Beginning Your Research

If you are interested in having an AKGS member transcribe your research findings, please contact:  micahp@centurytel.net.

Online Resources:

-    http://www.familysearch.org/                                               LDS Church Organization - gen. research

-    http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/                                    Genealogy Communications Database        

-    http://hpl.lib.tx.us                                                                    Houston Public Library (click genealogy)

-    http://cyndislist.com/                                                              Cyndi's List of research websites

-    http://www.ellisisland.org                                                      25 million records of passenger arrivals

-    http://www.usgenweb.org                                                      A must-bookmark for state/county pages

-    http://blog.eogn.com/                                                             Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

-    http://www.findagrave.com                                                   Find a Grave is a gravestone database

-    http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/arc/genfirst.html                      TX State Library & Archives Commission

-    http://www.glo.state.tx.us/archives/service.html            General Land Office, Texas Archives

-    http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/civil-war               Go to Index for best updated records

-    http://www.wallacestate.edu/library/genealogy.html      Alabama Research Records

-    http://www.maps.n2genealogy.com/#county                    U.S. State & County Boundary Maps, D.O.T.

Texas Death Certificates, 1903-1976, and other genealogical records:

-    pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html


Ethnic Interests:

-    http://www.accessgenealogy.com                     Native American: schools, 1839 Drennen Rolls

-    http://www.afriquest.com                                   User submitted records: deeds, slave ads

-    http://www.ibiblio.org/laslave                           Afro-Louisiana History/Gen. 1719-1820


COMPUTING QUICK TIPS:

Online research can be a huge timesaver, if you're not fumbling yor way around your computer!  Improve your research productivity with these tips from the Family Tree University course "Computer Boot Camp for Genealogists", taught by Family Tree Magazine contributing editor Nancy Hendrickson:

-    Learn keyboard shortcuts for menu items you use frequently, such as Control+P to print and Control+T to open a new tab in your browser.  On a Mac, most shortcuts simply substitute the Command key (the one with the apple icon) for Control.

-    Text on a webpage too small to read?  Hold down the Control or Command key and press the plus key (+) to increase the type to the desired size.  Use the Find function (Control or Command+F) to quickly locate a word - such as an ancestor's name or place - on a text heavy web page.

-    When joining mailing lists, forums or other websites, use a free "throwaway" email address (seperate from your primary email account).  You can let that one fill up with spam and then just delete all the messages you don't want.

-    Every web surfer encounters broken links and "page not found" errors.  Don't assume the page is gone forever - the content likely just moved to a different location.  Do a search from the site's home page or google the page title to turn up the new address.

Learn more about the course and register at www.familytreeuniversity.com/computer-boot-camp-for-genealogists.