Using your public library

1. Using your public library Genealogical Research Bonnie D. Mendes Library Director, Somerset Public Library

2. The Librarian is your best resource

3. Contacting libraries • Google the town you are looking for (or ask us!) • Connect to the Library’s webpage • Look for “Reference” or “Genealogy” • Email is a good start, but include a lot of information • Always contact the library first before sending money for copies • Remember, staffing levels are different – each library is unique.

4. Don’t forget search engines • www.google.com • www.yahoo.com • www.bing.com • http://www.ipl.org/

5. The Somerset Public Library • http://www.somersetpubliclibrary.org/ • Click on the Reference Tab • Then select Special Topics • Select Genealogy

7. Library edition vs. home edition • Ancestry.com is designed for the individual so there is a lot of personalized functionality and there are personalized options available to individual subscribers that are not available on our institutional sites. • The following is a list of the major features and functionality that Ancestry.com subscribers have available that are not included in the institutional versions of Ancestry:

8. With your own subscription… • Family Trees Tab This section of the site has many great ways to share and manage all the great information you find at Ancestry.com including the ability to upload photos, documents and add stories about ancestors into Personal and Public Member Trees. • Collaborate Tab Browse or search millions of messages on thousands of surname, locality and topic-centric boards to connect and learn from long lost relatives and newfound friends. Use the Member Directory to search for other members of the Ancestry community who have common family history interests. • Store Tab Buy your favorite Ancestry and other genealogical materials including Ancestry.com'sThe Source, Redbook, Printed Sources< and more! • Additionally, there are certain databases that are available on Ancestry.com, that are NOT available on Ancestry Library Edition (ALE): • Family Trees • Historical Newspaper Collection • Family and Local History Collection • Obituary Collection • Periodical Source Index (PERSI) • Filby's Passenger and Immigration Lists Index (PLI) • Biography & Genealogy Master Index (BGMI) • Freedman's Bank Records

9. Let’s look at Ancestry (library ed) • 1940s Census • Other databases • Searching

10. Other Internet sources • FamilySearch.orgA free research tool provided by the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.Genealogy Learning CenterNew England Historic Genealogy SocietyProviding research tools and assistanceWhere to Write for Vital RecordsThe links on this National Center for Health Statistics site provide you with direct access to individual State and territory information. To use this valuable tool, you must first determine the State or area where the birth, death, marriage, or divorce occurred, then click on that State or area.

11. Other Internet Resources Comprehensive Portals Family Trees http://www.misbach.org/pdfcharts/Downloadable genealogy charts (pdf) http://www.myheritage.com/http://www.geni.com/Social network-oriented family tree sharing sites http://www.familytreemaker.com/Popular genealogy software associated with ancestry.com http://genealogy.lovetoknow.com/Draw_a_Family_TreeSuggestions for making your own family tree • Official genealogy portal for the US National Archives, contains guidance for genealogy research and diverse archives of American records • http://www.familysearch.org/FamilySearch provides resources and is tied to real-world family history classes and Family History Centers around the world • http://www.progenealogists.com/ProGenealogists offers paid research services but also provide a useful set of tools and links for getting started on your own. • http://www.genealogytoday.com/Genealogy publication with advice on getting started, links, and more • https://www.worldvitalrecords.com/One of the more popular paid genealogy database sites

12. Other Internet Resources, con’t. International Research • http://www.worldgenweb.org/Volunteer-based organization for international genealogy • http://www.genealogylinks.net/50,000 links sorted by region

13. Other Internet Resources • https://www.23andme.com/partner/foa/Offers DNA testing resources to learn ancestry and personal health information. • http://www.footnote.com/Access to more documents from the National Archives, with a set of tools for uploading, annotating, and sharing • http://www.digitalgenealogist.com/past.htmlThree-volume journal on digital genealogy • http://www.usgennet.org/Free and advertisement-free hosting of genealogy sites for educational purposes, public research, or study of national historic heritage • http://www.interment.net/Cemetery records online • http://www.dnaheritage.com/Information on DNA genealogy • http://www.genebase.com/http://www.familytreedna.com/DNA ancestry testing services • http://www.ellisisland.org/Search for relatives who may have come through Ellis Island • http://www.progenealogists.com/genealogysleuthi.htmPro Genealogist’s guide to sites their genealogists use, with indications of which are free and which are paid

14. Massachusetts • http://www.mass-doc.com/mass_research_tools.htm • http://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcgen/genidx.htm (State Archives) • http://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcgen/genidx.htm

15. My favorites • Ancestry • Cyndi’s List - http://www.cyndislist.com/us/ma • New England Genealogy Society http://library.nehgs.org/ • Yahoo

16. Somerset Public Library 1464 County StreetSomerset, MA 02726 Bonnie Mendes, Library Director bmendes@sailsinc.org Mary Pelletier, Reference Librarian mpellet@sailsinc.org 508-646-2829 Somersetpubliclibrary.org