If you want to research your family tree, it’s probably worth it to invest in for-profit online resources such as Ancestry.com. But there are also many services that are free and well worth your time to investigate.
The sites notify you about available records, upcoming events and the latest news, recently published books and give tips on how to research. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
- Dick Eastman's daily newsletter is chocked full of information and links. Check it out at blog.eogn.com.
- Lisa Louise Cooke is a well-known genealogy lecturer, and her free email newsletter provides tutorials, lots of information on sources and events. Check genealogygems.com to sign up.
- The Genealogical Publishing Company, a Baltimore book publisher and seller, offers many good suggestions for genealogy resource books and sometimes full essays on a research topic. Check genealogical.com to sign up.
- The Georgia Genealogical Society offers free webinars. See gagensociety.org for the schedule.
- The Athens-Clarke Public Library System in Athens offers a free e-newsletter that highlights genealogy and history lectures going on around north Georgia. See Athenslibrary.org, then the Athens-Clarke County Library, locate the Heritage Room,and then "Join Our Mailing List."
- Another great free resource is FamilySearch.org, the largest site for international genealogy records.
Local genealogical societies not specific to their counties
We have some great county-named genealogical societies in Greater Atlanta, all of which host speakers either monthly or quarterly. Just because a society bears the name of Cobb, Rockdale, Henry or Clayton counties, as well as new ones forming in Griffin and Pike County, doesn’t mean the speakers focus solely on that particular county’s history. Check the websites and take advantage of the lectures offered in our area.
Vietnam War photographs of soldiers
The “Wall of Faces” project was launched a few years ago with the goal of making sure that every soldier who died in the Vietnam War has a photograph online. Started by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Association, the project still needs 4,000 photographs. Among those not represented are 381 Georgians. See vvmf.org to check. The Georgia coordinator is Teresa Ford. She can be reached at teresaford3665@gmail.com.
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