Week 22: Spend some time at Find-a-Grave. Most of you have probably heard of Find-a-Grave and probably used it in your own research as well. The challenge this week is to simply browse this web site. Just click links. Look at the different ways the information is sorted. Study the tributes of others and see if there are ways you can improve your own entries. Don’t do any research of your own, simply study the efforts of others. If you have a genealogy blog, share your impressions of Find-a-Grave and any interesting entries you found at the web site.
I'm truly excited about this weeks challenge! I am a 2 year active member of Find a Grave and use it right along side Ancestry as one of my favorite "go to" research sites.
You can search for your ancestor by their full name, partial name (you must include at least two letters of the surname), by maiden name and also by partial search of the surname. When you locate a memorial for your ancestor on the site, look over on the left hand panel. It offers you the option of looking for others with the same surname in that cemetery, or the county, or the city, or the state, or on FAG itself! This feature has saved me lots of time and effort searching for my families.
I also make good use of the discussion forums. It’s a great place to ask those nagging questions like, what is the best way to clean an old stone, what about those cemeteries that don’t want you taking photos (sadly, they exist) or what is the meaning of a symbol on a particular grave? The members of the forum are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. The forum entitled “Help With Find A Grave” is a great place for new members to start. Here you can view and ask questions on how the FAG site itself works.
Another feature I love is the Virtual Cemetery feature. I have created virtual cemeteries for 3 of my families. Doing this allows me to see in which cemetery every member of the family is buried. This feature comes in handy when planning a cemetery visit.
Find A Grave also has the fun and popular “Famous Grave Search”. Want to see the grave for Elvis or your favorite celebrity? Just enter their name and visit their grave site “virtually”!
When I have free time or just a few minutes while I’m waiting for something to print, I love to read the Success Stories tab featuring testimonials from members on how Find A Grave has helped them find their ancestor or break through a brick wall.
I know the challenge was just to browse the site but I have to add my plea to everyone reading this post. Please consider becoming a FAG volunteer for your community. This involves fulfilling photo requests for those who are not able to make the trip for themselves. If you don’t want to officially volunteer, when you are planning to visit a cemetery, check out FAG and see if there are any photo requests and consider fulfilling them while you are there. At the very least, while you are taking photos in the cemetery take a few of the stones surrounding your ancestors. When you return home check out Find A Grave and post them to the memorial or create one if none exists.
Since I joined FAG 2 years ago the site has undergone tremendous growth. It is, in my opinion, one of the best FREE genealogical sites on the web.
Thank you for the challenge Amy!
Showing posts with label 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy. Show all posts
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Challenge #16
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. Genealogy blog authors are encouraged to write about what they find and share the details for benefit of their readers.
Since I am employed by The University of Notre Dame, it only makes sense that I should explore the online library catalog for the University Hesburgh Library!
One book I knew they had in their collection that I am anxious to read has to do with my husbands family in St. Helens, Lancashire, England.
A Merseyside Town in the Industrial Revolution: St. Helens, 1750-1900
The book is located in their General Collection which makes me wonder if I can actually check the book out. When I lived in Tampa, the USF Library also had the book in their collection but only for research in the library. This is something I need to follow up on.
Turning to my own family, I explored the Hesburgh Library for anything in their collection on Wabash County, Indiana, I found the following book published in 1976 on Wabash County History.
Wabash County History Bicentennial Edition 1976, Wabash Indiana
I didn't find much else I could use in this particular library but I will say that if I choose to go over and look at these books their online catalog has a really neat feature. You can click on the link "Find It" to locate any book in the library and it will give your the floor the book is located on and the call number. Very handy for a library with 10+ floors!
Since I am employed by The University of Notre Dame, it only makes sense that I should explore the online library catalog for the University Hesburgh Library!
One book I knew they had in their collection that I am anxious to read has to do with my husbands family in St. Helens, Lancashire, England.
A Merseyside Town in the Industrial Revolution: St. Helens, 1750-1900
The book is located in their General Collection which makes me wonder if I can actually check the book out. When I lived in Tampa, the USF Library also had the book in their collection but only for research in the library. This is something I need to follow up on.
Turning to my own family, I explored the Hesburgh Library for anything in their collection on Wabash County, Indiana, I found the following book published in 1976 on Wabash County History.
Wabash County History Bicentennial Edition 1976, Wabash Indiana
I didn't find much else I could use in this particular library but I will say that if I choose to go over and look at these books their online catalog has a really neat feature. You can click on the link "Find It" to locate any book in the library and it will give your the floor the book is located on and the call number. Very handy for a library with 10+ floors!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
52 Weeks To Better Genealogy - Challenge #14
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 (http://search.yahoo.com/), Bing (http://www.bing.com/), Ask.com (http://www.ask.com/), Dogpile (http://www.dogpile.com/), and even Clusty (http://clusty.com/). 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.
For this challenge I used Google, Yahoo, Ask, Bing, Dogpile and Clusty along with the search term "Benjamin Brane" Maryland. I was surprised at the different results I got with each site. Google, by far, provided me with the most relevent matches and the largest number. I decided to compare the top 5 for each site. The results are below:
Google Top 5
For this challenge I used Google, Yahoo, Ask, Bing, Dogpile and Clusty along with the search term "Benjamin Brane" Maryland. I was surprised at the different results I got with each site. Google, by far, provided me with the most relevent matches and the largest number. I decided to compare the top 5 for each site. The results are below:
Google Top 5
- History of Frederick County Maryland, Volume 1
- Rootsweb.ancestry.com/database
- Family Search.org/Brane
- Rootsweb.ancestry.com/database
- Alkire.org/gen/Ohio
Yahoo Top 5 (Only found 3)
- Rootsweb message boards/wabash county/Indiana
- Rootsweb.ancestry.com/database
- Rootsweb.ancestry.com/database
Dogpile Top 5 (Only found 3)
Ask Top 5 (Only found 2)
Bing Top 5 (Only found 3)
Clusty Top 5
- Rootsweb.ancestry.com/database
- Rootsweb message boards/wabash county/Indiana
- Rootsweb.ancestry.com/database
- Archives of Maryland Online
- Greta's Genealogy Blog
The results provided some surprises such as the Archives of Maryland Online and the Massachusetts Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, two sites I had not visited before. I was also taken aback at those that seemed to make no sense at all such as Greta's Genealogy Blog, the Intelius People Search and Target.com! The History of Frederick County Maryland was found in google books as was a book on Landmark History of the United Brethern Church (found as #6 on google search). I need to add both those books to my google library.
Thank you, Amy, for another great challenge! I've found two sites I need to take a better look at and two books to add to my google library!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
52 Weeks To Better Genealogy - Challenge #13
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.
Cyndi's List is one of my favorite resource tools in my research arsenal. I turn to it time and time again especially when my family enters into a new area that I am unfamiliar with. However, when I use Cyndi's list I am usually looking for a specific topic and was, therefore, unaware of all Cyndi has to offer!
A couple of topics caught my eye right away, such as, Outer Space with such listings as Project Blue Book - UFO Investigations and the Skywalker Family Tree from the Star Wars Movies! Or Lost and Found with links to Family Artifacts - returning family artifacts to the families that are looking for them and Ebay Listings - Family Bible.
But the one I really settled on was Social Networking for Genealogy. I started by clicking the link to become a fan of Cyndi's List on Facebook. I wasn't aware that application was available!
I spent most of my time reading up on Twitter. This is an area of Genealogy I haven't taken the plunge into....until today. I joined Twitter and followed the link on Cyndi's list of the Ten People All Genealogists Should Follow On Twitter. I signed up to follow a few of them and started receiving "tweets" right away! Now I need to go back and subscribe via RSS feeds, a step I left out the first time around.
I'm excited about my entry into this new Twitter world and can't wait to see what tidbits of genealogical information will deposit themselves onto my computer! Thank you Amy for suggesting this topic. Who would have thought checking out the resources on Cyndi's List would have resulted in a new Twitter account!
Cyndi's List is one of my favorite resource tools in my research arsenal. I turn to it time and time again especially when my family enters into a new area that I am unfamiliar with. However, when I use Cyndi's list I am usually looking for a specific topic and was, therefore, unaware of all Cyndi has to offer!
A couple of topics caught my eye right away, such as, Outer Space with such listings as Project Blue Book - UFO Investigations and the Skywalker Family Tree from the Star Wars Movies! Or Lost and Found with links to Family Artifacts - returning family artifacts to the families that are looking for them and Ebay Listings - Family Bible.
But the one I really settled on was Social Networking for Genealogy. I started by clicking the link to become a fan of Cyndi's List on Facebook. I wasn't aware that application was available!
I spent most of my time reading up on Twitter. This is an area of Genealogy I haven't taken the plunge into....until today. I joined Twitter and followed the link on Cyndi's list of the Ten People All Genealogists Should Follow On Twitter. I signed up to follow a few of them and started receiving "tweets" right away! Now I need to go back and subscribe via RSS feeds, a step I left out the first time around.
I'm excited about my entry into this new Twitter world and can't wait to see what tidbits of genealogical information will deposit themselves onto my computer! Thank you Amy for suggesting this topic. Who would have thought checking out the resources on Cyndi's List would have resulted in a new Twitter account!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
52 Weeks To Better Genealogy - Challenge #12
Week 12: Check out the web sites for the Society of American Archivists (http://www.archivists.org/), ARMA International (http://www.arma.org/), and the American Library Association (http://ala.org/). Genealogists can benefit from the educational opportunities and publications of other information-based organizations. You may not be an archivist, records manager or librarian, but you share the same interests. Look at the events these associations hold. Find the books they publish and see if you can request them through your library via Inter-Library Loan. You may also want to check out your state’s (or country’s) library association. If you’re a genealogy blogger, write about your impressions of one or more of these organizations.
For this weeks challenge I looked at the website for the Society of American Archivists. At first I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for but I quickly became engrossed in a study involving Web 2.0 and archives. Web 2.0 describes the shift from presenting Internet content to users as a collection of marked-up text to an interactive environment where users have the ability to create content as easily as they consume it. The study involves how Web 2.0 technology is exemplified in certain catagories including: blogs, photo-sharing sites, wikis, podcasts, RSS feeds and social networks.
All of this poses a challenge to archivists. How do archivists use this new technology to interact with their patrons? What does this mean for skills sets an archivists must have in the future?
The report goes on to list case studies of how archivists are becoming more conscious of the need to provide interactive services to their users. Included is a case study of how the Kansas Historical Society is using Podcasts to showcase their collections.
Overall, this weeks challenge opened my eyes to the role Web 2.0 technology will continue to play in genealogy research. As archives become use to the interactive nature of the internet I believe they will move towards becoming more open and willing to share their collections digitally. As new archivists enter the field they will have a comfort level using Web 2.0 technology that may not exist at this time.
I started this challenge not sure what I was looking for and ended up spending hours reading this study and becoming more knowledgable about the technology I utilize everyday. I'm much more aware of the challenges and opportunites Web 2.0 offers to museums, historical societies, libraries and research facilites. It's a conversation they are sure to continue having among themselves in the future.
Tim O’Reilly, “What is Web 2.0,” O’Reilly Media, http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html (accessed Mar. 14, 2009).
For this weeks challenge I looked at the website for the Society of American Archivists. At first I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for but I quickly became engrossed in a study involving Web 2.0 and archives. Web 2.0 describes the shift from presenting Internet content to users as a collection of marked-up text to an interactive environment where users have the ability to create content as easily as they consume it. The study involves how Web 2.0 technology is exemplified in certain catagories including: blogs, photo-sharing sites, wikis, podcasts, RSS feeds and social networks.
All of this poses a challenge to archivists. How do archivists use this new technology to interact with their patrons? What does this mean for skills sets an archivists must have in the future?
The report goes on to list case studies of how archivists are becoming more conscious of the need to provide interactive services to their users. Included is a case study of how the Kansas Historical Society is using Podcasts to showcase their collections.
Overall, this weeks challenge opened my eyes to the role Web 2.0 technology will continue to play in genealogy research. As archives become use to the interactive nature of the internet I believe they will move towards becoming more open and willing to share their collections digitally. As new archivists enter the field they will have a comfort level using Web 2.0 technology that may not exist at this time.
I started this challenge not sure what I was looking for and ended up spending hours reading this study and becoming more knowledgable about the technology I utilize everyday. I'm much more aware of the challenges and opportunites Web 2.0 offers to museums, historical societies, libraries and research facilites. It's a conversation they are sure to continue having among themselves in the future.
Tim O’Reilly, “What is Web 2.0,” O’Reilly Media, http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html (accessed Mar. 14, 2009).
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
52 Weeks To Better Genealogy - Challenge #9
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.
It was hard for me to cut this list down to five, but here are five of my favorites!
I have to start with We Tree. Amy Coffin is the one that put the genealogy blog bug in me and is the sole reason I have a blog today. I have especially enjoyed her Anatomy of a Military Pension file posts. It has inspired me to search for the Revolution War Pension of one of my own ancestors. Amy is also the author of the 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy and voted one of the 40 Best Genealogy Blogs by Family Tree Magazine.
Greta's Genealogy Bog
What do I like about Greta's Blog? Everything! I love reading about her Mystery Normans and Source Citations. It was by reading Greta's Blog that I, a newbie to this geneablog world, began to understand the Winter Games and what Carnivals are all about! Greta posts to her blog almost daily, something I aspire to. Oh, and Greta's Bog was also voted one of the 40 Best Blogs by Family Tree Magazine. Duly deserved.
Another one of the 40 Best Blogs (do I sense a pattern here?!), Our Georgia Roots has introduced me to the African-American Genealogy Community. I am moved by her passion for bringing the community together and encouraging everyone to be responsible in sharing their records of slave ownership in their family trees. Luckie is also one of the very best writers out there and her blog is....beautiful.
Yvonne's blog first caught my attention because of the title. My father's family all came from Sweden and I am intrigued by all things swedish. I love the layout and look of the blog and all the wonderful photos that Yvonne posts. But most amazing to me is how Swedish Thoughts proves once again that it's a small world after all. I just realized today that I "know" Yvonne! As a part of my volunteer work with RAOGK I have done research for her in the past. And in return, she proved us with some research on our family in Sweden!
I really like the style of Linda's writing. When I read her blog I feel like we are just a couple of old friends having a cup of coffee and sharing our family research stories. I'm always so eager to read Linda's posts when they appear in my Google Reader. I was on the sidelines cheering her on as she participated in the Winter Games and look forward everyday to her new posts.
It was so hard to choose just 5 blogs. I'm slowly working my way down the list of blogs at Geneabloggers. With over 900 to choose from that may take awhile but I'm enjoying each and every one!
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