PSYC 230: Developmental Psychology

Top 10 Genealogy Survival Tips | Online and Print Resources | Help!

Top 10 Genealogy Survival Tips

10. Start by asking family members about your relatives. They will give you excellent leads, but not necessarily the facts.

9. There are lots of sources of family information. You will find conflicting information in them. It is up to you to consider the credibility and authority of the source.

8. Don't rely on only one source. Verify, verify, verify.

7. Not everything is online yet. You may have to use print sources as well as online sources.

6. Be flexible. Historical information is highly dependent upon its keepers.

5. Be persistent. Just because you don't find the information in one source doesn't mean that you won't find it in another.

4. If your ancestors were troublemakers, you'll find out a lot about them!

3. Think geographically and institutionally. Your family was part of a social network that included government agencies, organizations, and institutions.

2. Local information tends to be kept locally.

1. Ask questions and seek out help when you need it. That's what librarians and archivists are for.

Core Online and Print Sources for Genealogy

Start with the Census!

• Federal Decennial Census is searchable through the Ancestry database..
  • Includes names, ages, and relationships of all people in the household, country of origin, native language, information about home ownership, and other information varying by year.
  • Available every ten years (except most of the 1890 census burned in 1921).

Obituaries: Death Notices in Newspapers

• Establish date of death from family, Social Security Death Index (post 1962 deaths) , death record, or church & cemetery records.
• Find local newspapers:
  • Access Newspaper Archive provides full text access to thousands of historical newspapers, most pre-1923.
  • Newspapers on microfilm available through Wisconsin Historical Society. Contact McIntyre Library Special Collections & Archives for more information

Eau Claire City and County Information Sources (Note: Similar resources exist for other counties inside and outside of Wisconsin)

• City and county directories
  • Contain addresses, spouses, non-familial household residents, professions, taxes paid, etc.
  • Eau Claire city directories are available at McIntyre Library, the Eau Claire Public Library, or online from 1880-1923
    
    
• Eau Claire Genealogy Indexes
  • Indexes direct you to obituaries, marriage announcements, birth announcements, cemetery plots,biographies, local history information files, and other records
    
    
• Genealogical Research Society of Eau Claire
  • Local genealogical societies offer research assistance to anyone who asks.

Help!

Contact Colleen McFarland for individual assistance. I'm happy to help!