Genealogy Resources
Micum McIntire Family Tree:
MMCA Council
Revised July of 2021
Copy of Family Tree sold by the MMCA for over 4 decades.
Micum McIntire Family Tree - Revised 7/2022
Genealogy Entry - Red Book Model
Jonathan Tucker
January 23, 2024
Used to update family history as presented in the "Red Book" Model - MICUM MCINTIRE FAMILY Rev. 1983
docs.google.com/document/d/1KDcaVBr-nh5aMOuIHnc-kesDpXU2144-/edit
Tucker Line - Red Book Format
Jonathan Tucker
2/11/2021
Jonathan Tucker's format for new "Red Book" entries
Red Book Format download docs.google.com/document/d/1vS2xsAmkT1rgXt6-YDV28S8Kh1ucs67Ozo4D3o3RS1o/edit?tab=t.0
Genealogical Resources (Mostly Online)
Jonathan Tucker
January 23, 2024
Collection of web resources including family history sites, military records, local public documents, maps, deed research, and newspapers.
docs.google.com/document/d/1dFXYdBIwoA5rtLNMACfBu36aF8KzWCQtO6x-Ab3gE1g/edit?tab=t.0
Family History Form
National Genealogical Society
Four Generations Pedigree Chart
Family History Form
www.ngsgenealogy.org/free-resources/charts/
Genealogy Entry - Template Document
Jonathan Tucker
April 11, 2022
Genealogy entry template for future Red Book entries.
docs.google.com/document/d/1gXR2C7BOqsjHnoQPGNBpb5JSJwfRZMx-942Nle4Rc9k/edit?tab=t.0
Genealogical Resources (mostly online)
Updated 2/19/2026 - JT
Popular Family History Sites
Familysearch (free)
GenI (free)
Ancestry ($)
GenWeb (free)
Find-A-Grave (free)
U.S. and State Censuses
The nation began compiling a decennial census (every ten years) in 1790 and has proceeded up to the current day. The most recently published detailed decennial census (a census that lists individuals) was 1950. To protect the privacy of individuals, the U.S. Census Bureau does not release detailed local census data for a given year until 72 years have passed. State and territorial censuses were also begun and conducted as federal censuses came into being, and their dates vary. The information the federal censuses recorded has changed markedly over time, evolving with each census. Censuses for territories and states were conducted more sporadically, and often in response to political needs.
Initially, the only individuals identified on early federal censuses (before 1850) was that of the free white male “head of family.” The presence and number of other family members in the household were noted simply by gender and age ranges. Over time, the number of age ranges multiplied and became more detailed. Other free and enslaved members of the household (not family) were simply totaled. Indentured servants were (correctly) considered to be free persons, since indentures were temporary legal contracts for labor, and not a characteristic of individuals. Enslaved persons were chattel—property, the equivalent of livestock. Indians not taxed were excluded. Localities were often listed only by territory or county or community.
In 1820, new categories of non-family members were added, including foreigners not yet naturalized, as well as categorizing enslaved persons and free people of color by gender and age. The 1820 census also began to categorize household members by employment (agriculture, commerce, and manufacturing). Up until 1830, census forms were generated locally, sometimes by hand. The 1830 census was the first that used printed federal forms.
The 1840 census significantly increased the number of categories for persons being counted as well as asking for data on military service, disability, employment (mining, agriculture, commerce, manufactures and trades, navigation of the ocean, navigation of canals, lakes and rivers, learned professions and engineers), and the nature of schooling completed or underway. It also requested more detailed information on the age range of enslaved persons and free persons of color.
In 1850, the census forms changed significantly, beginning the numbering (but not the addresses) of households visited by census takers, listing the names of all persons in the household, their age and sex, the profession of the male head of household (and sometimes others), the value of the real estate they owned, the place of birth for each household member, their marital status within the year, their educational status, anyone over 20 who was not literate, and their status with respect to disability or conviction. This basic format, with subsequent tweaks, was the beginning of modern census data.
Slave Schedules - Until 1860, enslaved persons were enumerated on separate census schedules, which recorded the name of the slave owner, the age, gender, and (relative) color of each enslaved person owned (but not their names), whether or not they were fugitives (escaped), how many (if any) had been manumitted (legally freed by their owners), any disability, and the number of slave houses provided for them.
The 1870 census following the end of the Civil War added even more categories of data. The community, county, and state were identified. Race was indicated as White (W), Black (B), Mulatto (M), Chinese (C), and Indian (I). The professions of women and sometimes children as well as men were noted. The values of personal estates were added to the value of real estate. More information (state, territory, or country) was requested with respect to any individual’s place of birth, including whether or not individuals or parents were foreign born. Literacy was extended to both reading and writing. “Constitutional relations” with respect to suffrage was requested—in other words, had an individual over 21 lost the right to vote by participating in “rebellion” during the Civil War, which had ended in 1865. This was also a question intended to ferret out whether some states were still denying the right to vote to adult black American males. The 1860 and 1870 federal census reflected the profound changes in the nation was undergoing as a result of the Civil War (1861-1865), including who was to be considered a citizen, and the exponential growth and westward expansion of the nation into new Western territories and states.
The 1880 census added street and house numbers (actual street addresses), the relationship of each individual to the head of household (if not a family member, then a boarder or servant or the like), whether an individual was single, married, divorced, or widowed, any recent employment (number of months), categories of disability became more detailed, as well as more detailed information about the birthplace of parents.
The 1890 census was substantially destroyed by a 1921 fire in Washington, D.C., but some fragments remain, and in some cases, state censuses take up some of the slack.
The 1910 census added information about citizenship, whether or not a person was an English-speaker, whether or not they owned their home or farm, and whether or not they were a survivor of the Civil War (an attempt to gather information for military pensions). Many census questions were an attempt to get a handle on the numbers and impacts of the steady increase in immigration from Europe since the 1860s.
The 1920 census tried to break down information even further, adding questions about the nature of work, citizenship, languages spoken other than English, year of immigration, and other questions associated with the pulses of recent European immigration.
The 1930 census elaborated on the 1920 census a bit, adding a general question about veteran’s status.
In the 1940 census, employment questions reflected the lingering effects of the Great Depression and the extensive public sector employment still available. It added a request for the employment status for all persons over 14 years of age. It asked the number of months that individuals had worked the previous year, and the income for that year.
The 1950 census has only recently become available and can be accessed by simply Googling “1950 census,” which directs you to the government website and its search function. Many of its questions were attempts to understand the demographic impacts of WWII.
If you know when your ancestor lived in a given town or county up until 1940, you can probably find them on the census through one of the family history sites (Familysearch and Ancestry are the easiest to use), or by Googling them.
Military Records
Predominantly (but not exclusively) for male ancestors, these include a wide range of documents indicating draft registration, enlistment, service, payment schedules, hospitalizations, pensions (including for survivors), veterans’ lists, and so forth. Local communities may have copies of their local militia lists, which continued well into the early 20th century. They can most easily be located through family history sites, but there are also written histories of different historical conflicts listing and describing the service of participants in different parts of the country. Google “History of [name of conflict] in [name of state or region].” You can also request a copy of your family member’s military record(s) from the National Archives:
https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records.
Private Fraternal and Sororal Organizations
The 18th and 19th centuries saw an explosion of private fraternal and sororal organizations, many of which still exist and have kept records of their memberships. In general, they were divided based on the gender of members:
Here is a partial list of fraternal organizations for men:
The Ancient Free and Accepted Masons (A.F. and A. M.). An ancient service organization. Masonic lodges were named by municipality or otherwise, and were numbered within a given state (i.e., Lodge No. 6).
The Order of the Eastern Star – A Masonic female auxiliary to which men could also belong.
The Knights Templar - An offshoot of the Masons, also named (commanderies) and numbered.
Knights of Columbus- A Catholic charity originally organized for Italian men
Knights of Pythias – An early fraternal organization originally organized exclusively by and for white men. Black American men later formed their own chapters.
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks – Founded 1868 originally as a social club.
The International Order of OddFellows – Found 1819 in imitation of similar English organizations. In 1851, it was the first such organization to admit women under the “Beautiful Rebekkah Degree.”
The Fraternal Order of Eagles – Founded 1898 by the owners of theaters as “the Order of Good Things.” Originally funded the burial of members. Raises funds for medical purposes.
The Ancient Order of United Workmen – Formed in 1868 by railroad workmen to provide insurance for its members. Dissolved in 1952.
Ancient Order of Hibernians – Founded in 1836 specifically for men of Irish Catholic descent.
The Modern Woodmen of America – Found in 1893, it originally existed to provide and sell insurance and financial services. Known for its elaborately dressed and diversely colored drill teams, who participated in “Rainbow Marches.”
The Knights and Ladies of Security – Also originally founded to serve as both a fraternal order and to provide insurance to its members and others. Evolved into a standard insurance company—first Security Benefit Association (1919), and then Security Benefit Life Insurance Company (1950).
Sons of the American Revolution - Founded 1889 for male descendants of men who served in the American Revolution, now includes descendants of anyone who contributed to its success. Open to men and women.
The Grand Army of the Republic, a Union veterans organization. The last national GAR encampment was held in 1949, with six veterans attending.
Veterans of Foreign Wars, established in 1899 after the Spanish-American War.
American Legion, established 1919, for U.S. veterans regardless of where they served.
Sons of Confederate Veterans, founded in 1896 for male descendants of Confederate soldiers who “served with honor.”
The Order of De Molay, an organization for youth 12-21 who acknowledge a higher power.
The Rotary Club, established in 1905—A non-religious, non-political service organization.
The Haymakers – A local Midwestern organization.
And many others, including unique local or regional organizations and variations.
Some of the sororal organizations predominantly for women:
The Order of the Eastern Star, a Masonic adult female auxiliary chapter.
The Women’s Club - most communities have or had one.
Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), in the early 1900s it was the largest private organization of any kind in the nation.
The Degree of Honor, originally a female auxiliary of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, it split off as a solely female service organization in 1910.
The Women’s Society of Christian Service, the Women’s Federation/Association, and many (many) others directly associated with churches, synagogues, etc.
The Woodmen Circle, the female auxiliary.
The American Legion Women’s Auxiliary. Women veterans and women descendants of members can belong to the auxiliary or the Legion itself.
The Eagles Auxiliary – First formed in 1927.
P.E.O. Sisterhood - A women’s service organization founded in 1869 to support and help fund higher education for women and support other causes supportive of women.
The Garden Club/Gardeners Club, etc.
United Daughters of the Confederacy – Formed between 1889-1896, to promote the Lost Cause myth of the Civil War. Still exists.
Various Girls Business Clubs (mostly mid-20th century).
Rebekah Lodge, originally a female auxiliary of the International Order of Oddfellows. Now its own independent organization that accepts both men and women.
Job’s Daughters, founded in 1920 as a young women’s and girls auxiliary to the Masonic Order.
Daughters of the American Revolution, founded in 1890 for direct lineal descendants of soldiers who participated in the American Revolution.
and numerous others, including local and regional variations.
From the beginning, but especially during and after Reconstruction (1865-1877), many black American men and women formed their own private organizations. Black men had formed their own Masonic lodges as early as 1775. After Reconstruction, there were Colored Men’s Associations in numerous states who met to organize for political purposes. There were many local black men and women’s organizations, especially associated with churches.
Local Sporting Clubs
Particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries, men (not exclusively but predominantly) would often belong to local or regional sports clubs, sports teams, and outdoor recreation groups. Some groups were well funded and formalized rather than simply being informal gatherings of friends. Fish and game clubs organized around hunting, fishing, shooting sports often had local facilities in appropriately rural areas for their mutual activities. If you know where a male ancestor lived, you can search out what local clubs existed and search for your ancestor there on old membership lists or in newspaper articles about their activities.
Local Public Documents
Historical city directories
Historical street lists (for towns)
Municipal tax records
Municipal militia lists, existing through the 1920s-30s.
Voter registration lists
Early land grants
- These kinds of documents are sometimes accessible through family history sites (principally Ancestry). Hard copies going back into the 19th, 18th, or even the 17th century may be available at local library archives or local historical societies. They can be quite detailed, describing a person’s home address, work address, nature of employment, race (if other than white), marital status, etc.
Local Town/County Histories
Beginning in the mid-to-late 19th or early 20th centuries, many private historians, historical societies, or municipalities and counties compiled and published histories of local communities, sometimes more than one. They are still doing it. Such histories frequently include lists of participants in prior wars and other detailed information, including local genealogical information. In areas that were being settled in this time period—like the Midwest and West—such local histories may be of given counties.
You can often find these histories by simply Googling “History of [Name of town or county, State],” or by Googling “History of [Town/County], archive.org.” Archive.org is an organization that scans and makes available numerous historical documents online, most of which can be word-searched to find a family name or individual.
Maps
Local & Atlas Maps - Depending on where you are looking in the United States, you can find historical maps for a town or county by Googling “Town of [name], historical maps” or “[name of] County Atlas, date.” In many cases, you will be directed to maps held in the archives of the Library of Congress. Many state and local historical commissions also preserve and scan these maps for public use. In older parts of the country, there may be hand-surveyed maps from the 1700s or even earlier. In most parts of the country, counties starting having maps made in the mid- or late 19th century. Many of these early maps have small black squares indicating principal residential, commercial, or public buildings and the name of its owner/occupant, when available. They usually do not show outbuildings.
Sanborn Fire Maps - In 1866, civil engineer/surveyor Daniel Alfred Sanborn created fire insurance maps for parts of Tennessee and Boston, Massachusetts. Seeing a market for his work, he advertised his services. From the late 1860s onward, many U.S. cities and towns hired the Sanborn Map Company and other firms to map critical areas–often downtown commercial districts, mill complexes, and built-up residential areas most vulnerable to costly fires.
Sanborn fire maps accurately showed roads, property boundaries, building outlines, dimensions, numbers of stories, building materials, and, for selected buildings, heating sources (sources of fire). Such detailed maps made it easier for insurance companies to evaluate fire insurance applications for existing buildings without sending representatives out to gather on-site information in distant communities. Accurate maps identifying building materials and heating sources allowed local volunteer fire brigades and fire departments to knowledgeably respond to local fires.
Sanborn maps will identify public or prominent commercial buildings, but do not themselves show ownership or occupancy. They are useful for tracking down the location of ancestors once you already know their address.
USGS Maps - Other maps include U.S. Geological Service (USGS) maps begun in the 19th century and periodically updated to the current day. USGS maps tend to focus on updating landscape features and are less reliable in terms of whether they display buildings are present or absent. Many states operate their own GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping for their entire state. Some of this mapping is done using LIDAR (laser measurements) and can be very accurate in terms of displaying the contours of the surface of the ground and features like cellar holes.
Deed Research
Most Registers of Deeds are operated at the county level, and many—but not all--have deed records (at least those from the mid-to-late 20th century onward) available online. Others may have the records available only through hard copies of deeds to be viewed in person. The software they use to access this information and, sometimes, to tie it to county-wide mapping, varies, and can require some experimentation to learn. However, through these records, you can trace the ownership of individual properties through families and others back through the generations.
Newspapers
If you look up the name of the local newspaper(s) being published during your ancestor’s lifetime, you may be able to find a searchable scanned version of those papers’ editions online. Some states or state university history departments, or even local libraries have free websites that you can search. There are also for-profit newspaper archives (newspapers.com, etc.) that you can join for an annual fee. You can locate either by Googling “[name of state] newspapers, archives” or “[name of newspaper], archives.”
It’s amazing what will turn up if you simply Google an ancestor’s name and a place and date, or the ancestor’s and their spouse’s names and their wedding year. You will also locate many private family histories and community genealogies that way.