We have no idea when we will be able to attend a society meeting again but that shouldn’t keep us from learning ways to find our ancestors and get a glimpse into their world. Beginning today and each Monday in September, our Research Notes newsletters will focus on tools and resources to support our research efforts.
This week our focus is on the web browser – one of the most important tools in our genealogy toolbox.
The web browser is your window to the Internet. Every computer comes with a browser application installed. Windows computers have Internet Explorer. Macs come with Safari. Like automobiles, all browsers have the same basic features. And, like automobiles, it’s how things are arranged and styled that make it the right one for you. While the browser that came with your computer is quite functional, you may want to add another browser to your toolbox.
What you see here is a census record in Ancestry.com. Are you familiar with the header listing each column on the screen? Some time back Ancestry updated that header so it would follow you as you move up and down the page. This little feature made it much easier to see what kind of information was in a column. If you only see the header at the top of the screen, it’s likely that your computer needs some updates. Yes, updates are a pain but it’s definitely worth the effort.
We also have browser options. While both Microsoft and Apple include their own browser apps with the computer or mobile device you use, there are other browsers available that may have features that make your research efforts easier.
The Genealogy Toolbox blog on Tumblr (Genealogy Toolbox) has an in-depth look at The Web Browser that will show you how to take advantage of the features available to you. You will also find information on the various web browsers and their features.
The Genealogy Toolbox blog is full of genealogy research goodness. At the top of the page you will see the Tag Index item. Tumblr blogs use “tags” in place of an index. When you click the Tag Index item, the Tag Index page appears and you will see the tag list. Click any of those tags and you will be presented with all the posts that have been tagged with that tag. Yes, it’s that easy.
Final Notes
Each new post published at SAGS Support is automatically emailed to member subscribers and/or delivered to their newsreader. Research Notes is published every Monday morning and other articles are posted during the week. Subscribers have the option to control how often these updates are delivered. Look down at the bottom of this message and you will find a Manage Subscriptions link in the fine print as you see in this example. Click it and you will be taken to the WordPress.com Subscription Management page. Use the Delivery Frequency column to change your delivery options from “Immediate” to either “Daily” or “Weekly”.
Sample of the “fine print” at the bottom of each post.
Also down at the bottom of each delivered post is a Comment button. If you would like to comment on something discussed in a post or ask a question, just click the Comment button and you will be taken online to the comment section of the post where you can share your thoughts and read what others have shared.
To learn more, download a copy of the SAGS Support Guide.