Cook County Vital Records on FamilySearch

Did you know that you can find images of Cook County vital records on FamilySearch? They can be tricky to find but you don't have to pay for them!

Note that you can only view these images at a FamilySearch Affiliate Library so you'll be able to view these at the Glenview Public Library but not at home.

Start by searching for the record you need.

Find and select the record you want to view.

After you've selected the record and verified it's the one you want, look on the right under "Document Information." You may have to click the down arrow for the information to show. 

Write down the GS Film Number and the Image Number.

Next, open a new tab and go to the FamilySearch Catalog. Under "Search for" click on "Film/Fiche Number" and type in the GS Film Number you just wrote down and hit search.

This will bring up the Cook County collection you want. Click on the title. 

Scroll down on the next page for the films. Find the GS Film number in the list. This is the film you want. Click on the camera icon to view images.

Now you'll see a page of image thumbnails. In the upper left corner, find the box that says "Image."

Type the Image Number you recorded earlier in the box and hit "Enter" on your keyboard.

This will highlight one of the thumbnails. Double click on the image and you have your certificate!

And you didn't have to pay Cook County for it!

Family History Activities

The FamilySearch website offers new ideas, templates, and interactive activities for families and all ages.

The "In-Home Activities" module has projects for kids and families to explore their heritage and traditions. Activities include creating time capsules, discovering family records, making a journal or scrapbook, and playing family trivia games. Other projects involve identifying and thinking about ancestors' lives in different ways that appeal to children. 

FamilySearch also includes online programs that help you upload and manipulate photos of yourself and your ancestors or find prompts to tell and record your family's history.

New FamilySearch Collections

FamilySearch is constantly adding new records to their online collections. FamilySearch now provides genealogists free access to over 8 billion record images! In 2018, these are the locations that had the most new records added:

Countries:	US States:
Australia Brazil England France Germany Ireland Italy Mexico Netherlands Russia South Africa Sweden	Alabama California Georgia Illinois Kansas Kentucky Michigan New York Ohio Oklahoma Pennsylvania Vermont Virginia West Virginia

To see what locations have new records added, from the Search page, click on "Browse all published collections."

Click on "Last Updated" under Historical Record Collections to arrange collections by date added/updated.

Mexican Genealogy Resources

Searching for ancestors in Mexico? This online course presented by Debbie Gurtler and FamilySearch will introduce you to the online resources you need to know.  Learn about the best databases and online archives and discover websites to help you with localities and immigration records.

Find more research guides for Mexico on FamilySearch's Learning Center and Wiki.

FamilySearch Tips

Did you know that 77% of the records on FamilySearch can't be found through a basic "Historical Records" search? If this is the only place you search on FamilySearch, you're missing most of their collections!

Under the "Search" tab, click on "Catalog" or "Books" to find record collections that are usually not searchable under "Records."

Catalog
The catalog searches FamilySearch's entire collection of genealogical materials. Search for items by title, record type, family name, or geographic location. Some of these collections are not available online but others are digitized and browsable. You can find lots of European records here.

Books
Find and read digitized books from FamilySearch and other genealogical institutions. Many of these items are local histories, family histories, or surname studies.

Don't ignore the "Find a Collection" section at the bottom of the "Search Historical Records" page. Search by collection title or click on "Browse all published collections." Narrow down your search by geographic location and see all collections for a specific area.

Explore these 'hidden' collections and soon you'll be breaking down your brick walls!

FamilySearch Affiliate

Glenview Public Library is a FamilySearch Affiliate Library. As an Affiliate, patrons can digitally access restricted content on FamilySearch while in the library.

If you're trying to view an image or access a digital microfilm collection but see a message that says you must "Access the site a FamilySearch Affiliate Library," those images can viewed at the Glenview Library.

You can view digital content on all library computers or via our wifi connection.

Access to FamilySearch's increasing digital collections should greatly expand your genealogy research options! 

FamilySearch Microfilm

FamilySearch is extending their microfilm ordering deadline to September 7. Only one week left!

Find the latest information at the discontinuation of FamilySearch's microfilm distribution services here.

FamilySearch Microfilm

As a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, patrons have the option to have microfilm shipped from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City to the Glenview Public Library. However, FamilySearch recently announced that they will be stopping their microfilm distribution service at the end of August. Patrons can continue to request film until August 31. All microfilm that the library receives during this period will be on extended loan.

Some of FamilySearch's microfilm collection is digitized and browsable online. You can still find books and microfilm through the Books and Catalog tabs on FamilySearch. To find all of the digitized collections in one place, click on "Browse all published collections" on the Records search page.

FamilySearch hopes to have all of its microfilm digitized by 2020. You can find more information about the future of FamilySearch's microfilm collection here.

Comparing the 'Big 4'

Ancestry, FamilySearch, findmypast, and MyHeritage are currently the four biggest genealogy databases available. Which one(s) should you be using? Are they worth purchasing a subscription?

At this year's RootTech, Sunny Morton compared the "Big 4" to help users understand which databases best fit their research needs. You can watch her discussion here.

Ms. Morton says that when choosing a database, you need to consider what you need right now. Remember that no one website will have what you need all of the time.

The biggest question you probably have is: Which site holds the historical records I want? Here is a brief overview of the databases:

Ancestry.com

• 80 countries -- particularly: USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, Mexico, and the UK

FamilySearch

• 96 countries -- strong global outreach with a unique collection of Central & South American, African, and Asian records

findmypast

• 7 countries -- focus is on UK and Irish records as well as US, Australia, and New Zealand

MyHeritage

• Claims to cover 'all' countries -- primarily Europe and global Jewish collections

For more information, watch Sunny Morton's informational presentation.

#DiscoverFreedmen

The National Museum of African American History and Culture recently partnered with FamilySearch, the National Archives, the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, and the California African American Museum to create a database of records of emancipated African Americans.

DiscoverFreedmen.org searches FamilySearch's collection of Freedmen's Bureau records. Established in 1865, the Freedmen's Bureau provided aid to recently emancipated slaves and poor whites in the South. The Freedmen's Bureau archives include marriage, census, land, court, school, and medical information from between 1865 and 1872. Because slaves were rarely recorded in pre-Civil War records, the Freedmen's Bureau is an excellent starting point for tracing enslaved ancestors.

 

Free Online Genealogy Courses

Do you love free genealogy webinars and online classes? Here are a few websites to bookmark:

Use the Learning Center on FamilySearch to find hundreds of online genealogy courses. These online classes cover all aspects of genealogy research. You can watch five minute basic genealogy training courses or watch a series of  videos that explore one topic in-depth. Learn how to conduct research in Poland, decipher German handwriting, or gain a better understanding of probate records.

Ancestry has a YouTube channel with videos on different aspects of research using Ancestry.com, AncestryDNA, FamilyTrees, and more.

The New England Historic Genealogical Society regularly updates their free webinar offerings. You must create a free account with NEHGS to view the videos. Most of their offerings cover the colonial era and New England research but you can webinars on a variety of other subjects as well.

Did you know that all Illinois State Genealogical Society live-broadcast webinars are free and open to the public? Webinars are broadcast on the second Tuesday of each month. After the live broadcast, you do have to be a member of ISGS to view their archived webinars. You can find their schedule here.

And don't forget to use GeneaWebinars to find free webinars from genealogical and historical organizations from across the US!

FamilySearch Family Trees

If you have an account with FamilySearch, you may occasionally be frustrated with their Family Tree features. Last week at the BYU Conference on Family History and Genealogy, Ben Baker discussed some of the common problems users have with their trees.

You can find the slides of his presentation online. He describes where FamilySearch Family Tree information initially came from and discusses the different collaborators who add information to trees.

Keep in mind that Family Trees are public and that FamilySearch actively tries to prevent duplicate trees. Your Family Tree does not belong only to you and does not necessarily reflect your own research. Collaborators are imperfect and upload incorrect information all the time--and let's be honest we make mistakes in our research too. But FamilySearch Family Trees are free (one of the few free family tree services offered anywhere online) and Baker's presentation offers tips to help you cope and fix some of your frustrations.

FamilySearch Apps

FamilySearch has added a new App Gallery to their website. The apps are mostly websites that help you organize or find information to add to your family tree but some such as MobileFamilyTree you can download to your portable devices.

Apps, such as Kinpoint, analyze your family tree, explain what information is missing and provide insights into what records you need to search for. Others, like HistoryLines, organize and visualize the lives of your ancestors in unique ways.

My favorite is RootsMapper which syncs with information in your FamilySearch Family Tree. RootsMapper then plots out the routes your ancestors traveled across generations. It's an easy and interactive way to visualize your family's migration.

RootsMapper

How's the Indexing Coming?

Has the state you want to research in the 1940 Census been indexed yet? 

And how much of it has been indexed?

Click this Family Search link to find out.

New Illinois Data on FamilySearch

New Illinois collections have been uploaded to the FamilySearch website. 

If you have Maywood ancestors, you may enjoy browsing  through the Maywood Herald Obituary Card Index, 1885-2002.  This is a surname card index created by the Maywood Public Library from the Maywood Herald Newspaper.

And, there is a collection of Illinois Probate Records, 1819-1970, that was created by courts in various Illinois counties, which you can also  browse through

The Great Illinois Genealogy Scavenger Hunt

The Great Illinois Genealogy Scavenger Hunt contest is sponsored by the Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) in conjunction with Family Search..

It will run from June 1, 2011 through 11:59 pm Thursday, June 30, 2011.

Locate information on your favorite Illinois genealogy-related resource, and tell why it is worthy of inclusion in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.   Submit your article or a hyperlink via Official Entry Form.  Be sure to check the Illinois Page on Family Search to see which articles and links are already listed.

Be sure to read the Official Contest Rules.  There are some nice prizes, including ISGS membership, conference registrations, etc.

Good luck...and enjoy searching for the best Illinois genealogy resources!

Civil War Records at FamilySearch

FamilySearch commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War by providing free access to millions of records from the time of the U.S. Civil War. Many of these records document events related to the war and its aftermath.

More collections are being added, and FamilySearch needs the support of the community to help index these records and make them available for searching. They encourage everyone to help them index Civil War Records.

Family Search Websites

Family Search is a major genealogical resource. And it is in a state of flux.

For your convenience, here are links to various parts of Family Search.

Updated Family Search

New Family Search (if you can't use this, ask the Family History Center staff to do a search for you)

Old Classic Family Search

Record Search Pilot

Family History Library Catalog

Place Search

Research Wiki

New Library Catalog

International Genealogical Index (IGI)

Online Genealogy Classes

Reserach Classes Online!

Do you enjoy learning about genealogy by watching a movie?

The following classes are provided online by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah and other sponsors. Learn the basic methods and key resources to start your family history:

England Beginning Research
Germany Research
Ireland Research
Italy Research
New Zealand Research
Poland Research
Principios básicos para la investigación genealógica en Hispanoamérica (México)
Reading Handwritten Records
Research Principles and Tools
Russia Research
U.S. Research

You can view the videos online, or download them to your computer for later. Class handouts are also available for you to print out.

Family History Lesson Series

Several short lessons covering a variety of Family History topics are available for download on the Family History Lesson Series Page of FamilySearch.

The lessons may be used as self-study guides or as class supplements for Family History instructors.