Tuesday's Tip - Getting Your Family More Interested in Genealogy

If you are like me, sometimes it is difficult to get the rest of your family as interested in your family history and genealogy as you are. After racking my brain to find ways to make it more fun and exciting for them, I decided to put together some videos. I used the site, OneTrueMedia. It is very easy to use and gives you a lot of different options for adding photos, video clips, themes, etc...

Though impossible to get them to sit down and go through old documents and papers with me, my family would sit for a few minutes and watch a video. And, the videos worked. After watching them, they were full of questions, like, "Who was that?" or "How am I related to them?" The videos also made things seem more real and sentimental to my family.

So, if you are looking for ways to get your family more interested, I would recommend making a video and showing it at a family dinner, reunion or holiday. It worked for me. An example of the videos I have made is below. It features the descendants of my third great grandma, Polly Tadpole.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

copyright 2012, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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Tuesdays Tip - 5 Great Online Sites for Researching Your Cherokee Ancestors

I have been doing Cherokee genealogy for 5 years and a lot has changed since I started. Back then, I had to search the National Archive online database and try to find reference numbers to take to the library. Then I had to go to the library, pull out the microfilm and start looking for the information I wanted. Fortunately, for the Cherokee genealogist, things have changed and there is a lot of information and sources available online. It is easier than ever to learn more about your Cherokee ancestors from the convenience of your own home and at any time of the day.

Footnote.com

Though a paid site, it is priceless when it comes to researching Cherokee genealogy. It has all the Dawes and Miller applications available for viewing and downloading.

Access Genealogy

A free site that has the indexes for the Dawes and Miller Rolls. If you don't want to subscribe to footnote, this is a great site that allows you to find the application numbers of your ancestors so you can send to the National Archives or the Muskogee Public library for copies of the applications.

Ancestry.com

Though a paid site and not the best for Cherokee genealogy specifically, the censuses from 1900 - 1930 are invaluable in linking the generations of your ancestors who were listed on the Dawes or Miller rolls to later generations.

On Demand Court Records

This site allows you to search their database for court cases from the early 1900s to the present. Many times you can find a case number for the marriage records of your ancestors who were married after the statehood of Oklahoma. Sometimes you can also find the case number for the settlement of estates, land sales, divorces, etc...

Western History Digital Collections

A free site that includes the Indian-Pioneer papers. You can search through old interviews of people who lived in Oklahoma in the early to mid 1900s. I have often found information about Cherokee families while searching through these old interviews.

I hope those are helpful to you.

Those are my thoughts for today.
Thanks for reading.

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The Granddaughter

copyright 2011, Polly's Granddaughter - TCB

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