The Ancestry Library Edition is no longer available from home starting January 1, 2022. It has gone back to library usage only.
The library has become a FamilySearch Affiliate! This means that members will have access to previously restricted records. The feature is available at the computer next to the Genealogy and Local History collection.
3 crucial tips that can assist you in your research:
Always remember that the information could be inaccurate in one way or another. The Family Tree Problem Solver gives a great example of this in their discussion of tombstone inscriptions, but this can also be extrapolated to other areas of your search. The author, Marsha Hoffman Rising, states that inaccuracies can happen since “the individual who was buried there probably did not order the tombstone nor did he supervise the carving.” Additionally, due to age or other damage to the stone it may not be easy to read, which could cause further inaccuracies. (pg.32) You can get around this issue by having at least two primary sources as confirmation, though be aware that they can still contain errors. For more information on differentiating primary vs. secondary sources here is an overview by The Genealogy Assistant blog.
"Fearful of violating Indiana's anti-miscegenation laws in the 1940s, E. Dolores Johnson's black father and white mother fled Indianapolis to secretly marry. Johnson searched her father's black genealogy and then was amazed to suddenly realize that her mother's whole white side was missing in family history. Johnson went searching for the white family who did not know she existed. When she found them, it's not just their shock and her mother's shame that have to be overcome, but her own fraught experiences with whites."
This is available through History.com, with links to additional information on each event. Please also use the links to explore further events that happened during each day in history.
Illinois Humanities’ Road Scholar, Connie Martin discusses her mother’s book, Lizzie’s Story: A Slave Family’s Journey to Freedom. Learn how quilts communicated plans, warned of dangers, indicated how transport might occur, or who might help as friends on the Underground Railroad. Hear fascinating family stories of how these quilt codes were kept and used by her ancestors and include storytelling and displays of over a dozen hand-crafted quilt replicas. Registration required.
