Sunday, December 23, 2012

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy - Week 52

Week 52: Personal Genealogy Website. For which private genealogy website are you most grateful? Who runs the site? How has it helped your family history research? Share the link to the site as well as its highlights as a way to say thanks to those behind the scenes.

The genealogy site of Linda Sparks Starr was the first that site that I thought of:
Colonial Virginia Connections

I consider Linda a fellow researcher and a friend.  We were almost kin.  My 3 great grandfather was once married to one of her ancestors, so I guess we are step-kin.  My husband and I both had assorted colonial Virginia ancestors and the research that Linda has gathered together on this website has been very helpful to me and if you have colonial Virginia ancestors, you should probably take a look around the site.

Hey - I made it!  The whole 52 weeks!  Sort of a challenge to myself.  I plan for my posts to take a different path in the new year, but I feel really good that I was able to persevere and complete the year's 52 prompts.


Sunday, December 16, 2012

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy - Week 51

Week 51: States and Provinces. What is your favorite state or province for genealogical research? Who is most generous with their records? How has this helped your family history research? Share with others your tips and tricks for researching in this location.

The answer depends on where in that particular state I most need to research.  Virginia counties have a wealth of information, or practically none at all.  Pretty much feast or famine.  The counties that do have extant records usually have a wealth of tax, land, court, and probate records, most of them filmed by LDS.   The Library of Virginia website has access to so much free digital content - the land records and many Bible records, and now many of the chancery court records.  The Parish records that exist and many of the other records have been transcribed and abstracted and can be found in print in many genealogical libraries. Therefore, Virginia would be my pick - when it's not a "burned" county. Unfortunately I had family that lived in those, too.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy - Week 50

Week 50: Genealogy Database. Which individual database has been most helpful in your genealogy research and why? Is this database available for free or is it behind a subscription wall? What does this database include and how can it benefit other genealogy researchers?

Until recently, I would have to admit that Ancestry with its census record would have to qualify as the most useful.  FamilySearch has added so much now, and unlike Ancestry, provides the data free of charge.   I honestly couldn't do without either of them.  Both sites have such a wide range of materials and are made of such divergent databases, that something is there for nearly everyone.  The online opportunities for research have expanded so much in the last ten years, I don't believe anyone could limit their research to a single database.


Monday, December 3, 2012

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy - Week 49

Week 49: Research Location. Which genealogy research location or city brings a smile to your face? What makes this place special to you? What family history treasures does it hold for you? Why should others visit this place? 

I'd just like to daydream about a place I'd like to go to research and have never been. Russellville, Kentucky in Logan County was a place my husband's ancestors frequented for many years. They lived out side of town on the Black Lick Fork of the Gasper River. There were many second cousins and families that had also come to Logan County from Virginia just around the beginning of the 19th century. I have read so many deeds, court records, wills, and tax records about these families that I sometimes think I might recognize some of them walking down the street. I know the local genealogical society maintains a library near the courthouse. Oh, I'd love to poke around in their files and visit that courthouse!