Resources for Genealogists

Links to Databases

National Archives Databases

National Archives Catalog
The National Archives Catalog contains online copies of some records that can be useful in genealogical research. The following topics have specific genealogical sources in the National Archives Catalog: African American history, court records, Federal employees, immigration, military records, and Native Americans records. See: www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/online-catalog-guide.html

Access to Archival Databases (AAD)
Our searchable database containing electronic records.  The following topics have specific genealogical sources in AAD: Passenger lists of immigrants to the Port of New York and other ports 1834-1900, WWII Army enlistments, WWII POWs, Japanese-American internees, Korean War POWs and casualties, Vietnam War casualties, Social Security Administration death records, and more. See:  http://aad.archives.gov/aad/

Other Websites with Searchable Databases

These links are provided for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement of any organization or program by the National Archives and Records Administration.

Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy: 1719-1820
This website provides a searchable database for African-Americans from the Louisiana area.

Alabama African American Genealogy Research
A list of Alabama genealogy resources, including records and databases.

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.com
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 website, 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 timeline of important changes to the paper.

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 online genealogy websites.

Ellis Island Database One-Step Search Tools
This site presents an overview of search forms to use, and assists searches of the Ellis Island immigration databases.

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.

FindMyPast
Provides searches of census and other data for Irish, British, and Scottish genealogical research.

Genealogy
From the Open Directory Project, this site indexes over 6,600 genealogy sites on the Internet. They are categorized by subject and geographic region. Links to foreign-language sites are also included.

Genealogy.com
Offers tips on starting genealogical research, web links, and a 470 million-name searchable database.

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 genealogy home page.

GeneaSearch.com
Includes a searchable database, family newsletters, books from societies and individuals, queries, announcement of new sites, and information for beginning researchers.

Illinois Veterans Databases
From the Illinois State Archives, these databases cover all veterans from Illinois who participated in America's wars from the War of 1812 to the Spanish-American War. Included on this site is the Database of the 1929 Illinois Roll of Honor, which is a list of burial places of military veterans buried in Illinois as of 1929.

History, Genealogy and Education
This site, maintained by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) gives information about the Immigration and Naturalization (I&N) Historical Reference Library collection and services.

Local History & Genealogy Reading Room
The Library of Congress site provides several guides for genealogical research including Afro-American Genealogical Research and Sources for Research in Welsh Genealogy

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.

National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution
Provides resources for genealogists including an online catalog.

Notable Women Ancestors
The majority of the pages located at this site have been contributed by descendants or relatives of the women.

OMII Genealogy Project and Kidron Heritage Center
Information about a Swiss Mennonite and German Amish genealogy project, and access to three databases containing information about more than 425,000 persons.

RootsWeb.com
The free genealogy site offers a world-wide surname searchable database.
Search Systems
Free searchable public records databases. City and county level databases include birth, death, marriage records.

Source List for Genealogy Research
Created and maintained by Don Dale at the University of Kansas, this site links to many resources for those interested in genealogy.

World War I Service Cards Database
Database of over 145,000 service cards of Army and Marine soldiers from Missouri between 1917 and 1919.

USGenWeb Project
Volunteers around the country provide resources and transcribed records for genealogical research for about every county and state of the United States.

 

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