How to Use the FamilySearch Catalog: Your Ultimate Portal to Free Genealogy Records
Every genealogist should know how to search the FamilySearch Catalog, a portal to nearly 750 million FREE historical record images you won’t find anywhere else on the site! These digitized records are being updated DAILY by camera teams who are digitizing...Marriage Records & Researching Witnesses – Audio Podcast Episode 277
Show Notes: Professional Genealogist J Mark Lowe joins Lisa Louise Cooke on the show to share a marriage research case study that highlights the importance of understanding Gretna Greens. Then Professional Genealogist and blogger Robyn Smith shares her 3 step process for researching witnesses found on records from her new Family Tree Magazine article Witness Testimony.
Listen to the Podcast Episode
To Listen click the media player below (AUDIO ONLY):
- 01:29 Marriage Research Case Study with J Mark Lowe.
- 27:15 Researching Witnesses with Robyn Smith
Watch the Videos
Watch Lisa Louise Cooke’s video interview with J Mark Lowe on the Marriage Research Show Notes page.
Watch Lisa Louise Cooke’s video interview with Robyn Smith on the Researching Witnesses Show Notes page.
Genealogy Gems Premium Members Exclusive Download:
Log into your Premium membership and then download the handy show notes PDFs that complement the topics covered in this podcast episode:
Become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member
Premium Members have exclusive access to:
- Video classes and downloadable handouts
- The Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast
- Downloadable cheat sheets
Become a member here. Learn more about Genealogy Gems Premium Membership.
Our Sponsors:
Get your MyHeritage DNA Test Kit
Newspapers.com
Get 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription. Click here and use coupon code GenealogyGems
Visit Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana is the home of the second-largest free genealogy library in the country. Make your plans to visit one of my favorite genealogy libraries today!
Learn more at https://www.visitfortwayne.com
Genealogy Gems Podcast App
Don’t miss the Bonus audio for this episode. In the app, tap the gift box icon just under the media player. Get the app here.
Download our Genealogy Gems app from your app store.
Get the Free Genealogy Gems Newsletter
The Genealogy Gems email newsletter is the best way to stay informed about what’s available with your Premium eLearning Membership. Sign up today here.
Follow Lisa and Genealogy Gems on Social Media:
- Instagram.com/genealogygemspodcast
- Facebook.com/genealogygems
- Pinterest.com/lisalouisecooke
- YouTube.com/GenealogyGems
Podcast Resources
Church Records for Genealogy on Archives.com
UPDATE: THIS COLLECTION HAS BEEN EXPANDED AND IS NOW ALSO AVAILABLE ON ANCESTRY.COM.
About 4.6 million genealogical records from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are now available on Archives.com.
This project represents a unique collection for Archives.com, which partnered with the ELCA Archives to digitize and index about 1000 rolls of microfilmed records of affiliated church. According to the company, this collection represents records that have never been online before. It eliminates the major barriers we usually have in researching church records: not knowing which specific congregation an ancestor attended; not knowing where those records are now and not having easy access to them.
According to a company press release, “The records in these collections date from the mid-1800s through 1940 and include births, baptisms, confirmations, marriages, deaths, and burials. Details vary from church to church, but often include parents’ names, dates and places of the event, and other biographical details. Many of the churches were founded by immigrants from Norway, Sweden, and Germany and had immigrant families as their members.”
I was curious to see what I could find in the collection on my own family. You can imagine how happy I was to find this record (image below) of my grandmother, Alfreda Sporowski (image right) from Gillespie, Illinois:
Church record naming Alfreda Sporowski, from Archives.com’s collection of Evangelical Lutheran Church records.
I remember years ago writing a letter to the church and receiving a letter in reply with this information. Now I’m looking at the original document in just seconds from my home computer. We’ve come a long way!
Not a member at Archives.com? You can sign up here for a free 7-day trial membership.