1) The Family Tree Maker website. Family Tree Maker (FTM) is one of the popular software packages for doing genealogy. Their website has tons of information such as other people's family trees and surname message boards. Some of the info is free. However, you have to pay for some of the info via a yearly subscription.
http://www.familytreemaker.com --- main web site for FTM. Has name search.
http://genforum.genealogy.com --- part of FTM. Here's where you find the surname message boards.
http://www.genealogylibrary.com --- FTM's paid section. The main feature of this website that I use is that they have the entire 1850 census online. The index is just fantastic.2) Ancestry's website.
http://www.ancestry.com -- similiar to the FTM website. Ancestry has different databases, a surname message board, and some online census schedules. Some databases are free, but the majority are not.
3) Rootsweb.
http://www.rootsweb.com -- free website owned by Ancestry with people’s family trees (World Connect) and various databases.
4) Gensuck. Gensuck is a real bona-fide website. I included it because it's the latest gossip and complaints about the genealogy research companies. Before you subscribe to a genealogy website, go to gensuck and see what everyone is complaining about them.
5) Cyndi's List. This is a fantastic website, but I get lost using it. It's free.
6) Census Online. The Federal Census Schedules is like the granddaddy of all genealogy documents. Since 1790, most of the states (that comprised the union) have had a census every 10 years. The 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, and 1840 census only have the head of households and a count of how many other people lived there (broken down by age groups). The 1850 census is the first one that lists every family member. The 1890 census was destroyed by a fire. The last census that is available for public use is the 1920 census. The 1930 census will be available in 2002.
Anyway, here's a link to some of the census schedules online.
http://www.census-online.com/links/index.html
Also, suppose you know the city and the state, but don't know the county. Here's a good tool:
http://www.naco.org/counties/queries/city_srch.cfm
7) USGENWEB. Fantastic *free* website that is organized by state and then by county. Counties are important in genealogy because the census records are organized the same way (by state and then by county).
8) National Genealogical Society. Has some beginner information -- like where do I start? It's important to know how to cite sources so you can check out the info that someone gives you and so that you don't spread misinformation.
9) Google. Google is just a powerful search engine that you can use for anything (including genealogy). When I hit a brick wall, I go to google and type in a name in single quotes. Sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you don't. You just have to keep searching.
10) LDS Family Search. The Latter-Day Saints are really into genealogy because it's part of their beliefs.
11) Vital Records. You can order birth, death, marriage, and divorce records.
The catch:
a) Some records are at the state level and some are at the county level. 99% of the require some form of payment.
b) There are date ranges for some of the info. For example, in Texas, they didn't start keeping birth certificates until 1903. In Tennesse, the law requiring counties and the state to do death certificates lapsed in 1913 so there are no death certificates on record for that year.
12) GenCircles -- Has mostly just people's family trees. Have found some good information.
Got a suggestion or comment? Email me at stephstruby@earthlink.net
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Last updated on 09/28/01 by me.