1. Joe Petrie ‘61 November 9, 2016 St Anselm College
Introduction to Genealogical Research: My Methodology Checklist to find People using Free Web Sites
Joe Petrie ‘61
November 9, 2016
St Anselm College

2. Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016
My goal is to fill-in a Pedigree Chart, i.e., to find Vitals (Dates and Places of Births, Marriages and Deaths etc.). Another Goal is to share what I find.
Please Note: With the public, I start by filling-in a Pedigree Chart. Some people know great grandparents. Usually there are missing vitals, mostly dates and places. For example, I knew 2 of my 4 grandparents. I knew of all 4 of my grandparents. I knew of 4 of my 8 great grandparents.
Personally, when I find my family vitals and other historic information, I copy and paste the finding on my database. Often for Censuses, I copy and paste the people that the person lived with. (I research my extended families.)
I update my database to include an audit trail to the source(s). I try hard to be consistent. I want the readers – current and future to be able to find the source records. I try to verify all vitals that were given to me as oral history.
Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016

3. Blank 5 Generation Pedigree Chart Please note that there is a handout.
Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016

4. Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016
One View of my Dad’s Pedigree Chart (Using PAF and PAF Companion) Note that in this format brick walls and more generations are easily shown. Also, there are a lot of missing dates and places. The Red Arrow shows that I have records for at least 1 more generation.
Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016

5. Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016
My Methodology Checklist (The Handout is covered in six slides.) Starting Point – Censuses
For people who lived in the USA, I start with US Censuses and US databases. I search Ancestry Library (henceforth Ancestry) for US Censuses at my local library. Nominal Censuses start in The 1940 Census is the latest. I do not search 1890 because most of the records were destroyed in a fire in Washington DC.
For USA immigrants, Censuses often identify whether the individual was Naturalized (Na) or an Alien (Al).
If the US Census identifies a Naturalized Citizen, I search Ancestry’s New Collections for the Naturalization Declaration Petition and Petition Forms. (I prefer the Petition Form.) The forms have a wealth of information from birth (locale and date), to children’s Given Names and birth date, and to arrival date, place etc.
For male Aliens in the US, I search Ancestry WWI and WWII Draft Registration Cards.
For US immigrants especially for those who are aliens and who have an arrival year in the US Census, I search for: Passenger Manifests for various Ports in Ancestry; Transcripts in Castle Garden; Images in Ellis Island; and Transcripts in the Massachusetts Archives for Boston arrivals. FamilySearch.org identifies other arrival databases.
Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016

6. My Methodology Checklist Continued -Other Official Records
For US immigrants, if there could be multiple versions of the same Surname, I search using Steve Morse’s templates. (His software often requires Ancestry to be open.)
For people who lived in the USA, I also search Ancestry’s Social Security Databases. I focus on the Application form.
If it looks like the person was born or married in Massachusetts before 1920, I search Ancestry and FamilySearch. The goal is to find Registers where Names, Places and Deaths are recorded. Typically, marriage images contain parents’ names, often the mothers’ maiden surname and sometimes both the officiating person’s name and address. Ancestry’s Indexes for Massachusetts stop in the 1950s. (Hint: Marriage records facilitate working backwards.)
Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016

7. My Methodology Checklist Continued - Other Censuses
For Canadians, Newfoundlanders, British, Scots, and Irish, I search their Censuses in Ancestry and in Library and Archives Canada. For Canadians who lived in 1901 and/or I search the Automated Census of Canada for ease in copying and pasting. Ancestry, FamilySearch and FamilySearch.org/Search/Collection/List/ are other favorites.
For Canadians from Atlantic Canada, I search for the current Links document for the Province in Joe’s Free Web Sites on the Friends of Irish Research web Site ( I search the Novascotiagenealogy.com web site for births, marriages and deaths! FamilySearch has a database for Canada Marriages,1661 – It shows the source record. FamilySearch has a database for the Nova Scotia, Antigonish Catholic Diocese, Only 46 parishes in the 7 Counties participated.
Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016

8. My Methodology Checklist Continued - Irish and British Research
For US Irish Aliens, Canadian Irish immigrants, and Newfoundland Irish immigrants, I search records in the Information Wanted web page (31,000+ Boston Pilot Advertisements) on the Boston College Web Site.
For Roman Catholic Irish, I search Ancestry’s Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers. There are over 25 million records.
For Protestant Irish, I search Irishgenealogy.ie. Remember that most of the damaged records in the Revolt were Protestant records. I search PRONI (Public Records of Northern Island) and Genuki (United Kingdom and Ireland Genealogy).
For Irish born after 1864, I search Ancestry for Civil Registration records (Birth Record Substitutes).
For Irish males born before 1864, I search the Surname in Property records in Griffiths Valuation and the Tithe Applotment databases (AskAboutIreland.ie/Search/ Irish Genealogy/). I especially like the maps.
For some Irish people, I search the Census of Ireland 1901 and of 1911.
The British Isles, I search the UK and Ireland Genealogy (Genuki.org.uk) web site. (Some Genuki records are not validated.)
Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016

9. My Methodology Checklist Continued - Other Sites
For the US deaths, I search Ancestry’s Find a Grave and the Billion Graves web site. Also, I search for local cemetery sites.
Also, I search for obituaries. Please note that estranged family members are usually omitted.
In addition, I use Ancestry’s Public Member Trees principally for official attachments and for other clues. Please note that a lot of the Public Member Trees contain errors. Only owners can fix errors.
Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016

10. My Methodology Checklist Continued - Other Searches
If I have an idea of when the person died, in all of the above, I work backward from that date. If I have an idea when the person was born, in all of the above, I work forward and backward from that date.
If I can determine a Country, I search Ancestry and FamilySearch for the precise location. I search for the combination of Country, Locality and the person’s surname. I have searched only for unique Given names, like Unity.
Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016

11. Issues that Drive Genealogists Nuts
Many countries are slowly releasing copies of public records for transcription and digitizing. Most are aware of the Irish experience of increased tourism, increased revenue from registrations and passports etc. Irish Registration and Passports can be pricey. For example, my wife and our children are Irish citizens by her mother’s birth in Ireland. Currently registration and a passport would cost nearly $300 for each person. I’d need to pay for 5 people excluding me.
Some countries have stopped releasing public documents like censuses etc. Canada almost did stop at They are 2 censuses behind the US.
States and provinces are also slow to release.
Some provinces restrict release by increasing the time frame.
Some public records have been destroyed.
Some public records are only available by subscription.
Errors in recording happen. In the 1911 Canadian Census, my Dad’s name is “? Peterie” forever.
FamilySearch relies on volunteers to transcribe. They use dual transcription to reduce errors. Another group reconciles errors. There are still errors.
Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016

12. List of Methodology Checklist’s Free Web Sites
(There are over 2 Thousand Databases.
(Canada)
Nova Scotia Vitals)
(Irish Immigrants)
(Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911)
/(Irish Property Records)
/(Northern Ireland Records)
(United Kingdom and Ireland Genealogy)
Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016

13. Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016
List of Methodology Checklist’s “Quasi-Free” Ancestry Library New Collections Databases - There are 12 on the Checklist.
New Collections (Misnomer – it should be All Collections because there are over 10,000 databases to choose from. )
Births
Marriages
Deaths
Censuses (US, Canada, and United Kingdom)
US and State Naturalizations (especially Petitions)
Passenger and Crew Manifests
Border Crossings
Pre-examination Records for 3 Ports in Canada
Draft Registrations (World War I and World War II)
Military Enlistments
Social Security Applications
Public Member Trees (I use them for clues to vitals – they are usually not validated and often can not be validated.)
Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016

14. Why I included Ancestry Library!
It is free but mostly restricted to in-library access.
Most are installed on hard wired PCs so that users can only use Ancestry Library when the library is open. Libraries that have it on the library Wi-Fi literally make it available 24/7.
Ancestry Library mimics parts of the international edition. Some features are not available.
There are over 70 city and town libraries in Massachusetts that have Ancestry Library.
I counted nearly 30 New Hampshire libraries that offer Ancestry Library (including Manchester).
Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016

15. Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016
That’s All Folks!
Your corrections, comments and suggestions are appreciated. Please me at .
Joseph F. Petrie ‘61, AB (Economics and Business – St. Anselm College 1962)
MA (Economics – Boston College 1967, Doctoral Candidate )
Founding Member, Friends of Irish Research (FIR)
Member, Association of Professional Genealogists (APG)
Member, Cape Breton Genealogy and Historical Association (CBGHA)
Member, Family History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador (FHSNL)
Member, New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS)
Member, Friends of Morrill Memorial Library, Norwood, MA
Genealogy Volunteer:
Morrill Memorial Library
Friends of Irish Research (FIR)
FIR’s School of Irish Genealogy
Cape Breton Genealogy and Historical Association (CBGHA)
St. Anselm College, Manchester, NH
Volunteer activities:
1-on-1s at Morrill Memorial Library and for FIR at the Irish Cultural Centre, Canton MA
Seminars at Morrill Memorial Library, the Irish Cultural Centre, Canton MA and others
Research Correspondent, Cape Breton Genealogy and Historical Association, Sydney, NS
Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016

16. Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016
Handouts
A blank Pedigree Chart
My Methodology Checklist
A list of URLs on the Checklist
Joe Petrie, St. Anselm College, November 9, 2016