52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Paid Genealogy Tools

The prompt for Week 2 of 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, from Amy Coffin at We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is: Paid Genealogy Tools.

Which paid genealogy tool do you appreciate the most? What special features put it at the top of your list? How can it help others with their genealogy research?





As part of a membership to the R.B. Hayes Presidential Center, access is provided to the online database Heritage Quest Online. Heritage Quest features six different components that are helpful to family history researchers:

United States Census images from 1790 through 1930 are available at Heritage Quest. When I looked up my great grandparents, Leroy and Ada Parker, in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio in Heritage Quest, I found them listed on page 16, of roll 1377, in the T625 series. Grandpa Roy and Grandma Ada had four children, between the ages of 5 and 14. Also listed in their household was a servant, Edith Lorcher, and a hired man, Earnest Stierhoff. (My great grandparents were not extremely wealthy; in 1920, it was not uncommon to for farm families to have hired help.) I learned that my great grandparents were neighbors to the House, Hill, and Meyer families. Almost everyone who lives in the United States will find many ancestors listed in the U.S. Census, which makes this portion of Heritage Quest an extremely valuable tool!

Over twenty thousands books relating to family history and local history are available at Heritage Quest. When I looked at page 85 of the book OUR YOUNG FAMILY IN AMERICA, by Edward Hudson Young (Durham, N.C., 1947), I found a listing for my great great grandmother, Marian House Parker, who was a descendant of Morgan Young. Data on that page lists her husband, George B. Parker, her children, parents, siblings, and many preceding generations in the Young family. Hours can be spent at the book portion of Heritage Quest, browsing for resources in hundreds of different family lines!

PERSI, the Periodical Source Index, which provides citations for articles contained in genealogical and local history magazines. If you find an article you would like to read, you can obtain a copy of it by contacting the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Below is the citation from the PERSI section of Heritage Quest for a letter written by my ancestor, Julius House. He had moved to Erie County, Ohio, and had written a letter back to his loved ones in Glastonbury, Connecticut, and told them of his experiences as a settler.

In the Revolutionary War files available at Heritage Quest, I was able to view the full file of my grandson's Revolutionary War ancestor, Timothy Tuttle of New Jersey. Timothy Tuttle served in several different military units from New Jersey during the Revolutionary War. On page 9 of his file, I learned that while Timothy was on an expedition to Canada with Colonel William Winds' New Jersey regiment, he led his comrades in singing sacred songs. I think that shows excellent coping skills - he was in a difficult situation, and singing helped him and his fellow soldiers get through it! It was a thrill to learn such a personal detail about my grandson's ancestor on his paternal grandmother's side of the family.

In the Serial Set portion of Heritage Quest, which contains actions taken by the U.S. Congress, I learned that well known Sandusky lawyer Hewson L. Peeke was given compensation for an accident that took place when he was hit by a piece of glass transom while he was at the United States Customs House in Sandusky, Ohio on February 27, 1899. Mr. Peeke was awarded $5,000 for treatment of his injuries.

These are just a few examples of the type of information that one can access at Heritage Quest Online. This resource is a gold mine of information! Happy hunting!