Do you sometimes wish you had your own enormous library of family history reference books? Or do you dream of how nice it would be to live near a major research library? Or do you ever wish the family history book in your hand had been better indexed so you could turn exactly to the page you need?
Digital books essentially make these dreams come true by putting books at your virtual fingertips with fully-searchable text (no indexes needed!). And FamilySearch’s digitizing project (a partnership with Allen County Public Library and other major research libraries) now has 100,000 titles scanned, more than 80% of which are online.
If you haven’t used the free Family History Books section at FamilySearch.org, you should go browse it right away. According to a press release, “The majority of the books online are family histories, with a smaller portion made up of cemetery records, local and county histories, genealogy magazines, and how-to-books, gazetteers, and medieval histories and pedigrees.”
Your family may be hidden in one of these books – and they’re now searchable with just a few keystrokes. What keywords should you try? Of course, your ancestor’s surnames, including variant spellings. Also search for other words associated with their lives: the name of their hometown, church, school, employer or industry, ethnic group and even surnames of friends or associates.
You can contribute to FamilySearch’s digital books library, too. If you are attending the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference next weekend in Fort Wayne, Indiana, you are invited to bring your own titles for scanning by FamilySearch and Allen County. They are most interested in autobiographies and biographies containing genealogical material; family histories with genealogical information; indexes to records; local and county histories; and yearbooks.
To contribute a digital book, FamilySearch says: “Permission must be obtained from the author or copyright holder before copyrighted books or photos can be scanned. (Most books that were published before 1923 are in the public domain and do not require permission.) There is no limitation on the size of a book for scanning, but photos should not be larger than 8.5 x 11 inches.”
Millions of new images and indexed records are added to FamilySearch.org every week. But here’s one that particularly caught my eye: 5.6 million records from Massachusetts Land Records dating from 1620 to the 1980s.
Massachusetts Land Records, Hampshire County, sample deed from browsable record set at FamilySearch.org.
It’s a browsable collection of “land and property records from the Massachusetts Land Office and county courthouses. Records include land grants, patents, deeds, and mortgages. This collection includes all counties in Massachusetts.” Though these images aren’t indexed in FamilySearch per se, I noticed that when I clicked on a sample county (Hampshire), there were alphabetical deed indexes dating back as far as the records themselves. So it looks like in at least some cases, you’ll be able to browse those indexes and then find the deeds you want.
Looking for other new records just added to FamilySearch.org? Check out the table below.
Do you think it’s complicated to remember the definition of a third cousin, or what it means to be twice removed? What if every relationship in the family had a different name? If there was one word to describe your paternal grandmother and another for your maternal grandmother? Different words for older and younger brothers or sisters, aunts or uncles? Apparently that’s the case for those with Chinese heritage! Whether you have Chinese roots or not, check out this video below and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Then, if you do have Chinese heritage, keep reading for a few get-you-started resources.
Chinese Heritage: Get Started
Want to start exploring your Chinese family history? Get started with FamilySearch’s introductory page on the topic (it’s in English). You’ll find brief explanations of Chinese geography, a helpful date converter, and information about where to research.
Next, move on to a more in-depth article, Jia Pu: Chinese Genealogical Record (An Introduction), where you’ll learn about clan genealogies that provide the basic written history of Chinese families. Then head back to the FamilySearch wiki for articles on specific topics: cemeteries and burial practices, immigration and emigration, notarial records and more (do a keyword search for “Chinese”). Finally, do you want to learn to research in Chinese? FamilySearch offers several free online courses in Chinese.
Here are a few online Chinese record collections:
China: Collection of Genealogies, 1239-2010. “Digital images of Chinese genealogies from various public and private collections. Although some genealogies include information on family branches that migrated to surrounding countries this collection covers families with roots in China. Chinese family genealogies list the origin of the family within China, where the family settled, and gives the generations of the family. Although some genealogies reach as far back as 1500 the time period and content of the records will vary from one genealogy to the next. Additional records may be added to this collection. Check the wiki or browse the collection to determine current coverage.” (FamilySearch.org, free.)
San Francisco, CA Chinese Applications for Admissions, 1903-1947. “This database contains descriptive lists of Chinese immigrants arriving at the port of San Francisco, California between 1903 and 1947. Information recorded in these documents includes: ship or vessel name, date of arrival, name, age, gender, marital status, occupation, nationality, last place of residence [and] final destination.” (Ancestry.com, world collection, $)
PA-Philadelphia Case Files of Chinese Immigrants, 1900-1923. “Case files for Chinese immigrants arriving through Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1900-1923. Data includes the name, occupation, age, birthplace, ship name, date of arrival, and many other pieces of information. This collection corresponds to NARA publication M1144: Case Files of Chinese Immigrants, 1895-1920, from District No. 4 (Philadelphia) of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.” (FamilySearch.org, free)
North Dakota and Washington, Chinese Passenger Arrivals, 1903-1944. “Contained in this database are passenger arrival and disposition lists for Chinese immigrants between the years 1903 and 1944. The primary port of entry was Seattle, Washington; however, some additional entry ports, listed below, are also included in these records. Information that can be found includes surname, vessel name, arrival date, class or citizenship status, and whether the individual was admitted or denied. Ports of entry in these records: Seattle Washington, 1903–1944; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 1911–1916 (in transit to U.S.), Sumas; Washington, 1903–1909; Portal, North Dakota, 1903–1910.” (Ancestry.com, world collection, $)
The Genealogy Gems Channel is in the #1 spot when searching “genealogy” in the YouTube app, along with many other excellent family history channels
A new YouTube App for iPad (also available for iPhone and Android) is a must have for your favorite mobile device. Why? So you can use YouTube for family history!
It’s been a long time coming but worth the wait. Here’s a list of the features you will enjoy:
Improved search – New tools include auto-suggestion and the ability to browse for new videos while you watch
Faster Loading of videos – We like faster!
More Ways to Share Great Video Finds – Share a video on Google+, Facebook, Twitter, email or text message right from the YouTube app
Sleek New Design – YouTube Channel Guide allows you to swipe right to see new videos from all your favorite channels
More Videos – Tens of thousands of videos now unlocked for your phone
Still not convinced as a genealogist that you need the new app? Here are 5 reasons you should be using YouTube for family history research and to share your family’s stories:
#1 Learn More about Your Ancestor’s World
Search for clubs, businesses, events and other items that impacted your ancestors’s lives.
#2 Find Your Ancestors in Action
Ever since the Internet came on the scene, genealogists have been searching online for photos (or for the distant cousins possessing photos) of their family. Apply this strategy to YouTube and video. Click here to read about how a Genealogy Gems Podcast listener hit pay dirt by following this advice.
#3 Get Quick Answers to Your Genealogy Questions
Got a pressing question on how to fix your Ancestry tree to how to how to create crafty family history gifts? Videos on YouTube not only supply answers, but show you how. When you find a channel that you like, click the Subscribe button. This will set you up to be notified of new videos from that channel as soon as they are published. (Sign in to YouTube with your free Google account because, yep, Google owns YouTube.)
The Genealogy Gems Channel in the YouTube App
#4 Benefit from Genealogy Conferences from the Comfort of Your Home
Not everyone has the time or money to attend a genealogy conference. Conference organizers understand this and are harnessing the power of online video to bring key content to users where they are. To get started, check out the videos that feature popular conference speakers and the conference experience from channels like SCGS (Jamboree) by searching SCGSgenealogy in the app and NGS by searching NGSGenealogy.
#5 Learn New Techniques for Sharing Your Family History
Get crafty and creative with project ideas found on YouTube. Search for keywords such as photos, shadow boxes, quilting, scrapbooking, etc. I’ve set up a special playlist on the Genealogy Gems Channel called Family History Craft and Display Projects that is chock full of videos to get you started. Search “GenealogyGems” in the YouTube app or go directly to the playlist at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAE920F093159BD02
These are just a few ideas for using YouTube and the new YouTube app to enhance your family history adventures. Leave a comment and share the finds you have made.
