Calculators & Tools

Late 19th Century Causes of Death (free)
Helpful when your ancestor's cause of death is puzzling.

Documents of the Witchcraze (free)
This is a starting point for historical research into the great witch craze of 1100-1700 AD

Ancestral Occupations (free)
Helpful when your ancestor's listed occupation is an enigma.


Dictionary of Occupational Titles (free)
A complete Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) revised fourth edition, as supplied electronically by the US Dept. of Labor, provided, as a public service.

NOAA Monthly Weather Review 1872 - present (free)
Archives of the monthly newsletter from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, and annual summaries of north Atlantic storms.  Mostly hurricanes and tropical storms.

Date Calculator (free)
Calculate a date by adding/subtracting from a specific date.


Town to County Search (free)
Enter the town and the state and the county will magically appear!  (Ok, so it's not magic, but it's just as easy).  Warning: not date specific (only current counties are given).  Hosted by RootsWeb.

Rudy's List of Archaic Medical Terms (free)
Did your ancestor die from Leaping Ague?  Need to know what that means?  Take a look at this list.

Epidemic List (free)
Epidemics are of particular interest to genealogists because they may explain why ancestors died in great numbers or left an area for no apparent reason. The Encyclopedia of Genealogy site lists a number of epidemics by year, and includes location and the disease involved.

MyTrees.com Soundex Variations (free)

These variants give you a bird's eye view of surnames in the database that may be actual variants of your surname of interest. You can then perform both surname and pedigree-linked searches over these surname variants

Historical Currency Conversion Calculator (free)
Want to know how much your ancestor paid for something in today's currency?  Check here!

Lineascope.com (free)
*requires Google account
Lineascope is an online application for capturing, analyzing, and presenting chains of genealogical information and evidence. It’s also useful for planning and tracking research. Soon, it will also document and present genealogical relationships. It doesn't replace your current genealogy database; it supplements it.

FamilyTree.com Research Articles (free)
*Searching the database is not free.
Articles on a wide range of topics related to genealogy and family history - from the Freedom of Information Act to ancestral epidemics.


Researching Your Family Tree Tutorial (free)
This self-paced tutorial is designed for beginning genealogists with basic computer and Internet skills. 

Online Genealogy Course ($)
Offered by the Tennessee State Library and Archives in conjunction with Jackson State Community College.  This is a 15-week online course.

Don's List Finding Guides (free)
A compilation of links to offsite microfilm reels from NARA.

NoodleTools (free trial/$)
Includes NoodleBib, powerful note-taking software that includes the most comprehensive and accurate bibliography composer on the Web. MLA, APA, and Chicago/Turabian styles. 

TimeToast (free)
Nifty little tool for creating interactive timelines for ... well, pretty much anything.

OurTimeLines (free)
Another free tool to create timelines to include on your website, or you can help by supplementing some of the timelines that are already on the website.

Understanding Your Ancestors (free)

Leslie Albrecht Huber's site’s goal is to help you understand your ancestors’ lives – particularly those who lived in the 1700 and 1800s in Western Europe.