MarieB's Genealogy Blog Turns 14!

Today marks this blog's 14th year.  In keeping with my purpose of the blog, I'm listing in no particular order my 14 favorites databases, tools, websites etc. that I find helpful in my research.  I've written a description of how each of them can be used but please check out the link for more info on each of the resources. Please remember to check with and support your local libraries, county archives, and area genealogy & historical societies.  They have many items you won't find online and they need your help to thrive.

14 of My Favorite Databases, Tools, and Websites

1.  U.S. Special Census on Deaf Family Marriages and Hearing Relatives, 1888-1895
https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1582
You will need to be subscribed to Ancestry's US Records or access from a library which has a subscription.  I have found a wealth of information on collateral lines in this database which has led me to other records for my direct lines.

2.  U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2469
You will need to be subscribed to Ancestry's US Records or access from a library which has a subscription.  Often overlooked by many, City Directories offer an insight into the lives of townspeople.  See my previous blog post--In Praise of City Directories.

3.  U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=6482
You will need to be subscribed to Ancestry's US Records or access from a library which has a subscription.

4.  Famly Search Catalog Search for Area of Interest  County Records available online

Make sure you are logged on to the FamilySearch website.  Enter your Location(Country, State, County--for the US) in Place Search and select Online Availability option.

5.  AncestryDNA--the largest autosomal DNA database.  Once you receive your results, you can download your raw data and upload to other sites such as MyHeritage, FTDNA, and GEDmatch to compare with others who have uploaded or tested there.  Be sure to read each site's User Policy/Terms of Service.  AncestryDNA is the site I recommend testing at especially if you are an adoptee or have unknown direct ancestors at the parent or grandparent level.   

6.  GEDmatch-Free to use site with an upload.  Is not a testing site but rather a site where results can be uploaded and compared to others who have tested at any of the major DNA testing sites and uploaded to GEDmatch. Tier 1 DNA analysis tools available at $10 a month but subscribing is not necessary for use of the majority of the tools.

7.  DNAgedcom-- available as a client software for retrieval of match info from the other testing sites and also web-based analysis. See the website for more info on its current offerings and price.

8.  Interactive Shared cM Project with Relationship Probabilities--the latest version of a helpful interactive tool by Jonny Perl using Blaine Bettinger's Shared cM Project info and the probability chart by TheDNAGeek.

9.  DNA Painter--Jonny Perl's tool for Chromosome Painting.

10. & 11.  Chrome Browser Extensions--There are two browser extensions for Chrome Browser that I use to help sort and identify my AncestryDNA matches:  AncestryDNA Helper and MedBetterDNA. You can find those at Google Chrome's Webstore using the search option.

12.  Visual Phasing Spreadsheet--Visual Phasing an autosomal DNA analysis technique where you use chromosome comparison of 3 full siblings' atDNA results to find which segments came from each of their 4 grandparents  This is particularly helpful when trying to determine which lines you share with a DNA match.  You can find the Visual Phasing Spreadsheet by Steven Fox in the Files section of the Visual Phasing Working Group at Facebook. Members of that group are very helpful. Also more information about visual phasing in the series Visual Phasing: An Example(part 1 of 5) on Blaine Bettinger's blog.

13. Legacy Family Tree Webinars--educational webinars covering a wide variety of research topics and techniques.  You can register to attend webinars which are free for a limited time after broadcast or you can subscribe to have access to the entire webinar library. This is an EXTREMELY valuable resource.

14.  Google Docs/Sheets/Slides--The Google office products which help me to organize share and make notes and charts of my research analysis.