There are a lot of great Christmas gifts to pick from this year. Giving the gift of genealogy is truly a gift that keeps on giving. I have been a family genealogist since 1982 and it was never as easy as it is today. With the Internet and the great number of websites available, researching and documenting your family's history is fun and productive.
I love to find Civil War pay records, military list and obituaries. (You'd be surprised at what you can glean from an obit.)
Look at some of the records you can search at Fold3 (formerly footnote):
Revolutionary War Pensions
Brady Civil War Photos Free
WWII US Air Force Photos Free
Civil War and Later Veterans Pension Index
War of 1812 Pension Files FreeUpdated
WWII "Old Man's Draft" Registration Cards
Missing Air Crew Reports, WWII
Revolutionary War Service Records
Civil War "Widows' Pensions" Updated
Right now there is have a special running:
Another great site I have been a member of for many years is Ancestry.com and I just love it. You can find WWI and WWII Draft applications where your relative filled it out in his own handwriting. They tell where they were born and give their weight, height, hair and eye color. They also state whether they were married and where they were working and living at the time.
Of course there is the connecting with people through their family trees. You can also document your ancestor with census, marriage, birth and death records!
If you have a family member or know someone who wants to research their family history but are unsure how to start, give them Family Tree Maker. This is a computer program where they just follow the prompts, answer the questions and they can generate their family tree easy as pie!
Right now Ancestry.com has a LIMITED time offer to save 25% but hurry, the sale ends Dec 13th.
And for those with a Mac
