Getting Beyond the Basics in genealogy reference GALILEO User Conference Middle Georgia State University July 12, 2018 Photograph of road, Clarkesville, Habersham County, Georgia, 1950. Courtesy of Northeast Georgia Regional Library System.

What this session will cover Brief review of genealogy basics Brief review of GALILEO resources for genealogy research Intermediate online genealogy reference sources and tips, including: Census research Tips for finding women Tips for pre-1870 African American research

What this session will not cover How to use GALILEO genealogy resources How to upload, update, or share personal family trees Researching Native American ancestry Print resources or microfilmed records not available online

A friendly reminder In most cases, you are not there to do your patron’s genealogy research for them. In most cases, you do not have time to listen to the unabridged version of your patron’s family history dating back to the Roman Empire. In most cases, you will strive to guide your patron toward identifying a specific research question and some likely sources of relevant information.

Genealogy research basics: a review Start with YOU Work your way backwards through the census Get thee a worksheet https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Genealogy_Research_Forms Blank spaces = research questions = additional research Repeat

Archival records basics: a review Item File (Folder) Subseries Item Series (Sub-Fonds, Record Group) File (Folder) Subseries Item Collection (Fonds) Subseries File (Folder) Series (Sub-Fonds, Record Group) Subseries File (Folder) Item File (Folder)

But what if my patron gets stuck? (Note: They WILL get stuck.) Take a breath, count backwards from ten, follow these steps: Identify a research question (singular. one. write it down.) Consider research strategies Gather and evaluate evidence Answer the question Repeat

Reframe the question Who could have been my relative’s parents? Who were my relative’s parents? Who could have been my relative’s parents?

GALILEO resources for genealogy Ancestry Library Edition Card catalog Digital Library of Georgia Georgia Historic Newspapers HeritageQuest Online Map Guide of Counties Voyages: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database

Non-GALILEO resources for genealogy BillionGraves Blogs (Lisa Louise Cooke, Eastman’s, etc.) Bureau of Land Management Cyndi’s List Digital Public Library of America FamilySearch Find-A-Grave Find My Past Fold3 Georgia Archives Library of Congress National Archives and Records Administration UGA Special Collections

Tips for researching census records

Tips for researching census records Remember how many people have touched these census records Look at all the columns Page backwards and forwards to find neighbors Search creatively Compare handwriting Don’t just check the federal census Remember not everyone ages at the same rate

Census research; or, who’s in your FAN club? “Cluster genealogy is the idea that ancestors did not live in a vacuum but in a cluster of relatives, neighbors, friends, and associates.” -Emily Ann Croom, Sleuth Book for Genealogists Friends Associates Neighbors -Elizabeth Shown Mills

Questions to ask your patron: Have you completed a pedigree chart? What specific piece of information are you looking to find? Have you tried multiple spellings of your ancestor’s name(s)? Have you looked at all the columns in your ancestor’s census record? Have your reviewed all available special and state censuses? Who did your ancestor live near, and why? Have you researched siblings’ census records? Have you familiarized yourself with the historical context in which your ancestor lived? (Wars, major social issues, local laws and requirements, etc.)

Tips for finding women and maiden names Class of (Normal). 1893, Atlanta University Photographs, Robert W. Woodruff Library, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia.

Tips for finding women and maiden names Research Strategy #1: Begin with vital records (B/M/D) Research Strategy #2: Consider her roles in the family Research Strategy #3: Consider her roles outside the family

Questions to ask your patron: Have you researched her family members and family cluster? Could she have been named on a birth or death record other than her own? Have you checked: Wills? Probate and estate records? Military pension records? City directories? What nicknames, middle names, or variant spellings of her name did she have? Did she go to school? Participate in a civic organization? Attend church? Keep a diary? Work outside the home?

Researching African American ancestors pre-1870 Gent’l and Unident. 1862, Atlanta University Photographs, Robert W. Woodruff Library, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia.

Research the ancestor’s owner(s) Research the ancestor Freedom Papers Ancestor’s Status Slave Free Person of Color Research the ancestor’s owner(s) Research the ancestor Freedom Papers 1850 & 1860 census Registers & Property Records Manumitted Purchased Freedom Born Free Military Records, Newspapers Freedman’s Bureau Voter Registration; Oaths of Allegiance Court Records

Researching African American ancestors pre-1870 Court records State Government Records Petitions Digital Library on American Slavery: library.uncg.edu/slavery/ State Slavery Statutes and indexes Registers of Slaves, Freemen, Manumission papers (court papers, estate/probate records, taxation records) Probate and Estate Records Freedman’s Bureau Freedman’s Bureau Online: www.freedmensbureau.com/ DiscoverFreedmen.org: www.discoverfreedmen.org/ Mapping the Freedman’s Bureau FamilySearch: familysearch.org/wiki/en/African_American_Freedmen%27s_Bureau_Records NARA: www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/freedmens-bureau Local and university databases, e.g.: http://exhibit.library.pitt.edu/freeatlast/papers_listing.html

Researching African American ancestors pre-1870 Black military records FamilySearch article: Black Military Records www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/African_American_Military_Records Patriots of Color: http://www.archives.com/Patriots American Slave Narratives (WPA) www.loc.gov/collections/slave-narratives-from-the-federal-writers-project-1936-to-1938/about-this-collection/ Apprenticeship and Orphans’ Records Southern Claims Commission Records Ancestry: https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1216 Narratives and records of the Underground Railroad Guides to African American Records & Research FamilySearch www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Quick_Guide_to_African_American_Records

Additional Resources Ancestry webinars: ancestry.com/cs/us/videos FamilySearch Learning Center: bit.ly/2gw6hmf Legacy Family Tree: https://familytreewebinars.com/upcoming-webinars.php *Georgia Genealogical Society: https://www.gagensociety.org/

Questions to ask your patron: Were your ancestors’ parents named on their vital records? Where were their parents born? If previously enslaved, did they take their owners’ surname? Are there Caucasian families with the same surname living nearby? If you have a suspected slave-holding family or families, have you checked: Probate records? Wills and deeds? Estate inventories? Valuation or appraisal records? Insurance records? Have you searched newspapers for slave notices or “Information Wanted” advertisements from the family of the formerly enslaved? Last Seen: Finding Family After Slavery: http://informationwanted.org/

Questions? Photograph of Joe Davis with a possum, Dahlonega, Georgia, 1884. Courtesy Chestatee Regional Library System Collection.

Thank you! Angela Stanley Director, Georgia HomePLACE Georgia Public Library Service astanley@georgialibraries.org Photograph of Dorothy Hale as Maiden Peach at Peach Festival, Fort Valley, Peach County, Georgia, 1926. Courtesy Peach Public Library.