Free Ancestry Research On-Line

The Mormon Church has an extensive web site that is free to use for searching for information.  I find that I have to use it in connection with other sources (like Ancestry.com).  They don't have facsimiles of the original documents but have enough details  to fill in some info that I need as well as it gives the detail on the microfilm where the record is located.


FAMILY SEARCH

One of the other services is the Wiki* that is a great place to get answers to questions you may have.  It is a great source for the researcher.  Currently, there are over 47,000 articles and a variety of topics.  I have used it for German research questions. Again, another free resource.


FAMILY SEARCH WIKI


*A wiki ( /ˈwɪki/ WIK-ee) is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYGtext editor.^[1][2][3] Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used to create collaborative works. Examples include community websites, corporate intranets, knowledge management systems, and note services. The software can also be used for personal note taking.

Wikis serve different purposes. Some permit control over different functions (levels of access). For example editing rights may permit changing, adding or removing material. Others may permit access without enforcing access control. Other rules can be imposed for organizing content.

Ward Cunningham, the developer of the first wiki software, WikiWikiWeb, originally described it as "the simplest online database that could possibly work."^[4] "Wiki" (pronounced [ˈwiti]or [ˈviti]) is a Hawaiian word for "fast".^[5]

Why are many of the genealogy resources related to the Mormons?

Many of the free resources available on the internet are sponsored by the Mormon Church (LDS) and many of the pay sites are owned/founded by members of the Church.  Ray once asked me "what's in it for them?"


They believe that many of their ancestors weren't able to know the message of their Church.  These ancestors are baptized by proxy into the Church.  In other words, these people are baptized into the Mormon Church regardless of their religious beliefs.  The Mormons believe that family ties are eternal and these ties can only be maintained if the ancestors are baptized.


We have occasionally come across a record on Ancestry.com where an LDS baptism has been recorded.  Next time we find one, I will share it with you here.


The Mormons have come under fire this practice.  At some point, many of the Holocaust victims were baptized by proxy.  As you can imagine, this raised quite a stink.  The Catholic Church has also raised concerned with the practice.  The official LDS website now states that by baptism, the ancestors are given the opportunity to hear "the word" and then they can make a "choice".

Free Resources on the Internet

One of my favorite sites available for research is FINDAGRAVE.COM.  It is a free site that helps you locate cemetery records. The site is totally dependent on volunteers so it's not complete.  You can locate the graves of famous people as well.  It is very simple to use, you just need to know the city and county that you are looking for.


Cemetery records and headstones can give you information that you may not have found otherwise.  Volunteers may even take a picture of a headstone for you.  It is a great resource for genealogical research.  You can also add information and pictures to share with others.


To search, use this link.  Enter as much information as you know and see what you find.  Remember, if you don't find someone it doesn't mean they aren't there.  That cemetery may not be indexed yet.


I searched Thomas Bowen Riley and this is what came up:



Birth Jan 15,1921
Death July 27, 1999
Maj, US Army
Riverside National Cemetery
Riverside
Riverside County
California, USA
Plot: 2A,0, 1196


There is no individual headstone photo but it give the plot info. I could post a request and maybe someone would take a picture for me.

A Great Mystery Solved...

I have learned from a recent flurry of research that any one program or subscription doesn't give you every thing you need.  We had found Ezra Riley, new wife and family in Wales in the 1871 Census but the two sons, Thomas Roberts and Ezra were missing.  Using Ancestry.Com, we weren't able to find them.  Also, we could find NO RECORDS for Ezra and Jane in the 1861 Census.

I signed up for The Genealogist, a UK based web site, hoping it could help me solve these two issues.  I hated to spend the money but I was desperate.  Well... I found Thomas and Ezra!  They were at a very small school (looks like there were fewer than 25 students) in Wales.  I still couldn't find the family in 1861.

Last weekend I went to Family History Expo in Atlanta.  I met with a professional genealogist who was very little help but she mentioned Find My Past.  It is also a UK based web site.  Fortunately, they offer a free 14 day trial.  I made a list of people I wanted to check and have downloaded a bunch of things that I need to put into my Ancestry.com files.

So now to the great mystery...I still cannot find Ezra and Family in the 1861 Census but now I know why....
The records for Woolwich are missing!  I had figured they might have been in Woolwich based on the place of birth of their last child.  It doesn't make me happy that it's gone but I am so happy that I know the answer to why they can't be found

From Find My Past:
. 1861 missing pages
Missing pieces of the 1861 census


There are a number of enumeration books missing, or parts of enumeration books (usually missing start or finish), from the 1861 census. Below is a list of the books affected that we know of, both those missing in their entirety (M) and those which are incomplete (I) in the National Archives.

145 Middlesex Islington         Islington East (2)                Islington M
217 Middlesex West London West London North (1)        St Bartholomew the Less I
219 Middlesex West London West London South (2)        Barnard's Inn M
220 Middlesex London City London City SW (1)               St Augustine Watling Street I
229 Middlesex London City London City NE (5)               St Christopher le Stock I
407 Kent Greenwich         Woolwich Arsenal (6)       Woolwich M