Roberts Roots & Branches

Genealogy software. What a wonderful time-saving tool that allows researchers to organize and utilize family data. I use RootsMagic and I love it.  I am able to create reports, find errors, and SOURCE my information!

Place specific websites! What a wonderful blessing it is to have free websites that give a historical view and account of where your ancestors came from!  It helps in research to know and understand the historical context of where your ancestors lived for research purposes and to help you understand their lives and their decisions!  Photographs on these websites are a terrific bonus! The Potteries

My immigration ancestors!

Indexing and Indexers! Saves me time and research! Allows researchers searchable access to records! Allows researchers to look for a "needle in a haystack" type searches!* Allows individuals "to do" family history without researching! THANK YOU VERY MUCH! *"needle in a haystack" searches include surname searches only, given name only searches, family member given names only searches, no name--only birth year and place searches and wildcard searches!

Email verses snail mail!

Volunteers at Findagrave.com! Love them!  They all deserve chocolate and flowers!  Anyone who has searched a cemetery looking for a headstone knows the ground is bumpy, lumpy, and very uneven.  And especially in Wyoming, anytime you visit the cemetery the weather usually isn't cooperating!  So, THANK YOU findagrave.com for allowing us to search for FREE a cemetery in our pajamas from the comfort of our own home!

Census' online! No more Soundex. . .it used to be very time consuming to look for an individual family using the Soundex system.  However, using the Soundex was easier than searching the census one page at a time on a dark reader in the back of cold library!

Computers! Just ponder how computers have changed, evolved, and advanced the work in family history.  From email to Facebook.  From websites to blogs.  From online indexes to digital images.  Computers have furthered the work at an amazing pace.  Just imagine what research will look like in 10 years from now!

 Coal miners shopped at the Company Store,  and their purchases were deducted from their paychecks. Source: Wyoming Newspaper Project Rock Springs Miner no. 33 August 28, 1902, page 1     Newspaper Name: Rock Springs Miner     City: Rock Springs     Year: 1902     Month: 08-August     Day: 28     Page: 01

It may be easier than you think "Family history can be a life-changing experience. Learning about your ancestors can bring perspective and understanding to your own life. It only takes a few minutes to learn how to get started. Soon, you'll know the basic steps to begin." FamilySearch.org

Source: Rock Springs Miner no. 36 September 03, 1896, page 2

There are three types of genealogy research 1-- Compiled genealogy --from New.FamilySearch.org, Anectry.com Trees, Family Tree, Ancestral File, IGI, grandma, aunt so-and-so, etc. Information from other NON-ORIGINAL SOURCES. 2-- Generational genealogy --information from previous generations.  Heirlooms and accompanying stories.  Pictures and associated stories.  Verbal and written histories.  SOME ORIGINAL SOURCES. 3-- Original genealogy --information from newspapers, court documents, cemeteries, original vital records, church records and other original documentation.  ORIGINAL SOURCES. It is when these three types of "genealogy" collide that there seems to be problems such as inaccurate information passed from generation to generation or from family to family. An example of this is, when doing a research paper you can go to the Internet and gather all the information you want, but until you do your OWN research tests and gain YOUR OWN results you are...

The 33 documents I found in Iowa in the spring  have exploded to a  grand total of 135! (I am now finished counting as I have done a through search and I will only find a single document here or there along the way in my research journey!) So that means that for each document found in Iowa  I was able to locate four more. It also means that each of the 33 documents cost me about $33 a piece!*  (Hotel, food, and gas!) *(Which is why I get a little irritated when others "steal" my research work!)

Try searching without a surname.   (Use given name, birth place, birth year  and parent's or spouse's given name.)

research trip!  Nope, not somewhere exotic or tropical.  (Our ancestors didn't settle anywhere tropical or exotic!) Wyoming here I come! I need to look up some obituaries, locate some marriage records, and search for some divorce records.  Besides I need a break, and where do I loooove to go by myself--Rock Springs. Where's your favorite get-a-way vacation spot?!?!?  

Try searching Ancestry.com using wildcards.   (*=one or more letters or?=one letter.)

The Western States Marriage Index   can be a very helpful index database.

Back to school ad in 1906 Source: Wyoming Newspaper Project Newspaper Name: Rock Springs Miner City: Rock Springs Year: 1906 Month: 09-September Day: 01 Page: 01

I have been very busy adding information and sources to FamilyTree on FamilySearch.org.  I'm still waiting for the "official" announcement and release of the program to tell you all about it, however, I will tell what a wonderful opportunity it is to re-research  everyone in my database!  FamilySearch.org, ancestry.com, findagrave.com and the western states marriage index are all databases that are being updated every single day.  So, searches done a year ago, need to be redone because there are so many new records searchable and available!  So, adding sources to FamilyTree has forced me to re-research each individual in my database in order to add the sources to the new program. Not only have I been able to locate new released records, I have been able to go further on some of the collateral lines that have been at a dead end.  Putting in the information will hopefully help these other families on their research.  Hopefully, I can tell you all a...

findagrave.com has a wonderful database of grave sites.

 The following is copied from Genealogyintime .com.   I usually hesitate to "copy and paste" such a large portion of information from another site, however, with facts I prefer to "cite my sources"!  I found many of the statistics interesting so, I thought I would share.  So, here are some more interesting facts and figures from genealogyintime.com: (Note:  this is not a complete or exact quote and I have added parenthesis to updated information.) Newest Genealogy Records  From August 2012 US – The 1940 Census indexing project led by FamilySearch.org has now been completed. All 134 million records from the US 1940 census...(are now searchable.)  Here are some interesting facts about this massive indexing project: • According to Ancestry.com, the total number of people counted in the 1940 census was 134, 395,545. This is about 2 million over the official population of the US in 1940 (132,164,569) because the 1940 census included abo...

Google search "images" for your ancestors.

One of the goals for the Roberts Roots and Branches to help researchers do research.  So, I'm going to post a new research tips to help, inspire, and assist you with your own research. These tips will be short, to the point, helpful hints.  There will not be long descriptions or much detail.  Ask questions if you want in the comments section.

What's coming in the future of family history work and genealogy! If you want more original images released or if you're a numbers-kind-of person, you will find this post interesting:  " Don Anderson at FGS: We Have the Opportunity "at Ancestry Insider.  The article states: "FamilySearch has about 607 million images online and are adding about 500 million more a year from its microfilm collection at the Granite Mountain Records Vault."     Now that should leave you wanting to read more!  The picture entitled, "The task at hand" should leave us all wanting the indexing to move faster!  Go check it out. Here's the latest scoop on Ancestry.com and DNA matches from Gena-Musings:  " Checking in on Ancestry.com DNA Matche s".  Be sure to also link to the  two previous posts he has written on this subject they are entitled: " Results from Ancestry.com Autosmal DNA Tests-Post 1 and Results from Ancestry.com Autosmal DNA T...

I am so excited I cannot wait to tell you all about it,  however they have not had the official release yet :( But when they do, I'm gonna shout all about it!

Just a reminder to the family historians out there! 1+1=4 on FamilySearch 1+1=4 on Ancestry.com 1+1=4 on private web site 1+1=4 published in a book Just because information is repeated, doesn't mean it is correct! Is the information regurgitated? Is the information documented by a reliable source? Is the information traceable? Is the information logical? Is the information supported by other information? Is the information reasonable?

"In America, we are all just a generation or two removed from someone who made our future the purpose of their lives. America is the story of everyday people who did extra ordinary things. A story woven deep into the fabric of our society. Their stories may never be famous, but in the lives they lived you will find the escense of Americas's greatness." --Marco Rubio, Republican National Convention, 30 aug 2012 

I had been doing genealogy for several years when my husband passed away. Many expected things have changed because of this major life event, but I am surprised about the unexpected way that his death has affected my genealogy research. I remember lost in grief and shock and the funeral director asking questions.  My answers were a mumbled I wasn't sure, but "to the best of my knowledge".   I finally asked him why he needed the information.   He explained it was for the death certificate. Being a genealogist, I snapped into reality and really concentrated on my answers...this was very important. This WAS a source! Later, the obituary was written by a friend. Funny, I figured I would just write up the obituary, because I wanted it to be a detailed one; I had read so many I felt like I kind of knew how a good obituary should read. But, I couldn't write it. I was in too much shock. So my friend wrote the obit, while I was making arran...

          See full article here. Source:  FamilySearch.org blogs This is so exciting!  Imagine being able to view books at home rather than having to go to the library!  Who would have thought!  Just another GREAT step in the direction of being able to do research from home!!!!