Early American Sources website is a goldmine for genealogists

040316 ROSWELL, GA: Names and dates line the voluminous records at the Church of Latter Day Saints Family History Center, where people come to research their family's genealogy. Family History Center at 500 Norcross Street in Roswell. For Helen Cauley feature on Geneaology - Family Trees. (Parker C. Smith/Special)

Credit: Special

Credit: Special

040316 ROSWELL, GA: Names and dates line the voluminous records at the Church of Latter Day Saints Family History Center, where people come to research their family's genealogy. Family History Center at 500 Norcross Street in Roswell. For Helen Cauley feature on Geneaology - Family Trees. (Parker C. Smith/Special)

A new website has come to my attention that surely will be useful for many researchers. Created last year, earlyamericansources.org has links to many archival sites, as well as digital and published sources from the United States and other countries in the Western Hemisphere.

Diane Richard wrote a review for the June/July issue of Internet Genealogy, which has information on a lot of new websites. At the early American sources site, you can sign up for the newsletter the Early American Gazette. Under “United States Archives,” there’s a list of states and various links and sources to go to for information. For Georgia, you get not only the Georgia Archives, but the UGA collections, the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah and various college library links, some well-known, some not so.

The tab for online databases divides sites between free and subscription. The section on published sources is a skimpy work in progress, with only a few states covered. All in all, the website is worth a look. Who knows, you may find an unexpected clue.

Family relationships, be accurate

Many people confuse a step relative with a half relative. If you are blood kin to someone, sharing one parent, you are a half-brother, half-sister. Step relatives are kin only due to the marriage, meaning no blood kin in any way. Most people use the term cousin to refer only to a first cousin. Dedicated genealogists use it to mean any cousin, no matter how distant. I am not sure if the etiquette mavens have any thoughts on how far remote someone has to be when calling them a cousin is a bit too much.

Irish website

Check beyond2022.ie for a look at the latest efforts to preserve Irish records. It contains information on what is happening with the reconstruction of records lost in the 1922 fire during the Irish Civil War and other topics. It is a tremendous site.

Contact Kenneth H. Thomas Jr., P. O. Box 901, Decatur, Ga., 30031 or kenthomasongenealogy.com.