OR genealogy. 'Ancestry Magazine' dominated the search results. To make it easier to find more obscure titles, I changed my search terms to ancestry OR genealogy -"ancestry magazine".

My most interesting find was an article in 'Life' Magazine, 3 Apr 1950, p.89. It is about 81-year-old Gertrude HANSON (in the USA), who combined her hobbies (genealogy and hooking rugs) to produce a beautiful carpet for her stairs. It depicts family houses (with dates) and churches associated with the family. There is a photograph of Mrs. HANSON and the carpet.

I also found references to 'The Rotarian' (official magazine of Rotary International). The August 1980 edition says that the newsletter 'Rota-Gene' provided up-to-date information on genealogical resources and a query section in which members could exchange information.