Varieties of Irish Names

For those with Irish relatives, this 19th century publication on names may be helpful. Varieties and synonymes of surnames and Christian names in Ireland for the guidance of registration officers and the public in searching the indexes of births, deaths, and marriages. The book can be located digitally here.

Are the Covered Years Really Covered?

Always check any database with a test search if you think it's not working or as complete as described. A recent search of a database for Cook County, Illinois, returned no hits for people with the last name Smith born between 1930 and 1938. That's got to be a problem with the search--not me.

Tennessee Bible Records Online at TN State Archives

The Tennessee Secretary of State's Office has posted scanned images from 1500 family bibles and put them on their website.

Meyers Orts Online

This early 20th century Gazetteer is used extensively by German researchers. It is available in digital format via FamilySearch by using the links on the Familysearch card catalog.

Your Name in Suetterlin

Need to see your name (or any name) in Suetterlin? Try this site.

Every Name or Just Some Names?

When using any index, determine if the index indexes:

• every name
• names of "important" people
• one name per document or record

If you don't know, how do you know what you are searching? Check out my post on Rootdig for a longer discussion. 

Dating Postcards

This page has good information on "dating" postcards.  http://www.fortlewis.edu/finding_aids/images/M194/PostcardDating.htm