Resources on the Web: Youtube

When we think of online local history and genealogy resources, it is easy to forget that some of the websites we use daily for other reasons may be packed with genealogical resources as well. Youtube is a great example of this issue. Many of the leading sites that grant access to vital records and provide tree building software, such as Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org also create and upload helpful videos to Youtube. Ancestry adds how to videos to their channel  whenever a change to the website occurs and they also advertise and demonstrate many of their services as well. They also have a series of videos called the Desktop Education Series that provides expert advice on a variety of research topics. In addition to Ancestry, FamilySearch demonstrates services and provides brief explanations about certain record types, like the 1940 census set. The blogger who calls herself Dear Myrtle also has a Youtube channel.

Library of Congress American Memory Project

In the early 1990s, the Library of Congress ran a digitization pilot program that culminated in a set of CD-ROMS being sent to 44 schools. The American Memory project stemmed from this digitization effort and became the most important component of the National Digital Library. American Memory exhibits digital collections covering myriad topics including recent historical events (i.e., the events of September 11, 2001), women's history (check out the digitized scrapbooks of suffragists), papers and records of past presidents (the James Madison Papers collection is a well organized, easy to browse collection), and many, many more!

The Benefits of Fresh Air in Education -- from the Champaign County Historical Archives blog

Here is a great post from the Champaign County Historical archives blog.  The post focuses on the "open air school movement" that occurred primarily during the decades between World War I and World War II.

New Name, New Mission

Tracing Your Roots is back with a new name and a new attitude! We are now called Tangled Branches Genealogy, which is also the name of our private genealogical research business. Our mission is to continue to provide access to topics of interest to genealogists at all stages of research, and to also give back to the community through volunteer work with a focus on local history and genealogy.

What have I been up to in these past months? 

In addition to conducting my own family history research, I have been busy working as a county archives assistant librarian. I have also become a volunteer for both Find-A-Grave and Illinois Ancestors, specifically the Illinois Ancestors Tombstone Project. My current project for both organizations is the Riverside Cemetery in Mahomet, Illinois. It is such a beautiful location and only about 50% of the cemetery has been transcribed and/or photographed.

I have also accepted a position as Vice President of Membership for the Champaign County Genealogical Society. As part of my service to the genealogical society, I have become an indexing volunteer, which entails indexing names from the society's quarterly publication dating from 1979 - the present! It is a huge undertaking. If you are a Champaign County local, or have Illinois research to conduct, consider joining the CCGS. If you are interested in joining your local society, visit the Federation of Genealogical Societies to learn more about societies in your area.

Join your local genealogical society!

I cannot stress enough how helpful it is to be a part of my local genealogical society. Members and officers are there by choice and many of these people genuinely enjoy helping others with genealogy. To find out about your local organization, visit the Federation of Genealogical Societies website. You can search by the society's name or by location. Happy Searching!

Mothers, Sisters, Aunts, and other Feisty Female Ancestors

Another blog post I did for work. This one focuses on the search for female ancestors in honor of Mother's Day. Enjoy!

May Day -- Local History Blog Posts

At least once per month I blog for work. We post primarily about Champaign County, Illinois--since we're the county archives. Here is a link to a recent blog post I wrote on May Day. Enjoy!