USGenWeb E-zine

Issue 1 - May 2002

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The Little known wonder.... USGenWeb
Published in: UGANEWS-News of the Utah Genealogical Association
March-April 2002 Volume 31, Number 2, Front Page

USGenWeb has long been used as a wonderful research tool for genealogists. However in my experience people only use part of the whole USGenWeb site, in fact they only use one main project. As a volunteer I have had the opportunity to get inside USGenWeb and understand how to use the site more effectively. Allow me to take you into the world of the USGenWeb project. The first thing about USGenWeb to understand is its organization. USGenWeb is split into six main projects, the most common being the States project. However there are 5 projects that are usually left unexplored. The most looked over project is the Lineage project. This project was organized to serve as a meeting and posting place for genealogists to correspond about a common ancestor. It is split up by time periods, generally into decades. The Lineage project can provide you with cousins, which may lead to more information. Not everyone's ancestors are listed in the Lineage Project but if they are, it can be a goldmine.

The second project that I find to be underused is the Census Project. This project has the main goal of transcribing and placing all U.S. census records online. As a state coordinator for this project, I have seen it help many genealogists. The project is organized by state, then by census year. Not all census records are online, but there are a great number of them up and running, more are added each day. In addition to these projects, two other smaller projects exist; the Genealogical Events project, and the Kidz project. The latter is organized to help kids who are interested in genealogy and the first is a listing of genealogical seminars and conferences. USGenWeb serves as an image of the increasing technology. USGenWeb is a strong image of the technological advances that is helping genealogists go further in their research. But the only way to truly use USGenWeb properly is to explore the site. Don't be afraid to search this site and use everything. A complete project list with links is available at http://www.usgenweb.org/projects/. Don't be afraid to learn everything about this site, new things are literally added each hour of every day. Remember to EXPLORE!!

D. Joshua Taylor
LA, MA, MN, MO, MT, OK State Census Coordinator
USGenWeb Census Project
http://www.usgwcensus.org
U.G.A. Youth Chapter President

County Spotlight: Baker County, FL
While searching through the USGenWeb County sites for one to write about, I came across Baker County, Florida. As I sat there searching through this particular USGenWeb site, I found myself transfixed and soon jealous! I wished my counties contained the vast information and history I was finding here.
Carl Mobley, County Coordinator of Baker County, FL GenWeb has shown his love and dedication for this county, along with the researchers and visitors of his site. One could only wish that their visitors would donate the kind of neat stuff on Carl's site!
Carl's Baker County, FL site contains 500 years of Baker Co. Florida history, lore not found in history books, transcribed cemeteries, census records, civil war history for the county, photos galore including photos of 113 different families. These photos are a must see for those that enjoy old photographs. I know I do and I spent forever looking and enjoying. Aaawwww those were the days.
This is just a started of what you can find here. You will have to visit yourself to see what else Carl has hiding here! This is a great site for any CC looking for new ideas or ways to spruce up their site. And while there don't forget to look for the peepot!!!
Great Job Carl Mobley.
--Submitted by Sundee Maynez

Treasure in your Backyard
The County Records office, historical societies, and local libraries are tried and true sources for your researchers to get information about their ancestors. This information is pretty much a "given" on a USGenWeb county page, but there are additional sources that are of terrific benefit to researchers.
Many genealogists are not only seeking their ancestors' lineage, but their history, customs, and culture as well. Searching out and finding these gems for your county site saves the researcher time and money, and can offer them types of information they didn't realize existed.
RANDOM ACTS OF GENEALOGICAL KINDNESS A real special group of volunteers can be found at the Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness website. From the group's website: "The volunteers of this movement have agreed at least once per month to videotape cemeteries or visit county courthouses or archives in their specified area. The cost to you would be reimbursing the volunteer for his expenses in fulfilling your request (video tape, copy fees, etc.).
Successful genealogical research is based upon people helping people. Our volunteers unselfishly provide information available in their area to those who live far away."
For more information visit their website at http://www.raogk.org/.
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT (BLM),
GENERAL LAND OFFICE (GLO) RECORDS The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), General Land Office (GLO) Records Automation web site provides not only access to Federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States but also access to images of Federal land title records for Eastern Public Land States, issued between 1820 and 1908. This includes every homestead, mining and timber claim, as well as cash sales and Indian allotments. Currently, they are adding the images of Serial patents (land titles issued between 1908 and the mid-1960's). Not included are parcels still owned by the U. S. Government, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Forest Service, and the National Park System.