Using Google and Google Books for Genealogical Research

     Where is the first place you turn when looking for information?  For many people, myself included, it's Google (or another similar search engine).  In fact, it was Google that started me on my genealogical quest, identifying for me the woman in the portrait.  As a novice to genealogical research, I Googled every name I came across in my quest to understand my ancestry.  Google can be a great aid in genealogical research, but only if it is used properly.  Below are some tips to help you get the most out of Google and Google Books when doing genealogical research.

What Should I Search For?

     A basic Google search is fine to start off with.  Begin by typing in the full name of an ancestor, maybe including the state (or even town) your ancestor resided in as well.  If searching for a female ancestor, it may be helpful to include both her maiden and married names in the search.  You may wish to try a number of variations with and without an ancestor's middle name, maiden name, and married name.  For more information about how to get the results you want using Google, I recommend this website.  As an example of the type of information that comes up, I googled my great grandmother Mary Alice (Ellingwood) Hathaway and this is what I found:

     As sometimes happens, it turned out that the only result relating to my great grandmother was the first one, but this first result provided me with information about my great grandmother's high school graduation, something I had not known anything about previously.

     You may also want to try googling the name of a married couple, as this may provide you with some information that you might not find by typing in one name or the other.  Again, it is helpful to try searching using full names of your ancestors and also omitting middle names, as you can get different results.  For example, I did not find any useful results when I searched using the names Mary Alice Ellingwood George Warren Hathaway, but when I googled the names Mary Ellingwood George Hathaway, I found this:

Google News 

    
The first link brought me to  my grandfather's obituary, in which his parents' names were mentioned, which is why it came up as a result.  This obituary is from Google News.  I had never heard of Google News prior to this, but apparently they have digitalized and made searchable a number of newspapers.  They have a list of newspapers they have available and the number of issues they have available from these newspapers.  Also, if you do not know what newspaper information about an ancestor might be featured in, you can try searching for an ancestor's name in the archives, and if they have any results, it should pop up.  It looks like this part of Google is just getting off the ground, so you may want to check back on the occasion to see if they have updated things. 

Internet Family Trees 


     The most important thing to remember, which is the same for anything else you search for on the internet, is that not all the information you come across will be true.  When searching for ancestors, you are likely to come across family trees, such as this one:

     The information provided in these trees is not always accurate.  Many trees do not list any sources, thus leaving you with no idea where the information came from.  These trees can be helpful in providing you with new avenues to explore, but you should confirm each piece of information for yourself.  The problem of reliability is not limited to family trees, however.  You should check the documentation for any ancestral information that you discover while searching the internet.  We'll talk about what constitutes a legitimate source more in subsequent blog posts.

  Google Books

     Google Books has proven to be one of the most useful tools for me in my quest to uncover my family's history.  Through Google Books I have been able to access numerous town histories and old genealogy books that have aided me immensely in my research. 

     Searching for ancestors in Google Books is similar to searching for ancestors in Google.  In fact, when googling an ancestor, you should be able to access any results from Google Books, though they may be pages away.  The advantage to searching directly through Google Books is that it provides you all of the book results in one place.  For example, I Googled my great grandfather, Ernest Grant Seibert:

     This first result is a report published by Harvard detailing the members of Harvard's class of 1913.  It provides brief biographies of each of the members of the class.  For my great grandfather, it provided his parents' names, his wife's name, his marriage date, his occupation, and a brief description of his life since Harvard. 

     There are several types of search results you can get when using Google Books.  The best type of result is a full view, in which the entire book is available in digital format on Google.  The first result I found for Ernest Grant Seibert is an example of this.  You can download and print anything from these books.  The books that are available in full view are ones in which the copyright has expired, which means that almost anything published 100 years ago that comes up in Google Books will be accessible in its entirety.  You will find many local histories and family genealogies in this category.

     Another possibility is a book may come up that has a preview only.  This means that a limited number of pages will be available for viewing online.  Whether the information you are looking for in this book will come up in the preview is really a hit or miss.  Also, since this preview is copywright protected, you will not be able to download or print any of the pages you see, though you can of course type out notes for yourself of pertinent information in the preview.

     You will also find books that have only a snippet view available.  This means that you will only be able to see a snippet of any page.  This snippet may or may not contain the information you are looking for.  Similar to the preview, you cannot download or print any of the information you find.  Finally, there are cases in which no preview is available.  In these cases you will not be able to see anything from the inside of the book.

     Similar to the problem with Google, the books included in Google may not always be accurate.  Many old genealogies are unsourced and, while probably more reliable than random internet sites, could contain errors.  Check the information you discover in these books with other sources when you can.

What Do I Do if I've Found a Promising Result, But Cannot View it in Google Books?

     Make friends with WorldCat.  WorldCat is a catalog of books in libraries across the world.  Just type in the name of the book you are looking for and it will provide you with a list of libraries containing this book, ordered by how near they are geographically to your zip code.  For example, I searched for the book Ancestors and descendants of Josiah Garland and Miriam Moore, early settlers at Union River, Hancock County, Maine and this is what I found:

     You may find your local library posesses the book you are looking for, in which case it should be easily accessible.  However, if it is not available in your local library, you can try accessing it through interlibrary loan.  There may be restrictions on the book, thus making it impossible to obtain through interlibrary loan.  For example, the Bangor Public Library copy is for library use only.  In that case, you may need to travel to the library to view it.  Call the library ahead of time to find out if there are any restrictions or requirements to accessing the given material. 

Photo of the Day

      Photo of the day is a feature which I hope will provide people with a face of their ancestry.  I am using photos and portraits I own, some of which are labeled and others which are not, in hopes that people will find them useful. 

     My first Photo of the Day is a portrait of Reverend Daniel J. Southall.  Rev. Southall was born on August 9, 1768 in Virginia to Elizabeth (Coleman) and James Southall.  He moved to Gates County, North Carolina and married 1. Julia Riddick, daughter of Leah and Seth Riddick and 2. Patience Watts Branch, daughter of Mary (Bradford) and John Branch.  Daniel and Leah had 7 children together and Daniel and Patience had 5 children together.  Rev. Southall was visiting relatives in Washington D.C. when he died on October 26, 1830.  For more information on Daniel Southall and his descendants (and to find out if you're descended from this man), check out this site.  It's a tree, but at least it is sourced.  Of course you should confirm everything for yourself rather than simply accepting it outright.  I got most of my information from ancestry.com and from The Family of Daniel Southall: Four Generations by Seth Warner, which used to be available online (it is no longer accessible through the site I got it from but maybe it is available elsewhere).



     Enjoying this genealogical journey?  Next time we'll examine some other free internet sources that can make your genealogical search much easier.

Introduction and Getting Started

How I Developed an Interest in Genealogy

     Hi, I’m Amber.  I first became interested in genealogy the summer after my freshman year of college.  I was searching my parents’ room for a brooch when I came across a miniature portrait of a woman.  I found the name Rebecca Blodget engraved on the back of the portrait.  I was curious about this woman so I entered her name into Google and one of the first results that came up for her was a letter she wrote to James Madison.  After seeing that letter, I began wondering what this woman's life had been like.  I wanted to learn more about her and about my other ancestors, so I spent the next couple of weeks tearing apart the house, looking for all of the information I could find about my family's history.

     In case you're interested, here is a brief video detailing how I became interested in genealogy and highlighting some of the more interesting pieces of my family history.  I originally made the video because I was planning on entering it into a contest for ancestry.com (I ended up not entering it because it was too long for the entrance requirement and I didn't want to shorten it), so you will hear a number of plugs for ancestry in the latter half of the video.  However, all in all it's a neat little video and it's worth watching if you're curious about my family history and my methods for conducting genealogical research.

Getting Started

     If you are interested in genealogy but have no idea where to start, here are some tips to help you begin researching.

Outline Your Family Tree

     The purpose of creating a family tree is to gauge how much you already know about your ancestors.  Once you have your known genealogical information organized in a family tree, it will make it much easier to keep track of what information you have and what information you need.  Go online and locate a free printable family tree template, such as this one.  Alternately, you could create a family tree online.  MyHeritage family tree builder is a family tree software program that can be downloaded and used for free, though there is also a subscription version of the software.

     Start your family tree by filling your information in the first box.  After you have finished filling out your information, fill in information for your parents in boxes 2 and 3 and grandparents in boxes 4 through 7.  It’s fine if you don’t know, say, your grandparents’ wedding date or some other piece of information.  Just write in the information that you do know.  If you know the names of your great grandparents, write their names on the designated lines, then print another copy of the chart for each great grandparent and make each great grandparent person 1 on the corresponding chart. 

     The names of your great-great grandparents should go in boxes 2 and 3.  Continue filling out the charts until you have listed all of the information you know about your ancestors.  When you are done, you should end up with charts that look something like this (click to enlarge):

Family tree chart for myself

Family tree chart for my great grandmother (person 8 in the chart I made for myself)

     Once you have compiled all of your known genealogical information, it's time to begin looking for new information.  A good place to start is:  

  

Family Letters, Documents, and Photos

     The best place to begin your search is in your own home.  Even if you do not have in your posession any family letters, other documents, or photos, there may be someone else in your family who does have these items.  Ask around to see if any of your relatives are willing to let you borrow family records or are willing to make copies of these records for you.  If you do not have any access whatsoever to any family documents, there are plenty of other sources of information you can start from, as will be discussed in subsequent blog posts.

Letters

     Family letters can provide a wealth of information about your ancestors, including names, important dates, and places where they lived.  For example, in this postcard my grandfather sent to his mother during World War II, I can see when and where my grandfather sent the postcard from, thus telling me where he was located on this given date.  I can also see where his mother was living and I learn his mother's second husband's name from the Mrs. E. J. Moore (since her first name was Mildred).  Letters also can provide information about some of the more intimate details of an ancestors' life.  More on using letters to decode genealogy will be given in a later blog post.

     Family documents are any sort of papers by or about your ancestors.  Below are some examples of family documents:

Obituaries

     Obituaries can provide a wealth of genealogical information.  From this fairly extensive obituary for Margaret Peebles I can garner information about her spouse and parents, her marriage date, her death date, her age at death, where she lived and died, and how she lived.  Not all obituaries are as extensive as this one but most will provide basic genealogical information such as names of relatives and birth and death dates.

Vital Records from Family Bibles

     Many old Bibles provided space to record birth, marriage, and death dates.  These vital records sheets may still be tucked inside an old Bible, or they may have since been removed.  These records can provide a lot of names and dates.  Sometimes they will contain some extra information, such as in the marriage record below which provides the name of the bishop who officiated the marriage ceremony.

  

Newspaper Clippings

      News was very different a century ago.  Events that may seem trivial today could have been front page news.  There are numerous reasons an ancestor could have been mentioned in the local paper.  For example, the following news clipping details my great grandparents' wedding ceremony in Jackson, North Carolina.  This clipping provides not only the wedding place and the names of the bride and groom but also describes the ceremony and names the members of the wedding party. 

  

Programs, Books, and Yearbooks

      Programs from commencements, marriages, baptisms, and other events can provide information about education and religion in addition to names, dates, and locations.  Family books, such as bridal and baby books, can provide a tremendous amount of information that goes beyond names and dates.  For example, my great grandmother's bridal book contained a detailed list of wedding gifts and a description of the honeymoon.  Yearbook contents vary depending on the size of the school, the grade in school, and location of the school, but at the very least you should be able to extrapolate information about an ancestor's education and geographic location.

A program from my grandmother Julia Bowen Peebles' high school graduation

Wills and Other Legal Documents

     Wills can provide information about an ancestor's relatives and property holdings, among other things.  Other legal documents might contain information about land disputes or divorce proceedings, for example.

A portion of my great grandmother Julia Southall Bowen Peebles' will



Miscellaneous Items

     There are many family documents that do not fit nicely into any one category.  Perhaps the document is a note scrawled on the back of an envelope.  Don't pass over a potential source because it is unconventional.  Any papers your ancestors left behind may be of value to you.

Genealogical information scrawled on an envelope

A calling card for my great grandmother Josephine Southall, prior to her marriage in 1877

A calling card left for my great great aunt Bland Clifton Bowen from a Miss Kirby

A note on a bell.  "E.M.M." is Ellen Matilda Moore nee Britton

Family photos

     Check the back of old family photos for names, dates, locations, and other details.  

"1st [illegible] 2nd Lollie Selden 3rd Rettie Bowen 4th Sallie Peebles 5th Josephine Bowen 6th Julia Bowen 7th Ellen Bowen 8th Blannie Bowen 9-2-92"

     If photos were taken professionally, many may have the name and location of the portrait studio marked on them.  This can provide you with clues about where your ancestors lived or traveled to.

     This is just the beginning of the genealogical quest.  Stay tuned for more information.