GALILEO Support Services December 2008

Getting Started with Genealogy Research Step 1 Create an ancestral chart List what you already know These Getting Started slides go with the handout from ProQuest: http://admin.viewcentral.com/events/uploads/proquest/HQOgenealogyguide.pdf The Ancestral Chart can be found in the Charts and Forms section of Ancestry Library Edition.

Getting Started with Genealogy Research Step 2 Interview family members Keep records for what you find These Getting Started slides go with the handout from ProQuest: http://admin.viewcentral.com/events/uploads/proquest/HQOgenealogyguide.pdf The Family Group Record can be found in the Charts and Forms section of Ancestry Library Edition.

Getting Started with Genealogy Research Step 3 Find death records for deceased ancestors Step 4 Follow up on death record clues These Getting Started slides go with the handout from ProQuest: http://admin.viewcentral.com/events/uploads/proquest/HQOgenealogyguide.pdf Start with death records and work backwards chronologically to find clues about names, locations, and dates.

Getting Started with Genealogy Research Step 5 Search census records These Getting Started slides go with the handout from ProQuest: http://admin.viewcentral.com/events/uploads/proquest/HQOgenealogyguide.pdf Census records provide valuable information about where ancestors lived at a particular time. Older census records may only have the head of household included, but the census from 1850 and later also include others in the household. Information that can be found in these records depends on what was asked in the census for that year. Blank census forms from every year can be found in the Charts and Forms section of Ancestry Library Edition, which may help in reading census images that are not clear.

Getting Started with Genealogy Research Step 6 Search county and state sources Newspapers Court records Voter registrations Military records And more! These Getting Started slides go with the handout from ProQuest: http://admin.viewcentral.com/events/uploads/proquest/HQOgenealogyguide.pdf After finding the location for an ancestor, researchers can then contact local agencies in that area for records. Print resources in public libraries and a genealogy librarian can be excellent resources for genealogy research.

ProQuest product designed for genealogical research – 4 billion names indexed Databases are continually being added and expanded, including user submitted content Collection is organized into three categories – Historical Records, Stories & Publications, and Photos & Maps

Historical Records U.S. Federal Census – every name indexed UK, Ireland, Scotland, and Canada Censuses Death, Birth and Marriage records Military Records U.S. Immigration Collection

Stories and Publications American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) Slave Narratives Newspapers and other periodicals Books Family and local histories

Photos and Maps U.S. Yearbooks Ancestry Map Collection Library of Congress Photo Collection User-submitted photo collections

Find Ancestry Library Edition through Databases A-Z Ancestry Library Edition is available to academic and public libraries, but it is only available inside the library or on campus due to restrictions from the vendor. To find the database, use the Databases A-Z and search for Ancestry Library Edition.

Find Ancestry Library Edition through Browse by Subject Users can also find Ancestry Library Edition by going to the Genealogy category under Browse by Subject.

Find Ancestry Library Edition through Browse by Subject Browse by Subject > Subject Search allows you to search multiple genealogy databases at once.

Find Ancestry Library Edition through Browse by Subject Browse by Subject > Articles and Databases provides a list of genealogy databases that can be searched individually.

Ancestry Library Edition Navigation Navigation bar at the top to access the Search page for more options and the Charts and Forms page Browse option at the bottom to see various census records

Search Navigation Browse by location to find records from a particular state or region Browse Records allows users to see all the different types of records included in Ancestry Library Edition Search Resources Card Catalog allows users to browse and search in descriptions of the databases included in Ancestry Library Edition. Advanced Search allows users to search across all databases held by Ancestry Library Edition at once. While this isn’t the best and only search strategy, it might be good to give a one an idea of what material can be found in Ancestry Library Edition.

Find Records by Location The Browse by location section allows users to find records for a particular area of the U.S. and other countries. Selecting a location leads to a list of databases available with information from that state or region.

Searching for a Person When performing a search, it is best to enter as much information as possible. In some cases, the person may go by a name other than first and last names. For example, Flannery O’Connor’s full name is Mary Flannery O’Connor. Since the above search is being performed on historical records, her full name is appropriate. If searching for publications or photos related to Flannery O’Connor, omitting “Mary” from the search would be more likely to produce relevant results. In general, it is good to search by any name combination possible. It is also important to keep in mind that names were not always transcribed correctly, and, thus, names may be misspelled within the database. For examples, “Falke” may be transcribed as “Falk” or “Faulk”.

Search Results Users can narrow a search using the list on the left. Clicking the names of items takes users to detailed information about that item.

Viewing Census Records In Ancestry Library Edition, census records contain names of all of the members of a household. Notice that the names in the “Household Members” section are links. Clicking these links will change the information displayed in the fields above “Household Members”. On the right are links to view an image of the original census record and to view a blank PDF form of that year’s census. The blank form can be used to decipher field headings that may be illegible in the image of the original form.

Viewing Census Records The toolbar at the top of the image will allow the user to do many things, such as zoom in and out, view previous and following census pages, print, email, etc. Also, the link in the upper right corner goes to a page with blank census forms in PDF format.

Viewing Historical Records Back to the results page, users can narrow their results to one type of record. Again, clicking on the links allows users to view the item. The item records provide detailed information about the where the information was obtained and the database in which it resides.

Finding the Slave Schedules Slave schedules recorded basic information about slaves and their owners. They were taken in tandem with the U.S. Census. In most cases, Slave Schedules do not contain names of individual slaves, but these records can provide that one piece of evidence needed to proceed with further genealogical research. The slave schedules can be found by clicking U.S. Federal Census under the Historical Records heading.

Stories and Publications The second collection of content in Ancestry Library Edition is Stories & Publications. Users can search using the Stories and Publications tab or browse collections within Stories and Publications from the Browse Records list. Stories and Publications includes the American Genealogical-Biographical Index. In printed form, the American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) consumes over 200 volumes. It is an every-name index to around 850 sources for eastern US research. Stories and Publications also includes a collection of slave narratives in the form of interviews recorded in the 1920’s and 1930’s, several genealogical journals, and several obituaries.

Above is an example of some of the resources in Stories and Publications related to Georgia.

Viewing the Slave Narratives The Slave Narratives are an incredible primary source collection. Interviews were conducted with former slaves in the late 1920’s and 1930’s. The interviews capture life as a slave and are an invaluable historical and cultural reference. It is important to note that only full-text searching is available – individual interviews do not contain subject headings or any other metadata.

Photos and Maps The third collection is Photos & Maps. Users can search using the Stories and Publications tab or browse collections within Stories and Publications from the Browse Records list. Included in this collection are the Ancestry Map Center, U.S. School Yearbooks, and other photo collections. The Ancestry Map Center contains historic U.S. maps. Maps like these are important for genealogical research since county and city lines are always changing. The Ancestry Map Center allows users to view regions in which their ancestors lived as they were when they lived there. U.S. School Yearbooks is a collection of digitized yearbooks in which every name is indexed.

Searching Photos and Maps

Searching Photos and Maps - Results for Historic Postcards Click the Item to view a larger image sand other information about the item.

Charts and Forms These includes blank forms for tracking genealogical research and census forms used over the years. The blank census forms can be helpful in understanding what information was recorded for each year of the census.

Additional Resources Ancestry Library Edition Vendor Information http://www.proquest.com/en-US/catalogs/databases/detail/ale.shtml ProQuest Training Materials http://www.proquest.com/en-US/support/training/materials.shtml

Please use the Contact Us form on the GALILEO homepage if you have any questions or feedback. http://www.galileo.usg.edu