Tools and Resources

Some of our favorite genealogy links:

Especially for Beginners:

  • GEDCOM Explained. An article by Dick Eastman about the GEDCOM standards for exchanging computer files full of genealogical information from one genealogist to another.

  • Ahnentafel Explained. Another Dick Eastman article illustrating the use of the Ahnentafel System of Genealogical Numbering.

Genealogical Networking Sites:

  • WeRelate.Org -- This website is a partnership between the Foundation for On-Line Genealogy, Inc. and the Genealogy Center at Allen County (Indiana) Public Library. WeRelate.Org allows genealogists to collaborate using a wiki-style website. Users can create a page for an individual and others can add their own information. Read the FAQ page for more information on using the site along with helpful tips.

  • Genealogy Wise -- A social networking site for genealogists. Similar to FaceBook, you create your profile, add friends, share photos, join groups, and participate in discussions.

  • BillionGraves.com has a camera app that allows iPhone or Android phone users the ability to photograph cemetery headstones then upload them to their site. Photos will be tagged using the phone's GPS location services so the exact location of each grave can be recorded. Once the photos are on BillionGraves, anyone with an account can transcribe the records on the headstones to make them easily searchable.

On-Line Genealogical Resources:

  • There are now over 600 million records available for England, Wales, Ireland and the USA, by subscription to FamilyRelatives.com. Provided are birth, marriage and death indexes for England & Wales for the period 1837-2005. Irish records include indexes to Irish wills, 1536-1857, MacDonalds Directories for Antrim, Tipperary and Armagh and Irish immigration records, 1846-1850.

    Complete indexes for birth, marriage and death indexes in England and Wales are online at http://www.findmypast.com. The inclusion of the 1871 census of England and Wales is about 90% complete.

  • The National Archives of Ireland is the recipient of the 2009 CIGO Award for Excellence in Genealogy in recognition of the creation of its Internet database of scanned images and accompanying index of the entire Irish 1901 and 1911 census returns. The presentation of the certificate commemorating the Award took place on Wednesday, 7th July 2010 at the National Archives. By any measure this is a great achievement and all the more so because the results are available to all - world-wide - completely without charge.

  • "Mike's Index" -- Michael Fichtel has spent twenty-plus years indexing genealogy newsletters and journals. While not as large as Allen County (Indiana) Public Library's Periodical Source Index (PERSI), "Mike's Index" contains more source detail.

  • In November 2006, www.findmypast.com launched the www.ancestorsonboard.com/ microsite in association with The National Archives to publish outbound passenger lists for long-distance voyages departing all British ports between 1890 and 1960.

  • Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet is a comprehensive list of genealogy internet links.

  • USA People Search's Big List of Genealogical Links is a far less intimidating collection of sources for Genealogical Information.

  • The United States Online Historical Directories is a listing of states with links to city directories for the selected state. If the city directory is online, there will be a link.

  • RootsWeb.com produces a free weekly newsletter, The RootsWeb Review, which contains many useful articles about exploring Genealogy.

  • Family Search, sponsored by the Church of Latter Day Saints, bills itself as, "The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world."

Regional Resources:

Local Resources:

  • Quincy Public Library. A remarkable collection of genealogical information specific to Quincy and Adams County in Illinois. Make it your first stop!

  • An alphabetical list of surnames being researched by members of the Great River Genealogical Society. There are over 1,600 names. Many (but not all) of these surnames refer to our ancestors in Adams County, Illinois.

  • Adams County, Illinois Geographic Information System. It includes historical layers which map the county as it was in 1870 and in 1940.

  • Greenmount Cemetery, Quincy, Il. Historical facts about the cemetery and coming soon, a searchable database.

Useful Tools:

  • Many useful forms and blank charts can be downloaded from Ancestry.com. Ancestor Charts (pedigrees), Family Group Sheets, and many others can be found in *.pdf format.

  • We often get confused when calculating our relationship to distant cousins. This simple Relationship Calculator should be helpful.