Genealogy 101: Tool Kit Links

Please Note: Content on this page is under review and will be updated as required.

This Tool Kit includes links to websites for up-to-date genealogy news, finding aids, resource and research guides, “how-to” articles and helpful reference. All offsite links open in new tabs or windows in your browser. New to Genealogy? See Getting Started by instructor Bob Dawes and the helpful tips and hints, research guides, downloadable charts and articles on genealogy extracted from The Quinte Searchlight, our quarterly newsletter in the Course Materials.

News & Articles | Finding Aids & Research Guides | Other Good Stuff


New Additions


DNA Testing Guides – The Best DNA and Ancestry Products Compared
101 Best Websites for 2020 from Family Tree Magazine
12 Quick Tips to Search Google Like An Expert 
By Dharmesh Shah, Hubspot Blog
A Genealogy Guide to 130+ Google Search Engines by GenealogyInTime Magazine 
To get the most out of any Google search for your ancestors, it is necessary to understand how Google works. An important consideration is to realize that Google runs different search engines in different parts of the world. For example, Google.com is the search engine for the United States, Google.ca is used for Canada, while Google.co.uk is the search engine for the United Kingdom. In total, there are over 130 different Google search engines.
AncestorSearch using Google Custom Search (randymajors.com)
This tool helps you build a better Google search for finding web pages mentioning your ancestors. It returns a more focused set of search results by using advanced Google search techniques including exact phrases, forward and reverse name order, alternate name spellings, logical operators, and so on. Nothing magical, just a big time-saver!
Family Search Online Film Ordering
FamilySearch’s Microfilm Ordering service is your gateway to a vast collection of genealogical and historical records. The service allows you to reserve and loan films to family history centers and affiliate libraries. The loan is free, but there is a small shipping and handling charge for each film.
Genealogy Blog Finder
Searching Your Irish Roots Online 
A guide to Irish Genealogy websites and how to search on them by Kate Kickey & Jordana Kozupsky, IrishCentra.com Staff Writers.

Library and Archives Canada Blog

Measuring Worth  

Historic measures of worth, inflation rates, saving calculator, relative value, worth of a dollar, worth of a pound, purchasing power, gold prices, GDP, history of wages, average wage
National Institute for Genealogical Studies 
Genealogical research is a satisfying pastime for the family historian and a rewarding occupation for the professional genealogist. To support the needs of both amateur family historians and aspiring professional genealogists for reliable and comprehensive education we have designed a series of courses (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced and Electives) leading to various Certificates in Genealogical Studies with specialization in various countries.
Free Online File Converter 
Convert files like images, video, documents, audio and more to other formats with this free and fast online converter.
Preserving Your Family History Records Digitally
This paper discusses the benefits and challenges of using digital preservation to both augment and enhance the preservation of your family history records. It also explores solutions to the challenges, identifies what types of family history records are suitable for digital preservation, and summarizes what is required to get started archiving digital records.
Social Networking & Genealogy by Marian Press 
Presented to the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa on March 12, 2011.
The Chicago Manual of Style Online 
The 16th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style is now available! With state-of-the-art recommendations on editorial style and publishing practices in the digital age, The Chicago Manual of Style is the must-have reference for everyone who works with words.


News & Articles


Anglo-Celtic Connections
Updated daily, items that may appear, or have appeared in the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa monthly email newsletter.

Ask Olive Tree Genealogy a Question 

Do you need help finding an ancestor? Do you have a genealogy question you would like to ask? Do you want to know where to find certain genealogy records? Let Lorine McGinnis Schulze help!

Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
Daily newsletter with family history news, tips and reviews from genealogist Dick Eastman.
Everton Publishers Genealogy Blog
Genealogy Blog was started by Joe Edmon and Leland Meitzler in 2003 as a place for genealogists to come and find the best the Internet has to offer for genealogists.
Genealogy Canada 
Elizabeth Lapointe’s blog for Canadian Genealogy

Genealogy in Time

A free online genealogy magazine and search engine.

Noozeum’s Material Culture

Historian and archivist Jennifer Bunting lives and works in Ontario. Topics she writes about on her blog include Archaeology, Architecture, Archives, Ontario Buildings, Canada at War, Historical Societies, Ontario History, Material Culture, Museums, and Photographs.
Olive Tree Genealogy Blog 

Updates about Olive Tree Genealogy and other FREE genealogy records. Helping you find your family tree and ancestry.

British GENES Blog 

Genealogy News and EventS from Chris Paton. The top stories and events concerning Scottish ancestral research, with news form around the UK and beyond.

The Global Gazette
The Global Gazette provides helpful family history research “How-To” information and heritage news for everyone interested in genealogy and history.


Finding Aids & Research Guides


12 Google Search Tips for Genealogists 
Google is much more than just a tool for finding Web sites. 
Ancestry.com Family History Wiki 

A great place to learn more about family history 

Research Guides from the Archives of Ontario 
These documents are designed to aid in the use of particular types of records or to provide information about policies and procedures.
Research Guides at the Canadian Genealogy Centre
Library and Archives Canada Finding Aids cover a broad range of topics including aboriginal and ethno-cultural groups; births, marriages and deaths; government; immigration; military; publications; census; lands; employment and many others.

Learn at FamilySearch(tm) 
Getting Started, Research Wiki, Research Courses and Discussion Forums.
The National Archives Research Guides: A-Z 
These guides give specific research advice that will help you to use the catalogue at The National Archives at Kew in England.

The National Archives In-Depth Learning Guides
These guides created by experts cover some of the most popular research topics including: family history, local history, Latin and paleography. 

Family History at bbc.co.uk
Take a fascinating journey into your family’s past. Discover the enormous array of resources at your fingertips and get started with your research.
Ancestry.com Learning Centre

A collection of family history how-to and genealogy learning materials on the Internet. Browse or search our archives of Ancestry Magazine, the Ancestry Daily NewsGenealogical Computing, and popular Ancestry.com online columnists.


Other Good Stuff


Beginners’ Latin, A Practical Online Tutorial for Beginners
This tutorial from The National Archives is a beginners’ guide to the Latin used in documents between 1086 and 1733 when Latin was the official language of documents written in England. No previous knowledge of Latin is required. This tutorial is suitable for everyone who wants to learn.

Encyclopedia of Genealogy
The Encyclopedia of Genealogy serves as a compendium of genealogical tools and techniques. It provides reference information about everything in genealogy except people.
English Handwriting 1500-1700 

An online course. 
Family Facts, Surname Origins

The Family Facts archive can tell you everything from the lifespan of your ancestors to the very meaning of your name.

Forensic Genealogy 

Improve your sleuthing skills with the weekly photo quiz. 

Family Genealogy & History Internet Education Directory
 
A comprehensive Genealogy and Family History online Handbook, How-To-Guide and Manual.
Genealogy Software Reviews 

421 genealogy software programs reviewed and rated. 
Genealogy Source Citations Quick Reference Card

Courtesy of High-Definition Genealogy

Genealogical Standards and Guidelines
The National Genealogical Society

Guide to the Preservation and Restoration of Old Graveyards
The New Hampshire Old Graveyard Association

Internet Genealogy, Lecture Notes and Supporting Materials 

Halvor Moorshead shares his course materials for lectures on dating old photographs, researching newspapers online, websites to try and Web 2.0.
National Trust Surname Distribution

Presents the findings of a project based at University College London (UCL) that is investigating the distribution of surnames in Great Britain, both current and historic.

Old Occupations
A alphabetical listing old occupations on the Hall Genealogy Website developed by Rodney Hall.

Ontario Locator
The Ontario Locator help genealogists and historians discover the township, county or district they need in order to research family histories. Knowing this information will narrow your search down to one area instead of province-wide.

PDFmyURL.com
A free online tool to easily convert and save any web page to PDF.

Canadian Conservation Institute

The Canadian Conservation Institute provides help to care for and preserve treasures, heirlooms and works of art.

Research Helps from FamilySearch(tm)
Includes Forms, Letter-writing Guide, Maps, Reference Documents, Research Outlines, Resource Guides, Step-by-step Guides, and Word List.

Restoration of Genealogy Photos 

Scanning tips to help restore your genealogy photos. 

Rudy’s List of Archaic Medical Terms
Antiquus Morbus is a collection of archaic medical terms and their old and modern definitions that help decipher the Causes of Death found on Mortality Lists, Certificates of Death and Church Death Records from the 19th century and earlier. 
Scottish Handwriting Home Page 

Online tuition in the Palaeography of Scottish Documents. 
Transcript Software: Makes Transcribing Easier

Freeware from J. G. Boerema, a program designed to help you to transcribe the text on digital images of documents.