Cherokee
Heritage Center’s Electronic Genealogy Workshop, 15 November 2003,
Tahlequah, OK
Presented by
Barbara Becker Meehan, CGRSSM,
FTGS • 4712 S. 66th East Ave., Tulsa, OK 74145 •
918/280-0991
Why is place
so important?
The problem:
Not
everything is on the internet.
We
need to get access to local records and information.
Travel
to the locality may not be possible.
We
are uncomfortable relying on others to do the research.
We
don’t even know what’s available.
Make the locality
the subject of your research.
Recordkeeping
History
Migration
Ethnic
settlement
Census
availability
What records
do we most want to use:
Cemeteries
Local
histories
Newspapers
Manuscript
collections
Census
County
records
Who knows
where the records are?
Reference
resources to help:
Handybook
– http://www.familyhistorynetwork.net
Red Book – http://shops.ancestry.com/product.asp?productid=2013&shopid=0
Vital
Records Handbook – http://www.genealogical.com/item_detail.asp?ID=3148
Where to Write –
Map
Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790 – 1920 – http://www.amazon.com
Research
Outlines – http://www.familysearch.org
Click
on Search, then Research Helps, then use the alphabetic directory
Locating
materials within reach
Nearby
Libraries – Tahlequah, Grove, Muskogee, Tulsa, Ft. Smith
Genealogical
Societies with Libraries
Family
History Centers
Regional
Libraries
Arkansas History Commission, Little Rock
Midcontinent Public Library, Independence, Missouri (Kansas
City)
Oklahoma Historical Society Research Library, Oklahoma City
Dallas Public Library, Downtown Dallas
National Archives Regional Branches – http://www.archives.gov/facilities/index.html
Who else knows
where the records are?
Local
resources/knowledge
Genealogical
Societies
Libraries
People
Genealogical
Societies
Federation
of Genealogical Societies Society Hall – http://www.fgs.org
Cyndi’s
List – http://www.cyndislist.com/soc-gen.htm
Google
– http://www.google.com
Genealogy
Libraries
Libweb
– http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Libweb/
GenealogySpot
– http://www.genealogyspot.com
Family
History Library – http://www.familysearch.org
Cyndi’s
List – http://www.cyndislist.com/lib-gen.htm
Who else knows
where the records are?
People
Online
resources
USGenWeb
– http://www.usgenweb.com
RootsWeb
– http://www.rootsweb.com
Online
classes
Offline
Writers
Lecturers/Teachers
– http://www.audiotapes.com/browse.asp?topic=1
How can you
have materials sent to you?
Family
History Center
Interlibrary
Loan
Genealogy
From the Heartland – http://www.mcpl.lib.mo.us/ge/heartland
National
Genealogical Society – http://www.ngsgenealogy.org
Microfilm
Rental –
http://www.archives.gov/publications/microfilm_catalogs/how_to_rent_microfilm.html
Purchase Materials
The world is
out library – Online Catalogs
National
Genealogical Society Online Catalog – http://www.ngsgenealogy.org
Library
of Congress – http://www.loc.gov
NUCMC
– http://lcweb.loc.gov/coll/nucmc
PERSI
“Links
to Some Major Catalogs Online,” Ancestor Daily News 2 Aug 1999 –
http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/news/articles/1419.asp
WorldCat/FirstSearch
– http://www.tulsalibrary.org
Family
History Library Catalog
What else can
we find on the Internet?
Original
Records (Online images & transcriptions)
Ancestry.com
– http://www.ancestry.com
US
Census, Civil War, Historical Newspapers
Family & Local Histories – HeritageQuestOnline
& Genealogy.com –
Bureau
of Land Management – http://www.glorecords.blm.gov
Library
of Congress American Memory Project – http://memory.loc.gov
National
Archives and Records Administration – http://www.archives.gov
What is on the
Internet?
Others
who want to network or help
Message
Boards
GenForum
@ Genealogy.com – http://genforum.genealogy.com
@
Ancestry.com – http://www.ancestry.com/share
@
RootsWeb – http://www.rootsweb.com
Mailing
Lists – RootsWeb
Societies
– http://www.tulsagenealogy.org/researcher.asp
Libraries.
See their policies regarding inquiries online.
USGenWeb
-> The Project’s State Pages -> links to counties
Random
Acts of Genealogical Kindness – http://www.raogk.org
Some other
places to look for helpful Internet sites.
FamilyTree
Magazine’s 101 Best Web Sites – http://www.familytreemagazine.com
Eastman’s
Online Genealogy Newsletter – http://www.eogn.com
Ancestry’s
Library – http://www.ancestry.com/learn
Genealogy.com’s
Learning Center – http://www.genealogy.com/genehelp.html
The
speaker’s Web site – http://www.desktopgenerations.com
What is on the
Internet?
Data
posted by genealogists (besides family trees)
USGenWeb
Project Archives – http://www.usgenweb.com
Private
sites example: http://www.rootsweb.com/~okgarvin/kinard/kinard.htm
AccessGenealogy.com
(Dawes rolls) – http://accessgenealogy.com/native/dawes.php
Cherokee
Heritage Center – http://www.cherokeeheritage.org
How do we keep
up with all of these potential resources?
Sign up for
some free information or search archived newsletters.
RootsWeb
Review – http://www.rootsweb.com
Eastman’s
Online Genealogy Newsletter – http://www.eogn.com/newsletter
Ancestry
Daily News – http://www.ancestry.com/learn
FamilyTreeMagazine
– http://www.familytreemagazine.com
APG
Digest (Association of Professional Genealogists) – http://www.apgen.org
Click
on APG-L
Agents
Volunteer
Lookups
Genealogical
Societies
Hiring
a Professional
Association
of Professional Genealogists – http://www.apgen.org
Board
for Certification of Genealogists – http://www.bcgcertification.org
International
Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists
(ICAPGen) – http://www.icapgen.org
“Why
Hire a Professional Genealogist?” – http://www.apgen.org
Conclusion
There
are numerous resources for conducting long distance genealogy research. The
route you choose will depend upon your budget, your comfort level, and whether
time or money is more valuable to you. Use these ideas to put together a visit
to the locality of your ancestor one day. The reward will be worth the expense
and time, and will be determined by your preparation efforts.
November
2003
ElectronicGen
LDR.doc