Best places to research Geneology

[scotchmaster]

Rabble a questions. I am looking for direction. Where are the best and most effective places to research my ancestry and Geneology? Site links would be helpful. PM with advice.

Slainte!

[gilmore]

Rabble a questions. I am looking for direction. Where are the best and most effective places to research my ancestry and Geneology? Site links would be helpful. PM with advice.

Slainte!

The best places are not online. I don't know of one that I can recommend wholeheartedly.

It's probably best to go to your local library and check out a book on how to do genealogical research, or to buy one.

Usually one talks to the oldest people in one's family. This is the simplest and most time-effective way to get started. Some of their info may be a bit muddled, and the stories that have been passed down may not always be accurate, but they are the best starting point.

If you are in the US, the federal census records are quite helpful. You can see them gratis at the several federal archives around the country, or you can pay to use www.ancestry.com which also has them.

Some may recommend the Mormon Church's online site for its pedigree charts and group sheets. I would take any info there with a grain of salt, since they don't do any quality control, only archiving whatever is sent to them.

There are also surname boards at rootsweb.com.

[macwilkin]

I'll second gilmore's advice to visit your local public library; most large libraries have a genealogy department with not only books, but also free seminars and classes on many different aspects of genealogical research. Genealogy librarians usually have experience with their own personal research and might be able to provide assistance. You might also see if the local genealogical society offers a library/research collection and classes/seminars.

Remember, networking is always valuable to a budding genealogist.

Regards,

Todd

[EagleJCS]

I posted this in the related thread...

In addition to the U.S. Genweb, Rootsweb and Ancestry, there's also Cyndi's List (www.cyndislist.com), which has a lot of links to research websites.

Another place to look for information in the U.S. is your state's Department of Vital Statistics (or whatever your state records department is called ). They should have birth, marriage and death certificates, plus - as gilmore suggested - there's the federal census records up to 1930 (those just became available a couple of years ago). If the state records don't go back far enough, try the county of residence for the person/line you're investigating. Another place to look is court records (estate settlements, property transfers, lawsuits, etc.). Get names and dates from your living family members, then start digging.

I found a lot of family birth/death/marriage certificates on microfilm in the local library's archive for the Dept of Vital Stats. Once you have the certificate numbers, getting a verified/certified copy from the state is just a matter of filling out the paperwork and sending them a check.

[SteveB]

Scotchmaster,
You post as being in Boston, Massachusetts. Home of the oldest and largest genealogical resource in the country. The New England Historic Genealogical Society at 101 Newbury Street. It is a short walk from either the Arlington Street Station, Copley Square Station on the Green Line or the Back Bay Station on the Orange Line. The Hist-Gen has all the Massachusetts Vital records to 1915, the Massachusetts Census, and thousands of published records from around the United States, Canada, Ireland, Great Britain, and Scotland. It also houses the largest genealogical manuscript collection in the U.S.
If you get off at Copley, check out the McKim Building at the Boston Public Library. It has a large genealogical section, with hundreds of published family genealogies and U.S. Records.
For specific questions, please PM me. I am a genealogical researcher for several lineage societies in the area.
Slainte

[Instakilt]

Yes, EagleJCS!
www.cyndislist.com has always been my one stop shop on the internet for family history resources. I find myself getting off on many new tangents by nosing around on that site.

[cessna152towser]

I use www.ancestry.com and also www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk which is very useful for finding records of Scots ancestors.
rootsweb can be another useful source of information.

[WClarkB]

The Latter Days Saint Family History Libraries have huge DB,s. They have a good number of errors as anyone can enter data therein but it does give u a place to start and will frequently make a connection that is not found elsewhere. Just look up LDS church on the internet

[dowofbuchanan]

does the lds site have info for people who dont have any family in the church

[glenlivet]

does the lds site have info for people who dont have any family in the church

In a word, yes, for theological reasons that are beyond me.