ArchiveGrid

Find descriptions of archived records at more than 1000 institutions using ArchiveGrid.
There is a clickable map to help you locate archives near you or near where your ancestors lived.

German genealogy

Here is a brief article and video on researching your German ancestors, from Amy Johnson Crow's blog.

WW2 Casualties Database

A database of  American World War II casualties has been launched by WW2 Research Inc founder Bill Beigel. It currently contains the names of 100,000 Americans who died while on active duty and will eventually total 407,000. Searching for a name is free; there will be a fee for research services. An article on the Digital Journal website explains the project and includes a link to the database.  Source: ResearchBuzz

Time to open up the SSDI again?

In 2013, Congress ended public access to the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). The reason: identity thieves were stealing SSNs. In this article from a year ago, the Legal Genealogist blog argues that terminating access was harmful in a number of ways and actually helps, not hinders, identity theft.

Cleaning Gravestones

This article from the International Southern Cemetery Gravestones Association provides advice on how to clean a gravestone.

Google Translate

If some of your online research includes content in a language you are unfamiliar with, Google Translate  will come in handy. Just copy and paste the text into the left box, and then click on "English" in the right box.

More about Genealogy on Facebook and YouTube

Professional Genealogist Katherine R. Willson has compiled a list of almost 13000 genealogy pages on Facebook.The categories are too numerous to list, but you can scroll through the table of contents and click on the one you want to go to it directly.  Another resource on her website is this list of
genealogy- related YouTube channels. Source: ResearchBuzz

Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

The names and boundaries of counties can change over time, causing some confusion for genealogists. This database, provided by the Newberry Library of Chicago, is a good source for clarifying names and boundaries. It includes an interactive map, index, county chronologies, and commentary.

Irish Folklore Website

If your ancestors came from Ireland, or if you just have an interest in Irish history and folklore, this website is for you. There are 10,000 photos, and folklore, stories, and descriptions of life in Ireland, hand written by ordinary citizens. Everything is searchable by county.

Genealogy on Facebook

The My Ancestors and Me blog posted this article on looking to genealogy groups on Facebook as a source for research.      source: ResearchBuzz

New England Genealogy

Genealogist David Lambert shares some tips on New England genealogy in this 4 1/2 minute video. Posted by Amy Johnson Crow on her blog:  https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/new-england-genealogy/

Free stuff

With Irma bearing down on us, genealogy may be the furthest thing from our minds. But if we're lucky to enough to escape the storm, be aware that The Genealogy Library at Geanet.org is making its collection of 3 billion indexed individuals free from 1 minute past midnight on Sep 8th to midnight on Sept 10th.

This is the first in a series of blog posts from the North Carolina State Archives on how to decipher the handwriting in 17th and 18th century documents.  Source: ResearchBuzz

Best Genealogy Websites

Family Tree Magazine has published its annual list of 101 Best Websites for Genealogy.

Historical Georgia newspapers

The Digital Library of Georgia continues to add new titles to its  Georgia Historic Newspapers (GHN) website. Lists of recently and soon-to-be added titles are here.  

We found that the images sometime load slowly. The pdf version loads quicker- after you select an edition to download, look  for this and click on "view pdf".

Donald Trump's Ancestry

The 45th President of the United States is of German and Scottish ancestry. Read about it here, at Thoughtco.com

African American Genealogy Center

The International African American Museum (IAAM), which will open in Charleston SC in a few years,  has announced the launch of its Center for Family History.
To quote the IAAM website: "The center will engage in genealogy education, original research, community archiving, public outreach, and collections. It will also assist with DNA testing".
The Center's website includes digital records, tutorials, and a blog.

Calendar of Genealogy Events

Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter has a calendar where you can learn about genealogy events in your area, and make other people aware of yours. Florida is pretty quiet at the moment.

Transcribers Needed: Transcribing Ads From Former Slaves

Here is an opportunity to learn more about slavery and to contribute to our understanding of  it, from Villanova University and Mother Bethel AME Church. Source: ResearchBuzz

FamilySearch ends loans of microfilm

After August 31, FamilySearch will no longer accept requests for microfilm to be sent from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City to the local Family History Centers or affiliate libraries.
Read about it on Amy Johnson Crow's blog.

BillionGraves.com

If you enjoy genealogy and need a reason to get out of the house, consider being a contributor to billiongraves.com . If you have a smartphone, you can download the app and then visit a cemetery and photograph graves for uploading to the website. If you don't have a smartphone, you can transcribe gravestone information for uploading. Only 66 photos have been taken at the Brooksville Cemetery, and it looks like the old Tucker Hill cemetery off Croom Road in Brooksville has not been visited yet, just to name two.

Becoming a Citizen of Ireland

If you have Irish ancestors, you may be eligible for Irish citizenship. Click here for the article from thoughtco.com

Technology for Paleography

Interested in technology that will help you decipher old handwriting?. See what they are doing in Europe at  the READ(Recognition and Enrichment of Archival Documents) project.

 Here is a paleography tutorial from England's National Archives.

This one  is from Brigham Young University.

And, the U.S. National Archives needs your help transcribing documents .

WWII Veterans Tell Their Stories

Rishi Sharma, a 19-year old from California, is traveling across the country, meeting with veterans of WWII and collecting their stories.
An article about his project on the Southern California Public Radio website is here.
His website, Heroes of the Second World War,  is here.
 If you have WWII experiences to share, or know someone who does, contact Rishi by clicking here.
source: ResearchBuzz and scpr.org 

Genealogy Jamboree

The Southern California Genealogical Society and Genealogy Jamboree kicks off June 9th. There will be 14 hours of FREE genealogy presentations. You just need to register. Source: ResearchBuzz  & Geneapress.

Minneapolis Newspapers

Digital issues of the Minneapolis Star, Minneapolis Tribune, and the Star Tribune (born of the 1982 merger) are available together at the paper's website. The papers go back to 1867. Access is not free, but the cost is reasonable.  Source: ResearchBuzz

World War I

April marked the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry in to World War I. The U.S. WWI Centennial Commission  has a website with a page of genealogy resources. From the homepage, hover over Commemorate, then click on Genealogical Resources.

Immigrant Deportation and Exclusion

If you have reason to believe that your ancestor was deported or barred from entering the U.S., 
this page from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website explains how to track down a record of the event.

Cemtery photos

Amy Johnson Crow suggests 5 photos you should take when you visit a cemetery to photograph a grave.

Digitized newspapers at the Library of Congress

You might find some information relevant to your genealogy research at chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
This digital collection of The Library of Congress includes more than 11 million searchable, digitized pages from 2,100 newspapers, covering 1789 to 1924. There is also a U.S Newspaper directory of 154,000 newspapers going back to 1690, showing titles, years covered, and listing the institutions that hold them. (The library's collection of Brooksville newspapers on microfilm is not cataloged, so the library will not be listed as an holder). And there's a bonus: each day the site features newspapers from exactly 100 years ago.
If you have a question, there is a link for emailing a librarian in the LOC periodicals department.
While you are there, take time to see what else the LOC offers online: a large amount of historic video, audio, and documents.

Finding Obituaries in the Florida Newspaper Database

The library's Florida Newspaper Database is a good source for local obituaries for the years 1999 – present day:

1.        Hover over Research Help on the library's home page

2.      Click on E-Resources for Adults

 3. Scroll down to  Florida Newspaper Database

 (If outside the library, enter your library card # (the barcode on the back of your card) as a password.

4. Click on Publication Search.

5. Enter the name of the newspaper and click on search (click on Search All Publications if you don't know the name of the newspaper you need).

6. Click on the name of the newspaper in the search results (If you are searching for a very common name and need to narrow your search, and you know the date of death,   you can click on a date at this point and then search within the results).

7. Enter the name of the deceased in the Search box at the top.

8. If there is an obituary for the person, you will see Obituaries in the results. Click on it

9. Once you have located the obituary, see the Tools menu on the right to email, print, download, etc.

Where to Find Obituaries at the Library

1.       Obituaries published Nov 11 1987- Jun 30 2013 – are in bound copies of Hernando Today at    the Main library, 238 Howell Avenue in downtown Brooksville.

        You can take a photo of the obituary with a smartphone or camera, or transcribe it by hand.

2.       Obituaries published 1920’S - June 17^th, 1992-  are on  microfilm at the West Hernando         branch, 6335 Blackbird Avenue, near Weeki Wachee. 

     These are the old Brooksville newspapers, such as the Daily Sun-Journal, Brooksville Sun, etc.

      The Train Depot Museum on 70 Russell St. in Brooksville has an index of obituaries for the                microfilm.

       Museum hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday, 12-3  Phone: 352-799-4766

       The microfilm viewer at the West branch does not have a printer. The Homosassa branch of  the        Citrus County library has a microfilm viewer with a printer:

      4100 So. Grandmarch Ave, Homosassa

      Phone 352-628-5626

      Hrs: Mon-Thu 10-7, Fri-Sat 10-5

Our library will need your name and card number, and a list of the reels you borrow (you can take up to 3 at a time):

   You can also take a photo of the obituary with a smartphone or camera, or transcribe it by hand.

3.       Florida Newspaper Database, in our E-Resources (ask library staff for assistance if needed).

        St. Petersburg Times-  Jan 1 2000 -  Dec 31 2011 (plus a few editions from previous years)

       Tampa Bay Times     -   Jan 1 2012 - present (plus a few editions from previous years)

        Tampa Tribune        Jan 1 1999-June 22, 2011 (plus a few editions from previous years)

        Hernando Today   December 8 2006 - October 30 2009

      Obituaries from this database and can be printed, emailed or downloaded to your computer di-
      rectly from the database     

      If you can’t find an obituary, check Ancestry.com on the library website, or  familysearch.org.
      They may have the location of the obituary you are seeking.

Free Genealogy Course online

If you are new to genealogy, consider taking Genealogy 101, a free online course available through Universal Class on the library's website. It's available 24/7, and an instructor will be on the other end to review your work and answer questions. You have 6 months to complete the course, and you can take up to 5 courses at a time.

To get there, go to our homepage, click on Research Help, then E-Resources for Adults. Scroll down and click on the Universal Class logo. Then, enter your library card number and set up an account.While you're there, take a look at the other courses available- there's more than 500, all free.

The Genealogy Guys Podcast

This is a website we have linked to before. George G. Morgan and Drew Smith discuss news from the world of genealogy and a variety of genealogy-related topics. Just click on the Pod symbol next to the title to listen. Each hour long podcast is accompanied by a list of the topics discussed, and you can skip ahead or back to listen to a particular segment.

Resources for African-American research Part 2

Read here about a database of ads by newly freed slaves looking for family members from whom they were separated. A link to this resource from Villanova University and Mother Bethel AME Church in Philadelphia is in the article. Volunteers can help by registering to transcribe ads- see the link on the website.

New Online Genealogy Journal

Geneapress.com is announcing the arrival of a new, peer-reviewed scholarly journal:
The Journal of Genealogy and Family History.
The journal will be free and online, and will be available starting in April.
Source: ResearchBuzz

Michigan

Doing research related to the Wolverine State? Try seekingmichigan.org. Scroll down and click on the Discover button to look at the online sources available. You'll find death, census, and Civil War records, among other information.

The Loss of the 1890 Census

Only fragments of the important 1890 census remain.This 2-part article in Prologue magazine explains how the tragic destruction of the that census was not totally due to a fire in the Commerce building in 1921.

Resources for African- American research

February is Black History Month. Read here about resources for tracking down your African-American ancestors, courtesy of familyhistorydaily.com. 
Fold3.com, the military genealogy site, is making its Black History Collection available for free for the month of February.

Slavery in North Carolina

Click  here for links to the  University of North Carolina's Digital Library on American Slavery, which includes large amount of data of interest to genealogists.  There is also information on a work in progress: People Not Property -  Slave Deeds of North Carolina.
Source: ResearchBuzz

Boston Catholics

The New England Historic Genealogical Society and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston are collaborating to build a database of sacramental records of millions of Catholics from 154 parishes.
The records are not searchable by name yet, but you can browse by parish.

Write your life story

Make 2017 the year you get your life experiences down on paper for your descendants.  The library offers "Writing Your Life Stories" programs at the West Hernando branch on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays (there are two sessions:  10:15 to 11:45a.m.  and an afternoon session  from 3:00 to 4:30) and at the Main branch on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, from 2:00 pm to 3:30. Come to get inspired and share your stories.
If you need some more incentive, Randy Seaver at the Genea-Musings blog posted this press release from Family Search regarding its #52 Stories project.