Genealogy
Links for how to do genealogical research, genealogy resources around the world, and databases of family trees.
Contents:
- How to Do Genealogical Research: NARA and Other Federal Web Sites
- Other Helpful Genealogy Sites
- Resources & Searchable Databases
- Genealogy Blogs
- Vital Records
- Ethnic Heritage
For information on how to do genealogical research at the National Archives, please see the Genealogy section of the NARA web site.
The Genealogical CD-ROMs Bibliography and The Bibliography of Books Related to Genealogical Research and Technology give a selection of materials available for research in the Archives I Library in Washington, DC.
How to Do Genealogical Research: NARA and Other Federal Web Sites
- The 1930 Census
- NARA’s comprehensive guide to the 1930 Census.
- Calendar of Events
- See the calendar for scheduled genealogy workshops in Washington DC.
- Family History: Clues in Census Records, 1850-1920
- This article by Claire Pretchel-Kluskens appeared in the January 1998 issue of NARA’s The Record.
- First in the Path of the Fireman: The Fate of the 1890 Census
- This article, written by Kellee Blake, was published in the Spring 1996 issue of Prologue.
- The Genealogy Page
- Finding aids, guides, and research tools to prepare for genealogical research at NARA are found on this site.
- Missouri’s Union Provost Marshal Papers, 1861-1866
- The Provost Marshal Papers for the state of Missouri are part of NARA’s Record Group 109, War Department Collection of Confederate Records. Although they are records of the Union Army, they were associated with Confederate records in the War Department because they relate, in part, to Confederate citizens and sympathizers. The online database created by the Missouri State Archives is an index of the Missouri portion of the collection.
- Myths and Realities about the 1960 Census
- This article by Margaret O. Adams and Thomas E. Brown appeared in the Winter 2000 issue of Prologue.
- National Archives Publishes Revised Guide to Genealogical Research
- NARA’s third edition of the popular Guide to Genealogical Research is available for purchase.
- An Overview of Records at the National Archives Relating to Military Service
- This Fall 2002 Prologue article was written by Trevor Plante and gives information on how to find an ancestor’s military service records.
- Other Federal Web sites
- Other federal web sites providing useful information in genealogical research are listed here.
- Ancestors
- Originally a PBS series designed to inspire and inform beginning genealogists, this site provides information on how to conduct research and links to useful family history resources on the web.
- Genealogy
- Links to genealogy research tools, guidance, and web sites on the Internet Public Library site.
- Genealogy Today
- This site provides news, links, and tools for genealogists.
- Genealogy.com
- Offers tips on starting genealogical research, web links, and searchable databases.
- Immigration History Research Center
- Located at the University of Minnesota, the IHRC offers resources focusing on eastern, central, and southern European and Near Eastern ethnic groups.
- Immigration to the United States, 1789-1930
- "A web-based collection of selected historical materials from Harvard’s libraries, archives, and museums that documents voluntary immigration to the U.S. from the signing of the Constitution to the onset of the Great Depression."
- Local History and Genealogy Reading Room
- Information about the local history and genealogy holdings of the Library of Congress.
- National Genealogical Society
- This web site for a national genealogical association provides "How to get started" guidance and a virtual library.
- National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution
- Provides resources for genealogists including an online catalog of the DAR Library's holdings.
- New England Historic Genealogical Society
- Located in Boston, the Society provides information on events, tours, and research. The Library is a valuable resource with many useful guides.
- Pathfinder: Genealogy
- This guide is designed to help people get started on researching their genealogy.
- The Plymouth Colony Archive Project
- This site provides searchable transcripts of texts such as court records, probate inventories, wills, town plans, and biographical profiles of selected colonists. Among other resources are architectural, archaeological and material culture studies.
- Preserving My Heritage
- The Canadian Conservation Institute provides guidance for maintaining and caring for heirlooms, documents, photographs, and more.
- Record of Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Civil War, 1861-1865
- This digital version of William S. Stryker’s classic work is presented here by the New Jersey State Library.
- State Archives
- Contact information for state archives and historical societies
- Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation
- This site has a searchable database of names of immigrants who came through Ellis Island as well as advice on conducting genealogical research.
- Western History and Genealogy
- The Denver Public Library’s Genealogy page provides access to several resources, including Colorado Genealogy and Obituaries, Colorado Pioneer Records, Colorado and Nebraska Military, and more.
- Across the Generations: Exploring U.S. History through Family Papers
- Family papers contain a wealth of useful genealogical information, as well as providing a window onto evolving social conditions, on-going economic change, new political trends, and cultural shifts over time. This web exhibit was produced by the Sophia Smith Collection and the Bodman Family Foundation.
- AncestralFindings.com
- Search vital records, family surnames, and learn more about genealogical research methods.
- Ancestry
- Ancestry is a subscription database available free of charge from any NARA location nationwide. It offers searchable ancestor databases of over 600 million names, as well as specialized databases, including census images. Ancestry.com is available to individual researchers by subscription.
- Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online, 1841-1902
- This web site, which is a collaboration between the Brooklyn Public Library and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, makes over 70 years of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle available to the web-browsing public. Searchable by keyword, date, and content type, this archive includes an introduction to the paper’s history as well as a time line of important changes to the paper.
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM), General Land Office (GLO) Records
- This web site provides "access to Federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States. We also provide image access to more than three million Federal land title records for Eastern Public Land States, issued between 1820 and 1908." The database includes land patents, surveys, and land status records.
- Castle Garden
- This web site offers free access to an extensive database of information on 10 million immigrants from 1830 through 1892.
- Colonial Connecticut Records, 1636-1776
- Sponsored by the University of Connecticut Libraries, this site offers the Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, 1636-1776, searchable and indexed.
- Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
- Provides links to 200,000 genealogy web sites.
- Dead Fred’s Genealogy Photo Archive
- Free photo genealogy research web site. Reseachers can search the surname database and post their own photographs.
- Ellis Island Database One-Step Search Tools
- This site, maintained by JewishGen, presents an overview of search forms to use, and assists searches of the Ellis Island immigration databases.
- Family Tree Connection
- A subscription database that offers unusual resources such as graduation lists, railroad employees, orphanage residents, and more.
- FamilySearch
- This genealogical resource from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints hosts 300 million names in two indexes, searchable by ancestor name, keyword, or custom search. The providers have not publicly stated whether this site will offer access to the entirety of their 2 billion name genealogical record repository.
- Federal Township Plats of Illinois, 1804-1891
- The passage of the Land Ordinance of 1785 created the rectangular survey system for the mapping and subsequent sale of the western public lands of the United States. In 1803, the first survey of lands began, which would later become the state of Illinois. This web site contains high resolution compressed images of all the township plats for the state of Illinois.
- Free Genealogy Tools
- A web site that provides access to many free family history resources online.
- Free Newspaper Archives
- This site contains links to digital newspaper archives. The links are arranged geographically, plus national and special collections.
- Genealogy Notes
- Articles from NARA’s Prologue grouped by topic.
- Genealogy: Open Directory Project
- This site indexes over 7,600 genealogy sites on the Internet. They are categorized by subject and geographic region. Links to foreign-language sites are also included.
- Genealogy Resources: Digital Librarian
- An extensive alphabetical list of genealogy resources available on the Web. Some entries are annotated.
- GenealogyToolbox.com
- Resources on this site include a list of over 70,000 links to genealogical resources on the Internet, news and articles on family history research, a guide to genealogical software, and a site to register your genealogical home page.
- GeneaSearch.com
- Includes a searchable database, family newsletters, books from societies and individuals, queries, announcements of new sites, and information for beginning researchers.
- Illinois State Archives Databases
- These databases include all veterans from Illinois who participated in America’s wars from the War of 1812 to the Spanish-American War, Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database, and Database of Illinois Servitude and Emancipation Records.
- Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild
- Site consists of transcribed passenger lists published in eleven volumes. Researchers can use the search feature, or browse within volumes by date, ship’s name, port of departure, port of arrival, captain’s name, or passenger’s name.
- Kentucky Land Office Databases
- Databases available on this site include Kentucky Cities, Virginia and Old Kentucky Patent Series, Revolutionary War Warrants, West of Tennessee River Military Patents, and more.
- Live Roots
- Live Roots enables genealogists to search several resources at once by making use of data collected from a variety of providers and publishers. The site includes a daily update of new resources.
- Local History & Genealogy Reading Room
- The Library of Congress provides several guides for genealogical research including Bibliographies and Guides, Searching Tips, and links to Internet resources.
- Mammoth Cave National Park Cemetery Database
- There are many cemeteries in Mammoth Cave National Park, and the National Park Service maintains this database which provides information found on headstones.
- Maps: Alabama Historical Map Index
- This site is created and maintained by the Department of Geography, University of Alabama.
- Maryland State Archives Census Indexes
- Created and maintained by the Maryland state archives, this site allows searches of four different historical Maryland censuses.
- Nationwide Gravesite Locator
- This Department of Veterans Affairs database allows users to "Search for burial locations of veterans and their family members in VA National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, various other military and Department of Interior cemeteries, and for veterans buried in private cemeteries when the grave is marked with a government grave marker."
- Notable Women Ancestors
- The majority of the pages located at this site have been contributed by descendants or relatives of the women profiled.
- One-Step Portal for On-Line Genealogy
- Steve Morse has "created alternate ways of accessing some of these [genealogical] websites" in an effort to make family history research simpler and more versatile.
- Online Death Indexes, Records and Obituaries
- A directory of online death indexes listed by state and county. Included are death records; death certificate indexes; death notices and registers; obituaries; probate indexes; and cemetery and burial records.
- Port of New York, New York, 1820-1957
- Passenger lists and indexes for vessels arriving at the Port of New York from 1820-1957 are provided on this NARA web site.
- RootsWeb.com
- This genealogy site offers a searchable name database as well as the Social Security Death Index. It also features opportunities for researchers to connect.
- Soldiers’ Records: War of 1812-World War I
- Database abstracted from the individual service cards, and listing more than 576,000 Missourians who served in the military from territorial times through World War I.
- Source List for Genealogy Research
- Created and maintained by Don Dale at the University of Kansas, this site links to many vital Internet resources for those interested in genealogy.
- TheShipsList
- Presents immigration reports, newspaper records, shipwreck information, ship pictures, ship descriptions, shipping-line fleet lists, as well as hundreds of passenger lists to Canada, USA, Australia and even some for South Africa.
- USCIS Genealogy Program
- This site, maintained by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), gives information about immigration and naturalization records and how to access them.
- USGenWeb Project
- Volunteers around the country provide resources and transcribed records for genealogical research in every county and state of the United States.
- Ancestry Insider
- A blog that supports the work of Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. Also includes helpful articles on other subjects such as visiting NARA and Serendipity in Genealogy.
- Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
- Genealogists can find a free newsletter, a premium subscription newsletter, a discussion board, and informative articles.
- Genealogy Insider
- This blog is published by Family Tree Magazine, and is written by Diane Haddad.
- GenealogyBlog
- This blog combines Leland Meitzler’s passions for genealogy, publishing and blogging. He and his wife, Patty, also run a publishing company called Family Roots Publishing, which specializes in the publication and marketing of genealogy guidebooks.
- Kimberly’s Genealogy Blog
- Kimberly Powell writes this blog which gives advice on genealogical issues and news about developments in genealogical research.
