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  • USA Searching reliable websites and subscription sites

    Hi, I have just started looking at records in America and following on from some kind help and advice and looking at this sites Wiki, have realised that there is a mountain of information out there, a lot of which appear to be subscription sites. Has anybody any advice on sites that are reliable and good to use and also the flipside, sites to avoid. Any help as always is appreciated. thanks
    My Family History Blog Site:

    https://chiddicksfamilytree.com

  • #2
    I have worldwide access to Ancestry, this has been particularly helpful re the USA census, there are also SSDI that you can search naturalisation records, newspapers, etc. there are also some USA records on www.familysearch.org but I tend to use Ancestry most. The USGenweb sites are generally pretty good value and free they also have some transcriptions of headstones/burial records (well, the Connecticut ones I have seen do!) I havent ordered any certs from USA so not really able to help on this subject, but also I have found some hidden gems through google.
    Julie
    They're coming to take me away haha hee hee..........

    .......I find dead people

    Comment


    • #3
      You could have a look in this forum's reference library - there's loads of stuff about USA genealogy on there

      Jackie

      Comment


      • #4
        The American National Archives are very helpful, you can e3mail them a query and they send you a form to put details on and will search for you, sometimes if you want a copy of a document they make a small charge but they are helpfulness itself
        National Archives and Records Administration

        Comment


        • #5
          Ancestry's good for the censuses.

          I've found quite a bit of info on this (free) site, but the coverage is very patchy:

          Free Family History and Genealogy Records to Find Ancestors wherever their trails lead


          You can also try these (free) sites for burials:

          Find a Grave is a free resource for finding the final resting places of famous folks, friends and family members. With millions of names, it is an invaluable tool for genealogist and history buffs.

          25 million+ record archive of cemetery records, transcriptions, civic archives, assembled by volunteers, genealogists, and goverment agencies. No subscription required, free access.


          but again, the coverage is patchy.

          Ancestry has quite a lot of passenger lists and some BMDs.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Mary from Italy View Post
            Ancestry's good for the censuses.

            I've found quite a bit of info on this (free) site, but the coverage is very patchy:

            Free Family History and Genealogy Records to Find Ancestors wherever their trails lead


            You can also try these (free) sites for burials:

            Find a Grave is a free resource for finding the final resting places of famous folks, friends and family members. With millions of names, it is an invaluable tool for genealogist and history buffs.

            25 million+ record archive of cemetery records, transcriptions, civic archives, assembled by volunteers, genealogists, and goverment agencies. No subscription required, free access.


            but again, the coverage is patchy.

            Ancestry has quite a lot of passenger lists and some BMDs.
            I have also used Findagrave.com Mary, if you know that a particular person is buried in a certain place you can request a photo, I have been in touch with a distant family member that lives in New York state, she takes photos for the findagrave project (and has supplied some beauties for me)
            Julie
            They're coming to take me away haha hee hee..........

            .......I find dead people

            Comment


            • #7
              There are very few national BMD sources in the US. SSDI is probably unique in this regard, but Social Security only came into existence in mid-1930s, and not everyone participated initially.

              So it's important to know the location and time period in the US, which can then allow you to find local resources. Ancestry has many records, including draft registrations for the two world wars.

              Also useful: pilot.familysearch.org. This site is destined for removal, but it does allow for very sophisticated searches. The advanced search allows you to name the parents, child's surname, approximate date for a BMD event. Choose partial matches. Results can be amazing.

              The newer version is www.familysearch.org.

              Love findagrave (already listed). If you know where someone is buried, you can request a photo of the gravemarker. The volunteer may also be willing to photo other stones with the same surname in the immediate area.

              Comment


              • #8
                It's also worth bearing in mind that - so long as you aren't trying to pick up info from Ancestry trees posted up by other researchers, many libraries have Ancestry.com available to members - but you'd have to visit your library to take advantage (which involves booking time on a branch computer).

                I've found this one to be a useful site - including the SSDI : http://www.familytreelegends.com/records
                Ellis Island (immigration): http://www.ellisislandrecords.org/se...assSearch.asp?
                Castle Garden (immigration) : http://www.castlegarden.org/searcher.php
                newspaper projects : http://www.neh.gov/projects/usnp.html
                newspaper projects : http://www.loc.gov/ndnp/

                I've also used regular search engines to pick up State and County family history groups/society. They can be very helpful, as I found in the case of Pinellas County in Florida, who went out of their way to help me find the memorial stone for me errant grandfather.

                Christine
                Researching: BENNETT (Leics/Birmingham-ish) - incl. Leonard BENNETT in Detroit & Florida ; WARR/WOR, STRATFORD & GARDNER/GARNAR (Oxon); CHRISTMAS, RUSSELL, PAFOOT/PAFFORD (Hants); BIGWOOD, HAYLER/HAILOR (Sussex); LANCASTER (Beds, Berks, Wilts) - plus - COCKS (Spitalfields, Liverpool, Plymouth); RUSE/ROWSE, TREMEER, WADLIN(G)/WADLETON (Devonport, E Cornwall); GOULD (S Devon); CHAPMAN, HALL/HOLE, HORN (N Devon); BARRON, SCANTLEBURY (Mevagissey)...

                Comment


                • #9
                  Oh yes, I forgot to mention the SSDI (Social Security death index).

                  Ancestry has it, but it's also free here:



                  (only recentish deaths, though).

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Paulc - do you know where in America?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      wow, thankyou for all the info, thats a great starting point, exactly what i was looking for tried and tested reliable sites, this will certainly point me in the right direction, again thanks everyone for your contributions.

                      Naomi - all I have is Samuel Chiddicks (lots variations in spelling) born appx. 1827 in Essex, possibly Canewdon. I have him on the 1841 and 1851 census in the UK. Emigrated to New York in 1852

                      New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
                      Samuel Chiddicks born c1827 - occ. labourer
                      Port of departure - Liverpool
                      Port of arrival - New York, USA - 21 Jul 1852
                      Ship Name: St George

                      Thanks to some kind help and the fulton history pages, I have found a Mr Chiddicks listed in the Brooklyn daily Eagle in 1872, so I am assuming it could be the same person.

                      So assume he was still living in the New York area twenty years after arrival, but so far thats all i have. I will bump the other thread up as well.
                      My Family History Blog Site:

                      https://chiddicksfamilytree.com

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        One important connection I didn't make for a while... The USA is a federation of states. We all know that, but tend to forget what that means if we come from one of the more integrated countries of the world. If the European Union were to become a federation of states, we probably wouldn't want to think that our BMD records would be centralised. Likewise in the USA: each state has it's own recording system, archives and rules. There isn't a central BMD source to use.

                        Even in the UK, Scottish records are held separately from English ones - and disclosed under a different legal system.

                        Christine
                        Researching: BENNETT (Leics/Birmingham-ish) - incl. Leonard BENNETT in Detroit & Florida ; WARR/WOR, STRATFORD & GARDNER/GARNAR (Oxon); CHRISTMAS, RUSSELL, PAFOOT/PAFFORD (Hants); BIGWOOD, HAYLER/HAILOR (Sussex); LANCASTER (Beds, Berks, Wilts) - plus - COCKS (Spitalfields, Liverpool, Plymouth); RUSE/ROWSE, TREMEER, WADLIN(G)/WADLETON (Devonport, E Cornwall); GOULD (S Devon); CHAPMAN, HALL/HOLE, HORN (N Devon); BARRON, SCANTLEBURY (Mevagissey)...

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Ditto what Christine said. Also remember that the US 1890 census is gone in a fire. Do you think they were members of a church? Sometimes Episcopal records can be retrieved by contacting the diocese archivist. Have you looked in the 1860 and 1870 census?

                          Sarah

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                          • #14
                            Hi Sarah, not been able to check the 1860 and 1870 census fully as don't have ancestry worldwide access unfortunately
                            My Family History Blog Site:

                            https://chiddicksfamilytree.com

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I would also like to echo what Christine has said but also like to add that New York may mean the City but coud also mean Upstate New York which is quite a vast place. The State Library of New York is situated in Albany, about 150 miles North of New York City. I made the mistake of assuming I would find all the New York info in New York City but not so. It is very difficult getting hold of Births/Marriages and Deaths in the later 1800's and impossible for the 1840's, 1850's, 1860's which is the era of my interest as they did not start to keep records until about the 1870's. If you know possible churches then you may be able to obtain baptism certs. Wills are also a nightmare to access so getting American roots is not so easy, which is probably why so many Americans do not seem to have the documentation of their ancestors in the same way that we would expect to have.

                              I have been to Albany as many of my ancestors went there and found my way around the system. The 1890 Census for New York was badly damaged with much of it destroyed so that is a difficult census to look at.

                              Website for New York state Library is:



                              Some very useful Genealogical Researching of Ancestors in New York information will be found at:




                              Janet
                              Last edited by Janet; 26-02-11, 11:15.

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                Thanks for the websites Janet and take your point, i quite blindly thought of new york as new york city, so thats got me thinking as well. If anybody else has any websites feel free to post on here. Thanks again everyone
                                My Family History Blog Site:

                                https://chiddicksfamilytree.com

                                Comment


                                • #17
                                  Hi Paul,

                                  Have you tried www.cyndislist.com ?

                                  It is a fantastic site, listing by country ie Canada, then by provinces etc.
                                  She covers the world, but the USA is particularly strong.

                                  Cyndi Howells updates it frequently. I go back to it time and time again even now after 10 years of researching.

                                  bcbrit
                                  George, Uren, Toy - Cornwall. Barrows, Blair, Bowyer, Freeth, Green, Manie - London

                                  Comment


                                  • #18
                                    Hi, Paul
                                    pilot.familysearch.org - one of my favorite sites - or the newer version, www.familysearch.org, have several US censuses indexed, and free for use. Some decades have the image with them, some not, but the index entry has most of the record's information. Its index is built by volunteers, and is created by two indexers and an arbitrator reviewing the record. (BTW, records are not limited to the US - many records worldwide are indexed, including UK records. You too can be a volunteer indexer).

                                    Sarah

                                    Comment


                                    • #19
                                      thanks Sarah and bcbrit did forget cyndi's list , so will have a look and will try family search site as well, I will keep you posted on any further developments
                                      My Family History Blog Site:

                                      https://chiddicksfamilytree.com

                                      Comment

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