With the presidential inauguration just past, personal and historical associations have been in our thoughts recently. A check of ancestry.com reveals a number of tools for beginning a personal genealogy seach and exploring facts about the field, such as:
1) census data for the United States and the United Kingdom.
2) records on immigration and naturalization, the U.S. military, and international records, among others.
3) data pertaining to harder to search ethnic groups, such as African-Americans and Jews.
Although not free, the site offers a 14-day free trial, and memberships at several levels, starting at $12.95 a month.
With America's history and leaders in mind, it is offering an unusual insight into the nation's history: who might be king today if first president George Washington had been less democratic and receptive to becoming a monarch. (Hint: Since Washington was childless, genealogists trace his line through other relatives.) Paul Emory, a Texas businessman in his eighties, is descended from two branches of the family, researchers say.
In another bonus, http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~casbcgs/ will take residents and others with South Bay interests to South Bay Cities Genealogical Society. Its site offers with links to information sources of local interest as well as calendars and news about special events.
