Genealogy

Research
A Beginner’s Guide to
Family History Research

Local History & Genealogy

Bay County Public Library
898 W. 11th St.
Panama City, FL 32401
(850) 522-2132
[email protected]
 Steps to Start Researching Your Family History

STEP 1— Plan and Organize

Identify and collect the forms you will need to begin documenting your family. Do you
want to store the information electronically, in print, or both? See forms and software
section for a list of resources available online.

STEP 2 — Identify available family resources

This includes interviewing relatives and collecting family documents. Items to look for
include files, boxes, scrapbooks, photo albums, safe-deposit boxes, marriage licenses,
birth or death certificates, family Bible, baby books, address books, autograph books,
letters, newspaper clippings, Christmas cards, and anything else with names, dates, or
addresses.

STEP 3 — Begin your tree

Start with yourself and work backwards one generation at a time.

Wormsloe Plantation, GA
 STEP 4 — Research

Plan trips to visit cemeteries, courthouses, libraries, places your family lived, churches
your family attended, family reunions, and more! Make sure to contact each place be-
fore visiting to know the resources that will be available to you.

Visit your local library and use the genealogy books, periodicals, microfilm, and data-
bases available to you for free!

Use search engines, such as Google, to identify potential helpful websites. Make sure
to scrutinize each website for trustworthiness and accuracy.

Read about the different times and places of your ancestors. Read books about the
customs, social life, and history of places your family may have lived.

Join genealogy and historical societies and attend genealogy classes, seminars, and
programs.

Don’t forget about sources such as newspapers and maps to help you find traces of
your family!
 Forms and Software

Find printable forms at:

Ancestry.com:
http://www.ancestry.com/download/charts#familysheet

Family Tree Magazine:

http://www.familytreemagazine.com/FreeForms

Cyndi’s List:
http://cyndislist.com/charts

Mid-Continent Public Library:

http://www.mymcpl.org/genealogy/family-history-forms

Find software at:

Cyndi’s List:
http://cyndislist.com/charts/software/

CNET:
http://download.cnet.com/windows/genealogy-software/

Family Tree Builder

http://www.myheritage.com/family-tree-builder

Archives.com
http://www.archives.com/genealogy/free-software.html
 Free Genealogy Websites

Family Search:
https://familysearch.org/
*Users must sign-in to see the original scanned documents.

Mocavo:
https://www.mocavo.com/
*Owned by Findmypast. Currently free and focuses on international records.

Find A Grave:
http://www.findagrave.com/
*Photographs and family connections available in some records. These records are
now included in Ancestry.com’s database.

USGENWEB:
http://www.usgenweb.org/
*Volunteers work to provide free genealogy websites for research in every state and
county in the United States.

Cyndi’s List:
http://www.cyndislist.com/
*A vast genealogy directory useful for getting rid of those pesky brick walls.

Official Land Patent Records (Bureau of Land Management):

http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System:

http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/

Vital Records:
http://www.vitalrec.com/index.html

National Archives Resources for Genealogists:

http://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/index.html

Florida Confederate Pension Applications:

http://www.floridamemory.com/collections/pensionfiles/
 Free Genealogy Websites (Continued)

AfriGeneas:
http://www.afrigeneas.com/
*Site devoted to African-American Genealogy

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database

http://www.slavevoyages.org/tast/index.faces

Geneanet:
http://www.geneanet.org/
*Mostly free website requiring sign-up. Focuses on French Genealogy.

Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island:

http://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/

Genealogy Trails:
http://genealogytrails.com/

GenealogyInTime Magazine List of Top 100 Websites:

http://www.genealogyintime.com/articles/top-100-genealogy-websites-of-2014-
page02.html
*Site updates this list yearly and includes free and paid websites.

Bay County Genealogical Society:

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~flbcgs/

Florida Hidden Treasures:

http://flhiddentreasures.com/
*Includes searchable digitized editions of early Bay County Newspapers, maps, and
more!

Bay County Genealogy Gateway:

http://www.northwestfloridagenealogy.com/gengate/index.htm

FLGenWeb Project:
http://fl-genweb.org/bay/
 Criteria for Evaluating Genealogy Websites

Check for: Questions to ask of the site:

Purpose What’s the purpose of the website?
Is it there to sell something, or to provide genealogical or histori-
cal information?
Objectivity Is the information biased?
Is there advertising?
(Note: Many genealogy sites have advertising, but that does not
necessarily mean the content is untrustworthy.)

Currency How current is the site?

Is there a date displayed on the website?
Are there broken or dead links?

Authority Who’s the author?

What are the author’s credentials?
Can the author be contacted?
What organization does the author represent?
What organization owns the website? Is it a nonprofit (.org), a
business or personal site (.com, .net), government, (.gov), or
university (.edu)?

Accuracy Are claims supported with references and works cited?

Is the information presented clearly and free from major gram-
matical errors?

Security Does this site use a secure web URL (i.e. https) (if a password is
and Privacy required)?
Does the site have a privacy policy?

Copyright Do you have permission or can you receive permission to use the in-
formation from the website?

A website does not need to perfectly match all of the criteria to still be a useful and trust-
worthy source.
 Genealogy Resources Available
@ the Bay County Public Library
Online @ nwrls.com
1. Go to www.nwrls.com. Hover your mouse over the word “Research.” Click
“Databases.” If you are at an NWRLS library, you will not need a library card. Oth-
erwise, you will be prompted to enter your card number.

2. You will then be directed to the following page:

3. Click the image on the webpage to explore these resources:

American Ancestors
*Available only at the Bay County
Public Library.

Ancestry Library Edition

*Available only at Bay County
Public Library and Gulf County Public Library.

Bay County Obituary Index

*Available on the Bay County Genealogical Society’s
website.

HeritageQuest
*Available for customers at home or in the library.

Newspaper Archive
*Available only at the Bay County Public Library.

WorldCat
*Available for customers at home or in the library.
Create a free account and search libraries worldwide
for those hard-to-find genealogy resources.
 Books to Get You Started
*Titles with an asterisk can be checked out. Information in red displays
its location in the library. Don’t hesitate to ask a librarian for help finding these and
any titles!

*Allen, Desmond. First Steps in Genealogy: A Beginner’s Guide to Researching Your

Family History. Cincinnati, OH: Betterway Books, 1998.
Adult Nonfiction 929 ALL

Bruce, Durie. Understanding Documents for Genealogy & Local History. Stroud, 2013.
GEN R 929.1 DUR

*Carmack, Sharon D. The Family Tree Guide to Finding Your Ellis Island Ancestors: A
Genealogist’s Essential Guide to Navigating the Ellis Island Database and Passenger Ar-
rival List. Cincinnati, OH: Family Tree, 2005.
Adult Nonfiction 929 CAR
*- -. A Genealogist’s Guide to Discovering Your Female Ancestors: Special Strategies for
Uncovering Hard-to-Find Information About Your Female Lineage. Cincinnati, OH:
Betterway Books, 1998. Adult Nonfiction 929.1 CAR
- -. Organizing Your Family History Search: Efficient & Effective Ways to Gather and
Protect Your Genealogical Research. Cincinnati, OH: Betterway Books, 1999.
GEN R 929.1 CAR

Cooke, Lisa L. How to Find Your Family History in Newspapers. Cincinnati, OH: Fam
ily Tree, 2012. GEN R 929 COO
*- -. Turn Your iPad into a Genealogy Powerhouse (& other Tablets too!). Cincinnati,
OH: Family Tree, 2012.
Adult Nonfiction 929 COO

Croom, Emily Ann. Unpuzzling Your Past: The Best-Selling Basic Guide to Genealogy.
Cincinnati, OH: Betterway Books, 2010. GEN R 929 CRO

Dollarhide, William. The Census Book: A Genealogist’s Guide to Federal Census Facts,
Schedules, and Indexes. Bountiful, UT: Heritage Quest, 2000. GEN R 929.1 DOL

Drake, Paul. What Did They Mean By That?: A Dictionary of Historical and Genealogi
cal Terms Old & New. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 2013. GEN R 423 DRA

Greenwood, Val D. The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy. Baltimore, MD:

Genealogical Pub. Co., 2000. GEN R 929.1 GRE

*The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America. Draper, UT: Everton Pub
lishers, 2002. Adult Nonfiction 929.3 HAN
Hendrickson, Nancy. Discover Your Family History Online: A Step- By-Step Guide to
Starting Your Genealogy Search. Cincinnati, OH: Family Tree, 2012. GEN R 929
HEN

*Hite, Richard. Sustainable Genealogy: Separating Fact from Fiction in Family Leg
ends. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 2013. Adult Nonfiction 929 HIT

Jones, Thomas. Mastering Genealogical Proof. Arlington, VA: National Genealogical

Society, 2013. GEN R 929 JON

Kennett, Debbie. DNA and Social Networking: A Guide to Genealogy in the Twenty-
First Century. Stroud, 2011. GEN R 929.102856754 KEN

Mills, Elizabeth S. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyber
space. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 2007. GEN R 907.2 MIL

*Morgan, George M. How to Do Everything With Your Genealogy. New York: McGraw-
Hill, 2004. Adult Nonfiction 929.1 MOR

Pfeiffer, Laura S. Hidden Sources: Family History in Unlikely Places. Orem, UT: An
cestry, 1999. GEN R 929 PFE

Rasmussen, Geoffrey. Digital Imaging Essentials: Techniques and Tips for Genealogists
& Family Historians. Middleton, ID: Rasmussen, 2013. GEN R 702.8 RAS

Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources. Provo, UT: Ancestry, 2004. GEN
R 929 RED

Rising, Marsha H. Family Tree Problem Solver: Proven Methods for Scaling the Inevita
ble Brick Wall. Cincinnati, OH: Family Tree, 2005. GEN R 929.1072 RIS

Smith, Franklin C. A Genealogist’s Guide to Discovering Your African-American Ances

tors: How to Find and Record Your Unique Heritage. Cincinnati, OH: Betterway
Books, 2003. GEN R 929 SMI

The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Provo, UT: Ancestry, 2006.

GEN R 016.929 SOU

Sperry, Kip. A Guide to Mormon Family History Sources. Provo, UT: Ancestry, 2007.
GEN R 929.1072 SPE

*Sturdevant, Katherine S. Bringing Your Family to Life Through Social History. Cin
cinnati, OH: Betterway Books, 2000. Adult Nonfiction 929 STU
 Use the library’s online catalog to find additional materials

1. Go to
www.nwrls.com.

2. Hover your mouse

over Books, etc.

3. Click on Catalog.

4. Click on LS2.
 Use the library’s online catalog to find additional materials

5. Type in a keyword, author, or title search, such as “Genealogy,” “Alabama Census,”

“Passenger Lists.”

6. Filter your search on the left. Click “Collection” and then click on “Genealogy.”
Map of the Bay County Library Genealogical Collection
 NOTES
Use this space for storing useful sources, websites, and passwords,
or even for brainstorming!
 NOTES
Use this space for storing useful sources, websites, and passwords,
or even for brainstorming!
 NOTES
Use this space for storing useful sources, websites, and passwords,
or even for brainstorming!