Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center

Subject Guide: Genealogy

Introduction

Contents

Introduction Getting Started

Books Periodicals

Databases Web Sites Local Resources

Introduction

Getting Started

Start at Home

The best place to "start" genealogy research is right at home with YOU! Each individual and family of individuals have a unique life history to tell. As a budding family historian, your first task is to gather as much information about your immediate family as possible.

• Gather primary family documents such as birth, marriage or death certificates, baptismal or other religious rite records, cemetery deeds, property records, and immigration or naturalization documents.


• Gather ancillary family documents such as family bibles, personal journals, school records; membership affiliations with collegiate, community, club, ethnic, religious, and fraternal or maternal organizations and societies; membership affiliations with hobby or special interest groups.


• Try to determine if other members of your family are currently researching the family history, have done so in their past, or did so before their death. Oftentimes family research gets "orphaned" in its own family. Older family members are frequently happy to "pass down" their existing research documentation to another generation.


• Talk to your people! One of the greatest resources at your disposal is the "living memory" of your family's history. Conduct interviews either in person or over the phone with those members of your immediate and even far distant family that are willing to participate.


• Using the documentation you have gathered, outline a basic family tree. It is best to use some type of standard format such as Family Group Sheets, which are available for free via the Internet. Quickly, you should be able to identify "bare branches" in your tree.

Develop a Research Organization Plan

Now that you have gathered all the family information easily accessible by you, it is time to address those "bare branches" by reaching out to more distant sources. However, before you can efficiently conduct research at this "next" level, it really is best to develop a more formal research organization plan. All those papers will pile-up quickly!

• If you use a computer, you should investigate the various free and for-purchase software packages available to you. A good place to compare products based on your needs is via Cyndi's List at http://www.cyndislist.com/software.htm.


• If you choose a pen-and-paper system, that's perfectly acceptable. However, you should look into a good book on the subject first such as Managing a Genealogical Project http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/43305618?tab=holdings) by William Dollarhide to help guide you.


• Regardless if you use a computer or pen-and-paper system, neither will "do" the organization for you. All family historians should be aware of basic research principles and organizational practices as they build their family archive. The definitive source on the subject is the Board of Certified Genealogist's Genealogical Standards Manual (http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/43567656&referer=one_hit).

Explore your Local Community

It is always good practice to begin your broader search within the local community. A variety of source gateways can be found within relative proximity of your house that can further your family research.

• Check to see if your area contains any genealogy or historical societies. Both types of societies will be of great use in expanding your research scope. They will likely have already identified the vast majority of local sources relevant to genealogical research and can often provide guidance with your particular research questions. Then can also provide extremely useful tools such as cemetery maps, obituary indexes, and surname registries.


• Identify libraries, archives, and even corporate, organizational, and private holdings that house genealogical and related materials. Explore each repository's online or paper catalog to see what unique items belong to its collection. Each repository will have its own set of rules regarding access and use of their materials. It is always advisable to call ahead and verify these policies before arriving in person.


• Visit the local courthouse. The local courthouse and other municipal repositories contain a wealth of information that can be invaluable to family historians. Vital, property, and case records normally reside within the domain of the local government and are, generally, open to the public.

Head to the Library

Once you have established the source boundaries of your local community, use the library to move further out. While the library itself will usually contain a good deal of local source materials as well, it will also likely have genealogical and related materials for the region, state, and nation. In addition, most reference librarians are happy to provide research guidance.

• Check your local library's catalog for non-local sources. Nearly all genealogists will have an interest in state and federal census records, obituaries from out-of-state newspapers, or even transcribed cemetery markers from another country. See if your library provides access to these types of records either through the Internet or on microfilm.


• Investigate the availability of genealogy-related electronic resources. Numerous, expansive, fee-based databases now exist that cater specifically to family historians such as Ancestry.com or Heritage Quest. While individual subscriptions are readily available, they can be cost prohibitive. Frequently, your library can provide free access to these and other databases.


• Browse your library's book stacks for print resources that will help supplement your research and improve your knowledge base. If you are related to a famous person, a biography or existing published pedigree of that person might be available to you. If your ancestor fought in a famous battle, a history of that campaign might offer you a deeper understanding of that experience.


• Explore any programming opportunities your local library may be offering in the future. Due to the increased popularity of genealogy within the local community, libraries frequently provide seminars and workshops with the family historian in mind.

Go Global

The broader genealogical community has long been a well-established global network. With the emergence of the Internet, that network has been both reinforced and greatly expanded. Nearly all genealogists enthusiastically enjoy tracking down their distant cousins and "lost branches." Generally, they are also more than happy to share the fruits of their labor, exchange a research favor, or suggest a more effective research methodology for "newbies" as well as experts. Networking within the global genealogy community is a fun and productive way to broaden the scope of your research.

• Surf the Web! Stemming from a long tradition of "swapping" information, genealogists have been a driving force behind the success and adaptability of the World Wide Web. Therefore, genealogy projects large and small can be found on the Internet. To review and post messages on a traditional bulletin board or to examine posted pedigrees, try Rootsweb (http://www.rootsweb.com). For transcriptions of a wide variety of genealogy records, look into the U.S. Gen Web Project http://www.usgenweb.org).


• Join a genealogy society or group! Multitudes of regional, national, international, ethnic, religious, military, migratory, event and surname groups and genealogical societies exist for the sole purpose of bringing together researchers with similar interests. The main points of contact for such groups are frequently websites, like the National Genealogy Society (http://www.ngsgenealogy.org). Membership usually entitles you to discounts to specialized research materials, access to member-contributed genealogy data, and special rates for state, regional, and national conferences.


• Share your story! After some consideration, it might make good sense to share your family's story with the genealogy community. Why keep all that hard work to yourself if you have something important to share? Consider writing an article for a genealogy journal to contribute your findings. Alternately, you might want to write-up your research for a private family newsletter or even as a holiday gift to "nurture" your extended branches!

Books

Search the Library's Catalog

Browsing by Subject

Location Codes

Status Codes

Periodicals

Search the Library's Catalog

Browsing by Subject

Location Codes

Status Codes

Databases

The Alvin Sherman Library provides its' patrons access to several prominent genealogy databases that are essential to most modern-day genealogical research. These databases are accessible through the library's on-site computer terminals and, in some instances, can be accessed remotely from home. To log in to the Library's database gateway now, click HERE (login required with an NSU ID or Sherman Library card).
Be sure to select "Genealogy" from the "Browse by Subject" list or "Obituaries" from the "Browse by Material Type" list. If you don't currently have login privileges but would like to, click HERE to apply for a card.

• Ancestry Library Edition
  Provides searchable digital images of the entire series of the U.S. Federal Census vital, church, court, and immigration records; city directories; military records including WWI draft registration cards; and the Social Security Death Index. Also covers records from the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada. Includes over 1,000 maps, 4,000 databases and two billion names.


• Heritage Quest
  Contains digital, searchable images of U.S. federal census records, the digitized version of the popular UMI© Genealogy & Local History collection, the Periodical Source Index (PERSI), the Freedman's Bank Records, and Revolutionary War Era pension and bound-land warrants. Coverage dates back to the late 1700s.


• ProQuest Obituaries
  Offers more than 10.5 million searchable obituaries and death notices in full-image format from historical archives of key top newspapers including the Atlantic Journal Constitution, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. Dates from 1851.


• North American Immigrant Diaries and Oral Histories
  Provides more than 100,000 pages of personal narratives including letters, diaries, pamphlets, autobiographies, and oral histories describing what it meant to immigrate to America and Canada. Several thousand pages of Ellis Island Oral History interviews are included.

Web Sites

The following free genealogy web sites are highly recommended by the Reference Staff.

• Castle Garden
  http://www.castlegarden.org
  Produced by the non-profit organization The Battery Conservatory, the Castle Garden Web Site offers access to 12 million searchable digital images of passenger lists and ship's manifests travelling to New York harbor from 1830 through 1892. During this period the "castle" - now a national moment - was the United States' primary port of entry for the east coast.


• Cyndi's List
  http://www.cyndislist.com
  What began a decade ago as a "hobby" for webmaster Cyndi Howell, her web site now boasts over 250,000 links to genealogy web sites. Her site is considered a primary genealogy resource and is a great starting point to conduct research. Indexed alphabetically and topically, the site is easy-to-use and offers something for every family historian.


• Ellis Island
  http://www.ellisisland.org
  Located next to the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor, Ellis Island was once considered America's "Golden Door" of immigration since the arrival of its first émigré - an Irish girl named Annie Moore - in 1892. From that time until 1924, Ellis Island processed over 20 million immigrants from all regions of the world. Through the combined efforts of the Statue of Liberty Foundation and the National Park Service, the Ellis Island Web Site provides access to over 25 million searchable digital images of passenger lists and ship's manifests as well as free tools for genealogy research.


• Family Search
  http://www.familysearch.org
  Based in Salt Lake City, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints houses the world's largest collection of genealogy materials. Part of this collection is available for searching and browsing at the LDS' Family Search Web Site. Here, genealogists have access to key resources such as the International Genealogical Index, the Social Security Death Index, and a variety of census records including the 1880 U.S. Federal Census. Users can also explore LDS member-contributed data such as Ancestral File and the Pedigree Resource File. In addition, users can search the LDS' Family History Catalog and download an array of free genealogy forms and guides to aid their research.


• Family Search Labs
  http://labs.familysearch.org
  In addition to the Family Search Web Site, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is developing a variety of excellent new web sites to facility family history. Of key interest to genealogists is the "Records Search" portion of the Family Search Labs Web Site. Although access to Records Search does require email registration, it provides users with searchable digital images of the 1900 U.S. Federal Census, the 1930 Mexican Census, the Freedman's Bank Records, and death certificates for Georgia, Ohio, and Ontario.


• Rootsweb
  http://www.rootsweb.com
  One of the first instances of an online genealogy portal, Rootsweb has a long-standing tradition of volunteerism and user-contributed data. Rootsweb serves as the umbrella under which several notable projects exist. The US GenWeb Project links online genealogy communities geographically, down to the county and city level. The US GenWeb Archives Project houses a variety of user-contributed vital records and transcriptions of pertinent data, also arranged geographically. The WorldConnect Project is a collection of user-contributed family trees that are searchable and downloadable. Rootsweb also contains message boards and mailing lists covering a range of topics from surnames to software.


• WeRelate
  http://www.werelate.org
  An exciting new-comer to the Internet, WeRelate is the genealogy community's first global Wiki. Developed primarily by the Allen County Public Library - which houses the United State's largest public genealogy collection - WeRelate is a unique space that combines factual information, how-to articles, source material, images and user-contributed family data all within a user-friendly Wiki interface.

Local Resources

Genealogy Societies

• Cuban Genealogy Club of Miami, Florida
  [http://www.cubangenclub.org/]


• Daughters of the American Revolution - Lighthouse Chapter
  [http://www.rootsweb.com/~fllpcdar/index1.html]


• Genealogical Society of Broward County
  [http://www.rootsweb.com/~flgsbc/]


• Genealogical Society of Greater Miami
  [http://www.rootsweb.com/~flgsgm/]


• Jewish Genealogical Society of Broward County
  [http://www.jgsbc.org/]


• Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Miami
  [http://www.jgs-miami.org]


• Jewish Genealogical Society of Palm Beach County
  [http://www.jgspalmbeachcounty.org]


• Palm Beach County Genealogical Society
  [http://www.pbcgs.org/]


• Seminole Tribe of Florida
  [http://www.seminoletribe.com/history/genealogy/index.shtml]


• Sons of the American Revolution - Ft. Lauderdale Chapter
  [http://www.learnwebskills.com/sar/index.html]

Historical Societies

• Broward County Historical Commission
  [http://www.co.broward.fl.us/history/welcome.htm]


• Ft. Lauderdale Historical Society
  [http://www.oldfortlauderdale.org/]


• Historical Museum of Southern Florida
  [http://www.hmsf.org/]

Libraries

• African American Research Library & Cultural Center
  [http://www.broward.org/library/aarlcc.htm]


• Broward County Library
  [http://www.broward.org/library/]


• Miami-Dade County Library
  [http://www.mdpls.org/]


• Family History Library of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints
  [http://www.familysearch.org]


• Coral Springs LDS Family History Library (Call for hours)
  Phone: 954-341-1725


• Plantation LDS Family History Library (Call for Hours)
  Phone: 954-472-0524

The ASLRITC is a joint-use facility between Nova Southeastern University and the Broward Cty. Board of County Commissioners

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Last updated: January 18, 2008