NGS Video Presentation

Whether you are a member of the National Genealogical Society (NGS) or not, you need to watch their new video, "Paths to Your Past." It takes close to twelve minutes, but it is worth every minute. This well done video gives you some insight into how other genealogists think about research, along the way telling about NGS and the benefits of membership.

So, what are those benefits? Check out the NGS web page. Their mission is to serve and grow the genealogical community. In doing this they provide education and training and foster increased quality and standards. They also promote access to and the preservation of genealogical records. They have been doing it for many years as NGS was organized in Washington, DC in 1903.

They sponsor an annual conference along with other events throughout the year. The next annual conference will be "Follow Your Ancestral Trail" to be held 28 April - 1 May 2010 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Membership brings the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and NGS Magazine to your mailbox. Both are excellent. In addition, they have book discounts for members. With membership you receive a free online course, Family History Skills. You can also pay and take their NGS American Genealogy: Home Study Course.

This is a great support group for genealogists. It is worth every penny you pay for membership. Watch the video and enjoy!

Free U.S. Military Databases

One of the best web pages which links to a wide variety of free military web pages, is ShoeString Genealogy: Free U.S. Military Databases.

All in one location you can link to a variety of databases, such as The Veteran Ancestor Registry, U.S. National Cemetery Administration Nationwide Graveside Locator, 1820 U.S. Pension List and more. The nice thing about ShoeString Genealogy's link area is that each link has comments which supply more information.

The topics are general and then break down into various wars, beginning with King Philip's War (1675-1677). Under the Revolutionary War you will a variety of records, including the British, German and Loyalist Officers in the American Revolution, along with the Valley Forge Muster Roll and more.

The links continue through the Vietnam War and conclude with some miscellaneous databases. It is certainly a great place to explore and further your knowledge of the various types of military records. I hope that you hit pay dirt and find what you need in your search for military ancestors.

Diggin* in Land Records

Land records may at first appear to be uninteresting documents of land transactions, but they can hold numerous clues to your ancestry. Not only do they allow you to sketch out migrations of your ancestors, but piecing together the information will show family relationships. They point the way to probate research, both testate and intestate. The sale of land reveals the marital status of the grantor (seller), along with the given name of the spouse, if married. In some cases, the former residence (at the time of the transaction) of the grantee will be shown.

If you think your ancestor purchased land in the public land states from the federal government, you need to visit the web site of the Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office. Be sure to read before you research. The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) area is particularly helpful. To better understand the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), be sure to read about it here.

There is a good selection of states that have land records online. One of these is the Kentucky Land Office. There is a variety of records that can be searched, so read and study your search options.

The Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales database contains information from land sales of the public domain that were transferred to the Illinois State Archives in 1957. The database contains information on about 550,000 land sales in Illinois.

Numerous online records, including land records, are indexed on the South Carolina Department of Archives and History web site. These include the plats for state land grants, 1784-1868, which include 51,809 items.

If you have ancestry in Pennsylvania, be sure to check the Land Records available at the Pennsylvania State Archives. You will be ahead of the game if you read the explanations of their records.

Be sure to explore the Texas General Land Office databases. There are several ways to search, so check all of your options. It is also helpful to browse the Texas General Land Office web page for information.

There are many more land related web pages on Internet. Try using Google or your favorite search engine to find them. There's nothing more fun than diggin' in the dirt ... I mean land records!

Researching With Maps

Maps make your family history come alive. It is impossible to understand the lives of ancestors without consulting maps. There are many online that are helpful and can be downloaded or purchased.

The Library of Congress offers maps collections. Two of my favorites are the Civil War Maps and the Railroad Maps. Use the Civil War collection to enhance your ancestor's military information. The railroad collection will enable you to visualize the growth of the system and in so doing understand your ancestor's migrations.

One of my favorite web sites is Color Landform Atlas of the United States. You can view maps by selecting from the options of shaded relief map, black and white map, county map, satellite image, 1895 map or PostScript map. The shaded relief map is not only colorful, but allows you to see the mountains or hills, along with rivers and valleys.

Another extensive collection of maps on Internet is the David Rumsey Map Collection. Here you will find over 20,000 maps and images of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Determine exactly where your ancestor lived in 1895 by using the 1895 US Atlas. Here you will find population statistics, an index of towns and cities and map of the state and county as it appeared in 1895. The 1914 County Maps by State provides similar information only for 1914.

Various states have maps online that are historical and helpful. Historical Maps Online from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place to look for topographic maps of Illinois, but they also have maps of other locales. Virginia County and State Maps is great for that state.

An extensive collection of links to maps is Historical County Lines (USA). You can locate a county of interest online at County Boundary Map. It's easy to link counties together and see the towns and cities.

The New York Times hosts an Interactive Map Showing Immigration Data Since 1880. You can select a foreign-born group to see how they settled across the United States.

Search for maps online by using Google or checking out map categories on Cyndi's List.

Illinois Goes Digital

Get out of the rut of researching Internet's gigantic genealogy databases. They are extremely worthwhile, but there is much more to explore on the Internet. I have discovered many great web sites for Illinois. They offer digital images.

The Illinois Digital Archives is worth checking. I recommend that you begin by clicking on the Collection Directory. This will give you an idea of what is there, then you can browse and search. There is also a help site if you have questions. Some of the collections include Illinois Veterans History Project, Illinois State Highway Maps, Illinois Historic Aerial Photographs and collections of various state historical societies and libraries.

Another great digital collection is the Illinois Historical Digitization Projects from the Northern Illinois University Libraries. Some of the projects include Illinois during various periods, such as the Civil War, 1861-1865, The Mexican-American War and Illinois Civil War Newspapers.

Be sure to check out the Illinois State Archives. There are many links to information about doing genealogical research in Illinois, the Illinois Regional Archives Depository System (IRAD), and online databases. Their holdings include digitals of the Federal Township Plats of Illinois.

There are many databases to check at the Illinois State Archives. These include Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900, Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 and Illinois Statewide Death Index 1916-1950. There is a listing of records in IRAD, plus lists of veterans. I particularly like the Illinois Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls Database.

If you have Chicago ancestors, be sure to check out the Chicago Public Library Digital Collections. Another interesting web page is Chicago Ancestors.org from The Newberry Library.

There's more out there, so be sure to Google for your areas of interest in Illinois and include the word "digital."

Bury My Bones Where They Won't Stink

A year ago I was roaming the streets of London and riding the Tube to my favorite destinations ... cemeteries.  Churchyards were the first burial places and it is apparent that many of those no longer survive, but London natives and visitors walk over them not realizing that bones lie beneath.  

Under common law, every parishioner and people who inhabited a parish, had a right to be buried in the parish churchyard or burial ground.  While you may see a few gravestones in churchyards, there are many unmarked, unknown graves.  A good example is the churchyard of St. Martin-in-the Fields which is estimated to have 60,000-70,000 burials in the churchyard. That suggests one on top of another in layers.  

Kensal Green, with 79 acres, was established as London's first public cemetery in 1827.  Many followed within the next few years, such as Highgate in 1839.  They were commercial ventures and in the 1850s urban churchyards were closed to burials.  Bodies were also being buried under the floorboards in chapels and school.  As they decayed the stench was overcoming.  A public cemetery would be a better choice for burial. 

Landscaped cemeteries were common in Italy, Sweden and France.  They were adopted in England as public cemeteries in the Victorian period.  The public cemeteries are extremely interesting with various types of stones plus styles of mausoleums. 

The first on my list of "must-see" was the Highgate Cemetery in northwest London.  There are two sections to the Highgate Cemetery, both different and interesting.  The west Highgate Cemetery is only open to tours.  Visitors climb a few steps to be greeted by dank darkness. Adjusting to it, there are gravestones that seem to perch on top of each other, covered with undergrowth, vines, moss and bushes.  A musty, earth smell hangs among the gravestones and only a true cemetery lover breaths deeply to enjoy it.  

Less overgrown cemeteries, such as Brompton Cemetery created in 1840, also contain gravestones that run into each other with barely room to wedge a foot between them.  Ravens perch on statues and the tops of stones, faithfully looking for pieces of food left by passer-bys.  

All of these are peaceful settings.  If you stop long enough to ponder the past, imagination takes over.  You can envision a funeral party, all attired in black, with a horse drawn hearse passing down the path in 1845, bringing a body for burial.  What has happened through the decades to their descendants?  Do they realize where their own are buried?  Or do they care? 

Someday I will return to London to explore more cemeteries, stop and pay respects to those who have gone before.  I may walk through a former churchyard and absorb the feeling of comfort that only comes to those who are obsessed with places of burial.  

Chasing A Migrating Ancestor

Do you know where your ancestors were going when they gathered up their belongings and hitched the horses to the wagon?  They were not out for a joy ride.  They were most likely out for a long, difficult ride and one that was planned and calculated in advance.  Neighbors, family and friends may have joined them. 

If you like maps and enjoy the study of migrations, you'll enjoy the Migration Trails web site. It opens to a rather simple format with a few options. 

Begin by clicking on Migration Trails and you will quickly be staring at a colorful, large map of the United States.  Trails are drawn in red and numbered.  The largest portion are in the eastern United States.  The numbers on the map are identified with the names of the paths, roads and trails, some of which I am unfamiliar.  If you click on the name of a path or trail, you will be taken to further information, such as a time frame for the trail and the primary nationalities who traveled it.  There is also a listing of counties, with web pages, that are within the trail area.  This is particularly helpful when looking for records left by ancestors in their migration.  Perhaps they stopped off briefly in a county along the way when somebody died. References are also listed which can be helpful in your research.  

From the home page, click on Who Traveled the Trails?.  You can select the nationality that interests you, such as Irish.  The immigration period, favorite port of entry and migration facts are listed, along with references.  Easy, but thorough reading! 

You can also order custom migration maps through the web site.  Knowing the counties along the most likely route that your ancestor traveled may break down research brick walls.  The maps are sent by e-mail.  

I hope this web site grows with the addition of more trails, particularly west of the Mississippi River.  It's a fascinating study and one worth the time in preparation for research.