Ok - let me start by saying that I LOVE genealogy study. I really got into it about 8 years ago and spent quite a bit of time collecting information. I have met people from all over the country that are either related or just big dorks like me who don't mind helping out on my search. Genealogists are generally very generous with their resources and search techniques!
I did a search of my maiden name and found my birth record. I didn't see my marriage license, but I'm not sure if SD publishes any records on living citizens. I also found myself in some of the telephone listings as was mentioned in the blog directions. (I have a subscription to Ancestry so I know that I am on there more than can be viewed publicly.)
I searched for my husband's grandparents and had great luck! Fern Mae Hill shows up on several censuses. I happened to have a student near my desk and we did a quick search for his great grandmother and found results. It was really neat to be able share that with him.
When I did my photo search using South Dakota as my keyword, I found some interesting pictures of former professional baseball players. I also found an image that tied directly to the 8th grade social studies class that I subbed for today. It was an old advertisement for cheap or free land in South Dakota as of 1890.
For me, HeritageQuest is less user-friendly than Ancestry. I was still able to find a few resources that might be useful, but one of the features I love about commercial Ancestry is the family trees that are submitted by family researchers. I find that to be an incredibly valuable tool - though they should be used with a critical eye.
I used Sanborn Maps to look at Sioux Falls. The oldest map was from December of 1883. The Queen Bee Mill is on the 1883 map and though it's no longer in use, the footprint is still there by the Falls. It's pretty interesting to see how the city changes over just a few years' time.
What an interesting report, Jenny! The main difference between AncestryLibrary and the one you subscribe to is the social networking (sharing family trees, notes, etc.) in the latter. HeritageQuest is harder to use because you have to search each section separately and it is not as forgiving in spellings, etc. That said, it does provide stories from the past, and it is available from home. You made some great finds. Thanks for your comments!
ReplyDelete