Find everything you can on one relative using Google:
A. Google Search
How to search on Google
1. Put "quotes" around search terms so Google will look for those words in that order
ie "Emma Scholl" and "Scholl, Emma"
2. Use OR
ie "Emma Scholl" OR "Mrs. Scholl"
For more detailed information go here: http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/advanced-google-search-for-family-history-research
Here is an excellent resource: http://lifehacker.com/280785/where-to-find-public-records-online
B. FamilySearch.org
Assignment: Add the information you find to FamilySearch. Dates, photos, documents.
- Hint: To search for a word on any internet page: Macs: use command + F, for a PC use: control + F. To do this on a iPad merely do a second search and look at the bottom of search results for that page.
Class Two - What can a census tell us?
UCensus information can be found on Ancestry or FamilySearch for free.
Blue words are clickable on this site.
- 1940 United States Federal Census (Ancestry) (free)
- United States Census, 1940 (FamilySearch) (free)
- 1940 Census (National Archives) (free)
- 1930 census: https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1810731
- In FamilySearch go to the Search, then Records, then click on: Browse All Published Collections in the center of the screen and click on census and lists on the left.
Class Three - Newspapers
1. Utah newspapers, free, online:
http://digitalnewspapers.org/ Excellent for Utah historical newspapers
2. Recent newspapers, free in Family History Centers:
http://www.newspapers.com/ Excellent for current small town newspapers
3. Early newspapers from the Library of Congress, free online:
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
4. Google has digitized many newspapers, free online:
https://news.google.com/newspapers
Info on newspapers: https://www.rootstech.org/bc/content/pdfs/Class-Syllabus/Computer-Lab/LAB1884_FindingAndUsingDigitizedNewsPapers_Zarndt.pdf?lang=eng
Find two newspaper articles on your ancestor and add them to FamilySearch this week.
More information on Newspapers
Class Four - Getting Organized
Now that you have collected some or lots of information. Where will you store it and how will you organize that information? Be ready to share how you keep track of your research next week.
1. A file on your computer with:
A. A timeline that includes sources for each event. example: Stewart Family Research
B. A spread sheet, one example, other examples
2. A word document:
A. A timeline
B. A spread sheet
3. FamilySearch (FamilySearch Tree App or Memories App or attach documents to the person's name on your tree)
4. Ancestry (attach information to your person's tree)
5. A professional program (Use a software program like iFamily, Reunion, RootsMagic etc)
6. Your own blog or website (You can make your own website for free on blogspot.com or another of your own choosing, most cost monthly)
Check out the Harrison's website: http://harrisonhistories.blogspot.com/
If anyone wants to make their own website on blogger, here are the steps: http://gatheringgardiners.blogspot.com/2015/02/5-steps-to-making-your-own-website.html.
Class Six - Interviews
Your assignment is to video tape a relative and post it on YouTube or Vimeo or upload it to your computer for future use.
I encourage everyone to record family histories and/or oral histories of individuals that are important to you. This brings history alive. People don't live forever. Record now. The benefits are:
*hear the voice of a relative who will one day passed away
*remember how much you love them
*get details from a relative and be able to record everything they say
*hear the sound of a voice that you love
Here is are two short examples:
2010 Who ate the candybar? from Kent on Vimeo.
1987 What Suzanne Would Pass On from Kent on Vimeo.
Class Six Death
 |
| Brother Gardiner's grandfather, George Scholl's grave marker, buried in Glendale, CA |
1. Find a relative or a famous person's death certificate on this site:
http://www.archives.state.ut.us/research/indexes/20842.htm
2. Find a relative's grave marker and see what else there is, and leave a flower
http://www.findagrave.com or Billion graves
Be ready to share what the death certificate tells you and what a grave marker tells you next week.
extra stuff on death in Utah: http://www.deathindexes.com/utah/index.html
Class Seven - Journals
Make a journal entry on a "defining moment" in your life. This comes from advice from Bro Faust to the Santa Clarita Stake many years ago but it is still good today. Defining moments are those that change the course of your life: meeting your spouse, birth of a child, becoming a grandparent, gaining a testimony, fellowshipping someone into the church, death of a loved one.
Assignment: Post a defining moment from you or a family member on FamilySearch, or share one on Facebook or publish a book of family stories.
Example: Books on Gardiner Relatives
Class Eight - Photographs
Photos can be found from:
FamilySearch (has portrait pedigree, good place to start)
Relatives (second best place to start)
Find-A-Grave
Internet search
Newspapers
Directories
Ancestry
Make a photograph collection of yourself, your parents, grandparents and great grandparents. See how many photos you can find. If you found them all it might look like this:
I was able to find ______photos out of 15.
Class Nine - Maps
Take a screen shot of a map showing where your grandparents or great grandparents lived and a photo of the house if you can.
Class Ten - Ordinances