Memoirs Versus Written Family History

Summer is the time for getting out and doing research, visiting family, taking a trip, visiting a local library, cemetery, or courthouse. As fall sets in, followed by a long winter, it's a good time to reflect and get started on your family history. In his article, "Memoirs Versus Written History," Alan Smith lends encouragement and addresses some of the questions. Just one step at a time, and come spring, you efforts could produce into a solid piece of work to share with others.

Discovering a sample of your ancestor's handwriting

If you are interested in finding a sample of your ancestor's handwriting, it might just be at your fingertips. In her latest article, "Google Books: A Source for Ancestral Handwriting," Judy Rosella Edwards suggests a novel approach for finding personal inscriptions and signatures. In the past, it might have been necessary to inherit books with a family inscription, or you might have "happened" upon such a book in the local library. While such signatures themselves are not indexed (yet), you might find success with a little creative sluething.

Genealogy books - accessing valuable but scattered family information

Genealogy books is a broad term, but referring to books that contain specific information that might be of benefit to your own research, gaining access to a particular book can be a challenge. "The problem with purchasing all of the books out there with bits and pieces of your family history in them is that you will need a fat wallet and a large area of book shelves. Most of us can check out an occasional book and copy the necessary pages, but most can not travel to every appropriate library in the nation which holds certain books." In his article "Genealogy Books in Print and Online," Alan Smith suggests avenues for accessing books you may not necessarily want to buy.

Buried Treasure

For those who have not yet unlocked the secrets of Google Books, you'll want to read Melissa Slate's article, "Treasure for Genealogists, "offering some specific techniques for discovering a potential treasure at your fingertips.

Ancestry launches Digital Scrapbooking tool

Announced in a press release, Ancestry.com, today launched AncestryPress(TM), a tool that lets users create professionally printed, custom family history books, family recipe books and more. With this new state-of-the-art publishing tool, Ancestry.com offers users a one-stop solution to build their family tree, discover historical documents about their ancestors, collaborate with their family members and create high-quality family history books for themselves or family gifts.

North America Local and County Histories to Go Online

As noted on the FamilySearch web site, three genealogical libraries have pooled their collections in a massive digitization effort. Thousands of published family histories, city and county histories, historic city directories, and related records are coming to the Internet. The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Brigham Young University Harold B. Lee Library, and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City announced the joint project today. When complete, it will be the most comprehensive collection of city and county histories on the Web—and access will be free at www.familyhistoryarchive.byu.edu.

Once digitized, the collections will have "every word" search capability, which allows users to search by name, location, date, or other field across the collection. The search results are then linked to high quality digital images of the original publication. Digitization efforts have begun. New additions will be noted and hyperlinked in the Family History Library Catalog at FamilySearch.org as they are digitized.

Revisiting our research brings comfort and encouragement

While we do not think of people moving from one place to another today as migrating in the sense that our ancestors did, en mass over dusty trails, suffering many hardships and even death, we are nonetheless a moving people. Modern travel makes it so much easier, and yet, relocating is not without its challenges. In her article, "Inspired and Encouraged by Our Ancestors," Vicki Boartfield recounts her own recent move across country and how she turned to the stories of her ancestors to find comfort and encouragement.

Tips for bringing life to your family history

People love stories. When it comes sharing family history, it's easier to engage an audience through stories than facts alone. Stories engage the emotions and help people visualize their ancestors within a time and place, making the facts more interesting and relevant. But what if you are not among the fortunate few to have stories handed down in the form of a diary, journal, or chain of letters? Melissa Slate, in her article, "From Prose to Form: Making Your Family History Come Alive," offers ideas and suggestions for building a story from what you do know of your ancestor's lives.

What greater honor can we give our forbearers?

Melissa Slate contributed the article, "Illuminating the Darkness" offering a collection of seasonal thoughts for honoring our loved ones.