10 Questions to Rate Your Readiness for Genealogy Research Success
Elevenses with Lisa Episode 39 Show Notes
Elevenses with Lisa is our little slice of heaven where friends get together for tea and talk about the thing that never fails to put a smile on our face: Genealogy!
Are you ready for a year of successful genealogy? Learn how to develop an effective research plan, and preserve and protect your genealogy. Keep reading for the show notes that accompany this video.
10 Questions to Rate Your Readiness for Genealogy Success
1. Have you selected a place to start?
I started learning how to play the guitar in 2020. I began with an online course to learn the basics, and I picked one song that I really wanted to learn how to play.
For three months I worked my way through the course and played that song over and over every day. This resulted in two things: I learned how to play the song, and my husband took a blow torch to my guitar! (Just kidding.)
At the end of those three months I had several weeks where I just didn’t feel I was making any progress at all. I practiced every day, but I wasn’t getting anywhere.
It turns out that I had reached my initial goals – I knew the most popular chords, had memorized the Pentatonic Scale and could play the song Crazy On You for a captive audience in my home. However, I had not stopped to identify my next set of goals. Therefore, stagnation set in.
In an effort to restart my learning and success trajectory, I spent an evening looking through my record collection and I made a list of 6 of my favorite songs. Then I put them in the order I wanted to learn to play them. Most importantly, I identified which one was my top priority to learn. Once I did that, I knew exactly how I was going to spend my practice time.
It sounds simple, but finding and deciding on the place to start (or restart) is really easy to miss. When it comes to genealogy there’s always a bright shiny object online ready to gobble up a few precious minutes, or hours, or days! Having a predetermined project goal in mind will help you get down to business faster and keep you from wandering aimlessly.
2. Have you developed a project research question?
Once you know what your project will be, it is time to formulate the general question. In other words, what is the question you are trying to answer?
In this episode I shared the family story that had been handed down the McClelland family about their ancestor Washington McClelland. The story went like this: “He immigrated to the U.S. from England. He was working on the railroad when he met a girl in Idaho. She became pregnant. They married. He converted to the LDS church. They raised a family together.”
The general research question was “is this story true?” That’s a big question, and one that we’ll break down further in question #3.
Genealogy Gems Premium Members can learn more about formulating research questions by watching the segment How Alice the Genealogist Avoids the Rabbit Hole Part 1 in Elevenses with Lisa Episode 2. It’s available in the Premium Videos area of the Genealogy Gems website. Don’t miss the downloadable handout! You’ll find the link under the video. (Learn more about becoming a Premium Member here.)
3. Do you have a Research Plan for your genealogy project?
The general project question can usually be broken down into several bite-sized actionable questions. In the example of “Is the story about Washington McClelland true?” we can break that question down into several questions:
- Where exactly was Washington from in England?
- When did he come to the United States?
- Why/how did he end up out West?
- Did he work on the railroad?
- When and where did he marry?
- When was their oldest child born?
- Did he join the LDS church?
And many of these questions can likely be broken down further. These more focused question help provide the framework for the project’s research plan. They can then be re-sorted so that they follow a logical progression of answers.
The next step will then be to identify and prioritize the sources (records) that are likely to provide the necessary relevant evidence. Then determine the order in which you will locate each identified record. Finally, add where you think you can find the records to the plan.
4. Do you have the research forms you need?
There are many different types of genealogy research forms: research logs, blank record forms, checklists, just to name a few.
Research logs are great for keeping track of your research plan progress. Blank record forms (such a blank 1900 U.S. Federal Census form) are very handy for transcribing the pertinent information for analysis. And checklists (such as a list of all types of death records) help ensure that you don’t miss and records, and you don’t look for the same record twice!
Free Genealogy Forms at Family Tree Magazine
Family Tree Magazine offers a plethora of free genealogy forms. You’ll need to register for a free website account to download the forms.
Free Genealogy Forms at Ancestry
Here you’ll find several common and helpful genealogy forms including:
- Ancestral Chart
- Research Calendar
- Research Extract
- Correspondence Record
- Family Group Sheet
- Source Summary
- US, UK And Canadian Census Forms
5. Have you established Your Filing System?
Having an organizational system in place takes the guesswork out of where things should be filed, making it much more likely they will actually get filed. It also ensures that you’ll be able to put your hands on your records whenever you need them.
Here’s a secret: There is no one perfect filing system. The most important thing is that it makes sense to you and that you are consistent in how you use it.
In Elevenses with Lisa Episode 6 (available to Premium Members) I cover step-by-step the system I developed and have used for over 15 years. I’m happy to report I’ve never lost an item. (Whew, what a relief!)
As you work on your genealogy research you’ll find there are two important tasks you will be doing often:
- Storing items that you have not had a chance to work on yet (I refer to these pending items as “to be processed.”)
- Storing items that need to be filed. (Let’s face it, we rarely want to stop in the middle of an exciting search to file a document.)
Not having a way to store these two types of items leads to clutter and piles on your desk. Here’s my simple solution:
- Place a “to be filed” basket next to your desk.
- Create a “Pending” tab in each surname 3-ring notebook (if you use my system.) The beauty of the surname notebook Pending section is you have a place to put documents (out of sight) that are associated with a specific family. When you’re ready to work on that family line, grab the notebook and jump to the Pending section to start processing and analyzing the previously found records.
7. Do you have the supplies you need on hand?
Make sure that you have a small quantity of all of the supplies you need for the filing and organization system you are using.
Here’s what my shopping list looks like:
- 3” 3-Ring View Binders
(allow you to customize covers & spines) - 1” 3-Ring View Binder
- 1 box of Acid-Free Sheet Protectors
- 3-Ring Binder Tab Dividers
8. Have you settled on a file naming scheme?
How to name digital genealogy files is something we all struggle with. Good intentions don’t make the job any easier. Take a few moments to nail down the basic naming scheme you will commit to follow. I say basic, because there will be times when you’ll need to modify it to suit the file. That’s OK. But always start with the basic format.
Here’s what my basic file naming format looks like:
- Year (will force chronological order)
- First Name (filed in surname folder)
- Location
Example: 1920_robert_m_springfield_oh
Notice in my format I don’t usually include the surname. That’s because I file in surname folders. Notice that I said “usually.” That’s because we are always free to add on additional information like a surname if we think it will prove helpful. For example, if I anticipate that I will have a need to share individual files with other researchers or family members (rather than the entire folder) then I will add the surname so that the person receiving the file has the pertinent information.
8. Are you prepared to make copies?
Protecting and preserving our genealogy for generations to come is a top priority for most genealogists. All of us at some time have worried about what would happen if a website that we upload our content to goes out of business or sells out to another company. Now there is a new reason to take a few extra steps to ensure you don’t lose access to your genealogy data.
Recently, According to Buzz Feed, on Jan. 9 the largest cloud-hosting service notified a large social media network with millions of users that it would be cutting it off from its cloud hosting service. According to the Wall Street Journal, “other tech partners also acted, crippling operators.”
Now we must add to the list of concerns the possibility that a genealogy website we use might be cut off from web hosting. How might this type of action impact our personal family history that we share on websites? Many companies that provide access to millions of historical records and likely house a copy of your family tree and your DNA test results use the same cloud hosting service. In fact, it’s hard to find a company out there that isn’t tethered to it in some way.
My research showed that both Ancestry and FamilySearch have been featured on their website in case studies and blog articles:
- Ancestry Case Study
- FamilySearch mentioned in the article The Future of the Family History Industry.
The bottom line is that our family history is our responsibility to preserve and protect. While we can benefit from sharing copies of it online, putting all our genealogy eggs in only the online basket puts it at risk because we don’t have control.
While I love the idea of going paperless and I’ve been striving to do that in recent years, I’m changing my tune on this. For several years I’ve been strongly recommending that you get your own genealogy software on your own computer and use it as your master database. All online family trees are simply copies. Many people, particularly those who rely solely on FamilySearch often wondered why I was so concerned. The events of this week make my point and put an exclamation point on the end of it.
Making digital and paper copies of your data is a simple strategy you can put in place today. This means regular print outs of your tree, family group sheets, and the most important genealogical documents. I keep mine in a portable fireproof safe.
We can also make digital copies as well. For example, last year I had all my old home movies transferred to digital and they are stored on my computer. I went the extra step to get copies on DVD and I also copied the digital files onto a terabyte hard drive that is in the fireproof safe.
Remember, your computer is connected to the Internet. If you’ve ever woken up to a Windows update, then you know that tech companies can make changes to your computer. Having your own paper and digital copies are just extra insurance that certainly can’t hurt.
Here’s a checklist of things you can put in place today:
- a good printer
- extra ink
- a stock of paper
- a portable terabyte hard drive
Ideas for saving paper and ink:
- Print only the most important documents that might be more difficult to replace.
- Focus your printing on direct ancestors.
- Print in draft mode (depending on the document) and / or black and white to save ink.
- Make double-sided copies.
- When possible, add two documents to each side of the paper so that one piece of paper holds 4 documents.
9. Is your computer backed up to the Cloud?
I use and recommend Backblaze for computer cloud backup. They have their own storage facility. Here’s what their storage pods look like:
Image courtesy of Backblaze.
I am also an affiliate of Backblaze so I appreciate when you use my link if you decided to make a purchase. I will be compensated at no additional cost to you, and that supports this free show. https://www.backblaze.com/landing/podcast-lisa.html
Learn more: Premium Members can watch the Premium video Your Guide to Cloud Backup and download the PDF handout. You’ll get answers to questions like:
- What is cloud backup?
- Why should I use cloud backup?
- How does cloud backup work?
- Is cloud backup safe?
- What should I look for when selecting a cloud backup service?
- My personal cloud backup choice
10. Have you scheduled ongoing education time?
Pick one area you want to improve your genealogy skills and knowledge and make time each week to learn something new about it.
Thank you for making Elevenses with Lisa and Genealogy Gems one of your places for genealogy learning, laughing and getting refilled!
On the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel:
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Recap: 10 Questions to Rate Your Readiness for Genealogy Success
- Have you selected a place to start?
- Have you developed a project research question?
- Do you have a Research Plan for your genealogy project?
- Do you have the research forms you need?
- Have you established Your Filing System?
- Do you have the supplies you need on hand?
- Have you settled on a file naming scheme?
- Are you prepared to make copies?
- Is your computer backed up to the Cloud?
- Have you scheduled ongoing education time?
Elevenses with Lisa Archive
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How to Find Photos and Images in Old Newspapers with Newspaper Navigator
Elevenses with Lisa Episode 26 Video and Show Notes
Live show air date: September 24, 2020
Join me for Elevenses with Lisa, the online video series where we take a break, visit and learn about genealogy and family history.
Newspaper Navigator is a new free online tool for finding images and photos in old newspapers at Chronicling America. It doesn’t work the way the Library of Congress website works, so in this episode I show you how to navigate the Newspaper Navigator. It’s a fun session that will have you finding new newspaper gems in no time!
About LOC Chronicling America
Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress. It features free digitized historic newspapers spanning 1789-1963.
Newspapers Contain Imagery such as:
- Photos
- Drawings
- Maps
- Cartoons
- Advertisements
You may not find the newspaper that you need for your research in the Chronicling America digitized collection. In those cases, turn to the US Newspaper Directory. It catalogs newspapers published 1690-present. Click the US Newspaper Directory button on the Chronicling America website to search. The catalog will tell you where known copies of the paper can be accessed.
Uses of Newspaper Images
Most of the old newspapers featured in Chronicling America include images. And because these old images are in the public domain, they are an ideal complement to family histories.
If you are very fortunate you may find photos or images of your ancestors, their homes, or other things specifically about your family.
Newspaper images are also a wonderful source when you need a photo or image to represent an important idea or item when telling your family’s story, whether in a blog post, article, book, video, PowerPoint presentation or other medium. Example of this would include a photograph of a blacksmith shop in the 1890s in the area where your ancestor worked as a blacksmith, or an advertisement for a Sears home kit just like the one your grandfather built.
Chronicling America’s Newspaper Navigator
The Newspaper Navigator dataset currently consists of 1.5 million pieces of extracted visual content from 16,358,041 historic newspaper pages in Chronicling America.
The visual content was identified using an object detection model trained on annotations of World War 1-era Chronicling America pages, made by staff and volunteers.
This “visual content recognition model” detects the following types of content:
- Photograph
- Illustration
- Map
- Comics/Cartoon
- Editorial Cartoon
- Headline
- Advertisement
It also includes text corresponding to the imagery, identified by Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
Searching the Newspaper Navigator
You can search all images with captions. The results will be returned in a Gallery view featuring up to 100 images per page. This results format makes it very easy to quicky browse the images.
You can also switch to List view which lists the images along with the text retrieved by OCR.
How to Find Images Faster in Old Newspapers
Run a search in Newspaper Navigator of the word baseball and then run the same search in Chronicling America. A comparison of the results highlights the between Chronicling America and Newspaper Navigator when it comes to finding images in old newspapers.
Word Searched: baseball
Results returned:
Newspaper Navigator: 5,427
Chronicling America: 921,534
The search results returned by the Newspaper Navigator are solely focused on photos and images. This means you have a fraction of the number results to review. Another big advantage of Newspaper Navigator over Chronicling America is the size of the image. Newspaper Navigator gives you just the large image to review, while Chronicling America shows you a thumbnail of the entire page with images so small that you must click and load the page to analyze them.
Images appear much smaller at Chronicling America and require you to click through to the page for closer examination.
Start by running a keyword search. (example: Blacksmith). On the results you can filter the results by Location and Years. Because the search currently doesn’t support Boolean operators or other types of search operators, you may need to run a few different versions of the same search to get a complete picture of the potential results. We’ll talk more about search strategies in just a moment.
Once you find an image you want, click to open it. The pop-up box offers these four buttons:
- Download Image – Downloads a high-resolution copy to your hard drive.
- Cite this – Generates a source citation that is automatically copied to your computer clipboard. Then you can simply paste it as needed. You can also cite the dataset by including the image URL, plus a citation to the website such as “from the Library of Congress, Newspaper Navigatordataset: Extracted Visual Content from Chronicling America.” According to the website, all images are in the public domain and free to use. Learn more about Rights and Reproductions at https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/about/.
- Learn about this newspaper – Takes you to the Chronicling America catalog listing for the newspaper from which the image comes.
- View Full Issue – Takes you to the complete newspaper issue at the Chronicling America website.
Click the buttons to select the options
My Collection at Newspaper Navigator
You can gather and save collections of the newspaper images you find using Newspaper Navigator. Start by running a search. On the results page click to select the desired images, then click the Save button. This will generate a URL for that collection and copy it to your clipboard. Since Newspaper Navigator doesn’t currently allow you to log in and return to your past searches during different sessions, I suggest pasting the URL into a research log for future reference.
Train My AI Navigators at Newspaper Navigator
A unique feature of the Chronicling America Newspaper Navigator is the ability to “train” the site to search for you. It does this through machine learning.
Elevenses with Lisa Episode 26
How to Train My AI Navigator:
- Run a search
- Click to select desired images
- Click Save to save the collection of images
- Click Train My AI Navigators
- Newspaper Navigator will deliver a new set of images based on your selected images. On that page, select additional images that you want by clicking toward the top (+) of the image.
- Click unwanted images by clicking toward the bottom (-) of the image.
Click to select the images you don’t want the AI Newspaper Navigator to find. - Click Train My AI Navigator again
- Continue adding and subtracting images as needed to further train the system
- Type a name for this training session in the Name My AI Navigator The saved AI Navigator name will appear in the Select an AI Navigator column
- Click Save to generate a URL for this training session and paste into your research log.
- Click + New AI Navigator to create a new training session spring boarding from the first
- Click Clear & Restart to start a new search
Newspaper Navigator Search Strategies
Newspaper Navigator doesn’t, as of this writing, support Boolean Operators or offer an advanced search field. Here are some strategies that can help you have more success in searching the site:
Don’t use search operators, use variations
Even a space between initials can make a difference.
Each variation has the potential to deliver a different result in newspaper images.
Search Locations
Considering how many variations there can be to a name, when searching for ancestors try searching first on the name of their town or location. If there are still quite a few results, you can then filter to only newspapers from their state. I search the town name first because an article may appear in a newspaper from a different state. In the case of my search for McMinnville, I received a small, manageable results list. Had it been large and included both McMinnville, TN and McMinnville, OR, filtering to just Oregon would be helpful.
Test your search theories
Analyze your results and try variations based on what you are learning about what Newspaper Navigator is focusing on.
Search for word strings
In testing my search theories, I learned that Newspaper Navigator did not do well with multiple words that do not appear right next to each other. Therefore, I tried to find word strings that pertained to my family that I could search for such as the name of a business: Consolidation Coal Company.
Search for Photos
Another interesting search you can run is the word Photo. On the results page filter to the state and years that apply to your research.
Use List View to Find on Page
When dealing with a large number of results, List View can help speed up the review process. List View also displays the text generated by OCR. While not perfect, it can be helpful. Use your computer’s Find on Page feature (control + F on a PC, Command + F on Mac) and type in a keyword such as a surname. This will take you instantly to all occurrences of that word in the text on the page. Click the next page and run it again.
Find images quickly by word search in the List View
Learn More About Machine Learning
In the menu click Data Archaeology to learn more about machine learning and the Newspaper Navigator project.
Resources
Premium Video & Handout: Getting the Scoop from Old Newspapers. (Not a Premium member yet? Learn more here.)
Book: How to Find Your Family History in Newspapers
Bonus Download exclusively for Premium Members: Download the show notes handout
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Answers to Your Live Chat Questions
One of the advantages of tuning into the live broadcast of each Elevenses with Lisa show is participating in the Live Chat and asking your questions.
Bert asks: Are some newspapers only available for a fee on websites such as Ancestry
Lisa’s Answer: Yes, several genealogy websites have exclusive collections of digitized old newspapers. You can usually search or browse the site for free to determine if they have newspapers from the location and time frame that you need before you make a purchase. Here are some of my favorites that I’ve had good success with:
Genealogy Bank
MyHeritage
Ancestry
British Newspaper Archive (a goldmine for anyone with British ancestors!)
We are compensated if you make a purchase after using our links above (at no additional cost to you.) Thank you for supporting this free show by doing so!
Christine asks: (What is the ) newspaper navigator date range?
Lisa’s answer: Here’s a break down of the dates:
Chronicling America covers 1789 – 1963 (digitized newspapers)
Newspaper Navigator covers 1900 – 1963 (photos in digitized newspapers)
U.S. Newspaper Directory at Chronicling America covers 1690 – present (catalog, only some are digitized and those are part of Chronicling America.)
Rachel asks: I have an ancestor that was in the social pages all the time in our local newspaper in the 1800’s. I thought it would make a great book or video, any ideas on how to showcase them the best?
Lisa’s answer: I love both of those ideas and I cover many more in my Premium Membership video Inspiring Ways to Captivate the Non-Genealogists in Your Life. Personally I have found that short photo books and short videos that tell one story are received the best by family members. They both offer opportunities to share and highlight items from newspapers. Learn more about quickly and easily making family history videos by watching Elevenses with Lisa episode 16. And I strongly encourage Premium Members to watch these two videos:
Video Magic: Creating Brilliant Videos Quickly & Easily with Lisa Louise Cooke (creating videos)
Share Your Own Life Stories More Meaningfully with Sunny Morton. (writing books)
lagomcurt asks: Are local small-town papers included in the collection?
Lisa’s answer: Yes.
June asks: When you download it ask what to save as. What is your suggestion?
Lisa’s answer: I think you’ll find that JPEG is currently the only option in the Save as Type drop-down menu.
Sharon asks: Does Chronicling America have foreign language newspapers in America?
Lisa’s answer: Absolutely! Searching in the language will help retrieve items.
Ohio Waisenfreund newspaper at Chronicling America
Pat asks: Does it have Irish American newspapers?
Lisa’s answer: Chronicling America does have Irish American newspapers. If they were published between 1900-1963 then they will be searchable by Newspaper Navigator. I would also recommend searching all newspapers (online and offline) by clicking the U.S. Newspaper Director button at Chronicling America. Then search by ethnicity (Irish) and Material Type (online.) You will find that some are linked to other websites where they can be found online. If you see an image of a newspaper on the catalog page, then you know it is available on Chronicling America in a digital format.
Search for Irish newspapers online at US Newspaper Directory
Mark asks: Can the wash out pictures be enhance with the new MyHeritage Photo with the sharping feature and colorization to make it a better final experience with images?
Lisa’s answer: Yes indeed. Because the original quality will be poor and with low dots per inch (dpi) it likely won’t improve the way an original photo would. However enhancing and coloring just takes a few seconds and definitely improves the image. Even better, it often makes the print much more readable. I use it on documents too. Click here to try MyHeritage.
Newspaper photo enhanced and colorized with MyHeritage
Kathy asks: If you do a search in English, will it find the search term(s) in newspapers that were written in German?
Lisa’s answer: No. You will need to search in German to pick up on any German text. However, if the image itself is similar, My AI Navigator should pick it up.
Lucinda asks: Who is in your necklace and the photo behind you, Lisa?
Lisa’s Answer: It’s my maternal grandmother’s high school graduation photo.
Please Leave a Comment or Question Below
I really want to hear from you. Did you enjoy this episode? Do you have a question? Please leave it below. You can also call and leave a voice mail at (925) 272-4021 and I just may answer it on the show!
These UK Suffragette Records Tell Amazing Stories
UK suffragette records tell amazing stories about the women and men who fought the British government for women’s voting rights a century ago. Nathan Dylan Goodwin, the popular Genealogy Gems Book Club author, shares three of his favorite sources for discovering...How to Use Church Records for Genealogy
PREMIUM: Elevenses with Lisa Episode 41 Show Notes
Welcome to Elevenses with Lisa, our weekly little slice of heaven where friends get together for tea and talk about the thing that never fails to put a smile on our face: Genealogy!
As you know, birth, marriage and death records are essential to genealogy. We call them vital records, and there are two types: civil and church. Each records unique information. To get the full picture, you need both when available.
In this week’s Elevenses with Lisa show, my special guest wrote the book on finding U.S. Church Records. Sunny Morton is the author of How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records. She’s going to help us discover the important and very unique role that church records play in genealogy.
Even though Sunny’s book is focused on how to find records in the U.S., everyone can benefit from seeing how church records can be effectively used to solve genealogical challenges.
GET THE BOOK:
Sunny Morton’s book is available at Amazon (Affiliate link – we will be compensated when you use our link which helps support this show. Thank you!)
Church Records in Genealogy
In this episode Sunny provided three case studies testifying to the value of using church records on common genealogy brick-wall topics:
- finding an overseas birthplace,
- finding unknown parents’ names,
- and finding unique insights that turn boring names and dates into compelling stories and ancestral identities.
Using Church Records to Find an Immigrant Ancestor’s Birthplace
She was looking for an overseas birthplace for Carolina O’Hotnicky, an immigrant who lived much of her life in Olyphant, PA, and died there in 1937. Sunny searched for and found many common genealogical records: census records, Carolina’s husband’s naturalization records, and her death certificate. None of these records revealed her birthplace. Church records offered new hope.
Carolina gave birth to several children whose baptisms were recorded at Holy Ghost Catholic parish. Sunny contacted the church, and they sent her transcribed certificates that listed an overseas birthplace for the children in what is now Slovakia. This didn’t quite make sense since the children were baptized just a day or two after the date of their birth in Pennsylvania, U.S.A.!
Sunny inquired about the discrepancy and the original confidential church register was rechecked. As can often happen, a slight error was made. The country listed (Slovakia) was actually the birthplace of both of the parents. Subsequent research into these overseas locations confirmed that to be the case.
As in this case, Catholic baptismal records can be an especially wonderful resource for finding an ancestor’s parents’ overseas birthplace. Access to original registers can vary by church, so it’s possible you may not be allowed to see them in person.
This is not an isolated case of church records providing important information about ancestral hometowns. In fact, a study from 2013 showed that the US source most likely to reveal an immigrant’s ancestral hometown was church records!
U.S. Records most likely to reveal the hometown of a German immigrants:
- Local church vital records 65-76%
- Military muster and pension records 20-30%
- County genealogies 20-25%
- State death certificates 20-25%
- Passenger arrivals, obituaries, county histories, state censuses 15-25%
“Tracing German American Immigrants,” Nathan Murphy, FamilySearch blog, May 9 2013, https://familysearch.org/blog/en/tracing-german-american-immigrants/.
Church Records Search Strategies Recap:
- Church records are often a source of ancestral hometown information
- When you find a record transcription, go the extra mile and try to obtain a copy of the original for review and comparison.
- When in doubt or when information doesn’t quite add up, go back and carefully revisit the source.
Using Church Records to Find an Ancestor’s Parents’ Names
Sunny shared the case of Henry Fox who was born in Colorado in 1890. He died in Colorado in 1961. Sunny found the Henry’s civil marriage record at the Colorado State Archives. Unfortunately, it didn’t mention the couple’s parents’ names. As was the case with Carolina O’Hotnicky, other typical genealogical records did not provide the answer.
A close inspection of the civil marriage record did provide a very valuable clue. The document was signed at the bottom by the officiant “G. Raeber, Pastor”, indicating that a church marriage record would also have been created. But which church? The first line of the document provides the extra nugget of required information: “a Catholic priest.”
Sunny used the strategies from my book The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox and located a Catholic Directory from 1889 in Google Books. This is a great example of church related records and sources that fall outside of birth, marriage, and death records. (Learn More: Discover more surprising genealogical sources that can be found in Google Books in Elevenses with Lisa episode 30.)
Using strategies laid out in her book, Sunny tracked down Father Raeber’s assigned parish for that year, St. Ann’s. She learned that the parish is closed, but she was able to find the records at the Archdiocese of Denver archives.
As is often the case, the archives would only send her excerpts – a copy of the single line from the marriage register book – but it was enough. These snippets told her the ages and birthplaces of Henry Fox’s parents. And it provided THEIR parents’ names! “Hallelujah!”
Church Records Search Strategies Recap:
- Carefully inspect civil records for clues such as the officiant.
- Use Google search, and specifically Google Books to search for supporting historical information.
- Take the time to track down where records are archived today and make inquiries.
Unique Insights Provided by Church Records
While reviewing the obituary for Oglesby Johnson found in an old newspaper, Sunny discovered a bit of information that could provide leads to tracking down the church he may have attended. Listed in the obituary was the name of the church where the funeral was held (New Hope Church) and the names of several Reverends.
Sunny set out to try to find the church on a map from the time period. She found success at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. There among the many unique historical maps in their collection, Sunny found a hand-drawn map of the Hartwell, Georgia area. On it was drawn the church and several residences.
Next, she turned to Google Earth to try and find the location today. Google Earth provided a wonderful aerial view as well as an up-close view of the church and cemetery today thanks to Street View. (Learn More: Watch episode 12 of Elevenses with Lisa to learn more using Google Earth for Genealogy. You can also find step-by-step instructions for many genealogical projects in Google Earth in the book The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox.)
Armed with information about the cemetery associated with the church she turned to the Find a Grave website. There she found a plethora of Johnson burials. Continued research dug up the book History of Reed Creek by Hugh Gray Jr. (Hartwell, GA: Gray’s Printing, 2002) which provided an insider’s view of community life in the church.
As is sometimes the case, Sunny was unable to locate records from church. However, she did discover there was a predecessor church. The New Hope Church was created when some existing members withdrew from the Reed Creek Baptist Church. She turned to PERSI, the PERiodical Source Index to look for old church records that may have been transcribed in an item like a journal or newsletter. In this case the records were transcribed and published in the Savannah River Valley Genealogical Society Newsletter! She found it on the shelf at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center. (Learn more about the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Elevenses with Lisa episode 31 with Librarian Allison Singleton.)
She found that the Reed Creek Baptist Minute Book transcription showed Oglesby’s parents and the enslaving family. Sunny turned to a local area research who was able to track down the original records. These records had even more information than was provided in the transcription.
Church Records Search Strategies Recap:
- Clue to church records can be found in historical newspaper articles such as obituaries.
- The Family History Library in Salt Lake City has a vast collection of unique historical maps and gazetteers.
- Google Earth is an excellent free software program for finding geographic locations.
- Search for cemeteries and ancestors for free at the Find A Grave website.
- Search PERSI to find old journals and newsletters for organizations such as genealogy societies. Read my article PERSI for Genealogy: the Periodical Source Index to learn how to search the index and how to gain access to the records.
- Turn to local area researchers as needed to gain access to hard to access records.
Recap: Genealogy Found in Church Records
- Names, vital events, relationships
- Overseas birthplaces and other places
- Info on hard-to-find ancestors
- Contemporary accounts
- Unique stories
Sunny Says: “In many places, churches kept records of members’ names, locations, vital events, and family members’ names long before comparable government or other community records did the same. Better yet, church records weren’t generally kept at a courthouse, so if some of those important government records were destroyed by fire or other disasters, local church records from the same time period may not have been affected. Church records were often created at the time of an event, making them a relatively reliable source of information.”
Get Sunny Morton’s Book
Records created by U.S. churches are an often-overlooked resource for genealogists. But they can be a fantastic brick-wall buster, helping you find your immigrant ancestors’ overseas birthplaces, learn more about elusive ancestors (especially women and children and ethnic minorities), and flesh out their life stories. In How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records by Sunny Morton and Harold Henderson, you’ll learn to identify where a family may have worshipped, find any surviving records and put them to use for your family history.
Get 20% off your purchase of How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records with coupon code LLC20 when you shop at Genealogical.com. (Expires 2/5/21)
Sunny Morton’s book is also available at Amazon.
Answers to Live Chat Questions
One of the advantages of tuning into the live broadcast of each Elevenses with Lisa show is participating in the Live Chat and asking your questions.
From Bill: Loved your church records w/ Sunny. I found Roman Catholic sacramental records for all US military in NY. Here is the link: Catholic sacramental records of US Military members are all kept at the Archdiocese for Military Services USA, Office of Sacramental Records and can be obtained for a fee. See: https://www.milarch.org/sacramental-records
From Diane L.: I can’t wait for this! was going to order death cert for Gr Gpts, Is there certain guidelines to ordering death cert. to get them? Can I get one for GGP or a great aunt?
Linda J @Diane L. depends on the State as each is different. Go on State website, click until you find how to order Death Records. Some states are pretty easy, others not.
Sunny: Thanks for all the great questions! Remember, you can get 20% off How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records with promocode LLC20 at Genealogical.com. The promocode is good through February 5, 2021.
From GeneBuds: What was your initial cold call question?
Sunny: When I cold-called the relatives back in the hometown, I just asked something like, “If you’re related to the O’Hotnicky family that worked at the fire station in Olyphant, I’d love to hear from you.” I think I mentioned I learned some tips from Lisa Louise Cooke’s free Family History: Genealogy Made Easy Podcast, episodes 14 and 15.
Related Questions on Pennsylvania church records:
Question: My brick wall ends (starts?) in SW Pennsylvania. Her 1st child is born in SW Pennsylvania. How do I find church records for this area between 1790 to 1820?
From Robin J.: How to find birth or marriage records for eastern PA for Lutherans in 1750’s+ – my brick wall I’ve tried all the major site a and even on a research trip to the area.
Robin J.: Is there a Lutheran/German resource for church records in eastern PA for late 1700’s
Sunny: Finding church records in general can get harder the further back in time you go, and this time period begins to be more challenging. That said, the process of tracking down church records depends entirely on the denomination and sometimes on the individual church. Pennsylvania especially had a lot of religious diversity, and the various churches can be hard to tease apart. That said, there are some fantastic repositories in Pennsylvania that may hold the records you want. Learn more in my book!
From Carolyn S.: Lutherans and Catholics have good records for the most part. What about Baptist, Methodist or ??
Sunny: Methodist records tend to be pretty genealogically good, almost as good as Catholic or Lutheran. Unfortunately, Baptist records tend not to be as easy to come by, and when you can, they’re often not as genealogically helpful. Of course, there are exceptions to every generalization!
From Barbara D.: In the USA are there central places for specific religion records of certain States – ie – in Ontario we have Presbyterian Archives, Wesleyan Methodist Archive etc.
Sunny: Yes, each denomination has its own way of archiving records, whether to regional archives (Catholic diocesan or Methodist conference) or central archives (Latter-day Saints), or to specific archives such as the Presbyterian Historical Society or Congregational Library. That said, sometimes records were archived before a denominational library/archive was established, or there may not be one, in which case you’d have to look to regional archives, including Special Collections at universities that themselves are/were affiliated with a faith tradition. One of the reasons I wrote separate chapters for each of the major historical denominations was to be able to identify the various archives.
From K M: Catholic nuns change name. Is there a paper trail to find her family?
Sunny: Great question! Yes. Each order of nuns has its own motherhouse, which would have an archive. The archive should have files on each woman who was part of that order, which included her original name and her next-of-kin. Once, I was looking for a nun and all I had was the name she later assumed (Sister Mary Bertilla) and a time/place where she was serving. The diocesan archivist for that area put me in touch with motherhouse archivists for all the orders that existed in that time/place. They were very kind/prompt about checking their files for her name.
From Linda J.: Sunny, would Evangelical Lutheran be included with “Lutheran”?
Sunny: Yes!
From KT: Would the church hold records on deconesses, Sunday schools, organizations of the church the women participated in? want to find out gals .
Sunny: Great goal, KT! Yes, churches that had auxiliaries generally created records of their activities. I have especially seen these for Methodist churches. They would often have been archived wherever the church membership records ended up. A tip: sometimes the membership records end up online, or transcribed in a book, etc., but the auxiliary records don’t. Follow the source citation for the membership records back to the original archive and see whether their collection for that church has additional records.
Barbara C.: How to find Universalist records from 1800s Vermont?
Sunny: I do not specifically cover Universalist/Unitarian records in my book, so I’ll point you toward their official repository for any further questions.
From Sheryl T.: If your relative IS the minister, what kind of records in the church should I ask for?
Sunny: Great question. Some denominational archives have created ministerial files with biographical and career information in them; I would definitely check the denominational chapter in my book to see if such is the case for them. Many faiths kept ministerial directories and/or had annual meetings of ministers where their names/congregational assignments might be listed (the latter might also have information about their ordinations, salaries, disciplinary action, or committee work). The actual church records may have been personally maintained by your relative or at least will likely mention him in the course of performing weddings, baptisms, etc. He may also have maintained personal ministerial logs or journals, which may or may not have ended up with a church archive.
From Gayle P.: What are suggestions for searching Quaker Records in Pennsylvania?
Sunny: My book has an entire chapter on Quaker records. I’ll just say two things here: first, Quaker records are often incredibly rich in genealogical detail. Second, I’d start first with an enormous collection of Quaker records on Ancestry.com, if you’re a subscriber. It does include several record sets from Pennsylvania.
From Mary D.: How can you access PERSI without getting a subscription?
Sunny: PERSI, the Periodical Source Index, is exclusively searchable on Findmypast. You don’t need a subscription to search PERSI. Your searches will bring up a list of results with “teaser” information in them, which at times itself may be sufficient to lead you to an article of interest. Otherwise, if you’re not ready to subscribe, consider purchasing PayAsYouGo credits to get a la carte access to just the search results you’re interested in. Learn more about PERSI from Lisa Louise Cooke.
Linda B.: I have United Brethren minister who rode the circuit from KY to Canada, any ideas of where to start? He lived in Auglaize Co, Ohio
Sunny: My book has a section on the United Brethren church in the “German Churches: Reformed and Sectarian” chapter. You’ll want to determine when he was a minister. There was a big split in the church in 1889, which means the record trail splits, too. My relative who was United Brethren stayed in the group that eventually joined with what is now the United Methodist church, and I found records about him in a United Methodist conference archive in Pennsylvania. Consult the chapter in my book about the various archives, depending on which church your minister was part of. It’s complicated—it took me a while to tease it apart myself (but this eventually helped me write this section of the book, so it won’t be as complicated for others!).
Sunny: Don’t forget your promocode: 20% off How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records using LLC20 at Genealogical.com through February 5, 2021.
From Lynnette B.: Can I transfer old home movies directly from a DVD to YouTube or do I need to have the information in mp4 form before transferring to YouTube?
From Lisa: YouTube accepts the following file formats:
- .MOV
- .MPEG4
- .MP4
- .AVI
- .WMV
- .MPEGPS
From Debbi W.; Searching for criminal records in California between 1906 – 1914, not prison but likely county jail and county court systems. any suggestions on where to start?
From Lisa: Check out the California Correctional Institutions page.
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