Thursday, February 3, 2011

U.S. Birth and Death Records on FamilySearch


FamilySearch has been busy adding vital records to their collection in indexes and images available online. Below is a list of the birth and death records available as of February 2, 2011. May of the databases are an index only, and may or may not be complete for the state and time period. Other databases contain images of original certificates or records of the event.

Connecticut Deaths and Burials, 1772-1934
Delaware State Birth Records, 1861-1922
Illinois, Diocese of Belleville, Catholic Parish Records, 1729-1956
Minnesota Deaths and Burials, 1835-1990
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803-1915
Texas Deaths and Burials, 1903-1973
Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912

U.S. Marriage Records available on FamilySearch.org

UNITED STATES MARRIAGE RECORDS AT FAMILYSEARCH.ORG

Alabama Marriages 1816-1957 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Alabama - 1,472,271 records

Arizona Marriages 1888-1908 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Arizona - 75,094 records

Arkansas County Marriages 1837-1957 - Index and images of marriages recorded in counties of Arkansas - 1,694,330 records

Arkansas Marriages 1837-1944 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Arkansas - 1,005,608 records

Connecticut Marriages 1729-1867 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Connecticut - 453,527 records

Delaware Marriages 1713-1953 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Delaware - 8,842 records

District of Columbia Marriages 1830-1921 - Name index to marriage records from the District of Columbia - 242,760 records

Florida Marriages 1837-1974 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Florida - 860,110 records

Georgia Marriages 1808-1967 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Georgia - 1,152,385 records

Hawaii Marriages 1826-1922 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Hawaii - 103,871 records

Idaho Marriages 1878-1898, 1903-1942 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Idaho - 88,588 records

Idaho County Marriages 1864-1950 - Name index and images of Idaho county marriages acquired from local courthouses. Also includes records for the towns of Ashton and Marysville. Currently includes the following counties: Ada, Adams, Benewah, Blaine, Bonner, Bonneville, Butte, Camas, Canyon, Caribou, Cassia, Clark, Custer, Elmore, Franklin, Fremont, Gem, Gooding, Idaho, Jefferson, Jerome, Kootenai, Latah, Lemhi, Lewis, Lincoln, Madison, Minidoka, Nez Perce, Oneida, Payette, Power, Shoshone, Teton, Twin Falls, Valley, and Washington - 148,053 records

Illinois, Cook County Marriages 1871-1920 - Name index and images of marriage licenses and returns recorded at Cook County, Illinois - including the City of Chicago - 865,669 records

Indiana Marriages 1780-1992 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Indiana - 1,008,396 records

Indiana Marriages 1811-1959 - Indexed in partnership with the Indiana Genealogical Society. Name index of marriages recorded in the Indiana Territory and in the State of Indiana between 1811 and 1959. This collection includes searchable index data for marriage returns and licenses from the following counties: Adams, Allen, Benton, Blackford, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, De Kalb, Delaware, Dubois, Franklin, Harrison, Henry, Huntington, Marshall, Ohio, Owen, Rush, and Sullivan. The collection also includes searchable images for marriage returns and licenses from the following counties: Adams, Allen, Benton, Blackford, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Daviess, Dearborn, De Kalb, Delaware, Dubois, Harrison, Huntington, Marshall, Ohio, Owen and Rush. - 1,008,412 records.


Iowa Marriages 1809-1992 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Iowa - 2,626,423 records

Kansas Marriages 1840-1935 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Kansas - 378,903 records

Kentucky Marriages 1785-1979 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Kentucky - 1,532,718 records

Louisiana Marriages 1816-1906 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Louisiana - 129,641 records

Maine Marriages 1771-1907 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Maine - 597,508 records

Maryland Marriages 1666-1970 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Maryland - 253,727 records

Massachusetts Marriages 1695-1910 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Massachusetts - 1,955,241 records

Massachusetts Marriages 1841-1915 - Name index and images of Massachusetts statewide marriage registers. The marriage registers are in numbered volumes arranged by year then by individual town. - 1,538,139 records

Michigan Marriages 1822-1995 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Michigan - 1,908,349 records

Michigan Marriages 1868-1925 - Name index and images of marriages recorded in the State of Michigan. In some instances, marriages were celebrated and recorded in a county different from the county where the marriage license was issued. - 1,533,863 records

Minnesota Marriages 1849-1950 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Minnesota - 459,384 records

Montana Marriages 1889-1947 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Montana - 20,739 records

Montana County Marriages 1865-1950 - Name index and images of Montana county marriage records acquired from local courthouses - 338,109 records

Nebraska Marriages 1855-1995 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Nebraska - 195,329 records

New Hampshire Marriages 1720-1920 - Name index to marriage records from the state of New Hampshire - 439,673 records

New Jersey Marriages 1678-1985 - Name index to marriage records from the state of New Jersey - 871,503 records

New Mexico Marriages 1751-1918 - Name index to marriage records from the state of New Mexico - 93,387 records

New York Marriages 1686-1980 - Name index to marriage records from the state of New York - 742,984 records

New York County Marriages 1908-1935 - Name index and images of New York county marriage records. The collection includes the following counties: Broome, Cattaraugus, Chemung, Delaware, Fulton, Jefferson, Monroe, Niagara, Oneida, Ontario, Orange, Oswego, Putnam, St. Lawrence, Tioga, and Warren. The collection does not include New York City nor its boroughs. - 157,260 images.


North Carolina Marriages 1759-1979 - Name index to marriage records from the state of North Carolina - 2,128,391 records

North Carolina County Marriages 1762-1979 - Name index and images of marriage records from North Carolina county courthouses. These records include licenses, marriage applications, marriage bonds, marriage certificates, marriage packets and cohabitation registers. - 45,204 records

Ohio Marriages 1800-1958 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Ohio - 4,740,284 records

Oregon Marriages 1853-1935 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Oregon - 57,523 records

Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Marriage Indexes 1885-1951 - Marriage indexes (imaged) are arranged by the names of brides and grooms with the year of the marriage and the license number. The surname of the spouse is shown in parentheses. Use the license numbers listed in this index to find copies of the marriage license records. Marriage license records for years 1885-1915 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. Marriage license records for years 1916-1951 are available at the City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. - 1,830,468 records on 25,981 images.


Rhode Island Marriages 1724-1916 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Rhode Island - 235,690 records

Tennessee County Marriages 1790-1950 - Name index and images of Tennessee county marriage records acquired from local courthouses. Records include marriage registers, marriage licenses, marriage bonds, and marriage certificates. records consist of packets, with multiple documents per packet. - 24,243 records
Tennessee Marriages 1796-1950 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Tennessee - 1,691,768 records

Texas Marriages 1837-1973 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Texas - 2,097,030 records

Texas County Marriage Index 1837-1977 - Index to a variety of marriage records (registers, licenses, intentions to marry, etc.) from select counties in Texas. - 166,132 records

United States Marriages 1733-1990 - Name index to small sets of marriage records from a few states within the United States - 7,176 records

Utah Marriages 1887-1966 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Utah - 308,854 records

Vermont Marriages 1791-1974 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Vermont - 15,392 records

Virginia Marriages 1785-1940 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Virginia - 1,264,889 records

Washington State County Marriages 1858-1950 - Name index and images of the marriage records for Lewis, Wahkiakum, Thurston and Pacific Counties. This collection of marriage records includes: Lewis County marriage returns, 1914-1948; Wahkiakum County marriage certificates, 1907-1939; Thurston County marriage certificates, 1927-1950; and Pacific County marriage certificates, 1878-1947. The records are arranged chronologically. From the Washington State Archives - 48,385 records on 42,746 images

West Virginia Marriages 1853-1970 - Name index (and images offsite) of West Virginia county marriage records. Data is searchable for all counties. However, records within each county may not be available for the full year range. You may need to click on the link to wvculture website to see the image itself. In most cases you'll be able to click right through for a FREE image, although the site says that fees may apply. - 1,504,135 records

West Virginia Marriages 1854-1932 - Name index to marriage records from the state of West Virginia - 203,378 records

Wisconsin Marriages 1836-1930 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Wisconsin - 80,630 records

Wyoming Marriages 1877-1920 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Wyoming - 14,070 records

To view the complete listing of all items currently posted in the FamilySearch Historical Records Collections, Click here.

This listing was created by Leland Meitzler and is shared with his permission on February 2, 2011.
From Genealogy Newsline Vol 1 #2, Tuesday, January 18, 2011; a publication of Family Roots Publishing Co. LLC - www.FamilyRootsPublishing.com

Thursday, January 20, 2011

New "Internet Genealogy" Course Beginning


It is time to revive this blog as I am teaching another "Internet Genealogy" course for Howard Community College. The focus of the course is learning to find original records on the internet in order to help students document their genealogy. This eight week course will cover the major genealogy websites, along with other ways to locate indexes and records online.

Course Objectives:


Students will be able to:
  • Locate genealogical records on the internet
  • Search for their ancestors in online databases
  • Distinguish original records from derivative records
  • Create an online resource guide for the state of their choice
  • Locate resources for six major types of genealogical records
Resources mentioned:

Columbia Maryland Family History Center
4100 St Johns Lane / 4152 Columbia Road
Ellicott City, Maryland

Phone: 410-465-1642
Hours: M-Th 9am-2pm; T-Th 7pm-9pm; Sat 9am-12pm
Free access to many subscription databases.

Elizabeth Shown Mills, QuickSheet: Citing Online History Resources (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2001).

Friday, October 8, 2010

State Census Records


State census records are available at Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org, The years available vary by state.

FamilySearch is has digital images of the following state census records available at http://pilot.famliysearch.org

Florida: 1885, 1935, 1945
Massachusetts: 1855, 1865
Michigan: 1885
Minnesota: 1885, 1895
New York State: 1865, 1892, 1905
Rhode Island: 1915
South Dakota: 1905, 1915, 1925
Wisconsin: 1855, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905

Ancestry.com has state census records for: 
 
 

Friday, June 11, 2010

FREE access to the Footnote.com Civil War Collection

The following announcement was written by Footnote.com. The entire Civil War collection is available FREE during the month of June. 

Millions Of Original Documents Help Americans Gain A New Perspective On The War -

June 10, 2010 – Lindon, UT – Today Footnote.com announced that its U.S. Civil War Collection will be made free to the public through the month of June.  Footnote.com has worked with the U.S. National Archives over the past three years to create the largest repository of Civil War documents on the web featuring over 30 million documents, photos and maps. 

“Our strong partnership with the National Archives has allowed us to build an extremely valuable resource for researchers, historians and genealogists,” explains Russell Wilding, CEO of Footnote.com.  “Now more people than ever have access to records relating to one of the most prolific events in our history.”

The original documents found in this collection provide a different perspective on the “war between the states.”  Major events as well as accounts from individuals are brought to life on Footnote.com. Visitors to Footnote.com will find:
•    Union and Confederate Soldier Service Records
•    Widow’s Pension Files
•    Emancipation Documents and Slave Records
•    Confederate Amnesty Papers and Citizens Files
•    Lincoln Assassination Investigation and Trial Papers
•    U.S. Civil War Photos and Maps
To see how Footnote.com is changing the way we view U.S. Civil War history, visit http://go.footnote.com/civilwar/.    

About Footnote, Inc.
Footnote.com is a subscription website that features original historical documents, providing visitors with an unaltered view of the events, places and people that shaped the American nation and the world. At Footnote.com, all are invited to come share, discuss, and collaborate on their discoveries with friends, family, and colleagues. For more information, visit http://www.footnote.com.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Helps for reading Handwriting

Here are some web sites that will be helpful to learn to read old handwriting.

Early American Handwriting Quiz
This quiz will test your skills at identifying upper and lower case letters.

How to Read 18th Century British-American Handwriting
This is a guide to reading 18th century handwriting with sample images.

Script Tutorials
Tutorials for reading English, German, Dutch, Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese handwriting

Palaeography - Reading Old Handwriting 1500-1800
An online tutorial from the UK National Archvies

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Newspaper Digitization Projects

International Coalition on Newspapers
Links to international newspaper digitization projects listed alphabetically by country.

United States Newspaper Digitization Projects
Links to U.S. newspaper digitization projects, sites with national coverage as well as state or regional projects.

This page highlights and links to past, present, and prospective digitization projects of historic newspapers. The focus is primarily on digital conversion efforts, not full-text collections of current news sources.