52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 20

How time flies! We're 20 weeks into 2010 already. Hope everyone is following along and learning from these great tips, brought to us by Amy Coffin at the WeTree blog, and hosted by Geneabloggers.

52 Weeks To Better Genealogy – Challenge 20
Play with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Government Land Office (GLO) Federal Land Records web page. This is a great resource. Your task this week is to explore the land patents and land surveys sections. Input some search terms and see what pops up. Don’t be afraid to click links and see what happens. You’ll be surprised by what you find. Genealogy blog authors can share what they find from this site on their blogs.
This challenge runs from Saturday, 15 May 2010 through Friday, 21 May 2010.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 19

Here's the next installment in a great series of tips to help you grow your genealogy skills. These suggestions are brought to us by Amy Coffin at the WeTree Blog, and hoted by GeneaBloggers.

NARA Military Sources

Examine the “Genealogy and Military Records” page on the National Archives page. (Non-U.S. folks: examine the military records information from your country’s national archives.) Click the links and read everything you can. If you’ve ordered a military file before, read this page again and refresh you memory so you can help others. Authors of genealogy blogs can write about records they’ve received, comment on the National Archives page, or ask questions of their readers via their blog.

This challenge runs from Saturday, 8 May 2010 through Friday, 14 May 2010.

Additional Hint: While you are exploring NARA's military records, you might also want to take a look at Footnote.com, and note which military records have been digitized and made available there.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy, Week 18

Here's the latest installment in a series of weekly tips to help you stretch your genealogy research skills, brought to you by Amy Coffin at the WeTree blog, and hosted by Geneabloggers. As part of this exercise, be sure to check out the Topeka Genealogical Society's Facebook page!

Dip your toe in the social networking pool. Genealogists are some of the friendliest people on the block. Networking with them by using “social” web sites will help your research and provide you with new friends. If you’ve never used social networking tools, this Social Networking in Plain English video by Common Craft is a good place to start. Picture the ways you can use social networking to meet and collaborate with other genealogists. Some of the more popular social networking sites are Facebook, Twitter and even Linked-In (though this site is more business-like in its purpose). You do not have to join these sites if you do not feel comfortable doing so, but you should at least know they exist and that they can benefit genealogy research. Those that are well-versed in social networking can refer others to the video. Bloggers are encouraged to discuss how they use various social networking sites in their own research.
This challenge runs from Saturday, 1 May 2010 through Friday, 7 May 2010.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 17

Here it is – Challenge 17 , brought to us by Amy Coffin at the WeTree blog, and hosted by Geneabloggers. And, this is one that I know I need to work on! I have been fortunate enough to inherit many old family photos, and have accumulated many of my immediate family over the years. Few of them are labeled. I also have a frustrating stack of "unknown" photos --- surely related somehow to my family, but I haven't a clue. I desperately need to sit gown and start labeling, while I still have enough presence of mind to do so.

Get out your family photos and label them. You’ve seen them a million tines because they’re YOUR photos, but what happens when they’re passed down to others? Will those people know the names of everyone in the pictures? Take some time and label your photos with pertinent information. If you’re working with old photos, take consideration with their age and condition. Devise an archival-friendly labeling system. For digital photos, you can use computer programs to tag the images with names or other identifying information. If that’s too confusing, you can at least save and/or re-name digital photos with details of your choosing. Don’t let another generation slip by without documenting your photos. Your ancestors will thank you. If you have a genealogy blog, share with your readers your system for identifying photos, and even share a photo if you like.

This challenge runs from Saturday, 24 April 2010 through Friday, 30 April 2010.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 16

These tips are developed by Amy Coffin at the WeTree Blog, and hosted by Geneabloggers --



Week 16: Check out the online library catalog of a university. You may use one close to you, or one in the area of your research. Colleges and universities have wonderful archives, many of which are valuable to historical research. Browse around the library website and investigate the various archival collections. Make note of ones that may assist you in your own research.



This challenge runs from Saturday, 17 April 2010 through Friday, 23 April 2010.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Weeks 14 & 15

This week, you readers get a double installment, as gardening demands and spring colds and allergies have caused me to fall a bit behind. These weekly challenges are developed by Amy Coffin at the WeTree Blog, and sponsored by Geneabloggers. Here you go!

Week 15: Write a letter. It these days of emotionless email, the art of letter writing is getting lost. Pick one of your information needs or queries and write a letter requesting information. You may want to write to a small library or a relative asking for family history information. If you’re requesting a return reply, be sure to include any forms that are required, funds (if necessary) or a self-addressed, stamped envelope for return correspondence. If you write a genealogy blog, include a post about the information you requested and from whom.This challenge runs from Saturday, 10 April 2010 through Friday, 16 April 2010.

This tip is a great reminder to all of us that sometimes the best way to find what we are searching for is not to look on-line, but to consider more traditional means of correspondence. There are many knowledgeable genealogists and family members, with access to a treasure trove of family history, that are not comfortable with the Internet, and there are many institutions that still prefer a carefully-written request by snail-mail rather than a hastily composed e-mail message. I have found wonderful church records and other important family history through letter-writing. Give it a try today!

And, Week 14: Use a different search engine for your online genealogy research. Google is quite popular, but other search engines may provide different results. Try Yahoo! Search, Bing, Ask.com, Dogpile, and even Clusty. Pick an unusual surname and search it in different engines. Make note of the top 10 page returns for each. If you’re a genealogy blogger, share your observations on this experience.

This, too, is a great hint! I tend to use one search engine most of the time, because it is where I have set my default home page in my browser. But, I have often learned the hard way that I have missed something that another search engine would have found. Check out some of the search engines you use less frequently, and while you are there, remember to look around for any "advanced search" options that will let you define your search more precisely, and increase your chances of finding what you seek.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 13

Here we are, one-quarter of the way into 2010. And, here's the next installment of a series of weekly tips and exercises designed to help you stretch and build your genealogical research skills. These tips are brought to us by Amy Coffin at WeTree, and hosted by Geneabloggers.

Week 13: Make an appointment with Cyndi’s List (http://www.cyndislist.com/). All beginning genealogy publications include a link to Cyndi’s List because it is the ultimate guide for family history links. If you’ve never used Cyndi’s List, take the time to look around. If you’re familiar with the site, look again. Take the time to browse with detail. Don’t try to research your own family’s history, just move through the site and get a feel of all it has to offer. If you have a genealogy blog, share with your readers a new website you discovered through Cyndi’s List.

This challenge runs from Saturday, 27 March 2010 through Friday, 2 April 2010.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 11

Better late than never, here's the past week's post to 52 Weeks to a Better Genealogy. Again, these great hints are shared with us from Amy Coffin at the WeTree Blog, and hosted by Geneabloggers.


52 Weeks To Better Genealogy – Challenge 11
Read the back posts from the Transitional Genealogists Forum. This is a message board for genealogists who are taking the steps needed to become professional genealogists. Even if you aren’t interested in that goal, you will benefit from the questions and answers provided on this excellent discussion list. If you have a genealogy blog, write about a question or subject from this board that was helpful for you.
This challenge runs from Saturday, 13 March 2010 through Friday, 19 March 2010.

I have followed the Transitional Genealogists Forum for quite a long time, and find that I continually learn from the questions and responses that are posted to the list. Give it a try!

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy: Week 10

Here it is, number 10 in the weekly installments of tips and hints for sharpening your genealogical skills. (Brought to us by Amy Coffin at WeTree and sponsored by GeneaBloggers).

52 Weeks To Better Genealogy – Challenge 10
Investigate Family Search Pilot, which is part of FamilySearch.org. This is a wonderful collection of records which literally grows every day. In the middle left of the page is a link that says “Browse our record collections.” Click it and pick a region. Search collections outside your research interest. Investigate the types of records collected all over the world and see how they differ from those with which you are familiar. If you are a genealogy blogger, pick a type of record from another country and share your observations about it.

This challenge runs from Saturday, 6 March 2010 through Friday, 12 March 2010

If you have not yet used this resource, or checked it recently, you will want to be sure to take a look at the rapidly growing list of primary source materials that have been indexed and made available - many with digital images of the original records. And, while you are there, take a look at how you could become and indexer and join with volunteers around the world to help move this project forward. The process is simple, one you can do from your home computers, and records for indexing are broken into small batches that take less than an hour to complete.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 9

We're 9 weeks into the New Year, already! Here's the next installation in the weekly series of exercises to help sharpen your genealogical skills, developed by Amy Coffin at the WeTree blog, and hosted by Geneabloggers.

Pick five genealogy blogs and read them every day. Meet new people and networking within the online genealogy community is a great way to expand your own research and experience. Reading the blogs of others will help you get to know others. Try to find some blogs that are out of your area of expertise. Lists of genealogy blogs can be found at Geneabloggers.com and Genealogue’s Genealogy Blog Finder. If you already subscribe to many genealogy blogs, find five new ones that are “outside the box,” perhaps in history or archives. If you have a genealogy blog, write about the blogs you discover and introduce others to them.

This challenge runs from Saturday, 27 February 2010 through Friday, 5 March 2010.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy- Week 8

Here's the next weekly installment of a year-long series of tips to sharpen your genealogy skills, developed by Amy Coffin at the WeTree blog, and hosted by Geneabloggers. The tips issued so far have all been great ones - if you are following along and trying out the exercises, please share your experiences in a comment, and let everyone know what you find!

Here's the Week 8 Challenge:
Discover online map collections. Historical maps are wonderful tools for historical research. Fortunately for genealogists, many map collections are located online. Some of the more prominent collections are: the American Memory Collection at the Library of Congress, the David Rumsey Map Collection, and the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas at Austin. Take some time to browse each of these collections. You may also want to check the library web site of your local university (or one near your ancestral home) to see what maps they may have online. If you have a genealogy blog, write about any special maps you find during this activity.
This challenge runs from Saturday, 20 February 2010 through Friday, 26 February 2010.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 7

Another week, another tip! Here's your genealogy challenge for Week 7:

Play with Google Maps. This is a helpful tool for determining the locations of addresses in your family history. Where your ancestral homestead once stood may now be a warehouse, a parking lot or a field. Perhaps the house is still there. When you input addresses in Google Maps, don’t forget to use the Satellite View and Street View options for perspectives that put you were right there where your ancestors once stood. If you’ve used this tool before, take sometime and play with it again. Push all the buttons, click all the links and devise new ways it can help with your personal genealogy research. If you have a genealogy blog, write about your experiences with Google Maps, or suggest similar easy (and free) tools that have helped in your own research.


I use this tool a lot, and it is really the next best thing to being able to travel and see the location yourself. And, if you start from Earthpoint Tools for Google Earth, you can easily translate a legal description for a parcel of land to a current location!

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 6

Already, it is week number 6 and time for another tip. This one is a great one -
Week 6: Online databases at your public library. Search your library’s web site and see if your card grants you access to online databases. Libraries (even small ones) often have wonderful online tools including genealogy databases, historical newspapers and more! Take some time and play with these little perks that come with a library card. You just may get some help in your own genealogy research and gain some free research tools to boot. If you don’t know how to access online library databases or you’re not sure if your branch has them, ask a librarian for guidance. If you have a blog, discuss which databases (if any) to which your library subscribes.

These databases are wonderful resources at your fingertips, and some can be accessed without leaving home. Any Kansas resident has free access through the Kansas State Library System to the Heritage Quest databases, where you can view census images, search PERSI (the major periodical index for genealogists), and more. With a library card from the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, you can access the Kansas Sanborn maps, America's Historical Newspapers, America's Obituaries, and many others from home. At the library,there is free access to Ancestry.com. The Topeka Genealogical Society Library offers free access to the New England Historical & Genealogical Society databases, as well as Footnote.com. Take some time to explore some of the databases that you are less familiar with - you never know what you might find!

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 5

Here's the 5th week assignment for sharpening up those genealogy skills, and it is a great one. WorldCat.org is a terrific resource, and I use it all the time for tracking down those elusive materials that I need to access. You will be amazed at what you can find there. And, don't forget to try the advanced search feature.

Play with WorldCat.org. WorldCat is a massive network of library content that the public can search for free (user name and password not required). Not every library is a part of WorldCat, but the vast size of the network makes it an important genealogy tool. If you are looking for a specific book or publication, enter the identifying information into the WorldCat search box and see which libraries hold the item. You may even find that you can get the item through your library’s inter-library loan program. Don’t forget to search for some of your more unusual surnames and see what comes up. The goal is to play with WorldCat and examine its possibilities for your own research. If you’re already familiar with WorldCat, play with it again. The network and collection grow and change constantly. If you have a genealogy blog, write about your experiences with searching WorldCat for this exercise.

This challenge runs from Saturday, 30 January 2010 through Friday, 5 February 2010.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy, Week 4

Here it is, the 4th in a weekly series of steps toward making yourself a better genealogist:
Week 4: Learn about your local public library’s inter-library loan (ILL) policy. Pick a genealogy-related book that you want to read that is not in your library’s collection. Ask the librarian how to request the book from another library. Find the different library systems from which you can request books through your own library, as this can dramatically increase the number of genealogy books to which you have access. If you have a genealogy blog, write about your experience with requesting items through your library’s ILL service.

This challenge runs from Saturday, 23 January 2010 through Friday, 29 January 2010.

Taking advantage of inter-library loan services are a great way to access those distant records when the budget or the schedule won't allow you to just pick up and travel. And, don't forget to check the wonderful WorldCat database to see just what resources might be out there in other repositories that you could request through ILL.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy: Week 3

Here's your third week challenge:

Assess yourself! You’re great at researching everyone else’s history, but how much of your own have you recorded? Do an assessment of your personal records and timeline events to ensure your own life is as well-documented as that of your ancestors. If you have a genealogy blog, write about the status of your own research and steps you may take to fill gaps and document your own life.

This challenge runs from Saturday, 16 January 2010 through Friday, 22 January 2010. Be sure to submit a comment and let everyone know how you are doing with the weekly challenges!

Myself, I know that this one applies to me. I need to spend some serious time going back over my earlier work, documenting sources, filling in gaps, analyzing, and checking for errors and things that don't make sense. Many times, I have found the answers already among my notes, if I had only done a more thorough analysis of the information. Now, if I can only find some time.....

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy: Week 2

Here it is -- your genealogy challenge for Week 2.

This week, visit your public library again (we are having better weather this week, so if you couldn't get out last week, here's a chance to catch up and do both weeks 1 and 2 challenges). This time, your assignment is to examine the local history, archives, or special collection sections. Hint: At the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, many of these materials would be found in the Topeka Room.
You might also want to check out the reference section, and see if you find any local history or genealogical resources there.

Let us know what you find, by commenting on this post.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy: Week 1

Amy Coffin, over at the WeTree Blog, has challenged genealogy bloggers everywhere to a new series of posts for 2010. Each week, a new suggestion will be explored, prompting us all to better genealogy throughout the year. This week, Challenge #1: Go to your local public library and check out the genealogy collection.

In Topeka and the northeast Kansas area, we are blessed with many impressive library collections of genealogical materials. In addition to the Topeka Genealogical Society Library (my favorite, of course), we have the genealogical collections at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library and the Kansas State Historical Society, the Midwest Genealogy Center in Independence, Missouri and the Central Plains Regional Branch of the National Archives in downtown Kansas City.

Pick a repository that you haven't visited for a while, and check it out!