Michael John Neill's Genealogy Website
The 1925 Iowa State Census contains the names of parents for every person enumerated. It is probably the best state census ever taken in the United States. The FamilySearch website recently updated or added an index to this unique state census, making it available for users at no charge. The image shown below is part of the […]
We are excited to announce the release of four new webinars! These are new topics with new content. Using Online US Local Land Records at FamilySearch.org Most of the local land records online at FamilySearch are not full name indexed. Searches must be conducted manually. Learn how to effectively search these records from home using theFamilySearch website. […]
Readers are hopefully aware that the War of 1812 Pension Files are free to use at Fold3. Use of the material requires the setting up of a free account on Fold3, but no payment is required to utilize the images. The Federation of Genealogical Societies and Fold3 are requesting donations in order to keep the project going (and I’m […]
Common names are a common genealogical frustration. In 1847 Thomas Brown signs a marriage bond for the marriage of John Lake and Charlotte Brown in Mercer County, Kentucky. On 29 November 1850 Thomas Brown signs a statement in a War of 1812 pension claim. This Thomas Brown states that he is 53 years of age […]
The following databases are showing as new or updated on FamilySearch since our last update: Iowa, State Census, 1925–wow! Louisiana, First Registration Draft Cards, compiled 1940-1945 Michigan, Births, 1867-1902 Utah, Uintah County Discharge Records, 1893-2009 Utah, Uintah County Land and Property Records, 1888-2004 Utah, Uintah County Land and Property Records, 1888-2004
We’ve just released a digital copy of the recording and handout for this presentation. The Library of Virginia has digital images of thousands of colonial land patents from that state on its website. Fully searchable by grantee and names listed in metes and bounds descriptions, this presentation will include an overview of what patents are […]
I discovered this item quite by accident while giving a webinar on using newspapers on the Library of Congress website. The January 1912 reference in the Dakota Farmers’ Leader of Canton, South Dakota, indicated that my uncle and aunt, Louis and Mary (Neill) Rampley, were leaving South Dakota and returning home to Illinois. The article stated […]
The 3rd edition of Evidence Explained has made it to my desk. At 892 pages, it is quite a tome and may appear to include a sample citation for every possible source under the genealogical sun. It doesn’t–but there are certainly enough examples for the user to find something close enough from which a citation […]
[note: this is reprinted from an earlier post on our old blog site from November of 2014] They say there is no such thing as a stupid question. That may be true, but one gets better answers if one asks better questions. Genealogy message boards, Facebook pages, and other communication forums that genealogists use are […]
Scanned photographs are great. They are a good way to share and exchange images that may be lost forever otherwise. However a scanned image needs to be more than just a reproduction of the original picture. There needs to be a discussion of the provenance of the picture and the identification of the individuals in the picture. […]
