Ancestor Links - Useful Sources for Genealogy Research (continued)
This web page includes additional information for the following subsection that is listed on the main Sources page.
Genealogy and History Societies
Numerous Genealogy, Family History and History Societies with Local
to National to International scope can be found. "World Gen Web",
"Cyndi's List" and Internet search engines can be used to identify
Societies that may be of interest.
A list of some of these sources that I have found useful - is presented using the following categories:
1. Central Organizations (with links to member organizations)
2. Scotland
3. North America
3.1 Quebec, Canada
3.2 Eastern Townships, Quebec, Canada
3.3 Laurentians, Quebec, Canada
4. North America – Single Family Name Associations
External website links have been provided below. Please let me know
if you discover that one of the links no longer works - as specific
website addresses tend to change over time.
1. Central Organizations (with links to member organizations)
• Council of Scottish Clans and Associations (COSCA)
COSCA's primary purpose is “to preserve and promote the customs,
traditions, and heritage of the Scottish people.” Their website includes
a “COSCA Members” page with a list of many of the different Scottish
Family Clan associations - such as the Clan Rose Society of America and the Clan Hay Societies.
• Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS)
The SAFHS “promotes and encourages the study of Scottish family
history, and provides a forum for the exchange of information among
members.” Their website includes a “Membership” page with a list of
numerous family history societies in Scotland.
• Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS)
The principal aims of the FFHS are “to co-ordinate and assist the
work of societies or other bodies interested in family history,
genealogy and heraldry; to foster mutual co-operation and collaborative
projects to help researches; and to represent the interests of our
members, and family historians generally, especially in the preservation
and availability of archival documents.” Their website includes various
pages with lists of members - (i) Alphabetical list; (ii) Regional
lists for England, Wales, Ireland, Oversees (Australia, Canada, New
Zealand, USA), One-Name Societies, and Other Miscellaneous Societies.
2. Scotland
• Scottish Genealogy Society
The Society “exists to serve everyone who has an interest in
Scottish genealogy.” Their website includes (i) a “Family History Index”
which lists over 2,500 surnames and (ii) an “On-Line Shop” which has
over 2,000 publications relating to Scottish genealogy (including their
collection of monumental inscriptions and census publications). Their
Library and Family History Centre is located in Edinburgh, Scotland.
• Council of Scottish Clans and Associations (COSCA)
See above under the "1. Central Organizations (with links to member organizations)" section.
• Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS)
See above under the "1. Central Organizations (with links to member organizations)" section.
3. North America
• New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) [Subscription based - with Free access to certain sections of their website]
The NEHGS is the oldest and largest genealogical society in the
United States. "Some of the databases available on-line include:
Massachusetts Vital Records through 1910, New York Probate Records
(1787-1835), Social Security Death Index (SSDI), church records,
newspapers and periodicals, city and town directories, court records,
census, tax, and voter lists, diaries and journals, land records,
military records, and published genealogies and biographies, just to
name a few." Their main building is located in Boston, Massachusetts,
U.S.A.
Free - their website contains helpful information and tips for genealogy
research - and free access to certain databases and articles. In
addition - free subscription for “The Weekly Genealogist” newsletter.
• United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada (UELAC)
The UELAC “is an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of
Canadians through knowledge of the past, in particular the history of
the United Empire Loyalists and their contribution to the development of
Canada.” Their website includes a “Loyalist Directory” section with an
alphabetical list of names of the United Empire Loyalists that have been
identified - with further background information for each individual.
• Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS)
See above under the "1. Central Organizations (with links to member organizations)" section.
3.1 Quebec, Canada
• Quebec Family History Society (QFHS)
The QFHS has a “library complete with thousands of books,
collections of microfilm and microfiche, and access to close to 2
million records, all of genealogical interest.” Their “collection of
research material, in various mediums, reflects [the diversity of their
members research interests] - Quebec, Ontario, United Empire Loyalists,
the British Isles, France and the north-eastern United States.” Their
library and office is located in Pointe Claire (Montreal), Quebec.
• Quebec Heritage Web
Quebec Heritage Web is the host for a group of regional sites that
provide "a window on history ..." for different regions of Quebec - each
site includes links with History & Genealogy Societies.
3.2 Eastern Townships, Quebec, Canada
• Eastern Townships Resource Centre (ETRC)
ERTC’s mission is “to further multidisciplinary research into the
history, culture and society of the Eastern Townships region of Quebec
…”. Their library and archives are located at Bishop's University,
Sherbrooke, Quebec.
• Missisquoi Historical Society
“The Missisquoi Historical Society collects, preserves, researches,
exhibits and publishes items of historical interest pertaining to this
region [Missisquoi County].” Their archives and museum are located in
Stanbridge East, Quebec.
• Brome County Historical Society
The society is “home to a research library and archives containing
pioneer papers and documents covering the five townships of Brome County
(Brome, Bolton, East Farnham, Potton and Sutton Townships).” Their
museum and archives are located in Knowlton, Quebec.
• Potton Heritage Association (APPHA)
The APPHA was founded “to promote the heritage of Potton Township,
its buildings, history, archaeological sites, natural and cultural
landscapes…”
• Stanstead Historical Society (SHS)
SHS’s mission is “to collect, preserve and pass on a knowledge and
appreciation of all people who have ever called our border community
home [Stanstead, Quebec]. It is to maintain a record of the way each
succeeding generation lived so that those who follow will be able to
open a window on history and view the life and culture of those who have
come before and learn from it.” Their museum and archives are located
in Stanstead, Quebec.
• Historical Society of Upper Yamaska / Société d'histoire de la Haute-Yamaska (SHHY)
Their library and archives are located in Granby, Quebec. Their
website is only available in French. However, it is possible to obtain a
reasonable quality computer generated translation of most web pages by
typing the page address “http:// …” into the search field on the “Text
and Web” page of Google Translate.
• Eastern Townships Archives Portal
Eastern Townships Archives Portal - “This database brings together
archival descriptions from historical societies and archives
repositories from across the Eastern Townships of Quebec.”
• Townships Heritage WebMagazine
Part of the Quebec Heritage Web group of sites. The "Townships
Heritage WebMagazine is designed to provide a window on to Eastern
Townships history ..." - includes links with History & Genealogy
Societies.
3.3 Laurentians, Quebec, Canada
• Rawdon Historical Society
The Society's mission is "To research, preserve and promote local
history" - and their motto is “Without a past we have no future”.
• Laurentian Heritage WebMagazine
Part of the Quebec Heritage Web group of sites. The "Laurentian
Heritage WebMagazine has been designed to serve as a window on the
history of the Laurentians ..." - includes links with History &
Genealogy Societies.
4. North America – Single Family Name Associations
General comment - I have started to list a few of the associations
below - as there does not appear to be a central organization that
includes a comprehensive list.
• Edmund Rice (1638) Association
The association “endeavors to encourage research into the family of
Edmund Rice of Sudbury and Marlborough, Massachusetts.”
Their website includes an online database with genealogical information
for many of the descendants of Edmund Rice (including source citations).
• Graves Family Association
The association “is interested in the surname of Graves, Greaves,
Grave, Grieve, Greve, and all other variations of that name for all time
periods, worldwide.” Their website includes a “Research” section with
genealogy pages for the descendants of several different Graves family
lines.
• The Cooley Family Association of America
One function of the Association “is to be a repository for new
information about the family.” (i.e. Since the publication of the book “The
Cooley Genealogy: The Descendants of Ensign Benjamin Cooley, an Early
Settler of Springfield and Longmeadow, Massachusetts; and Other Members
of the Family in America” (1941) by Cooley & Keatley). Their website includes an online “Forum”.