Website is a treasure trove for both new and experienced genealogists

If you’re seriously into genealogy, you’ve probably visited the website FamilySearch.org many times.

The free, Utah-based website is one of the best and most used for genealogy research. Operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), the website contains records from all over the world. After attending a recent lecture by Tamika Strong of the Georgia Archives, I thought it important to point out some things about the site. First, sign in with a free account to get started. Then, go to “Search” and use the “Catalog” and “Research Wiki” features. To find the “Learning Center,” the easiest way is via your browser, search for Family Search, Learning Resources. Also, check out the “Look Up Services” and the consultation services. Remember, the site uses the word “images” for digitized records, not just for photographs. To find information on the state or country of your interest, go back to the “Catalog” link. There, you should search multiple ways just to be sure you locate everything. For example: “United States, Georgia, Muscogee” as well as “Muscogee, Georgia, United States.” On the “Research Wiki,” there are 100,000 articles on all sorts of topics. So again, besides the millions of records found there, check out all these other options to help with your research.

HeinOnline website

The Georgia Archives now HeinOnline, which can be used at the facility. HeinOnline is a premier online research platform with more than 200 million pages of multidisciplinary periodicals, essential government documents, international resources, case law and more. You can search for records from every state in the U. S. It takes some getting used to, so ask the staff for guidance. It’s a good way to hopefully find clues on some ancestors, especially those with unusual surnames.