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Posts Tagged ‘Birth Death Marriage’

Is it free to research records at the New York Archives?

September 9th, 2011 4 comments

Can I just walk into the New York Archives and look through records (census, birth, death, marriage) of my ancestors? I wanna see these records in person instead of online on Ancestry.com. And possibly find ones that aren’t on the site.
What exactly is microfilm?

I can tell you that you can go into the records centers in the UK and view the records for free, you have to get a CAIN card, which you get there on filling out a form proving ID and that then allows you to use the card to go in any UK archives or records center..the card is free and is normally valid for at least 5 years, they also do day cards for visiting genealogists………..I would suspect that in the US you will have a similar system, if you go onto their website and look for visiting information it should tell you on there.

Records are filmed ad put onto film or microfiche and that is what you look at.
Film is a roll of film containing the pages of the records, which you put into the film reader to view and can stop and take a photocopy of the record you want or transcribe the information.

Microfiche or fiche is the same, but looks like an index card and like a photograph negative, which you put into a fiche reader and can then view the records.

In the UK if you wish to view the real records you would write out a card, give it to the archivist and they will go and get them, you go into another room, wearing white cotton gloves which are provided you can then view the real records…..which are very useful as you can often see more information on the real records that doesn’t show on the film/fiche especially if they are poor copies and many are

On ancestry and any other website if they show images it is from the film/fiche although many are just transcriptions or collections and you are right to go and view records yourself as you will find far more there than online, not everything is online, it never will be and you have to check everything you do find online back to records anyway to prove they are correct or like may who have only ever done online searching they have no idea what is really available or if hey even have their ancestors.

http://www.familytimeline.webs.com/ this website will help with records you already have at home ( page 20) and there is some good advice…read FAQ, documents, etc also has a good link page

Where can I find public records in Los Angeles?

March 30th, 2011 3 comments

Looking for birth, death, marriage, land-owning, etc? Where would I have to go (Department of Public Records?) to find this info in Los Angeles?

Birth, Death and Marriage records are available from the LA County Clerk’s office. Their phone number is (562) 462-2137.

Real Property records are available from the LA County Assessor’s office. Their phone number is (213)974-3211.

How do I look at online records without having to pay at all for them?

March 15th, 2011 1 comment

I’m doing family history research, and I’ve been trying to look up birth, death, marriage, etc records. Every site I go to you have to pay SOMETHING for them. I want FREE online records that I can look at ONLINE without having to pay or get them shipped to my house.

My Mom said to look at court houses, but I can’t find our court houses online.
I live in Mississippi, but I’m looking for records in Pemiscot County of Missouri. That’s where most of my family moved to in the 1900’s on my Dad’s side. On my Mom’s side, I have no clue. Probably Tennessee because they were full Cherokee Indians. And she is half Cherokee Indian.

My Great Aunt has done my Dad’s side of the familys history all the way back to before the civial war, but she’s too picky to share with me any of it.

Anyway, if anyone knows a completely free website where you can look at ONLINE records, then please tell me. And remember NO PAYMENTS. NONE. lol. Most people that answer me always give me a website and they still have some kind of a payment on there. And I don’t want to have to pay anything at all.

There is a site called Heritage Quest that is completely free, but you must get the access code from your public library. Call the library and ask if they subscribe to Heritage Quest and how to access it. You do this online from home, but most libraries require you to have a library card to get the access code.

How do you sort your genealogy files?

March 14th, 2011 3 comments

I’m hoping for some advice here. Normally, I would go to my mother for all things genealogical, but she’s more “old school” in that she’s used to dealing with hard copies that she has ordered and received. The majority of her research (the last 30+ years) was before the advent of ancestry.com, GenWeb, and online depositories put together by the individual states.

For most of my family lines, I’m the same way. My family is from Kansas/Oklahoma and North Carolina (so far). My ex-husbands paternal line is from Pennsylvania. All of which require you to write and order vital records directly from their local/state offices. Then it’s just a matter of scanning the received records onto my computer and inputting the information into my genealogy program.

However, my ex-husbands maternal line isn’t nearly as easy or clean-cut. They are primarily from Virginia/West Virginia which has started putting all their vital records online. So it’s easy to run a search of who I’m looking for and get immediate access to copies of their records. Then it’s off to ancestry.com or other sites to look up census records, burial records, tombstones, etc.

The trouble I’m facing now is that I just don’t know how to file the items on my computer. It started off easy enough. I had the main surname file for my mother-in-law’s maiden name. Within that file I had separate folders for her direct ancestors (Gma, Gpa, GGma, GGpa, etc.) with secondary files by their siblings.

For example:

I would have a folder for “Joe Blow” (Gpa) which I would save all his pertinent documents (birth, death, marriage, census records, etc.). Next to that folder would be one titled “Joe Blow Siblings”. Within that folder would be additional folders for each of his brothers and sisters.

Then, because I was getting into extended family, I would have subfolders for their spouse, their children, their spouses parents, etc. If I was doing any of the other lines, I wouldn’t be going that far right now, but because the files are online for the taking, I figured “why not”? Plus, I’m a little anal when it comes to blank spots, so I think a bit of OCD has kicked in.

Anyway, this is where the problem has arisen.

The family is primarily from the Cabell/Wayne County areas of W.VA and what I started to see what cousins marrying cousins (some 1st cousins, but a lot of 3rd cousins, 4th cousins, etc.). People have started to pop up in two or three (or more) areas of the family. In one spot they might be a spouse, then later as a brother, and then again as a 2nd spouse or something.

Obviously, the way I was doing it isn’t working anymore. I was going to start ending up with multiple folders for the same person and a billion shortcuts which would just cause even more confusion.

I’m sure others have run across this problem in small communities in which their families are long standing residents. Is there a better way to save the information to the computer? Has anyone figured out a good way to file their info in a way that makes sense, is easy to access, and limits the possibilities of duplicate individuals?

I’ve currently done away with the former system and just have all the saved files in the folder for my mother-in-law. But now I have over 700 files sitting there and several people with the exact same names (ex: Benjamin Franklin Doe, Andrew Jackson Blow).

Thanks so much for the advice!
Thanks Tom, I totally agree. And on a side note: I "enjoy" how someone gave you a thumbs down for your advice, yet didn’t offer any of their own.
Marci — Thanks for the tip! I had no idea this resource existed. I’m going to definitely check it out! Thanks again!

WOW! You are way more organized than I am. I file under my and DH’s 4 grandparent surnames with file-names that indicate the name or family the document concerns. Fortunately I have not had any crossovers. If I find a particularly interesting family, I might have a sub-folder for them. I feel so disorganized.

Lisa Louise Cook on Genealogy Gems has covered this topic several times on her podcasts, You might want to listen to some of the suggestions she and her guests have had.

Free Public Records Searches: An Overview of What is Free on the Internet

February 18th, 2010 No comments

Since its inception, the Internet has been billed as something of a mega-library, giving searchers access to more information at their fingertips than anything in human history.

Of course, this claim is true. There’s just one problem: the methods, techniques and tools we collectively use to search for information has not caught up with the sheer overwhelming volume of information available to us. In other words: often, we know that what we seek is out there somewhere, but we just do not always know how to find it. It is like finding a needle in a haystack.

The world of online public records access is no exception. It is true that if you are looking for free public records searches on the Internet, the information you need is out available somewhere. But, how do you know which are the best free sites?

Here, categorized by type of information sought, are some of the best sites I have found when you want to conduct free public records searches online:

1. Personal searches: people and contact information

Looking for that high school classmate, a past neighbor, an old flame or an ex-business associate? You need a people finder, and there are plenty to choose from. Try these free sites: ZabaSearch.com and Yahoo! People Search (people.yahoo.com).

2. Vital records: birth, death, marriage, divorce info

“Vital” comes from the Latin word for “life,” so of course vital records are any records related to the big events of our lives, such as births, marriages, and deaths. Visit VitalRec.com to obtain records such as birth certificates, death records, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, naturalization, adoption and land records.

3. Licensed professionals

Need to find a good doctor or lawyer in your area or who are working in a certain area of practice? For lawyers, check out the online directory FindLaw.com. (Caution: note that while the service is free, the lawyers pay for position on the site, so do not expect the highest-ranking lawyers to necessarily be the best choice). To find a doctor in your area or one working in a certain specialty, see AMA Doctor Finder (ama-assn.org/aps/amahg.htm).

4. Criminal records

Looking to find out where someone you know is doing hard time or behind bars in a minimum security prison? Check out the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (bop.gov/iloc2/LocateInmate.jsp). Search by name, age, race and sex and find out the prison name or release date.

5. Background checks

If you are considering hiring a new employee but need to run a background check, I recommend ZabaSearch.com. Note that while regular “people searches” on this site are free, background checks fall under their premium service and do involve a fee.

6. Military personnel records

National Personnel Records Center (archives.gov) is one of the National Archives and Records Administration’s largest sites. They claim to be “a central repository of personnel-related records, both military and civil service. [Their] mission is to provide world class service to government agencies, military veterans, former civilian Federal employees, family members, as well as researchers and historians.” This free site is worth checking out.

7. Copyright, patents and trademarks information

Got that creative itch, or looking to find out which existing writings, products, processes, idea and logos are already spoken for? The U.S. Copyright Office runs an amazing site at copyright.gov that gives you access to free copyright information. Meanwhile, the United States Patent and Trademark Office runs a very easy-to-use, free site (uspto.gov) that allows you to conduct comprehensive patent and trademark searches.

8. Phone directory

If you are trying to find the phone number of someone special or looking for the number of an old acquaintance or colleague, check out AnyWho (anywho.com) and Infobel (infobel.com/teldir/), both fre online phone directory services.

Susan Willis
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/free-public-records-searches-an-overview-of-what-is-free-on-the-internet-749011.html

Free Public Records Searches: An Overview of What is Free on the Internet

February 16th, 2010 No comments

Since its inception, the Internet has been billed as something of a mega-library, giving searchers access to more information at their fingertips than anything in human history.

Of course, this claim is true. There’s just one problem: the methods, techniques and tools we collectively use to search for information has not caught up with the sheer overwhelming volume of information available to us. In other words: often, we know that what we seek is out there somewhere, but we just do not always know how to find it. It is like finding a needle in a haystack.

The world of online public records access is no exception. It is true that if you are looking for free public records searches on the Internet, the information you need is out available somewhere. But, how do you know which are the best free sites?

Here, categorized by type of information sought, are some of the best sites I have found when you want to conduct free public records searches online:

1. Personal searches: people and contact information

Looking for that high school classmate, a past neighbor, an old flame or an ex-business associate? You need a people finder, and there are plenty to choose from. Try these free sites: ZabaSearch.com and Yahoo! People Search (people.yahoo.com).

2. Vital records: birth, death, marriage, divorce info

“Vital” comes from the Latin word for “life,” so of course vital records are any records related to the big events of our lives, such as births, marriages, and deaths. Visit VitalRec.com to obtain records such as birth certificates, death records, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, naturalization, adoption and land records.

3. Licensed professionals

Need to find a good doctor or lawyer in your area or who are working in a certain area of practice? For lawyers, check out the online directory FindLaw.com. (Caution: note that while the service is free, the lawyers pay for position on the site, so do not expect the highest-ranking lawyers to necessarily be the best choice). To find a doctor in your area or one working in a certain specialty, see AMA Doctor Finder (ama-assn.org/aps/amahg.htm).

4. Criminal records

Looking to find out where someone you know is doing hard time or behind bars in a minimum security prison? Check out the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (bop.gov/iloc2/LocateInmate.jsp). Search by name, age, race and sex and find out the prison name or release date.

5. Background checks

If you are considering hiring a new employee but need to run a background check, I recommend ZabaSearch.com. Note that while regular “people searches” on this site are free, background checks fall under their premium service and do involve a fee.

6. Military personnel records

National Personnel Records Center (archives.gov) is one of the National Archives and Records Administration’s largest sites. They claim to be “a central repository of personnel-related records, both military and civil service. [Their] mission is to provide world class service to government agencies, military veterans, former civilian Federal employees, family members, as well as researchers and historians.” This free site is worth checking out.

7. Copyright, patents and trademarks information

Got that creative itch, or looking to find out which existing writings, products, processes, idea and logos are already spoken for? The U.S. Copyright Office runs an amazing site at copyright.gov that gives you access to free copyright information. Meanwhile, the United States Patent and Trademark Office runs a very easy-to-use, free site (uspto.gov) that allows you to conduct comprehensive patent and trademark searches.

8. Phone directory

If you are trying to find the phone number of someone special or looking for the number of an old acquaintance or colleague, check out AnyWho (anywho.com) and Infobel (infobel.com/teldir/), both fre online phone directory services.

Susan Willis
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/free-public-records-searches-an-overview-of-what-is-free-on-the-internet-749011.html

Public Record: Uncover Information

January 2nd, 2010 3 comments

Now days, it is tough to believe anybody easily. However, with public record we can find information about the person you want to know. From some years to find, information is exceedingly popular. In these, very person wants to find information about the person who was in their path of life. These records had full information like birth, death, marriage etc. even the persons criminal record is also available. You can also check the person’s criminal background check.

With these public records, you can also that your new associate has any criminal records and you can check their backgrounds. You can verify the person’s full information with these public records and get accurate information about the person. It is also necessary to find other public records resembling about people business records, property records, etc.

In simple meaning public records are the directories in which full information of every person is stored. This information includes an extensive variety of information. These records are easily available if you know which information you want.

Where can you find this information?

To find these public records is very exigent task. By typing ‘public record’ in any search engine, you will receive so many sites than you think what to do with; a popular way to start your searching is a free public record directory. Information is frequently not available only through internet records sites. Nevertheless, the government also provides this information in a small amount of fee.

How can use a public record directory?

When you find a public records directory, then the another step is make information that you are looking for that person. This is very easy way to use because these sites offer you specific information, which you are looking for.

A public record directory is more accepted directories to accelerate your search. These days, apart from the substantial copy of public records in the documentation, public offices are also uphold online public record data. With the help of these online pubic record searches, you can search about the person that you are in doubt of him or her. When you get information about the person, you can decide that whether that person is criminal or not.

Public records are offer in administration agencies, which they are ready for giving information who requested it for good reason. Some agencies keep public records in private reason so that you have to be sure of your reason.

Do not allow any person effects to you. You always have choice, which you do check public records before pamper in to something. Do not let the things happen to you. You have a choice, it is just normal that you do check the person public records, before coddle in to somewhat.

rolly
http://www.articlesbase.com/national,-state,-local-articles/public-record-uncover-information-698917.html

What are the rules on claiming Native American ethnicity on tax forms?

December 29th, 2009 6 comments

Recently I discovered that some of my ancestors were full-blood Native Americans who walked the Trail of Tears from Mississippi to Oklahoma. I have records with roll numbers for all of the my relatives born from these ancestors, and naturally I’m interested in acquiring birth/death/marriage certificates to prove my blood relation and tribal origins.

Does anybody know how the government law dictates who is legally entitled to claim Native American ethnity on Fedral/State tax forms and other official documents? In the past never registered as Native American, because I thought a person had to be pure 100% blood to claim it. Does the government require a certain quantum of Native American blood origin, or do they simply require some kind of roll/census number that properly proves I’ve already established my my Native American racial origin that is certified by my tribe?

More importantly, if you have any advice on how to go about establishing proof for my family’s genealogy, I would appreciate it. So far all I have is what my parents have given me where are a photocopies of letters written by ancestors, drawings of family trees, newspaper articles with photos, and roll numbers. Nobody seems to have any knowledge of who our ancestors were five generations back.

you are only native if you are enrolled in a federally recognized nation. and even if you are you will pay taxes like all the rest of us.

i’m enrolled mohawk and pay all the same taxes as my non native neighbors. the myth that we don’t pay taxes is a lie just like the lie that we get checks from the government. spread to make idiots hate us.

ETA: i file taxes every year. there is no race on those forms. when it comes to "green" no other color matters to the government. have you ever filed?