General Information
The RCGS is dedicated to helping everyone interested in Rock Co. family history gain knowledge and skills to advance their research., and there are many free and interesting tools available for family researchers on the internet. Here is a nice collection
80 links to free genealogy tools and researcher resources
- FREE Training Webinars - Dozens of online training videos, slideshow presentations and audio training resources on general family research topics plus detailed "how-to" guides for researching records of countries.
- FREE Story-Telling Help - Courtesy of FamilySearch.org: dozens of story-prompting questions in nine categories to help you interview a relative or to tell your own story.
- FREE Fully Indexed 1880 US Federal Census - An Incredible Tool for Chasing Down Ancestors ANYWHERE in the US at the time of the 1880 census enumeration. Search any number of fields, alone or in combination.
- FREE Fully Indexed 1881 Canadian National Census - An Incredible Tool for Chasing Down Ancestors ANYWHERE in Canada at the time of the 1881 census enumeration. Search any number of fields, alone or in combination.
- FREE Fully Indexed 1881 British Census - An Incredible Tool for Chasing Down Ancestors ANYWHERE in Great Britain at the time of the 1881 census enumeration. Search any number of fields, alone or in combination.
- FREE Automatic File Back-Up - Enjoy 2 gigabyte of free off site storage and automatic back-up of your computer by Mozy.com; never fear loss of files or photos from a hard drive crash or the theft or loss of your PC again. It's like a free bank security box for your genealogy research files.
- FREE LDS Church Research Outline - This is a comprehensive list of record types, research resources and repositories with "How To" instructions about each research opportunity.
- FREE Used Book Search - The BEST on the net: Includes 25 million books from hundreds of online sellers and thousands of bookstores worldwide.
- Federal land conveyance records - for the Public Land States provides access to images of more than 2 million Federal land title records for Eastern Public Land States issued between 1820 and 1908..
- US National Parks Service Catalog - of every soldier, sailor, regimental unit and battle of the US Civil War.
- FREE Search of Social Security Administration (SSA) - Death Master File (DMF) containing over 70 million death records: Some from as early as 1937 and almost all from 1952 to present.
- FREE Family Crests - Images of 2000 coats of arms from Ireland and around the world in GIF format.
- FREE Exploration of the Immigrant Arrival records - stored in the Ellis Island Archives.
- FREE Genealogy Charts and Forms (Printable from your home)
- Free PDF Genealogy Charts (several) - Printable Pedigree charts and Family Group Sheets.
- FREE Martha Stewart Fan Chart Ancestor Tree
- FREE Genealogy Forms - Research Logs, Pedigree Charts, Census Extraction Forms
- Free Census Name Ranking Service - How Popular was your Surname in the US Census?
- Free Gedcom to HTML Conversion tool - Turn your PC program's Family File into HTML language suitable for creating a Family Web Page.
- FREE RootsWeb Genealogy Guide - to US and Ethnic Research.
- FREE Research Guidance - from the Church; Organized by Locale.
- FREE Help - Genealogy blank forms, government publications, guides, maps, research guides, and word lists to help you with your research. Organized by place by The Mormon Church.
- FREE Genealogical CD Look-Ups - by Volunteers.
- FREE Obituary Look-Ups - by Volunteers.
- FREE Local General Genealogical Help – Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness; Local Genealogists donating their time to help far away Family Researchers.
- FREE Book Look-Ups – Volunteers from “Books We Own". There are hundreds of volunteers and their books related to wide geography, broad time frame and many surnames.
- FREE Digital Books Online - Making of America (MOA) is a digital library from the antebellum period through reconstruction, including approximately 8,500 books and 50,000 journal articles with 19th century imprints. American History is an emphasis.
- FREE 1895 US Atlas - This is a state-by-state image of the US as of 1895.
- FREE Road and Aerial Maps - of the US by MapQuest.
- FREE Road and Aerial Maps - of the US by TerraServer.
- FREE Map Feature Identifier - Enter any of 50 map features (e.g., city, cemetery, lake, stream, geyser, park, mine, etc.) and obtain feature’s full name, state, latitude, longitude and elevation.
- FREE Biography/Autobiography Template Outline – by LifeBio.com.
- FREE Correspondence Form-Letters - Genealogy Request (from Institutions & Family Members.
- FREE Genealogical Language Translation Services - A slick, multi-language computer translation tool.
- FREE Daily Genealogical Tips and Advice Newsletter - from Ancestry.com.
- FREE 7 Day Trial of Ancestry.com - 1790 to 1930 Census Images (mostly indexed).
- FREE 14-Day Trial of Ancestry.com - U.S. and Canadian Data Records.
- FREE 14-Day Trial of Ancestry.com - U.K. and Ireland Data Records.
- FREE Link to ABOUT.com - A comprehensive genealogy research and educational website listings.
- FREE Genealogy Software - Download Ancestry Family Tree made by Ancestry.com for integration with its online service. Based on the same Ancestral Quest platform as Personal Ancestral File released by the Church of the Latter Day Saints, Ancestry Family Tree does all the things you expect of a genealogy program. Easy and intuitive.
- FREE PeopleSpot White & Yellow Pages Directory search – Find surnames in any locale.
- FREE Monthly Newsletter - on Internet-based Ancestors Search Strategy. Use the following email address to send a blank email & subscribe.
- FREE Ancestry.com Databases - including WWI Draft Registration Records, The American Biographical Library, Slave Narratives, SSDI, Ancestry Message Boards, and more than 20 Wisconsin-specific resources.
- FREE RootsWeb Metasearch - of ALL databases of the oldest FREE genealogy site on the web.
- FREE Surname Researcher Identification - Find the names or email addresses of other genealogists who are researching your surname – use all the top “Researcher Identification” search engines from within a single site.
- FREE Hosting and Easy Design - Weblogs and Templates. Easily get a free website with your name embedded; tutorials and tools for novice web builders. Ideal for posting family files and scanned photos for distant relatives to use and see.
- FREE Web Hosting at RootsWeb - Unlimited space plus your site is entered into RootsWeb's search engine. Ancestry Family Tree (AFT), Legacy, GenoPro and Personal Ancestral File (PAF) will automatically create linked genealogy pages that you can upload to RootsWeb Free Pages. Anything more requires at least some knowledge of HTML code, however.
- FREE Genealogy Graphics - Images that will spruce-up web pages, scrapbooks and photo collections - these sites are FREE:
- GeoCities - Clip Art, Web Page Borders and Backgrounds,
- Mayflower - Clip Art, Web Page Borders and Backgrounds,
- CoffeHouse Images - Clip Art, Web Page Borders and Backgrounds,
- Genealogy Graphics - Clip Art, Web Page Borders and Backgrounds.
- FREE Utilities - Turn Genealogy into Family History – these sites allow you to get a flavor for the times in which your ancestors lived:
- FREE Time Capsule - What happened on the day you (or your grandfather) were born?
- FREE Timelines - See the big picture of History.
- FREE Inflation Calculator - What did bread, newspapers and milk cost way back when?
- FREE Day of the Week Calculator - Was August 21, 1843 a Wednesday?
- FREE Ancient Faces - A Genealogy Photo Archive,
- FREE Dead Fred - Antique Photo Gallery,
- FREE Past Faces - Photographic Archives,
- FREE Library of Congress - Civil War Photo Archive.
- FREE Military Photos - Military History Institute Photo Database.
- FREE Genealogy Utilities - Little Programs and Tools for Big Jobs:
- FREE Tombstone Age Calculator Use dates from tombstones to calculate age.
- FREE Soundex Coder Numerical Census Code Name Converter.
- FREE County Finder - enter partial location information and obtain detailed matches for all locations meeting the input criteria (e.g., ENTERING: Janesville, WI FINDS: Rock Co.).