Monday, December 01, 2008

St. Louis, Missouri Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

The online death indexes directory now has a new separate webpage for St. Louis, Missouri...

Online St. Louis Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries

There you will find links to online St. Louis and Missouri death indexes, obituary indexes for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, some cemetery burial indexes, a St. Louis Coroner's index, ordering information for Missouri death certificates, and more.

For other Missouri cities and counties see: Online Missouri Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries

Monday, November 10, 2008

Online Death Records and Indexes - New Additions and Updates

The Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records Directory has been updated with links to the following items...

Alabama
- Dale County: Ozark Dale County Public Library Obituary Database

Arkansas
- Saline County Cemeteries

California
- Butte County Obituary Indexes (presently includes surnames beginning with A-F only)
- Butte County Vital Records Index 1854-1897 (from local newspapers)

Illinois
- JGSI Online Death Index Project - includes some Jewish Cemeteries in the Chicago Area
- Lake County: Cook Memorial Public Library Obituary Index 1894-March 10, 1988 from the Lake County Independent and Waukegan Weekly Sun, Libertyville Independent and Independent Register

Kansas
- Edwards County Cemetery Burial Records Directory 1881 to Present (also has other genealogy indexes)
- Labette County Obituaries Index 1990-2008 (also has marriages and anniversaries index 1990-2005)
- McPherson County: McPherson Public Library Obituary Index 1872-present
- Miami County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes 1885-1911

Kentucky
- Daviess County: Owensboro Area Obituary Index and Abstracts, 1842-present (ongoing project)
- Henderson County Public Library Obituary Finder 1984-present

Louisiana
- Louisiana Death Index 1911-1956 (includes some earlier entries)
- Grant Parish: Liberty Chapel Cemetery Burials (in Williana)

Maine
- York County: Burials in the First Parish Cemetery of York, Maine

Maryland
- Records of Jewish Cemeteries in Maryland (PDF files of cemetery burials in various Jewish cemeteries in Maryland)

Michigan
- Southwest Michigan Obituary Index (work in progress - has 89,000 entries; for Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties)
- Emmet County Clerk Death Record Search
- Saginaw County: City of Saginaw Cemeteries Search

Minnesota
- St. Louis County: Hibbing Cemetery Database (PDF files)

Nebraska
- Nebraska Gravestone Photos -- over 80,000 gravestone photos from across Nebraska

New York
- Allegany County: Woodlawn Cemetery Burials -- in Almond, New York
- New York City/Queens: Mt. Lebanon Cemetery Burials (Glendale, New York)

North Carolina
- Cherokee County Genealogy Records -- includes some cemetery burials and a death index 1913-1927

Ohio
- Huron County: Willard Memorial Library Obituary and Birth Announcement Indexes
- Montgomery County Genealogical Society Cemetery Index

Oklahoma
- Coal County Obituaries Index and other Genealogy Indexes

Pennsylvania
- Clarion County: Eccles-Lesher Memorial Library Burials Database
- Somerset County: Obituary Notices Published in Several County Newspapers, 1970-2004

South Dakota
- Lake County: Obituary Index of the Madison Daily Leader 1930-2007

Tennessee
- Tennessee Death Index 1914-1926 (Update: year 1926 added)

West Virginia
- Wood County: Burials in Some Parkersburg Pioneer Cemeteries

Wisconsin
- Newspaper Index for Dunn, Pepin & Barron Counties from 1862-1930 (indexes announcements of births, deaths, anniversaries, and probate notices listed in the local newspapers; also has Dunn County cemetery indexes and other items)
- Fond du Lac County: Ripon Obituaries and Cemetery Records

Wyoming
- Lincoln County: Star Valley Historical Society Obituaries and Headstones
- Niobrara County Library Genealogy Archive: Obituaries and Cemetery Burials -- also has birth records

See: Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Celebrating Ten Years of German Roots

October 2008 is the tenth anniversary of my German Roots: German Genealogy Resources website. It started off with just a handful of pages and now it has, oh I don't know, a whole lot of pages.

I initially started the website as a directory of online resources for German-American genealogy research. Eventually I added some of my own content and articles. And a whole bunch of other genealogy stuff. It was originally put online in October 1998 at home.att.net/~wee-monster

In case you're wondering about the URL, Monster was my dog at the time. She died last year. She was wee :)

The website is now at www.germanroots.com which is easier to remember than the name of my dog, I suppose.

Three other websites were eventually spun off of the German Roots site, when I realized it was getting too big and I wanted to expand it beyond German genealogy. These are:

Online Searchable Death Records Indexes and Obituaries for the USA, which was originally a single webpage on the German Roots website.

Online Military Indexes and Records, also originally a single webpage on the German Roots website.

Genealogy Articles, Tips and Research Guides, which is where I put more general genealogy stuff.

So here's to a very interesting ten years of German Roots. Thanks to all the people who have offered suggestions and comments and constructive criticism. Everyone gets a symbolic cyber German beer! Prost!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Genealogy Records and Indexes on the Internet - USA

Ok, I admit it. Sometimes I can't remember where some of my own webpages are and I have to use Google to find them. How embarrassing. So I've compiled this list of many of my directories of online U.S. genealogy indexes and records. To help me find them myself and maybe it will be helpful to you too...

Cemeteries, Obituaries and Vital Records

Census Records

County Histories and Biographies

Immigration Records

Military Records

Newspapers (Historical)

Friday, September 19, 2008

Louisiana Death Index Now Online

The state of Louisiana now has an online death index that presently covers the years 1911-1969. You can order copies of the death certificates by mail for a fee. The database also includes a few entries prior to 1911, but copies of some earlier records may not be available. See: Louisiana Death Records Index, 1911-1969

For more online Louisiana death indexes see: Directory of Online Louisiana Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Thanks to Elizabeth for letting me know about the Louisiana database.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Latest Additions - Online Death Indexes, Records and Obituaries

The Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records Directory has been updated with links to the following items...

Alabama
- Jefferson County: Birmingham Area Newspapers Obituaries Index, January 1943-December 1976 (update: more years added)

Arizona
- Maricopa County: West Valley Genealogical Society Obituaries Index 1998-2003 (update: year 2003 added)

Georgia
- Chattooga County: Death Notices from the Summerville News Newspaper 1927-1942 (also has some cemetery listings)

Illinois
- Cook County and Chicago section: Historical Cook County Vital Records - Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates (index searches are free/payment required to download copies of the records) ... See: Online Chicago and Cook County Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Indiana
- Knox County Death Indexes, 1921-June 2002 & Vincennes Sun-Commercial Obituary Index 2002-2007 from the Knox County Public Library
- Perry County: Tell City-Perry County Public Library Obituary Finder (recent)

Kansas
- Johnson County District Court Public Records Search -- includes indexes for recent probate records and marriage licenses

Kentucky
- Boyd County Cemeteries & Ashland Daily Independent Obituary Index 1922-1945 -- from the Boyd County Library; also includes other genealogy indexes

Michigan
- Michigan Death Records 1867-1897 at FamilySearch Labs (includes scanned images from the death ledgers) beta testing
- Barry County Public Records Index - includes a death certificates index

Mississippi
- Monroe County: New Hope Cemetery Burials (Parham, Mississippi)

North Carolina
- New Hanover County: Oakdale Cemetery Burials -- in Wilmington, North Carolina

Ohio
- Fairfield County Cemeteries Surname Index
- Washington County: 5,275 Burials in Washington County, Ohio Cemeteries

Oklahoma
- Muskogee Death and Newspaper Obituary Indexes 1918-1936 and 1954-2008 (update: more years added)
- Washington County: White Rose Cemetery Burial Search -- City of Bartlesville

South Carolina
- Greenville County: Greenville News Obituary Index 1917-1993 and 1994-present
- Greenville County Historical Records Search -- includes some older probate and estate records

Tennessee
- Tennessee Death Index 1914-1925 (update: year 1925 added)
- Tennessee Death Index 1949-2005 (not complete) "Partial Indexes from 1949-2005"
- Blount County Obituaries Indexes: includes Maryville Times Obituary Index 1906-1960 (over 16,000) & Index to Misc Obituaries 1867-1940 (over 11,000)

See: Online Searchable Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Friday, August 08, 2008

Mamma Mia! and the Joy of Choosing Your Own Ancestors

Yesterday I went with my mom to see the movie Mamma Mia!. I am such a good son, taking my mother to see this completely ridiculous campy musical extravaganza. I also saw the Broadway musical version last year with my mom and two other friends. And now I'm going to admit that I'm an Abba fan. I've liked them since I was a young sprog and they were still together making records. And all married to each other. And I honestly thought I would hate Mamma Mia!. But I admit I liked the thing. It's just so silly and uplifting and fun. And it's filled with Abba songs. Tons of them. The movie is just about as much fun as the stage musical. And Meryl Streep looks like she's having a blast throughout.

Mamma Mia! Abba songs soundtrackSo now I know what you're thinking: What does Mamma Mia! have to do with genealogy? C'mon theatergoers, it's soooo obvious. The girl has three dads! And she doesn't know which one is really her dad. Sophie's mom had brief affairs with three men right in a row some twenty years ago. And now Sophie, who's about to be married, wants to know who her dad is. So she invites all three to the wedding. And they all show up. Mayhem and Abba songs ensue. C'mon if you had three dads wouldn't you dance around and start singing "Voulez-Vous" for no reason? While most of us are trying to figure out who our great great great great grandparents are, this poor girl has three potential dads lined up in a row and she doesn't know which one is the right guy. Hey, even own her mother, Meryl Streep, doesn't know. Now before you can say, "DNA test," please consider this: there are no Abba songs about DNA. Nope. Nothing about genetics either, or genealogy, or having three dads. And consider this: Sophie's dad is one of the following...

1. Remington Steele
2. Mr. Darcy himself
3. Some sea-faring Swedish guy

Er, actually that would be:

1. Pierce Brosnan
2. Colin Frith or Firth I can never remember which
3. A fine Swedish actor whose name I can't spell

Now would you have a DNA test, or perhaps just choose Mr. Darcy? Personally I think I'd run off with Sophie, who is just as cute as can be. Er wait a minute I've gone off track here. So pretend for a moment that you get to pick your ancestors. It would make genealogy sooo much easier. Yeah, I'm not sure if I'd want that Jane Austen dude as an ancestor, so I'm going with Remington Steele. Even if he can't sing. And for my grandparents... hmmm... let's see...

All right now back to some real genealogy. Everyone go click on some links over on the right side.

Friday, July 25, 2008

20 Things That Make Genealogy Fun

This is intended to be a bunch of silly nonsense. So please don't take it too seriously.
  1. In Germany all the women are named Anna Maria and all the men are named Johann. This was done to confuse genealogists.

  2. In Mexico all the women are named Maria and all the men are named Juan. This was done to confuse genealogists.

  3. In Ireland all the women are named Mary and all the men are named James Patrick O'Connor. This was done for "fun in the pub."

  4. In New Mexico the "Kevin Bacon Game" is called the "Juan Baca Game." No one knows who Juan Baca was, but everyone in New Mexico can trace their ancestors to him.

  5. In Boston the "Kevin Bacon Game" is called the "James Patrick O'Connor Game." And you're only allowed to play with a Boston accent. For tips on fine tuning your Boston accent see the Academy Award winning Martin Scorsese film, the Depahhted.

  6. The record you need is always at the end of the microfilm roll.

  7. The records at the beginning of the roll are clear and easy to read with beautiful penmenship. By the time you scroll to the end of the roll where the record you need is located, everything is a blurry mess.

  8. Oh nevermind. They're gonna digitize all of it soon anyway, right?

  9. You actually know what M237 means. You freak.

  10. All of your ancestors settled in Chicago. Whenever you can't find something about them you curse Mrs. O'Leary's cow.

  11. That same cow is probably responsible for the loss of the 1890 census.

  12. Stupid cow.

  13. You wonder why a non-profit religious organization can distribute National Archives microfilm better than the National Archives.

  14. You wish the founding fathers had thought up Social Security so the Social Security Death Index would begin around, oh, 1780 or so.

  15. When someone first tells you their last name you immediately convert it into a Soundex code. This kind of behavior is so not normal. Er wait a minute, since everything has been/will be digitized we don't need Soundex codes anymore, right?

  16. Your ancestors did not swim to America.

  17. You are not a Cherokee princess.

  18. None of your ancestors knew Jesse James.

  19. But my Apache princess ancestor knew Billy the Kid.

  20. So yeah, my ancestors are cooler than yours. Well of course everyone thinks that... Ok, number 19 is not really true.
Your ancestors really did swim to America. Perhaps alongside one of these ships: Finding Passenger Lists 1820-1940s (arrivals at US Ports)

Your ancestors are named Anna Maria and Johann. You'll love it here: German Roots: German Genealogy Resources

Your ancestors are named Mary and James Patrick O'Connor: Irish Genealogy Resources

You've been playing the "Juan Baca Game..." New Mexico Genealogy Resources

Don't know what M237 means? You do now... National Archives Microfilm Publication M237: Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, NY, 1820-1897, which of course, has been digitized.

The Fate of the 1890 Census Stupid cow!

This is a revised and reduced version of my original "25 Things that Make Genealogy Fun" list. So yeah basically I stole this from myself. Please don't bother with the original one. Note lack of link.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Online Death Records and Indexes - New Additions and Updates

The Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records Website has been updated with links to the following items...

Arizona
- Arizona Death Records 1844-1957 (update: 1844-1877 and 1957 added)
- Miscellaneous Arizona Obituaries Index

Arkansas
- Craighead County Deaths & Obituaries Index 1885-2008 -- from The Jonesboro Sun

Colorado
- Pitkin County: Ute Cemetery Burials (in Aspen) -- includes some Civil War veterans

Indiana
- Putnam County Cemeteries - Listed by Township -- searchable by name (not complete)

Missouri
- Missouri Death Certificates 1910-1957 (update: death certificates for 1940-1944 and 1957 added)

North Carolina
- Macon County Cemeteries

Ohio
- Franklin County: Obetz Cemetery Burials - Columbus, Ohio

Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia City Death Certificates 1803-1915 from FamilySearch Labs (being tested)
- Westmoreland County: Latrobe Bulletin Obituaries and Death Notices Index, December 18, 1902-present -- from the Adams Memorial Library

South Carolina
- South Carolina Death Index 1915-1957 (update: year 1957 added)
- Dillon County: Extracts of Obituaries from the Dillon Herald 1940-2008

South Dakota
- South Dakota State Archives - WPA Cemeteries Search -- pre-1940s (not complete)

Tennessee
- Tennessee Death Index 1914-1924 (update: year 1924 added)

Texas
- Texas Deaths 1890-1976 from FamilySearch Labs -- includes text summaries with some information from the death certificates (being tested)

Virginia
- Newport News: Daily Press Obituary Index 1898-1988 -- from the Newport News Public Library System

Washington
- Washington Deaths 1907-1960 from FamilySearch Labs -- includes text summaries with some information from the death certificates (being tested)

See: Online Searchable Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Happy Birthday, Genealogy Roots Blog!

Oops! While I wasn't paying attention, the Genealogy Roots Blog quietly turned 2. Yesterday was the blog's second anniversary. My first post, about the Missouri Death Certificates Index, was on April 18, 2006.

So a humble and slightly late happy birthday to the Genealogy Roots Blog. A big thank you to everyone who reads this.

Also, we have some new subscribers who are coming over from the old Genealogy Roots Newsletter, which is being shut down and replaced by this blog. The newsletter that inspired this blog goes back to 2001. So welcome new subscribers. Thanks for dropping by.

Hello to Randy Seaver and Megan Smolenyak, who also started genealogy blogging in April 2006.

Monday, April 07, 2008

Lillian Asplund's Shoebox Full of Titanic Memories

A shoebox full of letters and other items relating to the family of Lillian Asplund, was found after her death and will be auctioned off later this month. Lillian Asplund was the last American survivor of the Titanic when she died in 2006. She was also the last survivor who was old enough to remember the events. There is presently only one living Titanic survivor, Millvina Dean of Southampton, England, who was a two-month-old baby at the time of the Titanic tragedy.

On April 10, 1912 Carl Asplund bought seven third class tickets for the Titanic's first trip from Southampton, England to New York City. The tickets were for himself, his wife Selma (then aged 38), and their five children: Filip (13), Clarence (9), twins Lillian and Carl (both 5), and Felix (3). Of the seven family members only three survived the Titanic's sinking: Selma, who died in 1964, Felix, who died in 1983, and Lillian, who died in 2006. The two surviving children, Lillian and Felix, never married and neither had children.

Asplund family on the Carpathia passenger list of Titanic Survivors
The image above is a portion of the Carpathia passenger list showing the three surviving members of the Asplund family. The Carpathia rescued 705 of the Titanic's survivors and brought them to New York on April 18, 1912. See: Partial List of Survivors of the Titanic who were taken aboard the Carpathia at the U.S. National Archives website.

The shoebox was found among the possessions of Lillian Asplund, who rarely spoke about the tragedy. It includes photographs, her parents' wedding rings, a rare Titanic ticket and letters. For more on this story and some photographs see: The Titanic historical treasure trove discovered in a shoe box after death of last living survivor

For more on ship passenger lists see: What Passenger Lists are Online?

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Directory of Historical Newspapers on the Internet

The directory of U.S. historical newspapers at the Genealogy Research Guides Website was recently revised and expanded. This directory includes links to online collections of historical newspapers or indexes from about 20 states. Individual newspapers are usually not listed unless they are for a large city (such as the New York Times) or represent an important historic period (such as the Civil War). The directory can be found at:

Historical Newspapers and Indexes On The Internet - USA

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Missouri Death Certificates 1910-1957 Now Online

The Missouri State Archives now has searchable images of digitized Missouri death certificates from 1910-1957 available online for free downloading. This has been an ongoing project for them. The years 1940-1944 and 1957 were recently added to this collection. It's nice to see this database available online for genealogy research.

Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1957 (indexed)

For more online Missouri death indexes see: Online Missouri Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Monday, March 03, 2008

Germans, Russians and Italians to America Now Online from NARA

The U.S. National Archives (NARA) has added Germans to America (1850-1897), Russians to America (1834-1897) and Italians to America (1855-1900) to their Access to Archival Databases (AAD) series. These databases can be searched for free at:

Access to Archival Databases - National Archives

These 3 databases index records of more than 5 million immigrant passengers who arrived in the U.S. from Germany, Italy and the Russian Empire for the time frames listed above. Most of the arrivals are for the port of New York, but other ports such as Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans and Philadelphia may also be included. Coverage varies by series. Be aware there may be transcription errors and missing information in these databases.

For more online ship passenger lists see:

What Passenger Lists Are Online?

Monday, February 11, 2008

Recently Added Online Death Records Indexes

Links to the items listed below were recently added to: Online Searchable Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

California
- San Diego County Probate Court Search 1974-recent

Florida
- Sarasota County: Cemeteries of Sarasota County Florida - A Record of Births, Deaths, and Burials (PDF files)

Georgia
- Fulton County: Franklin Garrett Atlanta Necrology Database 1857-1931

Indiana
- Fort Wayne & Allen County Area Obituary Index 1841 to mid-January 2008 (update: more years added)

Kansas
- Saline County: Gypsum Cemetery Burials -- in Salina, Kansas

Massachusetts
- City of Boston Historic Burying Grounds Initiative -- includes transcriptions of historic gravestones 1630-1841

Michigan
- Calhoun County: Battle Creek Memorial Park Cemetery Burials
- Charlevoix County: Charlevoix Courier Obituaries Index 1982-2007 -- includes online digitized copies of the obituaries (update: more years added)
- Clinton County Genealogy Indexes (from Newspapers) -- includes indexes for some births, marriages and deaths
- Kalamazoo County: Local Newspaper Index - Kalamazoo Gazette
- Wayne County: Detroit Area Death Notices for Assorted Years 1800s-2003 (not complete)
- Wayne County: Wyandotte Death Index, up to 1962

New York City
- Manhattan: Trinity Church - Parish Registers & Churchyards (at Broadway and Wall Street) - includes baptism, marriage & burial records
- Early Brooklyn & Queens Town Death Database pre-1900 (not complete)

Ohio
- Gallia County Genealogical Society - Cemetery Records
- Hamilton County: St. Joseph New Cemetery Burials (Catholic cemetery in Cincinnati)
- Madison County: Plain City Burial Records Index

Oklahoma
- Muskogee Newspaper Death and Obituary Indexes 1920-1929 -- also has some listings for later years

Oregon
- Oregon Obituaries Index (partial) from the Genealogical Forum of Oregon
- Jackson County Genealogical Indexes for Obituaries, Cemeteries and Death Certificates -- also has other genealogy indexes

Pennsylvania
- Somerset County: WPA Records Project Cemetery Transcriptions

South Carolina
- Lexington County Probate Court Indexes -- includes Estate indexes 1865-1994, plus some marriage indexes (PDF files)

Tennessee
- Tennessee Death Index 1914-1923 (statewide) update: the year 1923 added
- Davidson County: Nashville City Cemetery Grave Search 1846-1979 -- most are prior to 1900
- Davidson County Cemetery Survey

West Virgnia
- West Virginia Death Index 1917-1957 (update: year 1957 added)

Wisconsin
- Wood County: Marshfield Public Library Genealogy Index -- indexes some births, marriages, deaths, obituaries and other items from Marshfield newspapers

See: Online Death Indexes, Records and Obituaries

This list was updated on 28 January 2010.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Recently Added Online Birth and Marriage Records Indexes

Links to the items listed below were recently added to: Online Birth and Marriage Records Indexes or its supplementary state webpages.

Alabama
- Mobile County, Alabama Marriage License Index circa 1840s-present

Colorado
- Colorado Divorce Index 1880-1939
See: Colorado Genealogy on the Internet

Florida
- Broward County Marriages Index 1915-1937
- Dade County Marriage Records Index Feb. 1905-Oct. 1911
See: Online Florida Vital Records Indexes

Indiana
- Indiana Marriage Index 1993-2002 (update: 2 years added)
- Marion County/City of Indianapolis Marriage Index 1925-present
- Whitley County Marriage Records - includes a marriage index 1838-1938, original marriage documents 1838-1947, and other records

Kansas
- Osage County Marriage Records Index

Kentucky
- Harrison County Marriage Indexes 1794-1985

Michigan
- Kent County: Marriage Index for Kent County Marriages 1845-1929

Minnesota
- Minnesota Birth Index 1900-1934 (update: more years added)
See: Online Minnesota Vital Records Indexes

Mississippi
- Miscellaneous Mississippi Marriage Records Indexes -- includes indexes for some marriages in these counties: Forrest, Franklin, Greene, Harrison, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Marion, Perry, Rankin, and Stone County

New Jersey
- New Jersey Marriage Records Indexes, 1666-1799 and 1848-1867

New York
- Rensselaer County Marriage Index 1908-1918
- Suffolk County Marriage Records Index 1908-1935

Tennessee
- Tennessee Marriage and Divorce Indexes (plus Births for Shelby County) (these may not be complete) includes: Tennessee Marriage and Divorce Indexes 1980-2005; Shelby County (Memphis) Marriages 1820-1910; Shelby County (Memphis) Birth Index 1874-1906; More indexes for Shelby County

Washington (state)
- Washington Marriage Records Database (update: several counties added)
- Pierce County Marriage Records Index 1980s-present