FamilySearch News: 25,000 Historical Titles Now Free Online

FamilySearch Digital Preservation Initiative Hits a Milestone

Salt Lake City, Utah—FamilySearch International reached a milestone today with the digitization of its 25,000th publication online. It began the initiative in 2007 and is ramping up to do even more—and faster. The effort targets published family, society, county, and town histories, as well as numerous other historical publications that are digitally preserved and made accessible for free online. The digital publications can be searched at www.FamilySearch.org (Go to FamilySearch.org, then click Search Records, then click Historical Books).

The 25,000th digitized publication was A History of Lewis County, in the State of New York, from the Beginning of Its Settlement to the Present Time by Franklin B. Hough. The book was published in 1860. The lengths of titles digitized to date vary in length, but the average is about 350 pages. There are even publications in Spanish, German, French, and Russian.

FamilySearch has nearly a million publications in its famous Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and there are millions of similar publications elsewhere in the United States. “The problem with the collection [of out-of-print titles] is limited access,” said Ransom Love, FamilySearch senior vice president of Strategic Relations. “To view the publications, patrons have to travel to Salt Lake City or one of FamilySearch’s affiliate libraries. If you are lucky, you might be able to order a microfilm copy, but then you have to wait for it to arrive at your local family history center. And there’s the inconvenience of having to read it on a film reader,” added Love.

FamilySearch aims to change all of that. Working with volunteers and select affiliate libraries, it plans to create the largest digital collection of published histories on the Web. It is targeting a wide range of historical publications—for example, users might be pleasantly surprised to find digital copies of Hawaii Sugar Planters Association Filipino Laborer files (1909-1949), medieval family history resource titles, and oral history abstracts (mostly from Hawaii), and numerous gazetteers.

“These are publications that were usually limited in the number originally printed and therefore only accessible in a few libraries or special collections worldwide. Yet there can be some great information of genealogical significance in the publications that only a few people would have access to prior to now,” said Love.

Through its Records Access Program, FamilySearch is digitally preserving a copy of the publications and making them available online for the masses. Once digitized, the collections have "every word" search capability, which allows users to search by name, location, date, or other fields across the collection. The search results are then linked to high quality digital images of the original publication.

FamilySearch is not stopping with its own collection either. Over the past year, it announced that it is also helping to digitize and publish collections from the Brigham Young University Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University—Hawaii Joseph F. Smith Library, Allen County Public Library (ACPL) in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Houston Public Library, in Houston, Texas, and Mid-Continent Public Library Midwest Genealogy Center in Independence, Missouri. When all is said and done, there will be over a million publications in the digital collection online. It will be the largest free resource of its kind.

All I Want for Christmas Is...

...Three Wishes!

Dear Genea-Santa:

Before I give you my wish list, I want to thank you for all the goodies you've sent my way in 2008. It's probably been the best year of discoveries ever, since I started on this incredible journey, many years ago! This year has brought several large boxes' worth of family documents and photographs from eight different family lines, either loaned or given to me, so much so that I've nearly filled my main hard drive and had to purchase an external one just to hold all the scanned images of these treasures! In addition, Genea-Santa, I've discovered a previously-unknown extra marriage of an ancestor or two, figured out what happened to the sister of another ancestor, and been ever so grateful for all the Michigan and Ontario records FamilySearch and Ancestry have released this year! Was I really such a good girl to deserve all of this?

With this in mind, I hope I don't appear too greedy to ask three wishes for ancestral possessions. The first wish is to obtain the Civil War diary of my 3rd-great-grandfather, Charles H. ROBBINS, who mentions it in an interview in 1933 or 1934, shortly before his death. He says it saved his life when it stopped a bullet during battle.

My second wish is that all the ancestral and family BARBER photographs that my great-granduncle, James BARBER, destroyed in a burn barrel would somehow be restored and delivered to me. After all, Christmas is the season of miracles, and I know you have magical powers, Genea-Santa!

My last wish is that the boxes containing the coin collection of my husband's great-grandfather, George Rice WESTABY, III, would be discovered and returned to the family. My husband has an idea of where they may be hidden, but that location no longer is property of family, and it would be a delicate task to ask the present owners for permission to explore the site without their wanting a share or claiming rights to the whole collection.

Any one of these three wishes granted would be sufficient for me. Thank you for your consideration. A plate of cookies and a glass of milk will be waiting for you Christmas Eve.

Love,
Miriam

Revisiting Advent Memories No. 15: Christmas Grab Bag

Advent Memories No. 15: Christmas Grab Bag

Welcome to My Christmas Home

(click banner above for more info)

Welcome to my Christmas Home! Some of you may have visited my home this last year, courtesy of a YouTube video created by Google Book Search last January. You could see the snow piled around our home in its primer-white stage and get a glimpse of my dining room during my interview. This wintry December, we don't have the same amount of snow, but the temperatures are dropping as Washington State has been hit with a Siberian Express. It's times like these--when it's 11 degrees outside--that I'm grateful for my cozy, little, century-old home. Doesn't it look cute?

(click on any photo to enlarge)

Thanks to the hard work of my husband, assisted from time to time by our teens, my daughter's boyfriend and his dad, the front and west side of our home look fabulous (next Christmas, I intend to show off the east and back side, which will hopefully be finished!). In years past, I've put up a garland of artificial pine branches around each of the three porch pillars. With my shoulder recovering from surgery, our decorating has been understandably limited this year.

Here's the wreath I created which I keep up from just after Thanksgiving until February, when it gets replaced by a Valentine one:

When you enter our home, you'll hear the sound of jingle bells:

You'll also hear the stereo softly playing the local Christmas music station, or KAGU, Gonzaga University's classical music station.

Behind the front door is our holiday table, decorated year-round. Of course, right now, it contains the creche:

Next to the table is our tree. We used to try to put up the tree by our front window, but that meant squeezing the couch between the front door and the entertainment center, leaving very little room to enter the house. It's a lot easier to simply remove my glider-rocker that normally resides here to my daughter's room during December. These hundred-year-old small houses don't allow for much furniture re-arranging!

Here are some favorite ornaments. With the exception of some colored glass balls and a few freebie ornaments that have arrived in Christmas goodie packages, every ornament and decoration has a sentimental meaning or is an heirloom. For more on these ornaments, read here.

Under the tree are the klompen that were filled with chocolates and little gifts on St. Nicholas Day, December 6th:

This wooden basket is at the ready to hold all the Christmas cards, letters, and photos we receive.

The advent calendar hangs in the living room on the master bedroom door. Each morning, a couple of goodies for our teens magically appear in that day's pocket:

In the corner, a bundled-up penguin and a group of Christmas trees (both handmade gifts from friends) join the chainsaw-carved bear that guards our living room year-round. This bear was made for me as a Christmas gift a few years ago by my talented brother:

Next is the dining room, with a festive tablecloth to protect my great-grandmother's tiger-stripe oak pedestal table. Nellie May (CONCIDINE) HOLST looks down upon her table from the large oval frame on the dining room wall. The beautiful wooden turntable with a star-pattern was designed and created by my daughter in woodshop last year, and given a place of honor for months in the classroom's showcase window.

There are candles everywhere (I'm a candle collector) and the china cupboard holds decorative plates waiting for a holiday buffet.

We don't usually decorate the bathroom, but we keep a small stack of booklets interpreting the meanings behind the traditions of Christmas for those times when you need to sit for a while. ;-)

The kitchen also doesn't get a lot of decoration, but the Christmas mugs have been taken out of storage and wait by the coffee pot. Would you like a cup of coffee, tea (herbal, green, white, or black), cocoa, or hot cider? And take your pick of flavorings: candy canes, marshmallows, whipped topping, cinnamon sticks, or egg nog.

On the front of the stove hang one of the Christmas kitchen towels with crocheted toppers that my paternal grandmother made for years, along with knitted dishcloths and crocheted potholders, to give as Christmas gifts to all the women in the family. Grandma doesn't crochet anymore, due to Alzheimer's and I think these simple gifts are what I miss most about her.

From this galley-sized kitchen/laundry room, I usually make banket, a Dutch pastry with almond paste filling and a sugared topping. This will be the first time in years that I will not be making it, due to my shoulder, as chopping the almond paste and rolling the dough are just a bit much for me. Ah, well! Christmas will be coming ever so soon again next year.

Thank you for visiting my Christmas home. Whatever holiday you celebrate this season, I wish that it may be full of light, laughter, and loved ones. May your heart be filled with the faith of your forefathers and foremothers, may you realize how rich your life is no matter what the size of your bank account, and may you share your blessings with those less fortunate. As the line from my favorite Christmas movie says: "Remember, no man is a failure who has friends!"

My Favorite Season

I'm finally getting around to answer my own journal prompts from my AnceStories2 blog.

*How do you feel about fall? Is it a favorite season, or do you prefer another?

Fall is my favorite season of year...I love the variety of colors and temperatures and weather. One of the things I look forward to every year is seeing the trees in all their glory against a clear blue sky. I call this shade of blue "October blue". Here in Spokane in the early mornings, the fog settles like a blanket not only on the river, but on the land for miles around; in fact, Spokane International Airport (five miles southwest, up on the West Plains) is one of the most fogged-in airports in the world.

*What are your favorite fall activities (indoor or out)?

I am one of those people that enjoys raking leaves.

*What are your favorite fall sports (to watch or play)?

I'm not a sports fan; however, the occasional high school football game is always fun.

*Do you have a favorite fall outfit to wear? Corduroy slacks and plaid flannel shirt, a cozy sweater, etc.?

Pretty cardigans are a favorite, along with leather clogs.

*Do you have any particular household or garden chores that you regularly do just in autumn?

I usually don't have yard chores; my husband does most of that. I always enjoy the "getting ready for winter" feeling I have when he drains the hoses and puts them away, covers the air conditioner and mows the lawn one last time to get up all the cones and leaves. I tend to stock up on canned and dry goods and put some extra meat in the freezer, knowing when snowy weather or freezing temps come, getting to the grocery store may not be a viable option.

*Have you ever gone leaf peeping?

Not really; although a few years ago, we took a drive into Montana over Labor Day weekend and already the leaves were turning. It was beautiful. I so enjoy seeing the colors of the trees change around here, since I grew up in Southeast Alaska--full of evergreen forests--with only an occasional deciduous tree in sight.

*What observances of nature do you regularly watch (birds flying south, squirrels preparing for winter, etc.)?

Geese flying south has long been something I watch for, from the time I was a girl in Alaska, to a teen in Northeast Washington, and even now, in the city, I'll see them head for the nearby lakes.

*What flowers that bloom during this season do you especially like?

Mums and sunflowers are my favorite fall blooms.

*Do you visit any orchards, pumpkin patches, or corn mazes?

When I worked at the elementary school level, we take a field trip every fall to Green Bluff, an orchard and farm area northeast of town where all the locals go. Nearly every farm has some sort of fun doing in addition to having their orchards and fields open for pick-it-yourself harvesting.

*What about the local fair?

The fair here is technically in late summer, about a week after Labor Day weekend, but it does get one into the fall/harvest mood. I go every year with my special needs students on a field trip.

*Do you do any kind of harvesting or food preparation (canning, drying, smoking)?

When there was a cherry tree on our property line and the lot next door was abandoned, I'd make cherry jam. It was a sour cherry, so I had to use lots of sugar. That was cut down in order to make room for the duplex (ick) that was erected a year ago. We have a rhubarb plant and pepppermint. I've used the rhubarb for pies and dried the mint leaves for homemade tea. Growing up, my folks did a lot of canning and drying, and in Alaska, the smokehouses would be going all during the fishing season. Smoked salmon is still one of my favorite treats.

*What about hunting?

I've never gone hunting; never had the desire to do so. My nephew calls it "hiking with guns", since it seems whenever the men go out, all they do is hike down one ravine and up another, for miles and miles and miles...

There would usually be a deer or two hanging from someone's front porch in Alaska and I remember my mom making the best dinners with the venison that my dad must have shot.

*Do you do any kind of fall traveling, other than holiday travels?

Not normally. We usually visit my in-laws in the summer or, lately, during the holidays. In October 2000, the four of us took Amtrak back to Western Michigan to visit my grandparents and other family members. I combined a little genealogical research and visited ancestral graves for the first time. I had always visited Michigan in summer or winter, so going in the fall seemed very different. It was much more humid than it is in Eastern Washington; rather than dry, crisp leaves, there were soggy, decaying ones everywhere. I didn't really care for it.

*Which is your favorite fall holiday, and why (Hallowe'en, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, or others)?

My daughter was born on Veterans Day, so naturally it's a favorite. However, I have not been to one Veterans Day service since she was born, since we are always so busy with birthday preparations. Hallowe'en is fun now that we're getting more children coming to our door to trick-or-treat. Thanksgiving is always a good family time. I give up; I just can't choose!

*What are your favorite fresh foods that are in season at this time? Favorite fall recipes or beverages?

Mmm...I love acorn squash with maple syrup and a slice of ham; I also love apple cider, cold or hot.

*Share favorite memories of fall from your childhood.

Since we lived with evergreens around us in Alaska, it's hard to think of a memory that I know occured in fall. Across the bay was an island that had some abandoned homes on it with a few deciduous trees. I always loved to look over there and see the trees turning and wish I could take a boat over and explore the houses. They seemed like treasures, just out of reach.

*What do you least like about this season?

The idea that winter is coming.

*What family birthdays, anniversaries, or events are commemorated in the fall? Are there any significant family history events that occurred during summer?

We have many, many fall birthdays from September through November in both my husband's and my families. My family always has a mini-reunion at a buffet house, usually on the last Sunday in October. It's a combination reunion, birthday celebration (we bring gifts), and early Thanksgiving, since Thanksgiving is usually the "off" holiday where family members would spend time with their in-laws and then come together again for Christmas.

*Do you have any hobbies that you take up during the fall months?

Not especially. I do like crocheting, and it's nice to be working on an afghan when it gets chilly. I'll sit with it on my lap and work on it while watching a movie or TV show on DVD with the family on a weekend night.

Revisiting Advent Memories No. 14: Fruitcake--Friend or Foe?

Advent Memories No. 14: Fruitcake--Friend or Foe?

Revisiting Advent Memories No. 13: Christmas and the Arts

Advent Memories No. 13: Christmas and the Arts

My First Digital Scrapbook Page!

I've long admired Jasia for her wonderful digital scrapbooking pages. She's so talented--as a writer, family historian, photographer, digital scrapbooker, and carnival host. I've enjoyed her Creative Genealogy blog as well as her Creative Gene blog. Today at Creative Genealogy, she mentioned the Christmas Around the World collaborative kit, a digital scrapbooking kit put together by 113 designers, with nearly everything mixing and matching. I have recently purchased an external hard drive at a sweet price, originally with the intent for loading documents and images from Scanfest, thanks to a Black Friday tip that also came from Jasia. Well, I took a look at these delicious-looking kits and had to download a few. I played around and came up with my very first digital scrapbook page, and am so proud of myself! It features my great-great-grandmother, Berber "Barbara" J. (DeJong) Valk, with her grandson, Gerritt John Heidema, Jr., taken most likely during the Winter of 1919 - 1920, at her home at 1315 West Leonard Street in Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan. That part of Grand Rapids was still fairly rural and had recently been purchased by the city from Wyoming Township, thus the barn in the background:

I'll admit I've got a learning curve ahead of me, but I'm just pleased as punch! The backgrounds and most of the elements come from A-liya's Dreams, while the green ribbon is courtesy of Nore's Nice-ities. I'm in awe of these talented designers!

Blog Caroling: I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

This is a repeat post from last year, when footnoteMaven started the tradition of blog caroling. It is just as relevant this year. To join in, visit her blog.

The footnoteMaven invited us genea-bloggers to go blog caroling. We've been posting favorite carols and sometimes a bit of history to go along with them. The Maven also posted a spectacular Choir of GeneaAngels graphic with links to our blog carols here.

Boy, it's hard picking out a favorite, since I love most Christmas carols, both religious and secular. Also, being a bit late to the game, some of my favorites were already picked. For instance, Craig at GeneaBlogie posted "Silent Night." I've always loved the legend of how the German pastor and church choir director created a song they could play accompanied by a guitar when their church organ was damaged by hungry mice. Additionally, this was the song that briefly stopped World War I...until December 26th, 1914, when indignant officers insisted that the war must go on.

Terry at Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi also blogged about another fave of mine, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." Although I knew the history behind this song, I forgot that it was written by Longfellow, one of my favorite poets. And then my Salvation Army background gets a boost when I think of "Silver Bells,"

inspired by the imagery of Salvation Army bellringers standing outside department stores during the Christmas season. [1]

What to pick? What to pick? At a school sing-along yesterday [17 December 2007], I was reminded of a very favorite Christmas song first introduced by Spokane native Bing Crosby in one of my favorite classic movies, Holiday Inn:

The sun is shining
The grass is green
The orange and palm trees sway.
I've never seen such a day
In Beverly Hills LA.
But it's December the 24th
And I am longing to be up North.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know.
Where the treetops glisten,
And children listen
To hear sleighbells in the snow.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write.
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white. [2]

While Bing was born on the west side of the state, he grew up in Spokane and attended Gonzaga University until the siren call of the entertainment industry drew him to California. In fact, when I was pregnant with our son, we used to live across the street from his sister's home in what is now the City of Spokane Valley. I often wonder if, as Bing sang this song, he thought of snowy days in Spokane, sliding down the hill at Manito Park or skiing up at Mount Spokane?

[1] Wikipedia contributors, "Silver Bells," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Silver_Bells&oldid=178588830 (accessed December 19, 2007).

[2] Berlin, Irving. "White Christmas." Lyrics. White Christmas, single. Decca Records, 1942. Lyrics007, http://www.lyrics007.com/Bing%20Crosby%20Lyrics/White%20Christmas%20Lyrics.html (accessed 17 December 2007).

Geotagging with Blogger in Draft

A post about geotagging enabling was published on Wednesday on the Blogger in Draft blog. I can see this feature being very useful for genea-blogging. For instance, when Apple is transcribing her letters of Sarah Ann Camfield or Granny Pam is featuring the latest postcard from Belle's Box, they can use the geotagging feature to tag all the locations mentioned in the correspondence. Readers can then find other posts written about the same location.

I'm looking forward to using this feature.

UPDATE 14 Dec 2008: Apple did a great review on this feature. Keep in mind that this is in Beta, which means they are still working out all the kinks and issues and it is a long ways from being perfected. If you use it and have difficulties, be sure to let the Blogger in Draft team know about the problems (nicely, of course). It's collaborative input like this that improves these types of technology.

Revisiting Advent Memories No. 12: Charitable/Volunteer Work

Advent Memories No. 12: Charitable/Volunteer Work

Revisiting Advent Memories No. 11: Holiday Travel

Advent Memories No. 11: Holiday Travel

Revisiting Advent Memories No. 10: Christmas Gifts

Advent Memories No. 10: Christmas Gifts

Forty Things About Me

I got tagged by a couple of people for this meme, and I didn't particularly want to play (reminds me of the MySpace surveys my daughter loves), but what the heck.

1. Do you like blue cheese? Not particularly.

2. Have you ever done something you regretted? Yes (sheesh, dumb question!), but that doesn't mean I live my life full of regrets.

3. Do you own a gun? Break into my house and find out. And yes, that is exactly the kind of answer someone with the last name of Midkiff would say.

4. What flavor of Kool Aid was your favorite? Never cared for it.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? No.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? 100% beef are fine. Onions and sauerkraut please.

7. Favorite Christmas movie? It's a Wonderful Life followed by Holiday Inn

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coffee, black, not too strong, and the occasional hazelnut latte.

9. Can you do push ups? Yes, I can. The question ought to be: "Should I?" to which I would answer, "Not unless I want my orthopedic surgeon and physical therapist to kill me."

10. Favorite hobby? Crocheting and cross-stitch. Genealogy is my life, not a hobby.

11. Do you have A.D.D.? I do believe so. Maybe even on occasion it's ADHD.

12. What's one trait you hate about yourself? See number 16.

13. Middle name? Joy

14. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? a) I really don't like these kinds of memes; b) I should get to bed; and c) I can't think of anything else.

15. Name 3 drinks you regularly have? a) tea (all kinds); b) Diet Pepsi; c) an occasional glass of wine

16. Current hate right now? I don't believe in hate.

17. Favorite place to be? Home.

18. How did you bring in the New Year? Noisemakers, party hats, and rum and cokes.

19. A place would you like to go? Only one? Hmmm...it's a toss up between Salt Lake City and Western Michigan, both which would yield me lots of genealogical rewards.

20. Name three people who will complete this: No clue

21. Do you have slippers? Yes, but I never wear them.

22. What shirt are you wearing? Dark blue "Willard Elementary 2002, est. 1908" with an American flag

23. Do you like sleeping on satin? Doesn't matter.

24. Can you whistle? Yes, and I can also whistle between my fingers quite loudly, a feat I used frequently when I was a camp counselor.

25. Would you be a pirate? Raping and pillaging are illegal.

26. What songs do you sing in the shower? Whatever's in my head at the moment.

27. Favorite girl's name(s)? Melissa, Melinda, Melody and Melanie. Unfortunately, I only had one daughter, so the last three never got used.

28. What's in your pocket right now? Lint and air

29. Last thing that made you laugh? Thomas' comment about liking his men ground up and in the freezer (it makes me laugh no matter how many times I've read it)!

30. Favorite bed sheets as a child? Peanuts by Charles Schultz

31. Worst injury ever? Rotator cuff tendons tore up by a bone spur (I'm currently recovering from surgery for this, if you haven't already heard).

32. Do you like where you live? My house, yes. My neighborhood, so-so.

33. How many TVs do you have in your house? Three, I think. Unless the old black and white one from my teen years is still in the basement, then it's four. I don't hardly ever watch TV.

34. Who is your loudest friend? Nuess (and all her friends will name her their loudest friend, hands down, too!...we love you, Nu-Nu!)

35. How many dogs do you have? See number 3.

36. Does someone have a crush on you? Oh, I'm sure someone, somewhere does. Not that I'm vain. Really.

37. What is your favorite book? That question is impossible to answer. I just love to read.

38. What is your favorite candy? Real German chocolate. I'm more of a pastry lover, though.

39. Favorite Sports Team? Not really a sports fan. But it is fun to go to the local hockey game: "Go! Chiefs!"

40. What song do you want played at your funeral? I'm not planning on attending, so it doesn't really matter. My favorite hymn always was "I Come to the Garden Alone," but having "Amazing Grace" played on real bagpipes would be fantastic!

My Genealogical Stocking Stuffer

Source: Robbins, Miriam at The Salvation Army Metlakatla Corps, Metlakatla, Alaska. Photograph. December 1968. Original privately held by Bryan Robbins, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Colville, Washington. 2008.

This photo, shot by my dad, was used for my parents' 1968 photo Christmas card while they were officers (pastors) in a small corps (Salvation Army church) in a Native American village in Southeast Alaska. Dad recently e-mailed this scan, along with some ancestral photos I was very happy to receive, and I'd like to stuff this into the Christmas stocking of my children, so that they can see that I, too, was once a little child.

Written for the 8th Edition of the "I Smile for the Camera" Carnival.

Tuesday's Tip: City Directories

Today's tip is not meant to be a comprehensive study on the genealogical use and whereabouts of city directories, but more as a guide to places online and off which can help family historians educate themselves further about this excellent, but often underused, resource.

What Are They?
City directories first came into use in what is now the United States in some of the east coast cities in the 1700s and continue to be published today in both the United States and Canada. The most recognized publisher is (R. L.) Polk City Directories, but many other publishers were also involved in the city directory business. These books were used to help salespeople and deliverymen locate individuals for commercial and delivery purposes and to provide advertising space for businesses. In many instances, people had to pay to have their names listed in a city directory, which disqualified many of our poor and day laborer ancestors. In addition, ethnic and racial minorities were often excluded. After the invention of the telephone in 1876, some directories began to list phone exchanges and numbers, where available.

Why Use Them?
These volumes were often produced annually or every other year. They list the name of the head of the household, the street address, and often give the occupation and employer of the head of household. The listing can include whether the individual was a boarder, renter, or owner. As children became adults, they were listed as well. When a man died, his wife was often indexed as "Smith, Mary, widow of John," and occasionally you'll see a person's name with a death date. These last two examples are great death record substitutes. Using city directories year by year can help you track where your ancestors were living, especially in the absence of census records, more notably the 1890 Federal Census. An individual may be listed as boarding with another person, and by finding the others residing at the same address, you may confirm your theories that the individuals are related.

The community pages also list the houses of worship, businesses, clubs, cemeteries, and other features of the community, sometimes including city maps and a brief history of the area. This information can help you determine where your ancestors may have worshiped, worked, socialized, or been buried, leading to clues for further records.

By the 1920s, many city directories often additionally had a cross-directory, in which an address could be looked up and the individual(s) who lived there would be listed. This is especially useful for seeing who lived next door to your ancestors, or checking out others in the household who had different surnames.

Do Directories Exist for Rural Areas?
Yes, in a variety of formats. Sometimes you will find small towns and rural areas listed at the end of directories for their nearest big city. Like city directories, county directories include the individual's name and occupation. However, instead of a street address, you will often see a section number of a township given (in American public-land states), the number of acres owned, and the value of the acreage, as well as the name of the community post office where the individual received their mail.

Rural directories produced by granges and farm cooperatives often listed the number of heads of cattle, horses, and sheep owned by the individual in addition to the acreage information. If the farmer had a telephone, the phone exchange or number would be given.

There are also business, church, and institutional directories. Records that can be used similarly are association and school yearbooks and voter registration books. All kinds of directories for foreign countries can also be found using online resources.

What Format are They In?
Of course, the original directories are still available in printed form. These can be found in archives, libraries (including the Library of Congress or the Library and Archives of Canada), or for sale at online auction websites and used book sites. Some historical directories have been reprinted and several years' worth may be available in one publication.

Many directories have been microfilmed by the LDS Church, and can be ordered from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah to view at your local Family History Center. Archives and other libraries may also have city directories on microfilm or microfiche.

Some directories (or their microfilms) have been digitally scanned and are available online, usually at subscription websites, such as Ancestry and Footnote, although some are located at free public websites like Google Books or Cincinnati Public Library. In some cases, the data is only available in transcribed or indexed form, which is the format in which many of the directories used to be at Ancestry. Still others have been scanned and are available for sale on CD.

Where Can I Find Them?
Besides the links given above, links to city and other directories (both online and off) can be found by checking out Cyndi's List of City Directories and by performing a Google search (see search term examples below). While there is no comprehensive list of all city directories available online (which is why I recommend Google), Cyndi probably has the largest such list. Here are examples for finding a city and a county or rural directory with a search engine:

"grand rapids" michigan ("city directory" OR "city directories")

"kent county" michigan director*

What Online Resources Exist to Further Help Me?
After winning an eBay auction of a 1925-26 R.L. Polk City Directory of Detroit, Michigan, Jasia of the Creative Gene blog wrote a wonderful and comprehensive 11-part series on the wealth of information within city directories, which can be read for free, beginning here. I guarantee that after you read this series, you will be anxious to get your hands on a city (or rural) directory of your ancestors' locations!

Cyndi's List of City Directories - this page consists of four parts: the first is General Resources, which includes links to various free online articles and tutorials. Like Jasia's series, you'll want to check out these articles and tutorials--many written by professional genealogists--to increase your knowledge about and search skills in using city directories. Libraries, Archives & Museums list locations where you may be able to find directories in published, microform or digital formats. Locality Specific links specific online directories categorized by location and year. Publications, Software & Supplies links to vendors where you can purchase new, used, or reprinted directories, and CDs.

FamilySearch has numerous Research Outlines for many locations: American states, Canadian provinces, and a multitude of countries. In nearly every location's Research Outline, there is a useful section on Directories, listing the Family History Library microfilm numbers for that area's major cities' directories, as well as web links and mailing addresses for archives and repositories that may contain published or microfilmed directories for that location. These outlines can be read online, or downloaded and/or printed in PDF format. To access them, go to the FamilySearch website, click on the Research Helps tab and choose Articles. Then click on the letter with which your location begins (M for Minnesota, A for Alberta, or B for Belgium, for instance) and find the Research Outline for that location.

Lookups - If you're not having success locating a directory, try City Directory Lookup or Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness.

Dae Powell has a handy City Directories form on his Shoestring Genealogy website to help you keep track of your research in this resource.

What Offline Resources Exist to Further Help Me?
City Directories of the United States of America has gathered information on many city directories stored at U.S. libraries and archives.

Use the Family History Library catalog to find microfilmed directories for your ancestral location by going to the FamilySearch website, choosing the Library tab, then Library Catalog. Choose Place Name and then enter either the city or county name of your location in the first search box and a state, province, or country name in the second search box. You may be prompted to choose between locations with identical names. Locations are listed from largest to smallest. Once you've found the resouces for that location, look for Directories. Only microfilmed resources can be sent to your local Family History Center, but you can ask the Family History Library staff to do a lookup within a printed publication for a small fee (ask for this mail-in request form at your Family History Center).

Eichholz, Arlene H. Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources. Ancestry, Inc.: Salt Lake City, 2004. Similar to the FHL's Research Outlines, this book has a chapter on every state in the union, listing all the genealogical resources for each state, including directories. Most libraries, especially those with genealogical collections, have this resource.

Luebking, Sandra H. The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Ancestry, Inc.: Salt Lake City, 1996. This book is the opposite of the Red Book in that it has chapters for each type of resource (including city directories), explaining in great detail how those resources are used in genealogy and where to locate them. Again, this would be found in most libraries.

Random Tips I've Learned:

Look at the beginning of the directory for the abbreviations used within.

Try alternate surname spellings.

If searching an online database of scanned images, don't rely on that database's search engine to find your ancestor, even if he had an unusual surname. Be willing to browse through the pages alphabetically, using some simple math skills to determine where in the directory your ancestor's name might be listed. For instance, if his last name begins with M, and the directory has 700 pages, you might try looking at page 350. Move back and forth within the directory by 5 or 10 pages and then narrow it down by 1 to 2 pages until you find it.

Don't be surprised to find 1) your ancestor at a different address each year; or 2) your ancestor "missing" every few years or so.

Take time to learn about the community through the community history and service pages.

Remember that information was gathered annually or every two years, much like a census, so that by the time it was published, it may have been inaccurate, or your ancestor may have moved or died.

Realize that both street names and house numbers changed over time, and that "new residence" your great-grandparents appear to have moved to may actually be the same structure they are listed at in the last directory.

If you are viewing a microfilmed or scanned copy of a directory and notice pages missing, look at the end of the film or section of film or database for that directory. I once did a lookup request for someone who was trying to find their ancestor in the microfilmed 1899 Washington, DC city directory, which I had on permanent loan at my local Family History Center. Unfortunately, the page of the directory (which I could tell from the microfilm images was in poor shape) on which his ancestor should have appeared was missing. I reported this information to the requester, deleted his message from my e-mail inbox, and went on my merry way. Months later, I was looking at this same film and discovered that all the loose pages from this directory had indeed been microfilmed and were located at the end of the film! :-(

Many directories had a "new listings" or "recent changes" section which listed updated addresses that were gathered too late to place within the alphabetized directory of names.

Revisiting Advent Memories No. 9: Holiday Parties

Advent Memories No. 9: Holiday Parties

Revisiting Advent Memories No. 8: Christmas Cookies

Advent Memories No. 8: Christmas Cookies

Revisiting Advent Memories No. 7: Christmas Grab Bag

Advent Memories No. 7: Christmas Grab Bag

Holiday Deal: Holiday Bundles from NEHGS

From the New England Historical and Genealogical Society (I've got my eye on the New York resources holiday bundle):

Save on gifts for your genealogist (even if that genealogist is YOU).

We have bundled together some of our most popular titles and slashed the prices to help you do all of your genealogy shopping in one place. Whether you are looking for one book or an entire series (or even a stocking stuffer), we have something for everyone and every price range. Bundles include books on a number of subjects, including the Great Migration, New York State, and NEHGS guidebooks.

You will also find discounts on exciting new titles such as Boston Beheld: Antique Town and Country Views by D. Brenton Simons and Gary Boyd Roberts' upcoming Ancestors of American Presidents, Second Edition.

You can order online on our secure website at www.newenglandancestors.org/store/bundles.asp or call toll free 888-296-3447 and place your order with one our Member Services staff. And, if your order is over $150.00, we will take 50% off of your shipping cost!

Happy holidays from all of us at the New England Historic Genealogical Society.