Lineascope preserves entire lines of evidence! From source through to proof statement. And it presents it in one simple view so analysis is easier. It's an online application that runs in your web browser, so you can access your data from any computer on the Internet.

The Maryland Historical Society and genealogist and author Robert Barnes will once again present a series of four Family History workshops this year.

The following two sites provide a wealth of information for those wishing to learn more about their African-American ancestors...

The American Geographical Society Library Digital Map Collection currently contains over 500 maps, ranging from early maps of Asia to historical maps of Wisconsin and Milwaukee, and other American cities, states, and national parks. The digital collection is under continuing development.

In honor of the many U. S. veterans that have served in our armed forces throughout the history of this great nation, the African American Genealogy Examiner column today will provide instructions on accessing several free records databases available online at the website of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

On 20 October 2009, this column addressed the topic of Y-DNA testing for genealogical purposes. This relatively new development in science holds revolutionary potential for genealogy, especially African-American research. The most recent issue of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (Sep 2009) contains the case study of an African-American family where Y-DNA testing revealed direct male line European ancestry.[1]

Over the last six months, this column has discussed the "Anatomy" of the federal census for the years from 1870-1930, not including the mostly-destroyed 1890 census. In this series of articles, each column of the census questionnaire was examined, and clues that will aid your research were discussed. If you have missed any of these articles, you can read them again using the links below: Anatomy of the 1930 federal census Anatomy of the 1920 federal census Anatomy of the 1910 federal census Anatomy of the 1900 federal census Anatomy of the 1880 federal census Anatomy of the 1870 federal census In a discussion concerning the federal census as evidence for genealogical research, however, one must also consider the question: are census records reliable sources?

This article is part of a continuing series looking at each federal census individually. Please read the others in the archives of this column. The 1870 U. S. Census was the Ninth Decennial Census. This census is probably the single most important census for genealogists conducting research on African-American families

When the 1860 federal census was collected and enumerated, slavery was still legal within most of the states south of the Mason-Dixon line. The 1860 federal census enumerated only free people of color in its population schedule; slaves were enumerated namelessly on a separate schedule, identified only by slave owner, age, gender, and color.

During the struggle for civil rights, many brave men and women sacrificed their lives to improve the lives of Americans of all races. Unfortunately, because of lingering institutional racism in the South, the murders of these civil rights workers were not all investigated to their fullest, and quite a few went unsolved. The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently announced its "Civil Rights-Era Cold Case Initiative," to try to identify the next-of-kin of some of the victims of these cases.

Robyn Smith, of the "Reclaiming Kin" blog, has awarded the African-American Genealogy Examiner with the "Kreativ Blogger" award. This award was created by Hulda Husfrue, a Norwegian arts & crafts blogger on 5 May 2008. [Please note that her site is in Norwegian but you can translate the page using Google Translate.] From these humble beginnings the award has spread like wildfire, and the Geneablogger community regularly recognizes their favorite peers with this award.

As we near the end of the year 2009, the African American Genealogy Examiner would like to look back and remember the accomplishments of the past year.

This column has previously focused on African-American genealogy blogs, in the articles Shout-outs to African-American Genealogy Blogs and More shout-outs to African-American genealogy blogs. A third edition soon forthcoming will spotlight several new genealogy blogs. The responsible genealogist, however, would be advised to learn more about United States history, including how it affected African-Americans. History blogs are a vital source for keeping up with current perspectives as well as newly available historical resources, many of which may provide genealogically useful information.

This column previously addressed the importance of the 1870 U. S. census in African-American research. As noted in that article, this was the first federal census after the end of the Civil War, and therefore the first record group to record personal information about former slaves nationwide. It was not, however, the earliest record group to do so in many localities. Many similar record groups were created that provide information about former slaves between 1865 and 1870.

Many Civil War veterans and their widows or other dependents received pensions from the U. S. government for their support. For those researchers whose ancestors received pensions for service, these files are arguably the single richest record group in terms of information contained within them.

The PBS program "American Experience" is a wonderful series of documentaries about the history of the United States. The series also has a remarkable online presence, often creating unique sites for each episode of the series.