Genealogy and Ancestral History Web Pages
Created and Maintained by Dr. Mary Ellen Van Camp
Copyright © 2010 Mary Ellen Van Camp.
All Rights Reserved.
All That Was Between Born
and Died
Genealogy and Ancestral History Links
Links to some of my family lines:
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The Ancestral
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Introduction
I am very interested in genealogy and ancestral history and have been doing genealogical research for more than thirty years--for myself and others. If you are interested in pursuing ancestral history research on the internet, the links in the first section below will get you started. Some of the other links may be of interest to those with ancestral histories traceable to the early days of New York City, Schenectady, Albany, and surrounding areas. If you just want to surf the genealogy links, there are sites for you, too.
I am not a professional genealogist and cannot respond at this time to requests for personal research assistance.
How to Get Started on Your Family History
If you are just beginning a family history, you may want some
suggestions for how to start the research. Here are two sites which
offer excellent information.
Beginner's Guide to
Family History Research : An excellent, well-organized,
chapter-by-chapter,
online book by Desmond Walls Allen and Carolyn Earle Billingsley. It
covers
all of the basics and some of the more advanced information on
genealogical
research. The site is easy to navigate and a great resource for those
beginning
their family's history.
How to Get Started on Your Family History : from Treasure Maps, this site will provide information to get you started and provide links that explain the LDS world-wide genealogy project.
Additional Basic Information for Beginning Researchers
Numbering Systems in Genealogy : An article by Richard A. Pence based on a presentation he made to the National Genealogical Society's Computer Interest Group in July 1986 and revised for several later conferences. If you plan to compile a genealogy, you need to keep meticulous records. This article will help you find a system that is familiar to genealogists and understandable to others who may read your work later. (I personally recommend "the Register System" as one that is especially easy for non-genealogists to follow.)
Links
There are many outstanding sites on the web which will be of use
to those researching online. Since there are several sites which serve
to compile lengthy lists of links, this list will focus on those sites
which I have found
either useful in my own research or related to similar time periods,
surnames,
or regional areas.
UsGenWeb Project
This project originated in Kentucky and has spread to every state
in the country. It offers some excellent sources of information in some
states and has several sites under construction in other states. It
also provides useful links to other genealogical sites as well as
interesting regional information
for genealogists who enjoy traveling to their ancestors' places of
origin.
This internet site, as its title suggests, provides links to
thousands (yes, thousands!) of other genealogy sites on the internet.
It is especially well-organized and also offers information for
constructing your own home page. The site is maintained by Cyndi
Howells.
Olive Tree Genealogy Pages
Created and maintained by Lorine McGinnis Schulze, this outstanding web site offers well-researched information about some of the earliest settlers of the United States and Canada beginning in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. There are several lists of passengers on early ships, some transcribed baptismal records from early Dutch Reformed Churches, and a wealth of other genealogical and historical information.
On the Trail of Our Ancestors:
This web site contains well-researched information on topics
related to early Dutche settlers and many excellent genealogy resource
links. It is
notable for the biography it provides of one of Donna Speer
Ristenbatt's ancestors,
Hendrick Janszen Spier. Hendrick Spier (or Spiers) is mentioned in The
Legend of New Amsterdam, a children's picture book written and
illustrated
by Peter Spier.
A Bit of
Dutch History : From On the Trail of Our Ancestors, one of Donna
Speer Ristenbatt's pages.
The Beekman Settlers : A website maintained by Frank Dougherty that provides information about the first settlers of the Beekman Patent and a series of books on the topic.
The New York Genealogical and
Biographical Society: Now online.
New York Genealogy
GenWeb : This page provides an excellent example of what may be
done through the GenWeb research project.
Ever wondered who was on the Mayflower when it sailed from England to America? This award-winning web site, created and maintained by Caleb Jones, provides well-researched answers to that question and many others as well.
Common Mayflower Myths : Were most of the Mayflower passengers "Puritans" or "Separatists"? Did they wear only black and white clothing?
The
Mayflower Passenger List : Another of Caleb's pages
General Society of Mayflower Descendants : An active group with a
mission to honor the Mayflower ancestry.
Also available at Caleb Jone's Mayflower web site:
Ship's Passenger Lists for the Fortune - 1621
and the Anne - 1623
Schenectady County, NY GenWeb Page : An example of a county level
GenWeb page with especially useful information about resources for
finding Schenectady ancestors.
Timeline of
Schenectady History : A very useful history of Schenectady online
highlighting significant events beginning in 1620.
History of Schenectady, New York : Chapter 1 of a recent publication
from Richard Frisbie's Hope Farm Press.
Dutch Names :
Another page from Lorine McGinnis Schulze at Olive Tree Enterprises.
Dutch
Research Corner : If you're searching for Dutch ancestors, the page
by Donna
Speer Ristenbatt will give you clues to extend your search.
Index to New
Netherland Ships' Passenger Lists : Another excellent site
located at Olive Tree Enterprises and maintained by Lorine McGinnis
Schulze.
The New Netherland Project :
Originated in 1974, the NNP calls itself "... the leading historical
research organization of Dutch settlement in New York State."
This web site provides information about the family history and
genealogy series aired on PBS in January 1997.
Everton's Genealogical Helper
: Everton's are the publishers of the Handy Book for Genealogists,
now in its eighth edition. More than merely handy, the book has been
one
of the most outstanding tools for genealogy researchers for nearly 50
years. With the advent of their web site, Everton Publishers are
continuing their tradition of assistance to genealogists and extending
their work to a new generation.
Barrel
of Links : With the passing of John J. LaCombe II, this site is now
maintained by Genealogy Today.
Ellis Island Home Page
: The
world's most famous immigration center has its own home page with a
variety of useful links that discuss the history of Ellis Island.
Genealogy
Resources:
Created and maintained by Paula M. Goblirsch: This
web site
has been revised and expanded to include more links for genealogical
researchers.
National
Genealogical Society : The leading society for genealogical
researchers in the United States.
Rand Genealogy Club
: Created by the employees of the Rand Corporation, this site offers
information for the beginning genealogy researcher.
Ford Genealogy Club
: Another club of genealogists with information online.
Family Tree Maker Online
: This is a commercial site, but one with important information for
those who are beginning an ancestral history search.
Hillsdale County, Michigan Home Page--USGenWeb Project : A site with many useful links for those researching ancestors in Hillsdale County.
Jackson County, Michigan Homepage--USGenWeb Project
Jackson County Genealogical Society--Jackson, Michigan
Western Michigan Genealogical Society
Links to other locations and information
available at this web site:
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These pages were created on April 23, 1997
and last revised on February 14, 2004.
Copyright © 2010 Mary Ellen Van Camp. All rights reserved.
If you have comments or suggestions,
please send email to