Wednesday, December 30, 2009

What's Coming in 2010 - and a New Website!

Happy New Year!

While I don't have any new pages or updates to report (I've been busy with holiday happenings and family gatherings, as I'm sure many of you are), I would like to let you know of some things to watch for in 2010.

Today I received an email from the New England Historical and Genealogical Society. They have added the following directories to their subscription website:
  • Cleveland, Ohio: Boyd’s Directory, 1857 
  • Medford, Mass.: 1930
  • Mobile, Ala.: 1838
  • Norwalk, Ohio: 1875
  • Sacramento, Calif.: 1882
  • Toronto, Ont.: 1856
Don't have a subscription to NEHGS? See if your local library does. Mine, the Spokane Public Library, recently added an in-building subscription.
    Look for free Polk directories for cities in Washington State to appear on the Washington State Digital Archives website sometime in 2010 (I'll send out a notice).

    Ancestry has announced the following databases will be available in 2010.
    • Scottish city directories, 1800s–1900s - probably World Deluxe subscription and/or UK subscription
    • Canadian city and area directories, 1800s–1900s - probably World Deluxe and/or Canadian subscription
    • 1950s U.S. city directories (billed as 1950 census substitute) - U.S. Deluxe subscription
    Again, check your local library to see if they have Ancestry's Library Edition (US libraries) to access city directories (and many other records and databases) for free.

    And finally, while this has nothing to do with historical directories, I did want to announce to you, my readers of another new website I've started, the Online Historical Newspapers Website. Like the Online Historical Directories Website, you'll find links digitized historical newspapers online available for free or through subscription. This site will not link to transcribed articles or obituaries, but to whole digitized newspapers only!  And like the directories site, there is a corresponding blog for the newspapers site to keep you updated of changes and additions. Please add the site and the blog to your list of resources!

    Happy New Year to you and yours. May 2010 see the coming down of brick walls and successful research!

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    Tuesday, December 22, 2009

    AK, CA, DC, IL, and WLS New Pages and Updates

    With the busyness of the holidays, I haven't done too much with the site, but here are a few new pages and updates for you:

    New Pages:

    Caernarvonshire, Wales - with 14 links from the Bangor Civic Society (originally listed on the Wales page)

    Glamorgonshire, Wales - with one link from the Historical Directories site (not to be confused with my site, the Online Historical Directories website!)


    Updates:

    Alaska - 13 new links, all from the Alaska-Yukon Territory Business Directory, Polk, 1923-4 at USGenWeb

    Orange County, California - three new links from the 1936 County Directory at Ancestry

    San Mateo County, California - one new update from the Online Archive of California

    District of Columbia - one new update from Genealogy Trails

    Cook County, Illinois - the 1928-9 Polk Street Directory from the Chicago Historical Society

    Wales - now organized by historical county and links moved to the new Caernarvonshire page; also the page has a new URL, so if you've bookmarked or otherwise linked to it, please make the necessary changes

    ---

    Finally, a bit of news: if you have an Ancestry subscription or use the Ancestry Library Edition, you'll discover that they've made it easier to browse their directories database (as well as use their many other databases) by state, then city or county, and finally by year using a drop down menu on the right. For more information, read this post from their blog.


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    Sunday, December 13, 2009

    GA, LA, and TN Updates

    I have found some more links at state digital archives websites. Also, Taneya Koonce notified me that the Tennessee State Library and Archives website has a list of free online directories for the city of Nashville. Some of them are held by the library and others are at other websites.

    Updates:

    Georgia - one new link from the Digital Library of Georgia

    Orleans Parish, Louisiana - one new link from the LOUISiana Digital Library

    Davidson County, Tennessee - four new links from the Tennessee State Library and Archives website, four new links from Google Books, one new link from Jeanne Johnson's website, and one new link from EveNDon.


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    Sunday, December 6, 2009

    CA, ON, WI, and WY New Pages and Updates

    Here are more California directories from Ancestry, as well as some I found for Ontario at public library websites after reading an article in the latest issue of Internet Genealogy. I also discovered a link to the Wisconsin Historical Society Digital Collection on a genealogy blog I read and found some more directories there.

    New Pages:


    Napa County, California - with 12 links from Ancestry

    San Luis Obispo County, California - with five links from Ancestry

    Brant County, Ontario - with one link from the Brantford Public Library

    Durham Region, Ontario - with one link from the Whitby Public Library

    York Region, Ontario - with one link from the Pickering Public Library

    Sauk County, Wisconsin - with two links from the Wisconsin Historical Society Digital Collection


    Updates:

    California - now with 28 out of 59 counties linked

    Alameda County, California - 17 new links from Ancestry

    Contra Costa County, California - nine new links from Ancestry

    Merced County, California - 12 new links from Ancestry

    Stanislaus County, California - nine new links from Ancestry

    Sutter County, California - five new links from Ancestry

    Yuba County, California - five new links from Ancestry

    Ontario - now with 23 out of 50 census districts linked

    Oxford County, Ontario - with two links from the Oxford County Library

    Simcoe County, Ontario - with one link from the Innisfil Public Library

    Wisconsin - now with 12 out of 72 counties linked

    Sheridan County, Wyoming - one new link from Ancestry


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