Free Offline Genealogy Tools - Week 4 of Abundant Genealogy

Week 4 - For which free offline tools are you most grateful? How did you find this tool and how has it benefited your genealogy? Describe to others how to access this tool and spread the genealogy love.


This genealogy challenge runs from Sunday, January 22, 2012 through Saturday, January 28, 2012.


My favorite free off-line genealogy tool has to be the Carolina Room at the Main Branch of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. While my hectic schedule has not allowed me to use this local resource as much as I would like and hoped to, I still must tout it.

When I first discovered this wonderful local resource, I was pleasantly surprised that they actually have many resources that pertain to other states. Ironically, for my research focus, there actually seem to be more resources for my Georgia ancestral counties than my North Carolina ancestral county.

The Carolina Room is not just for genealogy but history as a hold and therefore, contains many other valuable resources. The following list provides a general idea of some of the resources available in the Carolina Room:

• Newspapers
• Newspaper Clippings
• Periodicals, which includes over 400 titles
• Census Records
• Pamphlets, Brochures, Ephemera
• Maps

To find out more about the resources available within the Carolina Room's collections, just visit the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library site and do a search for the Carolina Room.

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This is the fourth challenge in 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, a weekly challenge developed by Amy Coffin of The We Tree Genealogy Blog. The weekly challenges are posted by Thomas MacEntee at Geneabloggers.

Free Online Genealogy Tools

Week 3 - Free Online Genealogy  Tools: Free online genealogy tools are like gifts from above. Which ones are you most thankful for? How has it helped your family history experience?


This challenge runs from Sunday, January 15, 2012 through Saturday, January 21, 2012.


There are several free online genealogy tools but two of my favorites are definitely Family Search and Georgia Virtual Vault.

Family Search - I think I might have mentioned this a few times but it seems that within the past year, I've probably been able to find more information via Family Search than with Ancestry.

Some information is a duplication of information found on Ancestry, such as census records, but other information is not.

You can browse by location or name. There are also some wonderful learning resources which are provided through courses or wikis. In addition, there are also discussion forums.

Georgia Virtual Vault - If you have roots in Georgia, this site is a must stop destination in your online research.

The Indexed Death certificates (1919 - 1927) and the Non-Indexed Death Certificates (1928 - 1930) will save a researcher both time and money. There are also marriage records, although these are not available for every county or every year within a given county.

The Vanishing Georgia Collection provides many wonderful pictures that just may contain an ancestor.

The site contains many other wonderful resources. You just have to poke around and I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I have.

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This is the third challenge in 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, a weekly challenge developed by Amy Coffin of The We Tree Genealogy Blog. The Weekly challenges are posted by Thomas MacEntee at Geneabloggers.

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy - Paid Online Genealogy Tools

Week 2 – Paid Online Genealogy Tools: Which paid genealogy tool do you appreciate the most? What special features put it at the top of your list? How can it help others with their genealogy research?

I have just two paid online subscriptions, Ancestry and Fold3 (formerly Footnotes). 

Between the two, I definitely use Ancestry the most. While I think most people really love them for the census records, I think I like them more for some of the vital record information and images they have in their databases. Yes, that information is a bit spotty depending on what state your are researching but it has allowed me to obtain this information / documents without always having to request these document(s) from individual state's vital records departments, thus saving me both time and money.

Even though I've had a subscription on Fold3 / Footnotes for a few years now, I've not really used it that much but, and this might be strange, but I have always liked it. Fold3's main emphasis these days is on military records. That being said it still has other records on the site from its Footnotes days such as the African American Collection and Native American Collection. Since focusing primarily on military records now, it's might be a bit harder to actually find these collections but they are still there.

In the past, I've had a few other paid online tools and can't even remember which ones they are now, which I guess attest the the fact of how much I used them. Needless to say I allowed them to expire due to lack of use.

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy - Week 1

Amy Coffin of The We Tree Genealogy Blog has done it again, come up with a weekly challenge to help us hone our genealogy skills. You can read up on challenges from previous years at Geneabloggers.

Hopefully, participation in the weekly challenges will help me to get back on track with my research. I'm only one week behind, so I should be able to get caught up quickly.

The challenge for week one is as follows:

Week 1 - Blogs: Blogging is a great way for genealogist to share information with family members , potential cousins, and each other. For which blog are you most thankful? Is it one of the earliest blogs you read, or a current one? What is special about the blog and why should others read it.


Back in 2009, when I renewed the search for the ancestors, blogging about my research was the furtherest thing from my mind. First, up until I started blogging, I just never really got the whole blogging thing. When I say that, I'm talking blogging in general not just a particular subject.

But as I got back into my research, I came across this wonderful medium thanks to Luckie Daniels of Our Georgia Roots, which sadly no longer seems to be up, and Our Alabama Roots. Three years later, I can't exactly tell you how I came across Luckie's blogs our what drew me in but I remember I enjoyed reading them and slowly began to think I can do this. So, within a few short months I begin blogging about my own research with Luckie's encouragement.

Once I begin blogging, I discovered oodles and oodles of other genealogy bloggers, so many in fact that I can't possibly keep up with all the blogs, even with Google Reader, which I guess is Google+ something now (I really need to get caught up on all the 2011 happenings with Google that I'm out of the loop on).

There are many blogs that I enjoy reading and for various reasons, so it's hard to pick ones that have had the most influence but here are three that I always seem to turn to when I've had a significant lull in my blogging and research and am trying to get back on track.

1. The African-Native American Genealogy Blog - Angela Walton is a wealth of information on African-Native American families and communities. Angela just doesn't tell the history of her family but that of communities. I always seem to learn something that I didn't know when reading Angela's blog. In fact, thanks to Angela, I've learned so much in this area that I was able to assist my BFF with her research.
2. Geneabloggers - when I've been away for awhile, I always check out Thomas MacEntee's Geneabloggers. I can quickly find out what's going on in the geneablogging world through his calendars and posts. I can find out about new blogs, get reacquainted with old blogs, and learn about any concerns or issues going on in genealogy.
3. Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter - not exactly a blog but always like checking out Dick's review of various products, new products, and happenings around the country.

Genealogy Goals for 2012

It's the beginning of another year, and like many I find myself reflecting on the past year and contemplating the future.

I didn't get a lot of genealogical work accomplished in 2011. After dad's death, I struggled to get back on track in so many areas of my life. Every time I felt like I was ready to get back at it, I soon realized that I wasn't and needed more time to morn and deal with this huge void left in my life.

But as the year drew to a close, it was like the petals of the flowers feeling the warmth of the spring sun and little by little the petals are opening back up and leading me to rejoin this game called life. So, I find myself tentatively setting goals for the year.

2012 Goals 

1. Attend 2012 African American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) National conference. The conference is being held in my state this year, so how can I not attend. Looking forward to meeting old friends and making new ones.
2. Work with my Hosch cousins and relatives toward having a family blowout in 2013. Much to be done.
3. Hope to finally get everything organized and make sure citations are up to date, etc.
4. Meet some of my new to me cousins, discovered during the past 3 years. Goals are to meet my cousins "Little" Irene, great granddaughter of Grand Aunt, Mattie Henyard Martin, in July and if things work out, maybe meeting my Perkins cousins, descendants of Great Grand Aunt Penny Rome Perkins.  

2011 Genealogy Christmas Wish List

I just realized that Genealogy Santa was pretty good to me last year. While I didn't get the Flip Camcorder or Wayfarers in Walton County, I did manage to get everything else on my 2010 Genealogy Wish List.

Of course I have to admit that I didn't actually get the Kia Soul at Christmas time but about 6 months later when the Suzuki Forenza decided that it had had enough.

So what's on my Genealogy Christmas Wish List for 2011.

Camcorder - Since Cisco decided to exist the Flip Video business, I've decided that I would prefer a regular camcorder. As I noted last year, the size of regular camcorders has come down tremendously. As stated last year, I think a small camcorder is perfect for those times when a you need a bit more than a still shot. I just have to determine the one that is right for me and my needs so that I can tell Santa.

Wayfarers in Walton County - I still would like a copy of this. Maybe this will be the year Santa can find a copy to place under my tree.

Nook - No particular reason I need this other than I'm a gadget freak. I'm sure genealogist need a reader for something.

So there you have it. No big ticket items like last year, so I'm hoping Santa can be accommodating.

Tombstone Tuesday

Research wise, these past few months have been pretty good. While I've not been able to peel away another layer in my lineage or been able to determine that final slave owner. I have had a few successes.

The first was being able to obtain pictures of my Great Grand Aunt's, Nunna Pierce Sims, final resting place. Nunna, is one of my maternal great grandad's, Cornelius Pierce, younger sisters.

For the bulk of my ancestors and collateral relatives, I have no clue whether there is a marker at their grave or not but I still make request because while its not a picture of the ancestor, for me, a picture of the grave and / or marker is still better than nothing. It gives you something to hold onto, to touch, and to imagine their time here on earth.

First, I found Aunt Nunna's death certificate on Georgia Virtual Vault.

The death certificate indicated that she was interred in South View Cemetery in Atlanta, GA. So, I did what I usually do when armed with such information. Yes, I immediately went to Find-a-Grave and entered Aunt Nunna's information and submitted a photo request. My volunteer went to South View twice trying to find Aunt Nunna's grave but was unable to locate the grave and stated that the cemetery had no records on file for Aunt Nunna.

Yes, I was disappointed but you know we researchers don't give up that easily, so a few months back I decided to try again except this time I wrote the cemetery and included a copy of Aunt Nunna's death certificate. Well, no wonder my Find-a-grave volunteer couldn't find her, because all the cemetery records have Aunt Nunna's first name listed as Unna instead of Nunna. Even the marker on her vault has Unna.

But I was able to determine that this was definitely Aunt Nunna based on the burial records / cards that South View provided in addition to the pictures they took for me.

The burial records indicate that Aunt Nunna's husband bought this four person plot when Aunt Nunna died in 1921. In addition to Aunt Nunna, her husband Matthew is interred with her in the brick vault. There are also two other Sims that are buried in this plot. I plan to explore them more in the future to determine exactly who they are.

I hope to be able to visit my Great Grand Aunt's grave in person one day, hopefully next year during the family reunion, but for now I'll just enjoy these pictures.

Pictures taken by the staff of South View Cemetery Association.

31 Days of Genealogy - 10 Minutes at a Time - Days 26-31

This posts wraps up the 31 Days of Genealogy from Lisa Lee of Got Genealogy?. The daily challenges were a way to get us working on our genealogy everyday during the month of October, which is Family History Month. Most of the activities required a minimal amount of time, usually 10 minutes  or less.


The activies for Days 27 - 31 are as follows:


Days 27) Create a Google Alert - These allow you to monitor the web for interesting information. I've created a google alert for my name, my business name, and for one particular branch of my family (e.g. "Crawley genealogy").  Google.com/alerts is free, and you only need to create a gmail account (also free).  You can control how often Google notifies you (weekly, daily, immediately) and the types of items (books, video, news, etc).

Days 28) Join a Remote Genealogical or Historical Society - No matter where your ancestor lived, there's probably a genealogical or historical society at that faraway location.  Those remote societies often publish a periodic newsletter, complete with transcriptions, helpful information about resources, and in many cases, they'll do free (or almost-free) look-ups for members.  I use this feature often, with my Ontario Genealogical Society memberships, since I'm thousands of miles away in California, since I'm a long-distance member, they'll do a quick look-up for me, saving me time and considerable expense.

Days 29) Try Mocavo.com - Not one of my favorite sites, but many people love it.  It's touted as a genealogy search engine, in my opinion, it still has a ways to go before I'll use it on a regular basis.  That said, based on your own ancestry, you may find the Mocavo search results useful. Good thing it's free.

Days 30) Find a local genealogy class and take it - No matter where you live, you can probably find a local genealogy class taught within an hour's drive of your home.  In many cases, these classes are presented at a public library, at a church or other public venue, and many of the classes are free.  Even if the class is outside your general interest area, you can still learn something.  One of the most interesting classes I took was a Chinese genealogy class, in San Francisco.  I had never heard the term "Paper sons" before, and wasn't aware of the Chinese Exclusion Act and how it impacted generations of Chinese in the U.S. and those desiring to come to the U.S.  It gave me a new appreciation of the difficulties of genealogy, and I've used pointers from this class again and again over the years.

Days 31) Create an Ancestor Display - Using a foam board, create a display for one branch of your family, complete with photos, reduced-size photocopies of documents, maps, recipes, migration patterns, interesting quotes, etc.  The goal is to create something you can share with your relatives during the holidays.  Yes, we know that many of them aren't interested in genealogy, but by creating an attractive, interesting display, you can post it on a wall, easel, stand it up on a table, etc., so, before dinner is served, your relatives will have a chance to examine the information, learn something new, and even the most recalcitrant relative may be inspired to actually open up and share some stories of information. 


Day 27: This was something I had already done. I've set up Google Alerts for my name as well as for ancestral surnames.


Day 28: I'm a member of the East Georgia Genealogical Society, which covers all the known counties in which my maternal ancestors resided. I'm also a member of Martin County (NC) Genealogical Society which covers the geographic area of my paternal ancestors.


Day 29: I think I've tried the Macavo site before and didn't particularly care for it. That being said, I did try it again. I'm still not sure about the site. Unfortunately, I can't quite put my finger one what I don't like about the site. I'll put it in my arsenal of tools but not sure if it will be the near the top of the list of things I use.


Day 30: By doing a quick search of my local library's event calendar, I learned that there is a one day class next month, November 12, 2011, at the Mint Hill branch of our library. The title of the class is Find Your Ancestor & Learn About Yourself.


Day 31: This is a great idea. I've done similar things in the past like create a family tree for my my mother and my aunts as Christmas presents. Last night, I really didn't have time to create the foam board display. For me, this is one of those activities that would have taken longer than 10 minutes, so hopefully, after I finish up a few craft projects, I can create this. 

31 Days of Genealogy - 10 Minutes at a Time - Days 19 - 25

During the month of October, which is Family History Month, I'm participating in Lisa Lee of Got Genealogy? 31 Days of Genealogy. The daily challenges are designed as a way to get us working on our genealogy each day during the month of October. Most of the challenges only require 10 minutes to do.


The challenges for Days 19 - 25 are as follows:

Days 19) Start a family Health History, using your pedigree chart.  Note the causes of death of as many people on the chart as possible, looking to identify any trends that may be passed down generation to generation.

Days 20) Write a quick 5-min story about one of your ancestors.  Send it, along with a photo, to a local genealogical society for their newsletter, or even to your local newspaper, as they're always looking for fresh content.

Days 21) Look for online obituaries for your relatives.  Do an Internet search for the city where they died, to determine the name of the local papers, then look for an online obituary archive.

Days 22) Create a blog for one branch of your family.  If you already have a blog, create a new one.  Blogs are free on sites like Blogger.com, Wordpress.com,Weebly.com, Blog.com, etc.

Days 23) Backup your family file to Dropbox.com, which is a FREE cloud storage site.  You can upload files, documents, videos, music, etc., and access the information from any computer, Mac or PC.  You need to backup your family files at least once per month.

Days 24) Create a "Passwords File" which includes all the Internet passwords for the various accounts you have online.  This needs to be either placed with your final instructions (for use after you die), or instructions where the file resides on your computer.  Without passwords, your heirs will not be able to access any family files/information you've posted online.

Days 25) Make plans to attend at least one regional or national genealogical conference next year.  It's never too early to start planning.  Groups such as the FGS, APG, Southern California Genealogical Society (SCGS), NGS, International Black Genealogical Summit, RootsTech, Ontario Genealogical Society (Canada), Ohio Genealogical Society, etc., are just the tip of the iceberg.  Check out their Web sites and start making plans to participate in one or more of these.

Day 19:  While doing my research, I've often noted, mentally, what my ancestors died from but I've never taken the time to do a formal genogram. Since for me, this activity feels like it may take a bit longer than 10, I plan to work on it later in the week when I have more time.

Day 20: What a great idea! This ties in with Lisa challenge from Day 3, which was to work on your genealogy gifts by writing the life history of one  ancestor. Since I'm already working on my paternal great grandfather, Peter T. Everett, for the Christmas gift, I've decided to also use him in submitting an article to the Martin County, NC Genealogical Society.

Day 21: This is something I do at least once a week trying to find obituaries for ancestors as well as more recent relatives. Usually, I find myself doing this on Tuesdays when I'm trying to find something to post for Tombstone Tuesday.

Day 22: Currently, I have two blogs documenting my research / search for my ancestors. The first is of course this blog, Georgia Black Crackers, which documents my search for my maternal ancestors, and the other is Conversations with my Ancestors, which documents my search for my paternal ancestors.

Day 23: I think I've heard of Dropbox.com but have never bothered to check it out. After listening to the video on Dropbox, I think this is exactly what I need. Currently, I have genealogy information on my desk top and lap top as well as a couple of flash drives. Many times I've driven myself mad going back and forth between the laptop and desktop to retrieve files.

Day 24: I've created a password file for my financial information and actually have some of my genealogy passwords within that file. However, thanks to this exercise, I created a totally separate file for all my genealogy passwords.

Day 25: Since it will be in my home state, one conference that I'm planning to attend in 2012 is the 33rd Annual National Conference of the Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society, Oct 4-7. I would also like to attend at least one month meeting of the East Georgia Genealogical Society as well as the Martin County, NC Genealogical Society.