Ancestry Genealogy Toolkit

[NZBC]

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Miscellaneous

Soundex Converter
.
Many databases allow you the option of Soundex searches so that
you can grab more phonetically similar variations of the surnames you are researching.
Use the
Soundex converter to find out the Soundex codes for your family surname
variations. That way if one of the variations you have found in your research has a
different Soundex code, you’ll know you need to search it separately.
B
EYOND
A
NCESTRY
Maps &
Geography

David Rumsey Maps
.

Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)
.
Ever wondered in what
county a town
was located? Or what cemeteries were in the county in which your ancestors lived? The
Geographic Names Information System can help. Enter a town name and its state and
you’ll be presented with a list of features associated with that town and
the name of
the county it falls within. Click on a name for geographic coordinates and links to
various maps and satellite views of the area.

Google Maps
. G
oogle Maps allows you to view a standard map view, a satell
ite view, or
a view of the terrain. How tall was that mountain that great
-
grandpa had to traverse to
visit the nearest town? Zoom in on the terrain view and it will tell you. Going to visit a
library or courthouse for the first time? Google Maps has street
view available for a
growing number of cities. You can zoom in on an address and see the actual building.
Using the rotation arrows you can turn around and look at the other side of the street,
move down the street and see landmarks you will be able to us
e as you navigate your
way to the repository. Street view can also enable you to see buildings in your
ancestors’ neighborhoods that are still standing.

University of Alabama
-
Historical Map Archive

Perry
-
Castañeda Library Map Collection

Library of Congress: American Memory Collection
-
Maps
Visit the
Ancestry.com Learning C
enter at
www.ancestry.com/learn
.
F
or account questions or technical help, call
1
-
800
-
262
-
3787
.
Ancestry Genealogy Toolkit
Census Helps

Census Abbreviations
. Have you ever found a census record written by a guy who
clearly had writers’ cramp? Beyond really messy handwriting, you may find that
enumerators used
confusing abbreviations. This website will help you sort out some of
the more common abbreviations you’ll find.

Census Enumerator Instructions (IPUMS).
Census enumerators were given very spec
ific
instructions when it came to recording the answers your ancestors gave. Reading these
instructions can be very helpful in more fully understanding the records. This site
includes the original instructions for the years 1850
-
1950.
Miscellaneous

WorldCat
.
Looking for more information about a battle in which your ancestor
fought during the Civil War? Or perhaps your ancestor was a Philadelphia
policeman and you’d like to learn more about the history of that po
lice force.
What were the working conditions of the industry in which your ancestors were
engaged? The answers to these and many other questions can often be found in
publications that might not be in your local bookstore. WorldCat will not only
alert you
to their existence, but when you enter your zip code it will give you a
list of libraries that have those publications in their collection.

Wikipedia
.
Ever wondered whether a historic event prompted yo
ur ancestors to
pick up and leave the country they had called home for generations? Wikipedia
can give you some ideas. Search for a year and you’ll get a chronology of world
events from that year. This free online encyclopedia is a great first step, but
yo
u should verify your findings. Although much of what you see will be correct,
you will encounter some errors, but use it as a launching point to learn more
about historic events that may have impacted your ancestors.

Google Translate
. Your ancestor’s non
-
English records doesn’t need to be a brick wall.
Use tools like this one to decipher words and create a template of the record form.

Manifest
Markings: A Guide to Interpreting Passenger List Annotations
. Ever wonder
about the scribblings on passenger lists? This is your guide to deciphering them.

Old Occupations
(USGenWeb).
Hav
e an ancestor who was a hatcheler, but no idea what
it was? This handy list of old occupations can help you out.

BehindtheName.com
.
Find ethnic versions of your ancestors’ given names. This is the
version most immigrants would have been recorded with in passenger lists.
.

Gravestone Symbolism
(Grave Addiction)
. Images
and descriptions of cemetery
iconography with meanings.

Cyndi’s List
.
Still looking for more resources? Cyndi’s List has been the family
historian’s guide to all things family history for more than 1
8
years.

Linkpendium
.
Another fantastic
genealogical portal with more than 10 million links.

WolframAlpha
. Wondering ho
w much
$1,500
in 1880
would be worth today? This handy
computing tool can help. Compute familial relationships, learn about historic
al events,
and more.

HistoryPin
and
WhatWasThere
. See historic
photo
graph
s
of the places your ancestors
lived.

LibraryThing
.
LibraryThing allows you to catalog your books onli
ne.



c.ancestry.com/cs/media/social-genealogy-toolkit-2.pdf