Favourite Web Sites

This is an updated version of a post that I wrote a few years ago in response to a survey at Genea-Musings. We were asked to rank eight Web sites in order of importance to our research. I don't use some of the American sites listed in the survey, so I have substituted sites that are important to me.

1. Google for general searching, blogs, and Google Alerts.


2. GENUKI - best starting point for UK/Ireland genealogy.


3. FindMyPast for indexes, transcripts and images of original documents, with (usually) more accurate indexing than Ancestry.


4. Discovery for records held by The National Archives (UK) plus 2,500 archives across the country. Over 9 million records are available for download.


5. Trove for searchable digitised Australian newspapers and much more.


6. Cyndi's List for the biggest list of genealogy links worldwide.


7. FreeBMD for civil registration indexes (England & Wales); and see how to use FreeBMD Postems to find distant relatives.


8. FamilySearch for its catalogue (especially good for finding out what records exist for a town or parish), genealogy guides, indexes, European records, etc.

Other sites that I use frequently:

• LostCousins (for Britain, Canada and the USA).


• CuriousFox (gazetteer, maps and message board system for the United Kingdom, Ireland and USA).

Although I've had great success with some of Ancestry's databases, especially the National Probate Calendar (an index of wills and administrations that shows the names and whereabouts of vast numbers of people in other countries), I cannot bring myself to rank Ancestry in the Top 8 because its indexing is often inaccurate and I don't like the way it presents search results.

Which Web sites do you find essential for your research?

Site Search / Navigation Tips (Wednesday's Webpage for Genealogy)

Top section of 'Site Search and Navigation Tips' Web page

This post is the first in my Wednesday's Webpage genealogy series. Each week I will focus on one page that either:

1. lists names from indexes to original records in Archives or other useful sources


2. describes genealogy sources or research strategies.

Selected pages from my main genealogy Web site will be included in this series, so it seems logical to start by looking at 'Site Search and Navigation Tips'. It explains how to get the most out of the site, which has more than 135 pages and 53,000 names, plus my own family tree.

Read the dot points on Site Search and Navigation Tips, then use the customised Google search box on that page to look for names or keywords.

(This post first appeared on http://genie-leftovers.blogspot.com/2016/01/site-search-navigation-tips-wednesdays.html.)

Using LostCousins for genealogy (UK, Ireland, USA and Canada)

LostCousins logo

LostCousins is probably the only Web site that identifies (with virtually 100% accuracy) people who share the same ancestors. You do not waste time corresponding with people who are not related to you! I've found several new relatives via the site.

To use LostCousins you need to find your relatives in the census for England and Wales 1841, 1881 or 1911; Scotland 1881; Ireland 1911; Canada 1881; Newfoundland 1921; or United States 1880 or 1940. Then at LostCousins you enter the census source/page details for those names.

Before gathering and entering data, read the instructions on LostCousins very carefully ('Information - Read this first') because requirements for each census are different. If you prepare well, entering the data is a lot quicker.

Be sure to enter census data for brothers and sisters of your direct ancestors, because their descendants are the cousins you want to contact. One such descendant had a family bible and a letter from my great-great-grandfather, which overcame a dead end in my research.

After entering your relatives' census references, click 'Search', and the system checks whether anyone else has already entered identical data. If they have, it means that you are both researching the same people.

Remember to log in periodically, go to your 'My Ancestors' page and click 'Search' again to check for matches with new LostCousins members.

It is free to join LostCousins and enter your data, but you can, if you wish, pay a small annual subscription (about $10) so that there are no delays in making contact with my distant cousins when they are identified by the extremely accurate matching system.

The more people who enter census data for direct ancestors and their siblings, the greater the chances of finding our 'lost cousins'. Maybe you are my distant relative! I'm trying to find you - so please... start using LostCousins today!
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(This post first appeared on http://genie-leftovers.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/using-lostcousins-for-genealogy-uk.html.)

Genealogy Activities

Here are my answers to questions in the survey of genealogy activities (the latest 'Saturday Night Genealogy Fun').

(a) Which genealogy computer software do you use?

The Master Genealogist, which I have used for more than 20 years (and will continue to use). Sometimes I also use Legacy Family Tree for reports and other features.

(b) Which online family trees have information submitted by you?

Apart from the tree on my own Website, I use (and recommend) WorldConnect. I only have a partial tree on FindMyPast. I agree with CeCe Moore who says that many researchers with well-documented family trees do not put them on Ancestry, but they do put them on WorldConnect.

(c) For which subscription genealogy record providers do you have a subscription?

For reasons explained here, I am very happy with my 'world' subscription at FindMyPast (which includes the British Newspaper Archive). At my local public library I can use Ancestry for free, but from time to time I sign up for a one-month subscription so I can use it at home.

(d) Which FREE genealogy record providers do you use regularly?

Trove;  FreeBMD;  Ryerson Index;  FamilySearch;  CuriousFox; and GENUKI. (GENUKI is not exactly a 'record provider', but some transcribed data there is not available elsewhere).

(e) How much time do you spend each week doing actual genealogy research online (not reading or social networking, but actual searching in a record provider)?

Averaged over a year, about 4 hours per week.

(f) How much time do you spend each week doing actual genealogy research in a repository (library, archive, courthouse, etc.)?

Until recently the average was about 10 hours per week (40 hours per month). Lately I have had to reduce my hours for family reasons.

(g) How much time do you spend each week adding information to your genealogy software programme?

The average would be only about 1 hour per week, but it can vary between zero and 20 hours.

(h) How much time do you spend each month at a genealogical society meeting, program or event (not a seminar or conference)?

Nowadays, not much; but there are a few specific seminars and conferences that I always try to attend.

(i) How much time do you spend each month on genealogy education (reading books and periodicals, attending seminars, conferences, workshops, webinars, etc)?

About 25 hours per month.

(j) How much time do you spend each week reading, writing and commenting on genealogy blogs, websites, and social media?

It varies a lot. The average would be about 6 hours per week.

Finding Broken Links (Tuesday's Tip)

This is how I tackle the problem of finding links that need to be changed:

1. I periodically use W3C's free link checker to identify broken links in my blogs and Web pages.


2. I have downloaded and sometimes use Xenu's Link Sleuth.


3. The HTML code for each of my Web pages is saved in a folder on my hard drive; and the HTML code for my blog posts (copied and pasted from the HTML tab while editing in Blogger) is saved in the nifty little programme Treepad. If someone tells me that a domain address or specific URL has changed, I can easily find out exactly where that link appears in my blogs or Web pages. I simply use the powerful search functions in Treepad (for my blogs) and Powerdesk (for text files with the HTML code for my Web pages).

Have you found other ways to tackle the problem?

(You can see more of my tips here. 'Tuesday's Tip' is a theme used by 'Geneabloggers'.)
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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.
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(This post first appeared on http://genie-leftovers.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/paid-online-genealogy-tools-52-weeks-of.html.)