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It doesn’t matter if you are beginning to research your family history or if you are a seasoned veteran. The Family History Guide has something for everyone. It is an online learning center covering a broad range of topics. Even better - it costs you nothing to use.

You’ll find the Family History Guide at http://Thefhguide.com.

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Bring Your Ancestors to Life

There’s more to genealogy than just birth, marriage and death records. The question is . . . How do we learn more about our ancestors lives? You’ll be surprised to learn we now have access to a broad range of stories, news items, legal documents and even photographs to add more details about their lives.

Places to Look . . .

Family Bibles - Many people post births, baptisms, weddings and deaths in their family’s Bible.

Letters - They are often full of interesting bits of family news. It’s not unusual to find a collection of letters that were written long ago.

Newspapers - especially small-town ones - are full of family news and obituaries along with updates from various social groups.

Photos, portraits and paintings - make it easy to see the persons, places or events related to your family.

Don’t forget legal documents either. A marriage license includes date, place and persons involved in creating the license.

#Bibles #letters #newspapers #photos #portraits #paintings #wedding #license

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Internet Archive

The Internet Archive has a huge and growing collection of free books and records. While you don’t need an account to use the Archive, it’s a good idea to create one. All you need to create an account is your name, email address and a password. Once that is done, you can save content to your personal library in the Archive. As your collection grows, having a personal library makes it easy to find your resources when you need them.

What will you find at the Archive? Here are a few very useful collections:

* The Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center

* Regimental histories and war records

* Historical and genealogical society publications

* Parish registers

* County histories

Most of the publications available at the Internet Archive can be downloaded in the format you choose. While PDF format is the most used, other options include Full Text, Kindle and ePub.

You will find Internet Archive at https://archive.org. Take some time to wander through Internet Archive to see how things work.

#internet archive #getting started

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Spanish Land Grants

In 1790, during the second Spanish period, Spain began to offer land grants to encourage settlement in the colony of Florida. When Florida became a territory of the United States in 1821, the United States agreed to honor any valid grants. As a result, family researchers now have access to those records which offer a fascinating look at the history of our area and the families who settled here.

Florida Memory has published their collection of Spanish Land Grants including scanned copies of the original grant documents. The collection is searchable by name or location.

Below is a list of “confirmed” land grants in St. Johns County. Beginning on page 18 of the land grant collection, the “unconfirmed” grants are listed. Note also that the place names and descriptions have changed over time so the list below may have missed grants in those areas.

* Margaret Acosta – St. Augustine vicinity * James Alexander – St. Augustine vicinity * John Andrew – North River/Guana Creek * Clara Arnau – St. Augustine vicinity * Clara P. Arnau – North River * James Arnau – North River * Joseph Arnau – North River/Capuaca (east) * Stephen Arnau – St. Augustine vicinity/North River * Mariano A. Berta – North River/Cartel Point Neck * Roman Catholic Church – Esperanza/St. Augustine * James Bosley – Bella Vista/Moultrie Creek * Sarah Bowden – Julington Creek * Antonio Canobas, Jr. – St. Augustine/Matanzas River * Lorenzo Capella – St. Augustine (town lot) * Lorenzo Capo – North River * Benjamin Chairs – North River/Cabbage Swamp * Stephen Cheves – Matanzas River/plantation of Tom Johnson * C. W. & G. J. F. Clarke – Matanzas River south of Moses Creek * Charles & George Clarke – Matanzas River * Chas. & George J. F. Clarke – Matanzas River, Durbin Swamp, Johnsons Swamp, Emerys Swamp * Daniel Clarkd – Durbins Swamp, Road to St. Johns Bluff * James Clarke – Durbins Swamp * James & George Clarke – Matanzas River (west) * Margaret Cook – St. Augustine (town lot) * Alexander Creighton – St. Johns River * Emanual Crespo – St. Johns River (Toco) * James Curtis – North River * Mary Ann Davis – St. Augustine vicinity * Phillip & Mary Dewees – Guana River * Horatio S. Dexter – St. Johns River, McCulloughs Point, Picolata * Guidon Dupont – Moultrie Creek, Matanzas River * John Edge – Julington Creek * F. Falany – Matanzas River, Moultrie Creek * James Falany – Matanzas River * Francis J. Fatio  – Sampson’s Creek * Francis P. Fatio – New Switzerland, St. Johns River * Francis Ferreira – St. Augustine vicinity * Jesse Fish – Tods Field, Matanzas River * Valentine Fitzpatrick – Sams Hammock, Matanzas River * Heirs of Valentine Fitzpatrick – Grahams Swamp * Davis Floyd – North River, Guana Creek * John Floyd – Guana Creek * Mary Fontane – Moultrie Creek * Ramon de Fuentes – St. Augustine (town lot) * Francisca Fusha – St. Augustine vicinity * Edward R. Gibson – Moultrie Creek * Robert Gilbert – Matanzas River * Charlotte Gobert – St. Marks, St. Augustine vicinity * Elias B. Gould – Durbins Swamp * Lewis Guibert – Cedar, St. Johns River (east) * Joseph Hagins – Julington Creek * James R. Hanham – North River, Guana River * Frederick Hartley – Old Field Branch, Julington Creek * George Hartley – Old Field Branch, Julington Creek * Henry Hartley – St. Johns River vicinity * Joseph Hernandez – St. Augustine (town lot) * Anthony Hiasman – Araguey * John Huertas – St. Johns River, Tacoi, Buena Vista, Big Cypress * Daniel Hurlburt – Levet, St. Augustine vicinity * Stephen M. Ingersoll – St. Augustine vicinity * James James – Julington Creek * John Kershaw – Chimnies, Guana River * Flora Leslie – Springer’s Branch, St. Augustine vicinity * Bartelome Lopez – St. Augustine (town lot) * Heirs of Juan Lorenzo – St. Augustine (town lot) * Bartolome M. Maestre – Matanzas River, Holmes Old Plantation * Heirs of Theresa Marshall – North River * Geronimo Martinely – Guana Creek * Ferdinand D. McDonnell – Matanzas Bar, Pellicer Creek * Francis Menicis – North River, St. Augustine vicinity * Pedro Mestre – North River vicinity * Francis Miles – North River, Camino San Diego * Peter Miranda – Blides Old Field, Cabbage Swamp, North River * Robert Mitchel – Mitchells Grove, St. Augustine vicinity, San Sebastian River * Joseph Noda – St. Augustine vicinity * Lazaro Ortega – North River, Guana Creek * Andres Papy – Moses Creek * Joseph Papy – Fort Picolata vicinity, Six Mile Creek * Michael Papy – Deep Creek * Juana Paredes – Marshalls Plantation, North River, Guana Creek * Mathias Pons – Matanzas River, Cassapula * Jose Reyes – Moultrie Creek * James Riz – Picolata * Eliza Robinson – Stockade, St. Augustine vicinity * Charles Robion –  Matanzas River (west side) * Nicholas Rodriguez – Anastasia Island * Antonio Rogero – St. Augustine (town lot) * F. P. Sanchez – Guana Creek * Joseph M. Sanchez – St. Augustine vicinity * Joseph S. Sanchez – Navarro Creek, North River * Scipio (A Free Black)* – Padanarum, St. Johns River * Peter Sevelly – Long Bay, St. Augustine vicinity * J. Allen Smith – St. Augustine (town lot) * Manuel Solana – San Sebastian River, Solana’s Ferry * Phillip Solana – Two Sisters, Diego Plain, Guana River * Thos Travers – St. Augustine vicinity * William Travers – North River * Phillip Weadman – Picolata Road, St. Augustine vicinity

#land-grants

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Florida Records Resources

Florida certificates (birth, death, marriage and divorce) are issued through the Bureau of Vital Statistics at the Department of Health. Orders may be placed in person, by mail, or online through VitalChek. You’ll find details at the Florida Health in Duval page.

Below are links to freely-accessible online resources for records related to St. Johns County, Florida.

* 1783 Spanish Census of East Florida (USGenWeb archives) includes a transcribed list of the census taken immediately after Spain regained control of Florida. This transcription only covers approximately the first 25% of the entire census. * Biographies of Prominent County Residents (St. Johns County FL GenWeb archives) have been transcribed from The History of Florida: Past & Present, The Lewis Publishing Co., 1923. The book is available as a PDF download at Google Books. * Confederate Pension Applications for Florida via Florida Memory. This collection can be searched by county, person or application number and each record includes images of the original application. * Florida Civil War Service Records – Confederate Soldiers (via FamilySearch.org) * Florida Civil War Service Records – Union Soldiers (via FamilySearch.org) * Florida Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications, 1885-1955 includes index and images of applications filed by Confederate veterans and widows living in Florida. (via FamilySearch.org)
 * Deaths and/or Burials in St. Johns County 1800-1899 compiled by C. Mack Wills from newspaper obituaries, death records and cemetery inventories. (via FamilySearch.org) * Ecclesiastical Records of the Diocese of St. Augustine from Vanderbilt University’s Ecclesiastical and Secular Sources for Slave Societies collection include records that document European and Indian Catholics from the sixteenth to the late nineteenth century. This is not a dataset, but rather scanned images of the original documents. It includes the oldest serial records for people of African descent in the United States. * East Florida Papers Finding Aid (PDF format) published by the Library of Congress. It provides detailed information about the content of the collection and how to access the records. * Early Florida Auto Registrations covers the period between 1905 and 1917. The registrations are organized by county and make of car. This collection is searchable. * Father Pedro Camps’ Golden Book of the Minorcans Index : baptisms, 1768-1784; marriages, 1776-1784; Roman Catholic Church records, St. Pedro’s Parish Church, New Smyrna (Mosquitso) and St. Augustine, East Florida * FDEP – Land Records Search for land records in the state. * 1st Florida Infantry Regiment Company G 1898-1899 Spanish War Rosters * Florida Births and Christenings, 1880-1935 (via FamilySearch.org) * Florida Census page at FamilySearch The Research Wiki has a comprehensive catalog of Florida census collections with links to online data and source information for publications. * Florida Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers 1861-1865 (via FamilySearch.org) * Florida Death Index 1877-1998 (via FamilySearch.org) * Florida Land and Property Resources at the FamilySearch Wiki provides information on Spanish land grants, land patents and other property records. * Florida Militia Muster Rolls – Seminole War. This 10-volume set of transcribed records was a collaboration between the Florida Dept. of Military Affairs and the Jacksonville Genealogical Society. These digitized copies are located at the Internet Archive and each volume can be searched and viewed online or downloaded at no charge in your choice of format. * Florida Pioneer Certificates for St. Johns County at the Florida State Genealogical Society. Click the eye icon in the Actions column to view data for each individual. * Freedman’s Bureau Records – Florida Marriages provides marriage certificates issued between 1861 and 1869. * Historic photos of St. Johns County from Florida Memory’s photographic collection. * The History of St. Augustine, Florida written by William W. Dewhurst and published in 1885. * Index to the East Florida Papers The East Florida Papers contain the complete local government archive of Spanish East Florida (1784 to 1821). * Low Country Africana Archives, research resources and lots of research support for African-American research in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. * Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home  collection at Florida Memory lists four people from St. Johns County. It can be searched by county or by name and each record includes images of the original application. * Ordinances of the City of St. Augustine Vol. I – 1821-1827 and Vol. III – 1843-1861 (via FamilySearch.org) * Passenger List – from Balearic Islands to Florida 1768 lists the – mostly indentured – colonists coming to Florida to work the New Smyrna plantation of Dr. Andrew Turnbull. * P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History is a impressive center for Florida history. Online resources include newspaper abstracts, tourist brochures, photographs and online exhibits. * Soldiers of Florida in the Seminole Indian, Civil and Spanish-American Wars by Charles Mack Wills, Jr. (via FamilySearch.org). * Spanish Land Grants (by geographic location) at Florida Memory. This collection covers confirmed Spanish land grant claims from 1763 to 1821. After Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821, the Board of Land Commissioners was established to settle all outstanding Spanish land grant claims in the territory. This collection includes digitized copies of the claim documents which can be downloaded at no charge. See also the Spanish Land Grants related to St. Johns County page. * St. Johns County Obituary Collection at Genealogy Buffs offers a searchable collection from various area funeral homes. * The Origin, Progress, and Conclusion of the Florida War by John Titcomb Sprague. This book provides a comprehensive look at the Seminole Wars in Florida from 1821 to 1845. The appendix includes a list of casualties which includes name, unit, rank and date/place of death. The digitized copy available at Internet Archive can be searched/read online or downloaded at no charge. * Voter Registration Rolls (1867-1868) for St. Johns County. This list can be sorted by name, race or precinct. Click on a name to see a copy of the original register page and the transcribed information about that individual. * World War I Service Records for Florida. These records are searchable by name, race and branch of service. Digitized copies of individual service cards can be downloaded at no charge. * World War I Decorations and Awards for Florida include several Soldiers from St. Johns and Duval counties. * Baptism record for Maria Luisa Pons, born 1830.

Maps * 1593 Spanish map of the town and fort via Florida Memory * Historical Maps of St. Johns County A collection of historic maps from the University of South Florida’s Maps Etc archive. * Map of Drake attack on Saint Augustine 1589 via Florida Memory * Map of the east coast of Florida From the St. Johns River to Cape Canaveral – via Florida Memory * Maps showing the creation of Florida’s counties via Florida Memory * Northeast Florida c. 1829 via Florida Memory * Plan of Fort Picalata on Saint John’s River. via Florida Memory * Plan of the Town of St. Augustine 1763 via Florida Memory * Plano de la Ciudad y Puerto de San Agustin de la Florida. Dates to 1763 via Florida Memory * Section showing Northeast Florida, 1829 via Florida Memory * St. Augustine defenses during English occupation 1763-1783. via Florida Memory * Territory of Florida c. 1825 via Florida Memory * View of the City of St. Augustine 1885 via Florida Memory

Research Resources * St. Johns County resources at the USGenWeb Archives * St. Johns County resources at FamilySearch * St. Johns Family History Center

#maps records resources

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Cyndi’s List

Cyndi’s List has been an impressive genealogy research resource site for more than 20 years. It is free for everyone to use and it is meant to be your starting point when researching online.

So . . . just what is Cyndi’s List? It’s an index to a broad range of online resources supporting our genealogy research efforts. She has built an amazing collection of resources and organized it so we can easily find what we need. Even better . . . she is constantly updating the collection. Once you take a look at Cyndi’s List, you will find it a very useful resouce.

#list #genealogy #research

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Affordable research? Yes, it’s possible. Here’s how.

#research

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Always something wonderful to be found to be found at the Mississippi Digital Library. ❤️

Tishomingo County Historical and Genealogical Society: Fiftieth Anniversary of Tishomingo, Mississippi. http://collections.msdiglib.org/digital/collection/tchgs/id/93

#Mississippi #digital library

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Newspapers are one of many resources that can help bring your ancestors to life. Kenneth R. Marks has built an amazing collection of newspaper sources all over the country. But that’s not all. He also has sources that can connect you to yearbooks, church records, photos, wills and much more.

That’s not all . . . He also provides plenty of support to help you find what you are looking for. Stop by The Ancestor Hunt and see for yourself.

#newspapers #yearbooks #wills

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The Digital Library of Appalachia

"The Digital Library of Appalachia provides online access to archival and historical materials related to the culture of the southern and central Appalachian region. The contents of the DLA are drawn from special collections of Appalachian College Association member libraries."

https://dla.acaweb.org/

#Appalachia #digital library

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Genealogy Collection At Internet Archive

The Internet Archive’s genealogy collection supports an ever-expanding collection of genealogy resources. Items in this collection includes:

The Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Robarts Library at the University of Toronto

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library

Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah

The National Library of Scotland

Indianapolis City Directory and Yearbooks Collection from the Indianapolis City Library

Resources include books on surname origins, vital statistics, parish records, census records, passenger lists of vessels, and other historical and biographical documents.

#internet archive #genealogy collection

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The Internet Archive is enormous, but don’t let that intimidate you. Start by visiting the Genealogy Collection in the American Libraries Collection. The Help section offers lots of useful tips. It won’t take long to learn how to take advantage of this amazing resource. And, it’s not just for research either. Internet Archive also hosts the Open Library of free public domain ebooks. The Internet Archive is an impressive resource for family historians. What you see above is just a few of the genealogy collections. Even better, all of this genealogy goodness is available to us at no charge.

Their collections include books, music, movies, images, software and more. Their collection of genealogy resources include items from the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center, Robarts Library at the University of Toronto, Brigham Young University, the Library of Scotland, the Boston Public Library - and that’s just the beginning.

It costs you nothing to use Internet Archive. You don’t have to create an account to view or download items, but having an account makes it possible to build you own library. Once you log in, you can start favoriting things that you find useful and they will be added to your library. Not only that . . . Internet Archive even indexes all the things you’ve collected so you can easily find them when you need them.

For text items, you can read the item online or download a copy in the format you prefer. One big advantage of the online reader is its search feature. Click the magnifying glass icon to build and activate your search. A timeline appears at the bottom of the reader with bookmarks for each find matching your search. Hover your mouse over a bookmark to display the found text.

The Internet Archive is enormous, but don’t let that intimidate you. Start by visiting the Genealogy Collection. The Help section offers lots of useful tips. It won’t take long to learn how to take advantage of this amazing resource. And, it’s not just for research either. Internet Archive also hosts the Open Library of free public domain ebooks too.

#InternetArchive #library

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Kindle Unlimited for Research

Kindle Unlimited offers a number of genealogy books at no cost. If you don’t have a Kindle reader, get the free Kindle app for your mobile devices. 

Below is a list of books discussing Virginia available . . .

 * Colonial Records of Virginia  * The History of Virginia, in Four Parts  * Pioneers of the Old South: A Chronicle of English Colonial Beginnings  * The Planters of Colonial Virginia  * The Virginia Company of London 1606-1624

#Virginia #Kindle #books

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This is your portal to some of Georgia's most important historical documents, from 1733 to the present. The Virtual Vault provides virtual access to historic Georgia manuscripts, photographs, maps, and government records housed in the state archives.

Start your search by typing a keyword into the "Search" box.  Or, select a collection to search. Some of the collections include:

Bible Records Microfilm Collection Chatham County Deed Books Church Records Microfilm Collection Colonial Estate Records Colonial Conveyances Colonial Plats and Warrants Colonial Will Books and Wills County Maps Confederate Enlistment Oaths & Discharges Confederate Muster Rolls Confederate Pension Applications

There are plenty of resources to help you learn more about your Georgia ancestors. You do not need to login to the Georgia Archives Virtual Vault to search the collections.  The login is for administrative functions.

#Georgia #archives

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The Kentucky Digital Newspaper Program at the University of Kentucky Libraries is also available in the Internet Archive.  It provides access to historic and contemporary newspapers from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. New content is added daily.

#newspapers #Kentucky

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The genealogy section at MDAH is full of records - birth, death, census, marriage and military. Don’t stop there. There are also plenty of historical resources that can also help your research efforts.

Currently (May 2020) all MDAH sites are closed. They expect this to extend to the end of June. The online resources are still visible and researchers are encouraged to take advantage of those assets.

#Mississippi #birth #death #marriage #military #census #archive

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Louisiana Public Records

Louisiana’s Secretary of State office maintains the historical resources of Louisiana - many of them accessible online. You will find the research library online and can use their online catalog to help you find the information you need. You can also get forms and locate historical records.

https://www.sos.la.gov/HistoricalResources/ResearchHistoricalRecords/Pages/default.aspx

#Louisiana #public-records #library #online-catalog