Genealogy Gardening Tools
Gay Spiker didn't stop gardening after she planted a few vegetables and a couple shrubs. She continually added to her garden by collecting seeds and taking cuttings from established plants -- either those she'd grown herself or from those donated by generous friends. Likewise, when Melanie Spiker Fouse cultivated our Family Tree, she didn't stop after searching for her paternal ancestors. Naturally, she added the roots from the Bonnell and the Fouse family lines to her own personal garden.
You, too, can take advantage of the generous cuttings and seeds offered by others. One of the easiest ways to add to your "collection" is through the Internet. We asked Melanie to provide us with links to some of the sites she regularly visits. These are a few of our favorites, in no particular order.
UPDATE: July 2017 -- Since we first published this list over ten years ago, many new genealogy websites have flooded the internet. There are simply too many to list here and you're probably aware of most of them by now. Therefore, we are shifting our focus toward links and tools that are more specific to OUR direct ancestors and the communities in which they lived. We thank you for your patience as we update our list. (More coming soon.)
Photos by Cathy Spiker Gregis, taken April 2007, of Daffodils planted by Gay Spiker "many years ago" at the Spiker Family Farm .
Resources by COUNTRY:
| United States | Ancestry | A family tree interface granting access to vital records, census records, military records and more. (Some areas open to subscribers only) |
| Chronicling America | Search America's historic newspapers from 1789-1943. |
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| Family Search | Online database hosted by the LDS Church granting access to "the world's largest collection of family trees, genealogy records and resources" compiled over a century of their own genealogical research. |
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| General Land Office Records | Searchable database of federal land titles from 1820 to present, and images related to survey plats and field notes going back to 1810. |
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| The National Archives | Genealogy database searches online and in-person resources. Covers census records, immigration, land records, military service, and more. |
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| The USGenWeb Project | Site created by a group of volunteers that organizes genealogical information by state and county. |
Resources by STATE:
| Virginia | The Border Settlers of Northwestern Virginia | BOOK -- Embracing the Life of Jesse Hughes and Other Noted Scouts of the Great woods of the Trans-Allegheny by Lucullus Virgil McWhorter |
| Chronicles of Border Warfare | BOOK - A History of the Settlement by the Whites, of North-Western Virginia, and of the Indian Wars and Massacres in that section of the State by Alexander Scott Withers | |
| Library of Virginia Online Catalog | A fully searchable index for Virginia Land Office Patents and Grants. Helpful in researching land grants prior to 1863 when the state of West Virginia was established. A Tiff viewer is required to view the images. |
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| West Virginia | Dyer's Index to Land Grants in WV | BOOK - by M.H. Dyer |
| Historical WV Map Collection | The David Rumsey Historical Map Collection has over 80,000 items digitized online, with new additions added regularly. Full search or browse by category. |
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| WV State Archives & History | Site provides primary & secondary source documents, photographs, and databases; lists collections & other materials available in the State Archives; and provides research guides & assistance for genealogists. |
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| WV Vital Records Search | County birth, death, and marriage records, and selected statewide death records in a viewable, downloadable, and searchable format. |
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| History of West Virginia in Two Parts | BOOK - by Virgil Anson Lewis, Hubbard Bros., 1887 |
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| WV Genealogy Network Facebook Group | West Virginia Genealogy Network |
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WV Ancestry | A staggering amount of sourced reference material may be searched on this site. |
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| WV Ancestry Facebook Group | Stay up-to-date by joining their Facebook Group. |
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| WV Cemeteries Facebook Group | West Virginia Cemeteries Facebook Group |
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| WV Find a Grave Facebook Group | West Virginia Find a Grave Facebook Group |
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| Find a Grave | Official website. |
Resources by (surrounding) COUNTY:
| Calhoun (south) | Calhoun Co. Facebook Group (1 of 2) | Calhoun County, West Virginia History & Genealogy |
| Calhoun Co. Facebook Group (2 of 2) | Calhoun County, West Virginia Historical & Genealogy Group |
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| Hardesty's Calhoun County History | H. H. Hardesty's 1883 History of Calhoun County |
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| Calhoun Co. WVGenWeb | Calhoun County histories. |
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| Doddridge (east) | Doddridge County Roots | Searchable genealogy focusing on North Central WV, particularly Doddridge County and, to a lesser extent, the nearby counties of Ritchie, Harrison, Lewis, Gilmer, Tyler, Wetzel and Calhoun. |
| Hardesty's Doddridge County History | H. H. Hardesty's 1883 History of Doddridge County |
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| Doddridge Co. Roots Facebook Page | Stay up-to-date by following/liking their Facebook Page. |
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| Doddridge Co. Historical Society | 100 Chancery St., West Union, WV. Email doddridgecountyhistory@gmail.com. The Doddridge County Historical Society, Inc. is hosted online on Facebook. |
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| South Fork Baptist Church History |
Full transcription of "The South Fork Baptist Church - A History - August 1979" by Mildred "Millie" Wilson Rule. |
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| South Fork Baptist Church Facebook Page | South Fork Baptist Church - Oxford, WV |
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| Gilmer (southeast) | Gilmer Co. WV Historical Society | 302 E. Main St., Glenville, WV. Email gchistorical@gmail.com. The Gilmer County WV Historical Society is hosted online on Facebook. |
| Gilmer Co. Facebook Group | Gilmer County, West Virginia History & Genealogy |
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| Pleasants (north) | Pleasants Co. Facebook Group | Pleasants County, West Virginia History & Genealogy |
| Hardesty's Pleasants County History | H. H. Hardesty's 1883 History of Pleasants County |
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| RITCHIE COUNTY | History of Ritchie County |
The full text of "A History of Ritchie County, with biographical sketches of its pioneers and their ancestors, and with interesting reminiscences of revolutionary and Indian times" by Minnie Kendall Lowther |
| Ritchie Co. Historical Society | 310 Myles Ave., Pennsboro, WV. Email info@ritchiehistoricalsociety.com |
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| Geological Survey...of Ritchie Co... | BOOK by Grimsley, George Perry, 1868-1910 -- WV Geological Survey of Pleasants, Wood and Ritchie Counties. |
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| Ritchie Co. Facebook Group | Ritchie County, West Virginia History & Genealogy |
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| Tyler (northeast) | Tyler Co. Facebook Group (1 of 2) | Tyler County West Virginia Genealogy |
| Tyler Co. Facebook Group (2 of 2) | Tyler County, West Virginia Cemeteries and More |
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| Wirt (west) | Hardesty's Wirt County History | H. H. Hardesty's 1883 History of Wirt Couty |
| Wirt Co. Facebook Group (1 of 2) | Wirt County, West Virginia History & Genealogy |
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| Wirt Co. Facebook Group (2 of 2) | Preserving the History of Wirt County West Virginia Schools |
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| Wood (northwest) | Wood Co. Historical & Preservation Society | PO Box 565, Parkersburg, WV. Email roberteenoch@gmail.com. |
| Wood Co. Facebook Group | Wood County & West Virginia Family History |
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| WV Counties - all others |
Resources by CITY, TOWNSHIP, COMMUNITY:
| Auburn | ||
| Berea | ||
| Burnt House | ||
| Cairo | ||
| Cantwell | ||
| Chevaux De Frise | ||
| Cisco | ||
| Cokeleys | ||
| Cornwallis | ||
| Ellenboro | ||
| Five Forks | ||
| Harrisville (county seat) | Harrisville Historic Places | History of Harrisville, WV by LivingPlaces |
| Holbrook | The Good-Will Community | Full transcription of "The Good-Will Community. A History of Holbrook W. Va. 1814-1945" by Bradford Spiker. |
| Nutter Farm | ||
| Oxford |
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| Pennsboro | The Pennsboro News (by Google) | (Currently 5 of 51) Issues of The Pennsboro News from 1982 thru 1984. |
| Petroleum | ||
| Pew Hill | ||
| Prunty | ||
| Pullman | ||
| Rusk | ||
| Toll Gate | ||
| Washburn |
Resources by SURNAME:
| Bradford | Bradford Descendants DNA Plus | A Facebook group created by Jim Bradford dedicated to Bradford descendants, beginning with the migration of Robert & Margaret from Northern Ireland to America in approximately 1774. |
| Spiker & Zinn (& others) | Roane County WV Family History 1989 | Roane County pioneers, early settlers, communities, districts, churches & cemeteries, families, and more. Includes, among others: Frank L. SPIKER / Jacob SPRINGSTON / Evelyn Law ZINN/ Ida Mae ZINN |
| Zinn | I'm a Zinn Facebook Group | A gathering place for anyone interested in Zinn family history. |
Photos by Sarah Spiker Smith taken April 2014, of her children gathering Daffodils planted by Gay Spiker "many years ago" at the Spiker Family Farm .
The Paths Through our Garden
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Continue exploring our garden: |
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| The Spiker Family Tree -- See how deep our roots grow. | |
| Grow Healthy Trees -- The story behind our family's Medical Tree | |
| Heirloom Gardening - We're showing off some of our favorite family heirlooms. | |
| Planting the Seeds -- Getting the children involved in our family's history. | |
| Gardening Tools -- Just a few genealogy related tools and links we use to trace our lineage. | |