Missouri Online Resources and Databases

Another online database that you should check out is that of Missouri. It is easy to read, easy to use and pretty much idiot-proof. No confusing names, links or instructions, so that every user should be able to check on records within seconds of hitting the page. Check it out at www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/ordb.asp

The usual birth and death indices, coroner's inquest index, along with the Civil War Provost Marshall's Index(including both Union and Confederate names) are just the beginning. The Soldiers Database covers about 1/2 million entries from the War of 1812 through WWI. Local records and naturalizations records are indexed, along with a listing of the 55,000 rolls of microfilm of county and municipal records available.
A treasure trove to help your research!

Success in the search!!!!!

Longest Documented Family Tree

The longest documented family genealogy in the world is that of Confucius 551-479 B.C., which is 86 generations from his great-great-great-great grandfather, traced back to the 8th century. This family history is regularly updated by his descendants, to ensure accuracy and completeness. What a goal to aim for, if only the records were available for us to go back 86 generations!!!!

It will be interesting to see more of the Oriental, African and obriginal peoples of all continents' family histories being added to the computerized databases in the future.

Family History a "The Golden Standard"

A news article today in the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, Minnesota says that "family history remains the gold standard for preventing disease and staying healthy." Since so many diseases or the risk for the diseases are genetic, having your medical professional know that information can prolong or even save your life. Heart attacks, breast cancer, diabetes and other conditions can be tracked and recorded in your family, using primary witnesses, health history interviews and death certificates.

A handy Family History portrait can be created via the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at www.hhs.gov/familyhistory. The site was easy to use and the report it generates easy to read and understand.

Genealogical Proof Standard

In building a sound case for genealogical "proof" of a relationship, the researcher must ask key questions about the records he or she is using. When was the document created? For what purpose was the document created? Is it a primary or a secondary source? Who is the informant ? Is this evidence contradictory to previous conclusions?

A great reference in this regard is Christine Rose's Genealogical Proof Standard: Building a Solid Case. The chapters are brief and easily understood. Each step of the process is explained and case studies accompany the concepts as examples. Various types of sources are also discussed and evaluated.

Joining a Genealogical Society

The question has been recently asked of whether or not to join a genealogical society in the day and age of instant Internet communication and massive databases.

I believe that there is still much to be gained from the smaller local societies, the state level societies and national societies myself and the membership dollars go toward local incentives and indexing projects that might otherwise not be accomplished. Oftentimes, as a member, you are allowed a free query or two and we all know how vital networking can be!!! Even one other person can unlock the "mystery" that your family may have hunted for years and years!

Great articles usually are a part of the newsletter and updates and research strategies and specific resources that exist for that particular area will be highlighted. Even as many years as I have have researched across as many states, both in person, via microfilm or now, via the Internet, I still am learning new techniques, methods or helps every time I spend time researching. Societies are still a great means to an end for genealogists!!!

More Databases on the Internet

Another genealogical database with a variety of resources for Midwestern research is www.lovitt-genealogy.com/~lovitt/database.htm

This searchable system of links is set up by categories, such as Subject, Locality, State, Community, Online books and maps, and Country and Local Histories. Three of the links that I would highlight as examples are the Digital Library at the Wisconsin Historical Society, the Ohio Statewide Death Certificate Index 1913-1944, and the Illnois page. The Ohio link includes extensive county listings for the state. Illinois also has extensive listings for county histories, city directories, obituaries, the 1844 Chicago city directory, and genealogical societies.

While many of these links also appear on Cyndis List, remember that no one site is totally comphrehensive and a researcher must continue to look for research assistance, in book and website forms. Our ideal website would have a search engine of the scanned documents as well as the genealogical databases. Many answers may already be online but not indexed, so the researcher wouldn't know without reading the entire document.

Early Ohio Tax Records

Another volunteer opportunity for genealogists to help make more databases available for migrating ancestors and their families. The Ohio Genealogical Society and FamilySearch are indexing early Ohio tax records from ten counties from 1825 onward. Ohio was a major "gateway" to the Western states, if you will, and many of us have ancestors that spent time in Ohio, as they moved westward, or perhaps stayed. To volunteer to help contact:Amy Johnson Crow at indexing@ogs.org

Again, what a great way to "pay it forward" as you get, give and receive help in your genealogical endeavors!!!! (Another good goal choice for 2006 as well.)

Does Size Matter?

As I researched and added eighty new names to my Jung/Pilger descendents database with primary documentation this weekend, I remembered teaching a genealogy class a few years ago when a student and an acquaintance of mine kept asking about how many names were in my database and of my fellow presenter, like the number was a quantitative means of assessing whether or not he should take us seriously. Does size matter in this situation?

My plea has always been for ACCURACY, not quantity, in genealogical work. I do have a lot of names through decades of research and so do many other dedicated researchers. Thousands of linked names are very possible utilizing current technology. I have to say that the pedigrees and lack of documentation that I keep seeing in the "One World Tree" entries just make me cringe! George Eastman has been writing about the recent flood of false pedigrees online and how to sort through the "good" and the "bad", which is important counsel at all times.

The best would be to have a large, accurate database as a means to demonstrate your own skill as a genealogist. Success in the search!!!

Linkpendium

Another large online research source to check is Lindpendium, which allows searches by surnames and localities. Over 2.8 million links are connected, amny of them from other sites that you may have already checked but given the small degree of penetration by search engines, it makes sense to continue cheking other links and possibilities. I found some broken links as I moved through the Jefferson County, Wisconsin site on the side of their server, not that of Linkpendium. Updates are several times a week and its size is a great asset.

Another advantage to using Linkpendium is that it is a genealogy only site. You may choose to submit your site to them using the "submit a link" button. The creators hope to move to open source text searches next, which will be the next wave of concentrated energy by many sites to make their information more searchable and more useful to all researchers looking for specific individuals.

Success in the search!!!

Fmily Tree Problem Solver book by Marsha Hoffman Rising

I have to recommend a book for you as you hit the "brick wall" of genealogical research. Marsha Hoffman Rising published The Family Tree Problem Solver: Proven Methods for Scaling the Inevitable Brick Wall in 2005 to adress the most common issues facing most family history researchers. I especially appreciated the case studies for the Midwest that she presented for her various suggstions. What stood out particularly was the advice to follow collateral lines to solve your direct line tangles and dead ends.

Her writing style is easy to comprehend and her suggestions are practical. She dispells some of the common myths, like "I can't find anything because the courthouse burned down". I wished that she had cited more online research site possibilities personally, since that is the avenue of first choice for the majority of beginning researchers today.

Success in the search!

Google and Genealogy Searching

So I read this weekend that Google may only turn up "less than one percent of the information on the web." (Halvor Moorshead) Man, am I BUMMED!!!!! I thought that I was geting at least 10 percent and that return Google searches over time would be hitting more of the new webpages that are added daily, thus increasing my odds of finding what I need.

So I have determined that I need a new Web Search strategy for genealogy- I HAVE to have better than one percent on searches!!!! I would like to explore a comprehensive search engine/web crawler strategy that could maximize my chances of finding relevant data. I will record my endeavors as I continue the blog this year!