| HINTS for Genealogy Searches on the Internet |
|
Searching the Internet for your own genealogy can be difficult and time-consuming if you don't know where to begin. The resources listed below can get you off to a fast start - and in touch with both information and fellow researchers.
HINT #1: Try most or all of them.
HINT #2: In several places below, the name KUYKENDALL is used as an example. Just substitute the surname you're researching.
David's Links - I have a large and growing set of links, especially for related family names.
Roots Surname List - their Search Engine page, with 170,000+ surnames linked to people on-line who are researching those names. You can search by surname and state.
Genforum - a forum may already exist for exchange of information about one or more of the surnames you're researching.
GeneaNet - free search from France with huge resources.
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet - well-organized links to over 37,000 genealogy-related sites on the Internet.
HINT: Skip her main page, which is a long download, and go direct to her index of
Personal Home Pages
Genealogy Gateway - another of the major genealogy links sites, fairly well organized, with links to "More Than 15,000 Surname & Family Homepages"
YAHOO! Arts:Humanities:History:Genealogy:Lineages and Surnames - about a 180K page, so a little s-l-o-w to load.
HINT: Right-click on the links and select 'Open in New Window' - so you don't have to r-e-l-o-a-d this page every time you return to it.
Rootsweb Mailing Lists - share information by e-mail, based on region or surname. It has hundreds of lists (groups) and you may find your surname listed.
HINT#1: Carefully follow their simple instructions for e-mailing your request to join a group.
HINT#2: Don't join a bunch of groups all at once, unless you really have nothing else going on in your life.
US GenWeb Project - Search by geographic location, organized by states and counties. You can post a query to attract other researchers, or search for queries posted by others.
GENDEX -- WWW Genealogical Index - has a fairly comprehensive Surname Index with links to thousand of online databases.
Deja News - It lets you search the Newsgroups (also called the "Usenet") for specific surnames.
HINT: The link above takes you direct to their 'Power Search' page. On this page you'll find a lot of boxes where you can fill in information, but you can ignore most of them.
- In the 'Search Keywords' box at the top, enter 'kuykendall'
- In the 'Forum' box enter 'alt.genealogy' (also recommended to me - try 'soc*')
- Then click on the 'Find' button (just to right of where you entered 'kuykendall'
Family Tree Maker Family Finder to search for individuals by name (first, middle, surname).
HINT: Before you click on the 'Find' button, scroll down and look at the checkboxes below the place where you enter the name, and you'll see that the default setting is for a search on:
> Family Archive CDs - More than 177 in the Collection!
> The Internet
> GenealogyLibrary.com
> User Home Pages, Message Boards, Classifieds and Civil War
Databases on Family Tree Maker Online
> World Family Tree Volumes 1 - 17
> Super Bundle III (World Family Tree Volumes 13 - 17)
> Super Bundle IV (World Family Tree Volumes 18 - 22)
Unless you're ready to buy their CD-ROM collections, uncheck all the boxes except the 2nd box (The Internet) and the 4th box (User Home Pages, etc.).
Search Engine HINTS
HINT#1: Using search engines is possibly the most time-wasting and least profitable way to start your genealogy searches.
HINT#2: Using search engines is possibly the most valuable way to start your genealogy searches.
AOL NetFind - At the AOL page, also accessible from the Internet, click on 'AOL NetFind' in the red bar at the top of the page.
HINT: On the 'NetFind' page, enter 'kuykendall AND genealogy' (capitalize the AND)
AltaVista - this is the link to the faster, non-graphic page of the best search engine. Using this "raw" version, however, you can run into listings where some pretty objectionable sites have "spammed" the search engine. See HINT#4.
HINT#1: Use keywords that are likely to appear on the page that you're seeking, and precede each keyword with the 'plus' sign.
EXAMPLE: +kuykendall +mother +father +born
HINT#2: Add more keywords to narrow your search, such as the name of the county or state where your ancestors lived.
EXAMPLE: +kuykendall +mother +father +born +Buffalo +NY
HINT#3: Put phrases in quotes.
EXAMPLE: +kuykendall +mother +father +"Los Angeles" +CA
HINT#4: Using search engines can take you over to the "dark side" of the Internet. If you run into this problem, use a search engine that can filter out objectionable sites. One good example is AltaVista, which allows you to select its "Family Filter" option.
 |
| If the link above says "Family Filter off," click on it to activate. |
Using Soundex
When you are searching for a particular name, you may miss the ones you are looking for if the name was misspelled when it was originally recorded or transcribed. In order to check for all names of variant spelling, the Soundex system was invented. This system transforms a name into a number code that is based on phonetics. The Soundex system is a method of indexing names in the 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920 US Census. Soundex can also aid genealogists by identifying spelling variations for a given surname.
This form will return the soundex code for the entered surname, plus other surnames/spellings sharing the same soundex code.
Caution
ONE FINAL HINT: Here is a word of caution about the internet: avoid giving out information about living individuals. Your correspondence may get passed along to someone else, and the information may later end up on someone's web site, or on a CD that is sold - without your permission.
