FamilyHistory Conference a Great Success

Check back next year for another wonderful conference. We will start advertising about July.

It's Not Too Late!

There is still time to register for the family history conference on October 30th, but don't wait too much longer. We need to have your registration before the 15th so we can get a CD syllabus burned for you and if you want a printed syllabus or to buy a lunch we can also get those ordered.

However, if you don't register and decide on the 30th that you can come you are still very welcome. All of the classes will still be open and you are welcome to bring a sack lunch. Even if you can only come for a couple of hours we would love to see you there.

Registration will begin on the north side of the stake center, but will be closed during the opening session. It will resume shortly after. We look forward to seeing you there.

Don't forget the classes are all free of charge.

Search and Rescue Family History Conference

Held at the Delta Utah Stake Center

125 S. White Sage

Delta, UT 84624

(across from the Hospital)

We are excited about our upcoming Family History Conference and hope you will be able to join us for the full day. Another bit of exciting news - it's free.

More information will be posted at a later date but here is a quick overview.

Schedule

8:00 - 8:45 Registration

9:00 - 10:00 Opening Session Speakers: Ed and Patricia Pinegar, Manti Temple President and Matron

10:15 - 11:00 Session #1

11:15 - 12:00 Session #2

12:05 - 1:00 Lunch

1:15 - 2:00 Session #3

2:15 - 3:00 Session #4

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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

Ed J. Pinegar is a Latter-day Saint author, educator and leader. Brother Pinegar received his bachelor's degree from BYU and his degree in dentistry from the University of Southern California. He is married to Patricia P. Pinegar. Brother Pinegar is a well-loved speaker at Education Week. He is currently searving as the president of the Manti, Utah Temple.

Patricia Peterson Pinegar was the ninth general president of the Primary, where she developed the Achievement Days program for 8-11 year old girls to parallel the Club Scouting program utilized for Primary boys of the same age. She also has served as second counselor to Janette C. Hales in the general presidency of the Church's Young Women's Organization.

They are the parents of eight children.

There will be some really great classes. Please choose one class for each session.

Session #1

Discovering the Story Behind the Name by Ron Morris

Beginning/Pioneer Ancestry Research by Karen Chatland (basicclass)

Pictures for Your Pedigree by Mike Bringhurst

Family History for Kids by Marilee Lewis

Session #2

Hitting Brick Walls by Julie Hammons

Organizing Your Records by Dean Wood

Family History Cookbooks by Desiree Rhoades

Keys to Research by David Larsen

Session #3

Google Earth: Land and Migration by Julie Hammons

Spiritual Gift by Tafta Watson (basic)

Indexing by Amy Wright

Writing Your Life Story by LaWanna Peterson

Session #4

Searching LDS Records by Gordon Wright

Census Help: Hints & Tips by Pam Chapman

Sourcing - The Often Missed Vital Step by Allyson Wood

The Google Genealogist by Vivian Rowlette

Summary of Classes:

Discovering the Story Behind the Name by Ron Morris. Ron Morris was born and raised in Hinckley, Utah. After graduating from BYU he began a teaching career at West Valley College in Saratoga, California. Thirty years later he retired and moved to Provo, Utah and began researching the lives of his ancestors. As a zoology graduate student he conducted life history studies on Amphibians in Utah, and Reptiles at the Atomic Energy Test Site in Nevada. As a teacher he taught courses in Zoology and Human Genetics. It was only natural to transfer these interests and skills to researching the lives of his ancestors. He is currently on the board of trustees of the "Grafton Heritage Partnership Project" to preserve the historic ghost town of Grafton in Southern Utah and chronicle the lives of its early settlers. http://

www.graftonheritage.org

His research has been referenced twice in the LDS Church News: Family history moments: Mission connection, Published: Saturday, June 14, 2008 http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/52345/Family-history-moments-Mission-

connection.html Remembering Grafton: Descendants of early Church pioneers gather for annual

reunion, Published: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009 http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/58121/Remembering-Grafton.html#

Beginning/Pioneer Ancestry Research by Karen Chatland R.N., BSN, MS. Karen was born and raised in Utah. Married Clyde R. Chatland, they have three married children. By profession, is an RN - career Chief Nursing Officer of several large Corporations. Her job has provided opportunities for living in Utah, Texas, Illinois, and Missouri. She vowed that when she retired from nursing she would seriouly pursue Family History and Genealogy.

After retirement while living in Missouri she signed up for the new.familysearch.org at its inseption. The St. Louis Temple district was one of the first to use the nfs. Karen served for a Beta site for 2 1/2 years while there and continues to participate. Now serving as a Ward Family history Consultant and ward Missionary.

Beginning genealogy is fun, exciting and rewarding. You will be ready to embark on a journey of Discovery, Adventure and Mystery. Your discovery will begin in gathering information from home sources. Your adventure will be in utilizing Pioneer, Utah and other valuable internet sites. You will encounter mystery as you go your own Pioneer trek. Our goal is to find ancestors names and perform Temple Ordinances for them.

Pictures for Your Pedigree by Mike Bringhurst. Mike Bringhurst has spent the last six years as the ward family history consultant and loved every minute of it. That is, except for the times when he feels like he has not been able to answer a question about family history. He volunteered to be a Family & Church History Worldwide Support missionary in 2008-9. His calling was to provide phone support for the New Family Search system. It was a great

experience. Software development and support has been his profession and helped to provide many answers to questions about this new world of Genealogy and Family History. Mike is currently working with his mother to create a history of his father and mother. Being involved in Famliy History is a great journey!

Presentation description:

You have spent a great deal of time researching your family history and in the course found many pictures to help bring your ancestors to life. You have also spent time organizing those pictures in cardboard boxes, or scrap books, or in directories on your computer, or on a pen/thumb drive, or your favorite genealogy software.

Now, someone in your family is finally showing interest in what you are doing and would like to see some of it. Especially the pictures. Or better yet. You want to share your treasures with your children and grand children.

The question now is, how? How do you give them something that they will be able to find a year from now? How will you help them to keep all the people in the picture straight? How can you add more pictures of great grandpa that you later find without making what they had obsolete?

This presentation will show you a way to organize all your pictures, identify everyone in each picture and

make them all available in an organized pedigree way.

Family History for Kids by Marilee Lewis. "When is the best time to start doing family history work with my children?" "Where do I start?" "HOW do I start?" The answers: "Now," At the beginning" and "With them." Genealogy For All ages will offer games, activities, stories, and practical suggestions for involving your entire family in family history work.

.

Google Earth: Land and Migration by Julie Bliss Hammons. Google earth is free and it can be very helpful – and fun – in locating ancestors, sorting them out from people of the same name, locating their records, and tracking their migration. Learn how to use this tool of Google and you will be amazed at what you may find.

Learn about:

• The importance of Maps and Land Records in your Research-

◦ How to find other family members-

◦ Find when your ancestor arrived and/or left an area-

◦ Understand Geography and its importance in your searches-

◦ Learn how to Download Google earth-

◦ Tour your ancestors neighborhood-

◦ Save your searches in a folder-

◦ Share your searches with family-

◦ Set up a migration track and use a virtual tour

◦ Locate cemeteries-

◦ Use 'Street View' to take a virtual tour of your ancestors land-

• Use commercial and .jpg maps with Google Earth-

• Use those descriptions to “fly” directly to your ancestors property-

Breaking Brick Walls - Julie Bliss Hammons

(Over Around or Through)

Julie lived her early years in Hinckley and Abraham Utah where her Bliss and Theobald Families were early settlers, moving later to Spanish Fork Utah. Julie is a wife, mother and grandmother and a professional genealogy researcher. She has researched for many years, and been on staff at the local LDS Family History Center for thirteen years, two years as Director. She takes clients for limited projects, consults, teaches, and present at workshops. Jule makes regular visits to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Memberships include NEGHS, and Daughters of the Utah Pioneers [DUP, Northern Arizona Genealogical Society [NAGS].

When your research comes to point where you can’t seem to go any farther it is

referred to as a ‘brick wall’. This class will help you find strategies to move backward

in time by guiding you through traditional records, often underused records, and online

websites. We will also cover using your computer to help you with your research.

• Serious evaluation of what you have
• Family traditions a stepping stone or stumbling block
• Creating and using timelinesUsing the - 1850 census records
• Finding under-used records [city directories, tax lists, etc]
• Cluster Research - the magic bullet
• Local and online libraries
• Historical Societies
• Records Checklists for more complete searches
• Value of a Research Log
• Free online websites
• Finding others who are searching your family.

Most people who need a help to jump start their research will find that the answers

focus on taking apart brick walls -- brick by brick.

Organizing Your Records by Dean Wood. Dean has lived with family history for most of his life, (on the kitchen table, on the couch, on the bed), but somewhere along the line he was bitten by the bug. He was raised in St. George and moved with his little family to Delta 24 years ago. With his engineering and business background he realizes the importance of getting your information organized. He has tried a few different systems and believes this system can work for most people. Come and see how easy it can be.

Not sure what to do with all of those Family History papers? Tired of re-arranging your filing system every five years? Looking for a paper filing system that will expand with your research? This is the class for you! Designed for beginners and intermediate level researchers, this class will teach you how to organize your paperwork and will offer ideas for expansion in the future.

Family History Cookbooks by Desiree Rhoades. So often our stories and recipes are lost as generations pass away, but with research, organization and writing you can ensure this doesn’t happen in your family. A family memoirs that focuses upon such memories is a wonderful way to preserve some of your families history, and you can ensure that you never forget some of your most comforting moments in life. This class will help you learn the steps necessary to make an heirloom cookbook.

8 Sources for Successful Searching by David Larsen. David Larsen is a long time resident of Hinckley, Utah. David was born in Brigham City where he shares that one common thread with all nineteen of his aunts and uncles. Smitten with the genealogy bug about five years ago he has traversed the state of Utah, visiting family history libraries, county court houses, public libraries and the back rooms of local newspaper businesses. He loves walking through cemeteries looking for ancestors old headstone, time-worn and vigilant in their silent guard. David and his wife Marg work at the Delta Family History Center. He loves family and family history especially anything Scottish.

. . Class will highlight the following 8 sources:

1. It begins with a family (family traditions, reunions, interviews, blog)

2. Journals (personal journals, ancestors, Googling and special collections)

3. Searching Cemeteries (Utah Cemetery database, local history research, sharing information, contacting the cemetery sexton)

4. Using the Internet tool (New.familysearch, Google, Utah death certificates, Ancestry.com)

5. Newspapers (searching newspaper archives, online newspapers, digitized newspapers)

6. National Archives and Probate Records (War Veteran's and Widow pensions, wills and testaments, divorces, jail time, legal matters)

7. Libraries (Family History Libraries, Public Libraries, Online Libraries)

8. Genealogists (Genealogists for hire, volunteer groups)

The Perfect Gift: A Spiritual Foundation for Family History with 16 Steps to Take When Beginning new.familysearch by Tafta Watson Whether you are just beginning or have been working in family history for decades, we all need a spiritual lift. Come get a spiritual boost to help you start or to keep going in family history work. We will also cover how to work in a logical order in new FamilySearch. If you are just beginning, it will give you a direction to take. If you are skilled in new FamilySearch, it will give you a road map to help others.

Indexing by Amy Wright. Amy began doing record extraction in 1988, writing the information

onto cards from copies of images. Started data entry on the computer

soon after. Became the Family Record Extraction Director for Delta

Utah West Stake Sep 2002 and took CD images and hand extraction

all over the stake. Transitioned to indexing when it started and have

seen many changes. Am on the Project Completion Team for indexing,

a team that finishes the hard to read projects. Amy continue to do record

extraction in UDE to get projects finished for publication.

In my spare time I help my husband farm, substitute at the

Elementary School, teach piano lessons, chair the Hinckley Town P&Z

commission, enjoy the DUP and am a full time mom. Grandma to 2

fantastic granddaughters and 4 grand kitties.

Synopsis:

Indexing:

What is it?

Where are the records kept?

How do I sign up?

How do I get help when I’m stuck?

Writing Your Life Story by LaWanna Peterson. We have been placed on earth to learn. Our first question about anything we are trying learn is usually, "Where do I start?" Genealogy begins with that question. The experts tell us, "Start at the very beginning . Start with you.

What could help you know yourself better than to write about you? The product of that activity is called an autobiography or a history written by oneself. This class has been included in this conference schedule hoping to give you an incentive to start. During the 45 minutes allotted to this subject, we hope to explore the why, where, when, who and how of writing a personal history. The tools used will be examples of other histories, suggestions of approaching the act and how to put those suggestion into action. The big aim of the class is to give you the confidence and desire to DO IT!

Searching LDS Records by Gordon Wright. The objective of this session is to give the participant an overview of various records relating to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It will include a discussion of various sources including: ward membership records, minutes of ward and stake meetings, Church census records, the Early Church Information File and the Journal History of the Church and so on. There will also be a brief discussion of Endowment House and early temple records. Some examples will be shown and discussed

Census Help: Hints & Tips by Pam Chapman

Graduate from Weber State with a Bachelor of Science degree and a mother of four children. Pam love Censuses! She has actively been doing genealogy for the past five years but has been around genealogy research all her life through her mother. Pam is currently serving at the Delta Family History Center. This class provides hints and tips and information about the US census, state, nonpopulation, & special censuses in finding ancestors.

Sourcing - The Often Missed Vital Step by Allyson Wood Allyson has been doing genealogy work since she was 14, full time for the past 17 years. Lucky enough to come from a family that believes strongly in this work she has been locating family names for her aunts, uncles and cousins to take to the temple. Two of her favorite life experiences were her 4 week trip to Switzerland in 2006 and a cemetery trip to Kentucky with her husband. She has a firm testimony that the Lord will help this work move along and that it is, indeed, the greatest and grandest work we can do.

President Hinckley called for a reduction in duplication.New.familysearch has started us down that road, and citing where the information can be found and documenting it well may be what takes us the rest of the way. With sources attached to each bit of information most of the questions will be answered and can be easily corrected as the errors are found. Adding documentation and sources will save you and others a great deal of time from that point on and it's easy. Come and learn the basics of citing sources and how easy it is to do it. If you source this way, you may never have to go to your paper files again - everything will be as close as the click of a mouse.

The Google Genealogist by Vivian Rowlette Vivian Rowlette is a family history fanatic. If you don't want your ear talked off, don't ask me a family history question. :) She has served as the director of the Delta Utah Family History Center, and is currently a ward consultant and a trainer for the Delta FHC. This class will teach how to narrow the search from thousands of hits to five or so relevant hits. We will also cover error messages, alerts and definitions.

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Please register before October 1st for the conference.

A lunch will be provided for those that order before October 1st. Cost will be about $7.50. Feel free to bring a sack lunch or visit neighboring eateries as an alternative.

Also, if you would like a pre-printed syllabus they will need to also be pre-ordered.

Register by:

Phone: (435)864-3312

Email: deltafhc@gmail.com

Online Registration: see the box below and click on ONLINE REGISTRATION.

Mail:

Pahvant Valley Family History Conference

Delta Family History Center

Box 395

Delta, Ut 84624

Registration for Conference

ONLINE REGISTRATION

A CD of the syllabus will be made available to everyone
that registered by October 15th free of charge.

Lunch will probably cost about $7.50

How to Make a Great Power point

by Mike Bringhurst
July 1, 2010

Power point is a tool to present information in a slide show format. You can use text, charts, graphs, pictures, sound effect, etc.

When making the slides ... show them with bullets. Less is more on a slide show. Too much information on a single slide becomes unreadable, especially when it is projected on a big screen for a large audience.

1. Present your content in the form in the form of four or five bulleted points per slide.
2. Let your bullets be visible. Try to use font size 18-24.
3. Don's let each bulleted point be too lengthy. Limit it to six words in one line use short sentences.
4. Try to restrict it to six lines in a slide.
5. Contrast the text with the background.
6. To highlight certain import information, present that text in a larger font size ....

• Don't make it too animated.
• When presenting your power pointer is not a teleprompter.
• Don't commit the cardinal sin of reading out your slides word for word.
• Power point slides are to be used as a visual communication aid. If the audience needs to make notes of important points, provide handouts after the presentation. This ensures the audience is listening instead of taking notes.
• Go slow - don't rush through your slide show. Give about 30 seconds to two minutes for the images on your slide show to make an impact.
• Practice, don't make the first presentation to your audience. You should do the entire presentation by yourself. See how it flows and how long it takes.

"The seen and unseen worlds are closely connected. One assists the other. Temple work begins with genealogy."

John A. Widtsoe

The Secret Code

Genealogists have their own lingo and we tend to ramble on using this "secret code" without blinking an eye or realizing that the person they are talking to might not understand what they are saying. This is the code to some of the things genealogists are using.

AF = Ancestral File

AFN = Ancestral File Number

BEPS = Baptism, Endowment, Sealed to Parents, Sealed to Spouse

BIC = Born in the Covenant

BMD = Birth, Marriage, Death
FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions

FHC = Family History Center
FS = Family Search

FSBeta = Family Search Beta

GEDCOM - Format for easily sharing data

GSU - Genealogical Society of Utah - partnered with FHC on many projects

IGI = International Genealogical Index

MRIN - Computer generated number for marriage
NEW.FS = New Family Search

Ordinance Index = List of temple work already provided up to July 2009.
PAF = Personal Ancestral File

Pedigree Resource File - a program instigated after the Ancestral file was closed.
PERSI = Periodical Source Index
RIN - Computer generated number for individuals
Temple Ready - is now replaced by new.familysearch. It means checking the IGI and new.familysearch for ordinances already done.

TIB = Temple Index Bureau

URL = Uniform Resource Locator = website address

B = birth
M = marriage
D = death
Bu = burial
Chr = Christening [not LDS blessing]


Class taught by Allyson H. Wood, Jan 2009

Only a genealogist regards a step backwards as progress.
Genealogists live in the past lane.
Genealogy is the marriage of a jigsaw puzzle to a Dungeons & Dragons game.
Genealogists are time unravelers.
Genealogists don't die, they just lose their census.
Genealogy: It' all relative in the end.
I'd rather look for dead people than have them look for me.
I'm always late; my ancestors arrived on the Juneflower.

Are you just getting started with your family history? Do you already have information compiled and need to know where to go next? Is everything done on every single line so that you really don't have anything left to do? Well, this is the place to come. We are here to help you figure out your next step and help you along the way. Our staff is waiting to help you. Call for an appointment or just stop in. We would love to see you.

Organizing Your Paper Files - Dean E. Wood

Overview of Affiliate Programs used with new Family Search

You Know Their Names - Do You Know Their Stories? - Elder David Midgley

Genealogy and Family History - The Perfect Social Media - Claire V Brisso-Banks

Genealogy & Family History ~ The Perfect Social Media Claire V Brisson-Banks, BS, MLIS, A.G. ®
This class will cover a variety of Web 2.0 Internet-based tools that assist with connecting and keeping in touch with family while locating new family information and staying up-to-date with genealogical technology and social media. Wikipedia defines
Social Media as follows:

"Social media are primarily Internet-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings. The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences."Wikipedia contributors, "Social media," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Social_media&oldid=270250781 (accessed February 12, 2009).

Material Presented:
iGoogle: Staying On Top of Social Media
iGoogle: Staying On Top of the Genealogical Tech World
RSS Feeds
ITunes
Blogs
Wikis
Family Websites
Photo Sharing
Video Contact
Skype Research Communities
Social Bookmarking
Grave Networking
Facebook
Facebook Research Communities
We’re Related by FamilyLink
Twitter
TweetDeck
Genes Reunited
WikiTree
DNA
PC, Online and Portable Genealogical Software Programs
Digital Genealogical Books and Readers
You Tube
FamilySearch and Ancestry Online Research Classes
ICAPGen Mentoring and Educational Resources
Dropbox – Google Docs – Your Files online
Genealogy Training in Second Life Websites Referenced:
Personalized Home Pages
http://www.google.com

RSS
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download

Top Social Media Sites
http://social-networking-websites-review.toptenreviews.com

Blogs
http://ancestryinsider.blogspot.com
http://eatslikeahuman.blogspot.com
http://blog.dearmyrtle.com
http://blog.eogn.com
http://geneamusings.com
http://rzamor1.blogspot.com
http://practicalarchivist.blogspot.com
http://familypulse.blogspot.com/
http://timelessgen.blogspot.com/

Wikis
http://www.biographicalwiki.com/index.php/Main_Page
http://www.eogen.com
http://genealogy.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Main_Page
http:///www.werelate.org/wiki/Main_Page
http://pbworks.com
http://ladyclaire.pbworks.com
http://familylobby.com/

Social Media Sites
http://www.flickr.com
http://www.skype.com
http://www.delicious.com
http://www.findagrave.com
http://www.facebook.com
http://twitter.com
http://www.genesreunited.co.uk
http://wikitree.comhttp://www.familytreedna.com/
http://pinterest.com
http://historypin.com
PC Genealogical Data Management
http://ancquest.com
http://www.familytreemaker.com
http://www.legacyfamilytree.com http://www.familysearch.org
http://www.rootsmagic.com
http://www.macgenealogy.org/

Online Genealogical Data Management
http://trees.ancestry.com/default.aspx?req=tree
http://labs.familysearch.org
http://www.familytreeexplorer.com
http://www.myheritage.com/page/online-family-tree
http://www.phpgedview.net
http://lythgoes.net/genealogy/software.php

Portable Genealogical Data Management
http://www.astersoftware.biz
http://northernhillssoftware.com/index.htm
http://www.synium.de/products/mobilefamilytree/index.html
http://www.pocketgenealogist.com/EN/Download/downbydevice.htm

Mobile Genealogical Applications
https://market.android.com
http://www.apple.com

Digital Books
http://www.google.com
https://familysearch.org/#form=books

Digital Readers
http://www.sony.com
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.jetbook.net/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Training and Information
http://www.youtube.com
http://familysearch.org
http://learn.ancestry.com/home/hmlnd.aspx
http://www.icapgen.org/icapgen/resources

Files Online
http://docs.google.com/
http://openoffice.org
http://adrive.com
http://dropbox.com
http://zoho.com
http://mozy.com

Virtual Training
http://secondlife.com
http://www.virtualworldsreview.com/info/categories.shtml

© Copyright 2012 Timeless Genealogies. All rights reserved. Written permission to reproduce all or part of this syllabus material in any format, including photocopying, data retrieval, or the Internet, must be secured in advance from the copyright holder. Contact: claire@timelessgen.com

British Isles Research - Julie Bliss Hammons

 

 

Finding Your Ancestor in an Urban Haystack - Julie Bliss Hammons

You may find yourself researching in a large city for a number of reasons, besides the obvious fact
that your family lived in a large city. Your ancestors may  have lived in an area that is now part of a large city, or the records from the area where your family lived have been sent to a large city for archiving, or you may need to locate your family in the large city in Europe that they originated from.

The class will use mostly US Cities as examples, but the strategies, and record groups will also be found in European Cities.

A city is defined as an area large enough to need a map to find your way around in, and is generally divided into smaller divisions such as townships, boroughs, districts and/or wards.

. Understanding and locating the smaller area is critical to finding your ancestor.

The Good News
. Cities kept more records and began keeping them earlier than rural areas.
. 1800’s cities began keeping death records due to public health concerns,
including the cause of those deaths. Births records were next to be kept, and
finally cities kept records of deaths for planning cemeteries.
. If your family was in a big city, there are most likely records for them.
. There are unique sources for big cities that are very helpful.
. There was often a higher level of education in the cities, so people left more
biographical data, diaries, and other potential genealogical sources than
existed among rural families.
. The bigger cities had a large percentage of officials, professionals and
craftsmen. Craftsmen are found in the guild records.
. Membership in city nobility was inherited, so families kept good records about
their ancestry. This is also true for other families who had inheritable rights
(in saltworks, for instance).


The Bad News
. Lots of Records to sort through.
. Records are less likely to be filmed.
. Many records are not indexed.
. More likely to find multiple people with the same name.
. Records are not consistent from one city to another.
. We often don’t know if our immigrant came from an actual city named as his
place of origin. Many large cities were at the same time capitals of territories,
and their names could be the names of the state.


First Understand the City
1. Begin rural or immigration, if possible.
2. Understand why the city existed and what it was like before your ancestor came.
3. Find out why your ancestor chose to live where they did.
. Did they move after the Depression because they lost their farm?
. Did they come after the Dust bowl when 1/4 of mid-section of country moved,
mostly to the coasts?
. Did they come to learn a trade as an apprentice?
. Did they come because of plentiful work in the city.
. Did they immigrate and want to live near fellow countrymen?
4. Locate the ethnic or religious groups.
5. Get a timeline of the city your ancestor lived in.

Strategies
. Begin Rural if possible.
. Did the city grow up around your family or did they move there?
. Locate a timeline of the city and state you are researching
. Gather clues from family lore.
. Begin with less common surnames.
. If your ancestor is John Smith, look for his brother Amos Smith.
. Cluster genealogy can be a key factor in your success in Urban research.
. Make a checklist of records that are available.
. Go through the records thoroughly -
. Compiled sources will possibly need to be searched - be careful here and look
for supporting documentation.
. Identify the Jurisdictions- Different jurisdictions kept different sorts of records.
. Locate a map of the record keeping areas of the city.
. “A Handy Guide to Record-Searching in the Larger Cities of the United
States”, by E. Kay Kirkham - on microfiche at FamilySearch Catalog -
#6010059.


 Best Big City Sources
Vital Records - These were kept earlier in cities than in rural areas
 Film fiche also available for cities.
 Libraries, Courthouses, or a Genealogy Society

City Directories – These exist in many eastern cities from the early 1800’s.
Always use these in conjunction with other sources.
. Before Phone Books
. Not everyone was listed, and not available for every year.
. Large cities in the early 1800‘s, mid size cities in the mid 1800’s.
. Kirkham’s book [fiche # 6010059] is a guide to city maps with boundaries of
wards drawn in. Finding the ward will narrow your search down to a few
blocks. These listed:
o Name, occupation, others in household, street address.
o Puts family together at one address
o Indirect death source - widow is specified

. Ward boundaries
. Map of the city
. Directory of churches and cemeteries
. Classified list of businesses
. List of fraternal and social organizations

 Newspapers
. More likely to be mentioned if a tragedy occurred or they opened a business.
. Obituaries were often placed in as ‘filler’.
. Ethnic newspapers very helpful. They may cover more than one county and
readership may have been from many parts of the country.

Cemeteries
. Look for other family buried with/near them.
. Get sexton records if possible.
. Cemeteries were planned by cities as they tracked disease and population
needs.

FamilySearch
 Library Catalog - City Locality Search. The catalog is going to get better and
better.

. Occupations - Cities had larger number of professionals and trades people
often were members of guilds [true in England also] and guilds kept records.
. Medical Records - Cities kept medical records to track disease.

 Immigration - Did the city grow up around your family or did they
migrate/immigrate?

. Census is your clue to immigration.
. Look for land records
. Did your family move to a big city after coming to the US?

Census
. Locate every year possible and note address, ward, and district.
. 1850-1870 Cities were divided into Wards
. 1880-1940 cities were divided into Enumeration Districts
. Some cities had special census such as 1890 NYC Police census
. Who lived near them?
. Occupations help sort out common names
. Can try searching for just last name - or just first name.
. 1900-1930 census gives year of immigration
 
Poorhouse/Welfare
. Cities kept records of persons needing and receiving assistance.
. Asylums and Prisons were more often located in large urban areas.

Libraries - Visit them first online
Know what you want to look at and how you will access the information before you
go.
. Know about the collections they have.
. Can you take pictures, or bring a computer?
. Do they have scanners/copiers available
. Hours and days they are open/closed.
. Do they have places nearby to eat? [Google Earth]

Periodicals
. Ethnic periodical - help trace immigrant ancestors
. Historic journals - daily lives of your ancestors.
. Lineage societies -Such as DAR [Daughters of the American Revolution]
society members have to prove lineage, with documentation. It is also a
good place to research collateral lines.

Periodicals Often include:
Biographical Sketches, Cemetery Lists, Church Records, Court Records,
Deeds,Funeral Home Records, Maps, Military Enlistments, Naturalization,
Obituaries, Passenger Lists, Probate Records, Vital Records, and Tax Lists.

To Help You While You Research
- Have a timeline of your ancestor handy.
- Refer to a timeline of the major events of the city and state you are working in.
- Keep a map of the city jurisdictions handy.
 
Finding Aids for Records
Vital Records
City Directories
Newspapers
www.deathindexes.com
www.fold3.com
www.ancestry.com
www.familysearch.org
www.ancestry.com
www.genealogybank.com
www.vitalrec.com
www.cyndislist.com
www.worldvitalrecords.com
Cemeteries
Background
Historical Records
Billion Graves
www.billiongraves.com
Wiki
https://familysearch.
org Learn Tab
FamilySearch
https://familysearch.org
Find a Grave
www.findagrave.com
Ancestry www.ancestry.com
Look under Card Catalog

Compiled Sources – use with other records
Source

WorldCat.org
Search subject field for Hamilton Family.
Results come from libraries across the US

PERSI Periodical Source Index
Index of genealogical and historical
magazines locate through Heritage Quest
using your local library and your library card.

Google Books books.google.com
If a book is in public domain you may
download it.

Internet Archive www.archive.org
Huge collection of digitized material some
which are primary sources, others compiled.
FamilySearch
https://familysearch.org
Do a surname search in the Library Catalog.

GenForum www.genforum.com
170 million names and growing

Ancestry - $ www.ancestry.com
Also at your FamilySearch Center Free
World Vital Records - $
www.worldvitalrecords.com
Also at your FamilySearch Center Free
GenWeb Groups
www.usgenweb.org
www.canadagenweb.org
www.britishislesgenweb.org
www.worldgenweb.org
Helps find unpublished sources that might
only be on a local level.
Genealogy.com
Family Finder – Database of 300 million
entries.

Rootsweb.org
Is part of Ancestry, but is free. Surname lists,
message boards and published family trees.

Godfrey Library - $
Free at your FamilySearch Center

Kindred Konnections $
www.kindredkonnections.com
Great Surname Site

Genes Reunited - $
www.genesreunited.com
Largest UK site with over 650 million names

Build of One Name Studies
www.one-name.org
8,000 registered UK surnames

New England Historic Genealogical
Society - $
www.americanancestors.org
Not just for New England, but England,
Canada and for any family that lived in New
England for a time.

Google
Use surname and words genealogy family
trees. These sites are only as good as their
sources.