A genealogical toolbox of websites

 

Some online tools to help you as you build your family tree!  And this being the Frugal Family Historian blog, they're all completely free.

British Army Ancestors: a photographic archive  

Search this website for your military relatives using first and last name, name, rank, regiment and service number, or any permutation thereof. The results may include links to other sites such as The National Archives (where downloads are currently still free) or FindMyPast, which requires a subscription.

Weird Old Book Finder

The Book Finder mines Google Books for titles in the public domain so you don’t have to. Use keywords to search using this intriguing tool – it will return one relevant book result at a time. 

Easy Peasy Genealogy Timeline Maker 

Blogger Kenneth R. Marks shares an Open Source method of creating that all-important visualisation for your family history. 

GenScriber

This site provides transcription editing software with a variety of layout options.  The package is available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux. 

Cousin Chart  

Download this handy chart and make sense of what it means to have a second cousin twice removed!

RootsTech Classes 2022: Scottish Research

RootsTech's international online genealogy conference is returning for a second year, beginning 3-5 March 2022.  The entire event is free and you just need to register in order to participate.  Additionally, creating a FamilySearch account will help you to get the most out of all that RootsTech has to offer. Learn more about the free apps, how you can connect with new-to-you relatives, and other features like the Expo Hall and keynote speakers on the website.

As with last year, I've recorded two presentations, designed to help genealogists researching Scots ancestry. Get a sneak peek of their content below.

Applicants for Admission to a Casual Ward, 
Luke Fildes, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Where Are My Poor Scots Ancestors?

Applications for poor relief in Scotland were well documented from the mid 19th century onwards, under the 1845 Poor Law. Information recorded about claimants included details of their birth, family, and employment, plus much more. Check out this presentation and find out how Scottish poor relief records can help you build your family tree.

 

Declaration of Arbroath (used by permission of National Records of Scotland)

Secrets of ScotlandsPeople

There are plenty of free resources on ScotlandsPeople, the official government Scottish records website.  Learn what these are, what kind of information they contain, and how they can benefit your research.

Once you've registered for the conference, search for the class sessions already on the RootsTech site.  Build your own playlist from the hundreds available.  The videos for the 2022 event will be freely available for at least twelve months, starting in March.

Check out my summary of the RootsTech presentations I gave last year; these are currently still available to watch.