Past Meets Future During Research
It’s fascinating to look backward and then project forward; to see where we’ve been and wonder where we’re headed.
Today’s column will help decipher handwriting from previous generations and then venture into the use of a tool of the present and future of genealogy - the Internet.
Kip Sperry’s new book, “Reading Old Handwriting,” is designed to teach you how to read and understand handwriting found on documents commonly used in genealogical research.
It explains techniques for reading early American records, provides samples of alphabets and letter forms, and defines terms and abbreviations our first American ancestors used in wills, deeds and church records. And it presents numerous examples of early American records for the reader to work with as samples.
“The further back in time our research takes us, the more `plain’ English looks like a foreign language,” wrote Elizabeth Shown Mills in a review. “That’s why Sperry’s plain English guide to not-so-plain English writing is an absolute basic book.”
The $29.99 book, plus $3.50 postage, can be ordered from Genealogical Publishing Co, (800) 296-6687, or check for it at Ancestors Plus.
Now, from centuries past to the present and future: The Internet is like a library whose books have fallen all over the floor, says Cyndi Howells, author of “Netting Your Ancestors” (Genealogical Publishing Co., $19.95) and webmaster for every genealogist’s favorite site, www.CyndisList.com. The site has categorized and indexed 30,000-plus sites of interest to genealogists.
Think of it as your road map to these 30,000 sites. Begin your genealogy journey on the Internet by starting at CyndisList and then click your way to your areas of interest.
Through CyndisList, you can find: a collection of information specific to your surname. Or do you want to know how to research in California, Hungary, Alberta or Wales? Directions to these and thousands of other sites are found on CyndisList.
Want to hire a professional researcher or know more about War of 1812 records; or maybe learn how to photograph documents or find a genealogy society in Mobile, Ala. Want to find a genealogy newspaper column in Maine or help with Acadian research?
Most any “genealogy want” can be addressed and most likely satisfied by using CyndisList.
On other Internet subjects, did you know Scottish birth and marriage records from 1553 to 1897, and death records from 1855 to 1897 are all online? www.open.gov.uk/gros/groshome.htm.
The Dawes Rolls, records of American Indians who were accepted on the final rolls of the Five Civilized Tribes as members of the Cherokee, Seminole and Creek tribes, will soon be on the Internet. The American College of Heraldry, a fascinating site, is also on the Internet at http://users.aol.com/ballywoodn/acheraldry/ html.
Need to send a genealogy fee to a European country? Consult Ruesch International for currency exchange at www.reusch.com.
You can easily teach yourself to use the Internet. A few books to help you learn include “Genealogy Online for Dummies” (available at Auntie’s Bookstore) and “The Internet for Genealogists: A Beginner’s Guide,” by Barbara Renick and Richard S. Wilson (Betterway Books, $16.99, (800) 289-0963.
For effective genealogy research, we must understand the past and willingly use the tools of the future.
Go for it!