Category: Genealogy Help

Genealogy Updates for 28 March 2023

This is an almost daily list of newly discovered genealogical resources available online, carefully curated by hand. These resources may include articles, databases, news articles, or any other items related to genealogy that catch my attention or are recommended to me. The list is not limited to newly created pages but may also include pages that have been significantly updated or are simply “new to me.” Each link provided may lead to records for millions of individuals or just a few. Most of the resources on this list are available for free, often supported by advertisements. However, some may require payment to access certain databases. Let’s begin with today’s list from GenealogyUpdate!

Genealogy Help

From Chaos to Clarity

Organizing a large collection of family genealogy materials can be a rewarding task, as you’ll learn more about your family history in the process. Here are some steps to help you sort and organize the binders, manila folders and loose papers effectively:

Assess the materials:
Start by reviewing the contents of each folder to get an overview of what you have. Look for patterns, recurring names, or other key pieces of information that can help guide your organization process.

Create a plan:
Determine your organizational goals, whether it be by generation, family line, or geographic location. You can also use a combination of these approaches. Decide on a color-coding or labeling system that will help you easily identify each category.

Sort and categorize:
Begin sorting the loose papers and records based on your chosen organization method. You may want to create subfolders within each surname folder to separate the materials into distinct categories, such as birth records, marriage records, death records, photos, letters, or other documents.

Label and date:
Label each document or record with the relevant names, dates, and relationships, if not already provided. This will make it easier to find and understand the information in the future. Use archival-safe pens or pencils for labeling to avoid damaging the documents.

Digitize:
Consider scanning or photographing important records and documents to create a digital archive. This will help preserve the information and make it easier to share with family members. Be sure to store digital files in multiple locations, such as on your computer, an external hard drive, and a cloud-based storage service.

Create a family tree:
Use the information you’ve gathered to create a visual family tree. Many online resources and software applications are available to help you design and maintain a digital family tree, such as Family Tree Maker, Roots Magic, or Gramps.

Store materials properly:
Ensure that your physical records are stored in a safe and secure location. Use acid-free, archival-quality materials to protect your documents from damage. Store your folders in a cool, dry, and dark place to prevent deterioration.

Kentucky Genealogy

Lawrence County Kentucky Death Records

In order to find a particular cemetery in Lawrence County, refer to the alphabetical locator list provided. Cemeteries are organized by the last name, and the corresponding volume/book can be found on the right-hand side of the webpage. Each volume is enumerated below. Furthermore, records from Curtright Funeral Home (1927-1972) and Pine Hill Cemetery are accessible. These are all PDF’s.

Lawrence County Kentucky Obituaries

The Lawrence County Library has indexed all of the obituaries found within the Big Sandy News from 1885-2022. Once you’ve located the date and page for the paper, you can access the paper via the newspaper links. The dates that appear in the volumes are not death dates, but the dates the obituary appeared in the Big Sandy News.

Access the Obituaries

    Lawrence County Kentucky Digital Newspapers Archives

    Using a combination of the newspaper images at Chronicling America and those digitized by the Lawrence County Library and Advantage Preservation you can access Lawrence County newspapers from 1885-2022, these should cover all the years for the obituary indexes.

    Lawrence County Kentucky High School Yearbooks

    The Lawrence County Kentucky library is digitizing the high school yearbooks for Lawrence High School, Lawrence County High School, and Blaine Elementary and Blaine High School.

    Access the Yearbooks

    Genealogy Updates for 07 March 2023

    Genealogy Help

    “Exploring Family History: Challenging Assumptions and Seeking Truth” is an beginning genealogy article that highlights the importance of questioning assumptions when researching family history. It explains why relying solely on what is already known can lead to incomplete or inaccurate information, and provides insights into the reasons why family histories can be unreliable.

    Exploring Family History: Challenging Assumptions and Seeking Truth

    AccessGenealogy

    Genealogy Of The Sharpless Family

    Five years after the great family bi-centennial reunion held on August 25, 1882, in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Gilbert Cope published his massive volume on the 200 years of Sharpless family ancestry in America, called “Genealogy of the Sharpless family : descended from John and Jane Sharples, settlers near Chester, Pennsylvania, 1682 : together with some account of the English ancestry of the family, including the results of researches by Henry Fishwick, F.H.S., and the late Joseph Lemuel Chester, LL.D. : and a full report of the bi-centennial reunion of 1882.” This monumental, well-researched tome sought to answer the genealogical and historical questions brought to light from that 1882 reunion. This book is free to search, read, and/or download.

    View the Genealogy Of The Sharpless Family

    Illinois and Indiana Genealogy

    The Merrillville Branch of the Lake County Public Library have placed online several telephone directories for the Calumet District that previously were only available on Microfilm. The communities represented are Dyer, East Chicago, Griffith, Hammond, Highland, Indiana Harbor, Munster, St. John, and West Hammond in Indiana and Burnham, Lansing, and Whiting in Illinois.. These directories were published by the Reuben H. Donnelley Corporation of Chicago twice annually, and those digitized cover the years of 1926-1931. These are free to search, read, and/or download.

    Indiana Genealogy

    East Chicago Telephone Directories 1926-1931

    The Merrillville Branch of the Lake County Public Library have placed online several telephone directories for East Chicago that previously were only available on Microfilm. The communities represented are East Chicago and Indiana Harbor. These directories were published by the Reuben H. Donnelley Corporation of Chicago twice annually, and those digitized cover the years of 1926-1931. These are free to search, read, and/or download.

    Genealogy Updates for 03 March 2023

    This is an almost daily list of newly discovered genealogical resources available online, carefully curated by hand. These resources may include articles, databases, news articles, or any other items related to genealogy that catch my attention or are recommended to me. The list is not limited to newly created pages but may also include pages that have been significantly updated or are simply “new to me.” Each link provided may lead to records for millions of individuals or just a few. Most of the resources on this list are available for free, often supported by advertisements. However, some may require payment to access certain databases. Let’s begin with today’s list from GenealogyUpdate!

    AccessGenealogy

    Alabama Funeral Home Records

    This page links to known Alabama Funeral Records whether they be available online or offline.

    Alabama Funeral Home Records

    Alabama Genealogy

    1860 Mortality Schedule for Marengo County, Alabama – page 1-3

    Images and transcription for pages 1 through 3 of the 1860 Mortality Schedule for Marengo County, Alabama.

    1860 Mortality Schedule for Marengo County, Alabama

    Pennsylvania Genealogy

    Grove Methodist Episcopal Graveyard, Grove, Chester County, Pennsylvania

    A transcription of the graves at Grove Methodist Episcopal Graveyard in Grove, Pennsylvania. Includes a history of the cemetery.

    Grove Methodist Episcopal Graveyard, Grove, Chester County, Pennsylvania

    Genealogy Help

    • Using Funeral Records in Genealogical Research
      Funeral records are an excellent source of genealogical information, providing insight into the life and death of our ancestors. They often include valuable details such as the date and place of death, age, cause of death, and the name and address of the funeral home or mortuary. Funeral records also often include information on the deceased’s parents, spouse, children, and other relatives, providing an excellent resource for tracing family history. This article explores the use of funeral records in genealogy, including their benefits, how to locate them, and how to interpret the information they provide.
    • What Information Can I Find in Passenger Lists?
      Passenger lists can provide valuable information about your ancestors, including their name, age, occupation, nationality, and place of origin, as well as details about their voyage. Here are some tips for finding passenger lists for your genealogical research:

    Blogosphere

    Engaging Online Treasures

    • North Carolina Bible Records
      Bible records include lists of birth, marriage, and death information recorded throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. This collection presently contains 2,215 family Bibles which have been digitized and placed online for free.

    Genealogy Updates for 23 February 2023

    This is an almost daily list of newly discovered genealogical resources available online, carefully curated by hand. These resources may include articles, databases, news articles, or any other items related to genealogy that catch my attention or are recommended to me. The list is not limited to newly created pages but may also include pages that have been significantly updated or are simply “new to me.” Each link provided may lead to records for millions of individuals or just a few. Most of the resources on this list are available for free, often supported by advertisements. However, some may require payment to access certain databases. Let’s begin with today’s list from GenealogyUpdate!

    AccessGenealogy

      Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrants

      This article provides guidance on accessing the Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrants for free. By following two straightforward steps, which involve searching and browsing the microfilms, you can easily locate your ancestor’s pension or bounty-land record from the Revolutionary War and download the images. Between 1800 and 1900, the United States issued over 80,000 pensions and bounty-land warrants to Revolutionary War soldiers, their spouses, and children. Was your ancestor one of the recipients?

      Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrants

      Alabama Genealogy

      Clarke County, Alabama, and Its Surroundings, 1540-1877

      The full title to this manuscript is A glance into the great south-east, or, Clarke County, Alabama, and Its Surroundings, from 1540 to 1877. He called the title “A glance into the great south-east” in part because the reader should be able to form a full and correct idea of the early settlement, the productions, and the present [1878] condition of that larger region characterized by the growth of the long leaf pine, and of that still larger region known as the cotton-growing belt of the United States, at least of that portion of it lying east of the Mississippi river. As such, this work is largely an historic writing which should shine light on your ancestors situation in Clarke County, Alabama during the time period up to 1877. It gives fodder to the stories you will want to write and tell. Sprinkled throughout the manuscript, however, are tidbits about this person or that, and in those tidbits you may find out things you never knew about your family. Come read it, or download it for free!

      Clarke County, Alabama, and Its Surroundings, 1540-1877

      Arizona Genealogy

      Arizona Land Records

      Newly updated listing of available Arizona land records online. Arizona is a public-domain state, and its land can be directly acquired from the federal government. Early land claims were frequently for mining enterprises, and records are held at the BLM Arizona State Office. The county recorder of each county has jurisdiction over the respective county’s land records. When examining land records, it is essential to understand how ownership was acquired. The FHL has microfilm copies of most county land records in Arizona and you will find them linked to from this page.

      Arizona Land Records

      Arkansas Genealogy

      History of Greene County, Arkansas

      The History of Greene county, Arkansas written by Vivian Mayo Hansbrough in 1946 is a great second hand accounting of Greene County, Arkansas history. Her sources were those residents who lived there, old newspapers, other manuscripts, and two notebooks of manuscript from Professor C. E. Richardson. It is written as a narrative of the county’s history and you will find relics of information about Green County ancestors sprinkled throughout. Read, search, or download the book.

      History of Greene County, Arkansas

      History of Scott County, Arkansas

      The History of Scott County, Arkansas by Henry Grady McCutchen serves as an attempt of an impartial and connected account of the leading facts of Scott County history. The history cannot be told, however, by combing the county records. Scott County has been unlucky with record keeping. It’s Courthouse having burned to the ground twice, the first time in 1882 before Henry McCutchen had a chance to reference them. Not to be disheartened Mr. McCutchen utilized State and Federal resources to put together a concise history of the county. Read, search, or download the book.

      History of Scott County, Arkansas

      Genealogy Articles

      Land Deeds Research > Genealogy Help

      Deeds are legally binding documents that contain critical information on land ownership and transactions, dating back to the earliest periods of American settlement. They are an invaluable resource for historians, genealogists, and real estate professionals seeking to explore details about specific land parcels or to trace the evolution of land usage over time. Join us to discover how to utilize these exceptional and often overlooked genealogical records!

      Access the article on Land Deeds Research

      Genealogy Podcasts

      RLP with DNA 4 – Create a Research Objective > Research Like a Pro

      Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about chapter 4 of Research Like a Pro with DNA ‘Create a Research Objective.” We discuss how to find research questions in your tree, the limitations of different types of DNA for helping answer those questions, and how to form a written objective with unique identifiers. We also discuss phases of a project.

      RLP with DNA 4 – Create a Research Objective

      Genealogy in the News