Ford Genealogy Club Presentation:
February 10, 2000
Internet (and Computer) Basics


Start

at the

Ford Genealogy Club Home Page, http://www.wwnet.com:80/~krugman1/fgc/.

Help Guides

The FGC Help Guides Page, http://www.wwnet.com:80/~krugman1/fgc/hlpgd.htm has links to other site that deal with various subjects in genealogy to help get you started.

There are a variety of guides to check out:

  • How do you Start Researching, http://www.everton.com/start.html at Everton's web site. Many of the other links on the FGC Help Guide page are Everton sites.
  • RootsWeb's Guide to Tracing Family Trees, http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/ on Rootsweb, complete with the beginning topic broken into Lessons
  • Although a few years old and just plain text hints for beginners, http://genealogy.org:80/~jkatcmi/genealogy-irc/genhint.htm contains the basic information to get started.
  • hints on researching certain geographic area, such as British Research, http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/EmeryPaper.html
  • various ethnic groups, such as The Great Sioux Nation, http://www.state.sd.us/state/executive/tourism/sioux/sioux.htm


    • Check out these links and other links of the FGC Help Guides Page, http://www.wwnet.com:80/~krugman1/fgc/hlpgd.htm. Here is where your can learn starting techniques and hints. So just read, read, read to get ideas about how to approach your area of research!

    The USGenWeb

    The FGC GenWeb page, http://www.wwnet.com:80/~krugman1/fgc/genweb.htm has the necessary links to The USGenWeb, http://usgenweb.com/ which is a collection of web sites where individuals in each US county host web sites for a county. The purpose is to collect and coordinate the collection of information that will assist individual research their families. So on a county GenWeb site you likely will find addresses of county government offices, newspaper address, library addresses. Some counties also contain cemetery listings, census information, and marriage information. Each county differs in what is available, depending on the amount of time these volunteers can give.

    The WorldGenWeb, http://worldgenweb.org/ is a site that functions similarly for nations of the world. It can be your starting point for researching other countries.

    Real genealogical data can be found using the USGenWeb:

    Check out the USGenWeb Archives, http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ This links you to both the US GenWeb Archives FTP site and also to the GenWeb pages of each state. Each state GenWeb site then links you to the county GenWeb pages.

    Check out Lenawee County, http://members.aol.com/LenaweeMI/index.html hosted by Diane and Oakland County, http://www.rootsweb.com/~mioaklan/index.html hosted by Karen. Both have posted Michigan Marriage transcriptions done by Jack and Marianne Dibean. Please see Lenawee County Michigan Marriage Page, http://members.aol.com/COslund/LenaweeMI/marriages1.html and Oakland Marriages, http://www.rootsweb.com/~mioaklan/index.html.

    Other counties are posting census transcriptions and indexes. You just have to look. Each county is doing different things based on the amount of time and number of volunteers available.

    You can post Queries on the county GenWeb sites. About a year ago, Diane posted a query in North Dakota asking how to get an obituary of a distantly related Cryderman. After about 6 months she got a couple replies that directed her to the University of North Dakota Library. She wrote and paid a samll fee to obtain the Obit. But the researcher who replied mentioned there was additional information about other Crydermans in City Directories and in Natualization Papers on microfilm. Diane wrote back that she was interested and she has gotten some copies already for a modest fee and she is getting more.

    In some cases, you may find indivuduals who may do a lookup for you for free, or who may trade lookups with you via the USGenWeb county pages.

    Social Security Death Index

    From the The FGC SSDI Link page, http://www.wwnet.com:80/~krugman1/fgc/ssdi.htm you can find Rootsweb, http://rootsweb.com/ has a Social Security Death Index search form right on the main page. In addition, Family Treemaker also has SSDI search form, http://familytreemaker.com/fto_ssdisearch.html.

    Census Data

    The FGC Census page, http://www.wwnet.com:80/~krugman1/fgc/census.htm contains links to several Census sites. You can actually find US and Canadian Census data online. In addition, some US County GenWeb pages have Census data online!
    Check out these sites:

  • Michigan 1870 Census Index Online, http://envoy.libofmich.lib.mi.us/1870_census/search.htm

  • One-Percent 1880 U.S. Federal Census, http://www.genealogy.org/~1880-census/

  • Index to the 1871 Census of Ontario, http://www.archives.ca/exec/naweb.dll?fs&020108&e&top&0
    Click on the Search the Database link and then type in Cryderman in the search form and submit the query. You will get a list of Crydermans in the first Canadian National Census in Ontario. You get much information about each person and you get the micorfilm reference so you can look up the actual microfilmed census page.

  • The USGenWeb Archives CENSUS IMAGES, http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/cen_img.htm let you look at actual census images!
    Select the Ohio folder, next Select Darke county, finally click on any .GIF to view an census image online!

  • Remember, vist the USGenWeb county pages; many are posting transcriptions from different censuses!

  • Here is an example of an imgae on Rootsweb: Grady County, Georgia 1920 Census Image, http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ga/grady/census/1920/86-13b.gif shows what you can find online.

  • US Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov has good background info on the various US Censuses taken.

    Genealogy Sites

    The FGC Genealogy Sites page, http://www.wwnet.com:80/~krugman1/fgc/gnlgst.htm has links to a variety of sites that may be valuable in your genealogy research. Sites are organized by Subject and Geography.

  • Ancestry, http://ancestry.com/ can be a valuable genealogy resource. Ancestry has both free, searchable databases and datasebase that you may search for a fee. But each new database is available free for 10 days, before it becomes a paid-only database. So check Ancestry often/weekly for new databases. In addition, Ancestry also makes new maps available for free before they become paid only accessible.

    Now for the big thing about Ancestry: Access to Ancestry is FREE at the Internet terminals at The Library of Michgan, http://www.libofmich.lib.mi.us/ in Lansing.

  • Helm’s Genealogy Toolbox, http://www.genealogytoolbox.com/ has books, software, and links to genealogical information.

  • Cyndi's List, http://www.CyndisList.com/ has over 59000 categorized links. It may be overwhelming due to the large number of links. you must click thru several pages to get to actual sites external to Cyndi's List. Also, Cyndi is selling books, so the top part of her pages tend to contain her advertising.

  • The Genealogy Library, http://www.genealogylibrary.com or http://www.familytreemaker.com/glc_deny.html is another site with both free and paid portions.

  • Virginia-The New River Company's Genealogy and History Research Site, http://www.rootsource.com/quit_rents.htm has Real Data Online.

  • See a list of Confederate Soldiers Killed in the First and Second Battles of Manassas alphabetical order, ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/va/fauquier/cemeteries/man-alpha.txt

    Now, place your cursor on the URL window and backspace, erasing cemeteries/man-alpha.txt to get the new URL ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/va/fauquier/ - more data in Fauquier County Virginia.
    Now click on one of the folders: bibles, cemeteries, census, court, deeds, military, tax lists, vitals, wills to see more genealogy data online!


    • Search Engines

    The FGC Search the Web page, http://www.wwnet.com:80/~krugman1/fgc/srchthwb.htm has links to a several Search Engines.

    Search Engines are used to search the Web to find that which may be of interest to you. The search strategy of each search-engine varies and may give different results. Here are a few but there are many, many search engines, and each has its own quirks.
  • All the Web All the time, http://www.alltheweb.com/ is very fast.

  • Altavista, http://www.altavista.com/ allows searching web pages, news and discussion groups, or products.

  • I have been hearing about this on the radio for weeks, so, Type in www.NorthenLight.com in the URL window to reach Northern Light, http://www.northernlight.com search for yet another search engine.

    Remember when searching to use several search engines. Although it amy be tedious and boring to have hundreds of sites to check, you certainly would not want to miss the answer to your question(s) by skipping a site!

    So try one of your Surnames; you may find a relative who is doing the same or related genealogy search. You may find someone to share family lines and thoughts with. (But remember, without doing your own research to find the real documents and sources, what some one says may be fiction!)

    For example, Åsenlund turns up in quite a few pages in all the search engines, although many are in Swedish!

    Libraries

    The FGC Library Page, http://www.wwnet.com:80/~krugman1/fgc/lbrr.htm has several libraries. Many have online catalogs you can seach. Here are just a couple of the most comprehensive.

    The Allen County Public Library Genealogy, http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/genealogy.html and

    The Library of Michigan Genealogy, http://www.libofmich.lib.mi.us/genealogy/genealogy.html both have a large variety of genealogy resources. Search the Online catalog of each library before you go.

    Visit each site to learn about the hours and days of operation. You certainly would not want to make a long trip and discover that librayr was closed!

    Checking hours and days of operation at government offcies is also a good idea when you need ot visit a county clerk's office. Some county clerk offices allow genealogy research only on limited days. Check First!
    Translators

    The FGC Translator Page, http://www.wwnet.com:80/~krugman1/fgc/trnltr.htm has links to several online translation sites. This is just a small sampling.

    Foreign Languages for Travelers, http://www.travlang.com/languages/ has 70 languages for translation. In addition there are external links for each language.

    Another limited translator is Free Translation, http://www.freetranslation.com/ which translates sentences online!

    There are other translator and language tools web sites, but you need to use the search engines to find them. You may find one that is just perfect for YOUR needs.

    E-Mail

    Even if you do not have an ISP account, you may use a library that internet access to sign up for a web-based E-Mail account. Then you can post queries and send and receive mail. Just logon to your web-based E-Mail account from ANY computer that allows you to get to the Internet!

    You can establish web-based E-Mail accounts at many places:
  • Excite Mail, http://www.excite.com/, Click on the FreeVoicemail/Email Link to set up an account of logon.
  • Netscape Mail, http://www.netscape.com/, Click on the WebMial Icon to set up an account or logon.
  • Hotmail, http://www.hotmail.com/, and Signon.
  • There are many, many other free web-based E-Mail services, just look around as you browse.

    For example I have personal mail at both Excite and Netscape.

    So why do you need E-Mail? You want to sign-up for Mailing Lists and go to USGenWeb County sites and post queries.

    So, check out the FGC Query Pages ,http://www.wwnet.com:80/~krugman1/fgc/qrpg.htm for a list of several sites where you can post queries. Be sure to pass along any new query site that you have found valuable.
    Mailing Lists

    Visit Rootsweb Mailing List page, http://www.rootsweb.com/roots-l/ and subscribe to a mailing list. Mailing lists are organized around localities. Be sure to read the instructions carefully!

    You must check your mailbox regularly when you have subscribed to a mailing list.
    If your mailbox gets too full, it will "bounce" and you won't get it and others will think you have disappeared for the Internet. Usually, after a couple "bounces" people stop sending you mail. (Diane managages a Mailing list for Lenawee County Michigan and usually pulls addresses that "bounce" regulary over a couple week period.)

    Consider subscribing to the digest version of the list to reduce the mail volume.

    Member Web Pages

    See theFGC Member Web Pages, http://www.wwnet.com:80/~krugman1/fgc/mmbrswbp.htm where members have posted genealogy information about their families. Get your surnames and family on the web so others can find you!.

    A Few Computer Hints and Short Cuts

    These short-cuts work in most programs, including Word and Excel

1. Close a program:
· Click on the "X" in the upper right corner of the Program window
· Click on File->Exit on the pull down menus
· Key in Alt-F4

2. Close a window within a program:
· Click on the "X" in the upper right corner of the window
· Click on File->Close on the pull down menus 
· Key in Ctrl-F4

3. Print a document:
· Click on Print Icon
· Click on File->Print on the pull down menus 
· Key in Ctrl-P 

4. Moving back/forth in Netscape:
· Click on the Forward/Back buttons
· Key in Alt-left-arrow for Back and Alt-right-arrow for Forward
· Click on the Go pull down menu and select the screen from the list below
· Click on the Back button and right mouse click and pick the screen from the list

5. Finding things on a Web page
· Key in Ctrl-F to bring up the Find command 
· Click on Edit->Find on the pull down menus 

6. Cut/Copy/Paste can be done by using the the Cut/Copy/Paste options from the Edit pull down menu or by
· If you want to Cut something, press Ctrl X 
· If you want to Copy something, press Ctrl C
· Past an item, Press Ctrl V
· Ctrl-X, Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V can be used in just about all Windows programs

7. Save a Web Page 
· Click File->Save on the pull down menus 
· Key in Ctrl-S 

8. Refresh the Screen
· Key in F5 - also works in Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer 
· Click on the Reload Button

9. Print a web page that does not seem to print or prints all one color so that it cannot be read:
· Press PrintScreen button, the current screen image is copied into the clipboard,
· Open a graphic program (like MSPaint) or open Word
· Paste the the captured graphic from the clipboard into the graphic program or into Word (as a graphic)
· Print the captured screen

10. Bookmarks:
· A bookmark file is a handy place to keep track of places you have visited. 
  You now have ready access to good sites you have visited, 
  so you do not have to remember and write down URLs or always type 
  them into the Location window.
· However, Remember URL Addresses do change, some web sites go out of 
  business and sometimes web sites get redesigned.

11. Use multiple Netscape windows to browse (also works with Internet Explorer):
· Click File->New->Navigator Window to open up andother browsing window. 
  You can be reading one page while you load another.

12. While you are browsing, open a word processor - even Notepad - to take notes while online,
    cut and paste text  or URLs from a web page into your notepad or word processor.

13. Get your information out to the world:
· Post queries on USGenWeb county query pages 
(See LenaweeMI Query Page, for example, http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Mi/Lenawee 
 be patient, but check for replies often.
· Create a web site:
  List your surnames or parts of your family (no living people please).
  There are many search engines that will find your web page, andhelp others find your site.
  Many people use the LDS search engine, http://www.familysearch.org/
  (Try searching on Luigi Caruso, a man who married my grandfather's sister.)
  My pages regularly come up in these searches; unfortunately, so 
  far everyone has been searching for families that married into my lines.
      
14. Special Characters used in foreign alphabets:
· From the Start, select Menu->Settings->ControlPanel->and run the Keyboard program
· Allows one to select additional languages and put the keyboard language 
    selector into the right-side tray. Once can change lagnuages and type in all the 
    special characters you need without complicated keystokes. 
· Select languages at will. Once you have chosen additional languages, 
    select a language and press all the keys so you can learn the keyboard mapping:
· For example:
    in Swedish:   ÅåÖöÄä   these letters map to the English keys shown below
    in English:   {[:;"'
      A few other keys are located on different keys.


15. A few Family TreeMaker short cut keys:
· Ctrl-S is used to bring up the Source Dialog box when adding, modify or viewing sources for each fact.
· Ctrl-T is used ot Create a To-Do List
· Ctrl-N is used to Create a New Family TreeMaker Database
· Ctrl-O is used to Open a New Family TreeMaker Database
· Ctrl-P is used to Print a Family Page
· F3 is used to enter information about Other spouses
· Alt-F1 is used to display information about the current Database
· Alt-F4 is used to Exit the program
· Ctrl-C is used to Copy
· Ctrl-X is used to Cut
· Ctrl-V is used to Paset

16. A few Family Origins, 7.01 short cut keys:
· Alt-N to edit General Note on the Individual
· Alt-S to edit General Source on the Individual
· Enter to Edit Individual, then
·   Alt-A to Add fact
·   Alt-E to Edit fact
·   Alt-D to Delete fact (FOW asks you if you are sure)
·   Alt-F to edit Fact Note
·   Alt-T to edit To Do list on the Individual
·   Alt-C to work with Multimedia Scapbook on the Individual
·   Alt-R to edit Address
·   Alt-O for OK to accept changes and go back to Tree View or Family View
·   Alt-N to edit Fact Note on the Individual
·   Alt-S to edit Fact Source on the Individual
· In Sources, Alt-M to Memorize source, Alt-P to Paste Memorized Source,
  works independent of Clipboard information. FOW can have data on clipboard
  AND memorized citation at same time!
· Ctrl-R for Relatives (changed to Ctrl-V in FOW 8, which uses Ctrl-R for
  Reports/ Print)
· Ctrl-F to Find person (Index list)
· Ctrl-Home to go to Root Person
· Alt-F to pull-down  File menu, etc. for Edit, Lists, View, Add, Reports
  (Print), Tools, Options, Help
· Alt-E, R, C or Enter to rearrange children (modify birth order)
· Alt-E, R, S to rearrange spouses (modify marriage order)
· Ctrl-I to add unlinked Individual
· Ctrl-S to add Spouse to highlighted Individual (Must be opposite sex)
· Ctrl-P to add Parents (Natural or Adopted)
· Ctrl-C to add child to highlighted person/ family
· Ctrl-Tab to switch between Family View and Tree View (Family Group &
  Pedigree)
· Alt-F, I to display information about the current Database
· Ctrl-F4 to Close Database (version 8 only, which allows multiple open
  databases, drag & drop between them)
· Alt-F4 to Close program (asks if you want to backup database first, allows
  cancel)
· When Editing:
·   Ctrl-C is used to Copy
·   Ctrl-X is used to Cut
·   Ctrl-V is used to Paste
·   Ctrl-Z is used to Undo
· F1 - Help

17. Be sure to examine closely the the short-cut keys that you may 
    see in other programs as you select the Pull Down Menus.

18. Share your knowledge with others. 
    Whether you have found a new web site or a new short-cut, 
    keep talking and pass it on.
    by Mark Krugman and Chuck Oslund

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    FGC February Meeting Last updated February 27, 2000. Comments?