Shoestring Genealogy

Shoestring Genealogy
By
Kathryn Brannigan Walizer


While preparing for a genealogy class , I revisited a website that has been around for a while now, Dae Powell’s Shoestring Genealogy. Dae developed this website as he states "I developed my web site, http://ShoeStringGenealogy.com, to help others (and me!) to find less expensive ways to research our family. Online resources are becoming more abundant, but they are not the only ones -- nor should they be -- that you should use".

There is a floating menu on the left where there is access to presentations, genealogy chat rooms, genealogy forms and charts and just for fun some genealogy crossword puzzles and quizzes. I tried a few and they really are fun to use.
All this good stuff is free to copy Dae only asks that you credit him when you share.

On the Right side of the Home page, there is a link that says site map clicking this brings you to a cornucopia of genealogy information, here you can access the crosswords, presentations, group tools, utilities, and interesting stories. now that is just part of the left side of links on the site index page.

Moving over to the right side, there is a list of Group Shoestring Forms, I especially like the forms that Dae has developed. they include Ancestor View Chart, Cemetery Log, Census Search Grid, City Directory Log, Correspondence Log, Data Analysis/Evaluation, Death Record Flow Chart, Deed Research Notes , Family Census,Time Line Goal-Oriented Research, Internet Research Log, Marriage Log, Obituary Extract, Pedigree Chart w/ Citations, Soundex Extract, and Family Worksheet, a lot of forms huh, not quite, those are just Dae's that he is giving away free.

The next section Group Online Forms. are blank forms found in various places on the internet, for example the US Census forms will take you to Ancestry.Com, where you will find blank forms of all the census years to download again for FREE!! and the link I especially love is the One Stop-free Stop, give this one a definite look, because, here you will find not only Genealogy Forms, but also Form Letters, Deed Research Forms, Manifest Extract Forms, plus many, many more.

There is also a Blog group listing I like to review these looking for new sites and online recourses, my favorites include many on this list Dick Eastman, Everton’s Genealogy Computer Tips, Ancestry Insider, Roots World by Megan Smolenyak, Smolenyak

The next list Group Web-Sites contains links that include Cyndi's List, Distant Cousin, FamilySearch, Footnote, Genealogy Buff, World Vital Records, NARA, and my Favorite new site Linkpendium. If you are not familiar with this site It lists resources for every state, and when you go to the surname list you can click on the alpha letter and then go to the search box and type in the surname. A list of recourses will come up for that surname, Give this one a try. You will love it. You can also add your own website to the list.

This web site will give you genealogy research help to aid you in your family search. Luck to you and Kudos to Dae Powell.