Tools and Resources

An alphabetical list of surnames being researched by our members.

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.

On-Line Collections of useful information:

  • 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.

  • Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 40, no. 2, Summer 2008. Michael Fichtel, 2006 Illinois State Genealogical Society Volkel Medal of Honor recipient, has spent twenty-plus years indexing genealogy newsletters and journals. While not as large as Allen County Public Library's Periodical Source Index (PERSI), "Mike's Index" contains more source detail.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • WeRelate.Org uses the same technology as WikiPedia, to make an interactive collection of family histories. The information about each individual may be edited by anyone who has better information or more complete documentation. It is a place on the web where we can actively collaborate with others in our genealogical researches.

  • Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet The best place on the web for genealogy links.

  • Linkpendium is by far the largest directory to genealogical resources on the Web.

  • 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 Sources:

Local Resources:

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

  • Index to the Yellowjacket, the Great River Genealogical Society's Quarterly publication. This index covers the issues published from March, 1975 to March, 1989.

  • 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.

  • Illinois Veterans Home For more information on the Illinois Veterans' Home in Quincy.

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 Relationship Calculator should be helpful.

About Our Meetings
March 11: Scott Reed will present Part II of The Irish in Adams County.

Map of Illinois showing Adams County