In most cases thus far, I’ve been able to find family and friend’s family in 5-15 minutes. Where did your family live? Who was living with them? The first video outlines the methods of finding them and the second video, releasing Thursday at noon, answers questions about navigating between pages and some of the new responses to the census questions. Check them out and find your family!!
Category: Research helps
Favorite Free Genealogy Websites (plus a few that are worth the $)
I’m often asked what websites and books I use most for my professional research. Below is a video outlining my favorite family history websites which is premiering Tuesday 7am (pacific). The next video is about my favorite genealogy books and available now.
Here are links to the books from the video on Favorite Genealogy Books (the links below are through my Amazon affiliate account where I receive a small commission, but there is no additional cost to you).
Process Oriented Books:
Mastering Genealogical Proof by Thomas W. Jones https://amzn.to/3teXbAB
Professional Genealogy by Elizabeth Shown Mills https://amzn.to/3q3VLXw
Genealogy Standards by Board for Certification of Genealogists https://amzn.to/32ZnDDq
Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills https://amzn.to/3JQwIiz – Older book (I have) Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian by Elizabeth Shown Mills https://amzn.to/3f1Uxpt – I also have (helps you build citations) QuickSheet: Your Stripped-Bare Guide to Citing Sources https://amzn.to/31CpQE34:58
DNA Books:
The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy by Blaine T. Bettinger https://amzn.to/3qST1LO5:42
General Resource Books:
Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses 1790-1920 https://amzn.to/3n7nHrD
United States Atlas 1890 and Complete Post-Office Directory by Eleanor S. Hutcheson https://amzn.to/3t7sKvQ
Cemetery Iconography: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism by Cassidy Madariaga – not available – alternate – Stories in Stone by Gibbs Smith https://amzn.to/3HJWuTN
Courthouse Research for Family Historians by Christine Rose https://amzn.to/3fkIdkp
Nicknames: Past and Present by Christine Rose https://amzn.to/3q6Ln1a What Did They
Mean by That? By Paul Drake https://amzn.to/3r7vkiK10:17 African American Research:
The Best of Reclaiming Kin by Robyn N. Smith https://amzn.to/31CnQvx
A Genealogists Guide to Discovering Your African-American Ancestors by Franklin Carter Smith and Emily Anne Croom https://amzn.to/3JT3jnS
Directory of African American Religious Bodies – Howard University https://amzn.to/3q3VLXw
Ari Wilkins – African American Researcher – https://www.blackgenesis.com
SOME ADDITIONAL BOOKS:
These missed the show, but I just ordered them – one on land grants, land grants and deeds are essential for genealogy research, the other on tax lists, another frequently overlooked resource for difficult genealogy problems.
Military Bounty Land, 1776-1855 by Christine Rose – https://amzn.to/3GqIwG9
The Genealogist’s Guide to Researching Tax Records by Carol Cooke Darrow and Susan Winchester – https://amzn.to/3trx3Cu
YouTube Debut
After much encouragement from my son Jake, I’ve finally begun a YouTube Channel “Aimee Cross – Genealogy Hints.” New videos will be added next week.
My objective is to provide quick hints for better family history research. Please visit and subscribe!
Rootstech will be Free in 2021
One of the events I look forward to each year is Rootstech in Salt Lake City, Utah. Next year it will be virtual and FREE! It is the world’s largest genealogy conference. There will be dozens of classes in multiple languages available on demand throughout the year! Don’t miss this great opportunity. Click here for more info and to sign up.
Online Personal Genealogist for Hire
Receive hands on help via Zoom conferencing. I will help you begin your genealogy research, guide you through the research process or help you advance your research.
This service includes a review of your family history project and two Zoom sessions – three hours of professional research help for $125!
Call (214) 509-7292 or email aimee@ancestryconsultingbyaimee.com to schedule.
National Genealogical Society
My membership in the National Genealogical Society is by far my most valuable resource for improving my research skills. They produce a magazine, NGS Monthly, which is free to members only. Because of the current social distancing they have offered free access for all to the last five years of the publication. Click here for the link.
Check it out and learn something new!
Going back in time
Curious what your house or any part of the neighborhood looked like a few years ago?
Google Maps has a feature that is kind of fun. Google has a “time slider” that will show a range of about 6-10 years.
Go to Google Maps and type the location’s name or address in the search bar in the top left corner and hit “Search.” Click on the “Street View” picture. Once the image loads, you will see a black box in the top-left corner. There is a month and year timestamp next to the clock, click that. A box will drop down and show a slider on the bottom (see picture to right). You can move the slider to select a different month and year to view.
Updates in the world of genealogy
FamilySearch discontinues microfilm lending. National Archives court records now only available online. MyHeritage now provides free ethnicity reports.
FamilySearch is discontinuing their microfilm lending on September 1, 2017. Microfilm will still be available at the library in Salt Lake City. The digitization process is taking less time than expected, with a projected completion in 2020. The change is driven because “he cost of duplicating microfilm for circulation has risen dramatically, while demand has decreased significantly,” says FamilySearch. See https://familysearch.org/ask/faq#overview for more information.
MyHeritage now provides free ethnicity reports to all who upload their DNA results. Previously they only provided DNA matching. Visit https://www.myheritage.com/dna/upload
National Archives closed bankruptcy, civil, criminal, and court of appeals case files now only available online. https://www.archives.gov/research/court-records/bankruptcy.html
Find the Origin of Last Names
Have you ever tried to map your last name and the last name of your ancestors? Visit the Geneanet website where you can map any last name. Geneanet is based in France and is especially useful for those who have ancestors in Europe. It is a free site where you can create a tree and search for records.
The last name origin feature is particularly interesting. When I put in my family name of Kunzli (from Switzerland) I got this result:
In this image, it shows the origin of my name is unknown. Note the timeline cursor on the bottom to see the evolution of the last name distribution.
To see this great tool for yourself, visit Geneanet.org and click “More > Origin of Last Names” in the menu bar at the top of the site.
Try it out!
Generational Holiday Celebrations
Will you be spending the holidays with family? Don’t miss the opportunity to ask questions and share wonderful stories. It’s great fun listening to Grandma tell stories about her life. Need some suggestions?
Stories:
- How did you meet your spouse? Plus early dates and wedding memories.
- How did your parents meet?
- Describe your 1st job or favorite job?
- Who are some of your heroes?
- What events impacted your life growing up?
- What was your childhood like?
Informational questions:
- Get the basics of the people they remember – full names, nicknames, maiden names, birth & death dates. (Sometimes dates are difficult, but association can be the key – i.e. Grandpa died a few years before you were born.)
- Where family lived. What country their family originally came from.
- This is a good one… “Who is the oldest relative you remember? What do you remember about them?”
- History of family surname.
Use your camera or cell phone to video or voice record your conversations. If that’s not possible be sure to take notes – you’ll forget important details. These are just a few starter questions, Google “family history interview questions” for other ideas. Happy holidays!
Ancestry Consulting by Aimee 