There are 3 types of information available online from the National Archives Social Security Numident files, which is a computerized database that contains SS-5 Application data, Social Security Claims information, and Death Records. There are almost 150 million records available to search. What’s a NUMIDENT you might ask? It is short for the Social Security […]
Category: QuickSheets
Was your ancestor an inventor? Did they apply for and receive a patent? There are several databases you can search. Google Patents is the most well-known, but there are four others you might want to try out. All are free to search. I knew that my Dad had several patents and that his grandfather possibly […]
As we all know, there are no photos available of all of our ancestors, especially many of those who lived primarily in the 1800s or earlier. On the other hand, we may have photos in our collection in what I call my “Unknowns,” where they have not been identified, and may never be identified. So […]
Searching old newspapers is my favorite genealogy research activity. Why? Because it helps me to discover the stories of my ancestors’ lives. Looking for obituaries is rather obvious, but what other things can one find in these sometimes one hundred or hundred and fifty-year-old pieces of paper? Politics – in older newspapers, precinct captains and […]
City and business directories are available online from all over the U.S. and Canada and are what I consider another important (and underutilized) set of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research. So, what kinds of directories are available to the researcher? Naturally city and business directories, but also telephone directories, […]
Are you just starting your genealogy research? Are you going to write your autobiography or a bunch of family stories? Maybe you are going to write a biography of your grandmother? In any case, you are surrounded by genealogy-related items in your home (or in your grandmother’s home)! Here’s a list of the kinds of […]
Military records are yet another very useful set of records that will help you in finding more about your ancestors. There are a ton of records that are available for free online, and there are some very robust collections (such as Fold3 and Ancestry) that have sizable online military collections as well. Typically, military records […]
Cemetery records and cemeteries in general are a very large part of our family history and are a significant pursuit for many genealogists. Sometimes, the information on a headstone is the only information available for certain ancestors. There are different types of cemeteries. Just being buried in a specific cemetery may provide a clue to […]
Before the recording of civil records and even now, Church Records have become a necessary and valuable category of collections that should be researched. They provide information that often cannot be found anywhere else. Baptisms, marriages, and funerals are commonly thought of when we discuss church records, but there is so much more. For example, […]
City and business directories are available online from all over the U.S. and Canada and are what I consider another important (and underutilized) set of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research. Where can you find online city directories? The Internet Archive has a sizable number of free directories available. Just […]