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Have you ever wanted to do your own genealogy search? Have you ever thought you had no idea where to start, but you didn't have the kind of money needed to hire someone to do research for you?
Well, while I have to be paid for my services, as does anyone who does this for a living, and I do try to keep my rates as reasonable as possible, I really do understand being under a budget restraint! (I live there all the time! LOL) So, let me share a web site that has ALOT of helpful pages to get you started on your own!
Let's take a look at The National Archives. (https://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/genealogy.html) I know, the National Archives. Seems a bit daunting, doesn't it? But I've taken you directly to the Genealogy introduction page.
Let's take a look:
Contents
- How to Do Genealogical Research - Here you can find the following:
- NARA's 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 Prechtel-Kluskens appeared in the January 1998 issue of NARA’s The Record.
- Genealogical Research at the Library of Congress
- Useful guidelines on conducting genealogical research.
- Genealogy Notes
- Articles of genealogical interest from NARA’s Prologue.
- Genealogy Research
- Guidance from the Nashville (Tennessee) Public Library.
- 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.
- Researching Your Family Tree
- A tutorial for performing genealogical research.
- Searching Your Family History: Cardinal Rules of Genealogy Research
- Advice from the Medina County (Ohio) District Library.
- 50 Most Popular Genealogy Websites for 2013
- Here is a list of the most popular genealogy web sites for 2013 as determined by GenealogyInTime Magazine.
- 101 Best Websites for Genealogy in 2013
- This list was compiled by Family Tree Magazine.
- AmericanAncestors: 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.
- 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.
- Digital State Archives
- Genealogists can find links to states’ digital collections on this web site.
- GenDisasters
- Interesting web site that allows researchers to find ancestors affected by disasters both natural and manmade. There is a search function, or researchers can browse by disaster, state, and year. A message board is also available.
- 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 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."
- National Genealogical Society
- "To serve and grow the genealogical community by providing education and training, fostering increased quality and standards, and promoting access to and preservation of genealogical records."
- National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution
- Provides resources for genealogists including an online catalog of the DAR Library’s holdings.
- Pathfinder: Genealogy
- This guide is designed to help people research their genealogy.
- RootsChat.com
- RootsChat is a free family history forum that helps researchers learn and navigate family History in the United Kingdom.
- 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.
- The 1930 Census
- NARA’s comprehensive guide to the 1930 Census.
- The 1940 Census
- NARA’s comprehensive guide to the 1940 Census.
- 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.
- Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
- Provides links to thousands of genealogy web sites.
- Federal Agency Websites with Information Useful in Genealogical Research
- Other federal web sites providing useful information in genealogical research are listed here.
- 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.
- Genealogy: Open Directory Project
- This site indexes genealogy sites on the Internet. They are categorized by subject and geographic region. Links to foreign-language sites are also included.
- 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.
- 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.
- One-Step Webpages by Stephen P. Morse
- "This site contains tools for finding immigration records, census records, vital records, and for dealing with calendars, maps, foreign alphabets, and numerous other applications."
- Surname to Soundex Code
- With this tool, you can easily find the Soundex code for any surname.
- 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
- 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 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.
- 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.
- DAR Genealogical Research System
- "The GRS is a collection of databases that provide access to the many materials amassed by the DAR since its founding in 1890." Included are the Ancestor Database, Member Search, Descendants Database, Genealogical Records Committee Report, and Resources.
- Dead Fred’s Genealogy Photo Archive
- Free photo genealogy research web site. Reseachers can search the surname database and post their own photographs.
- Digital Library on American Slavery
- Here is "a searchable database of detailed personal information about slaves, slaveholders, and free people of color." Data is drawn from petitions to southern legislatures and country courts filed between 1775 and 1867 in the slaveholding states and the District of Columbia. Researchers can search for petitions, search by name, or browse by category (such as Marriage and Women, Atttaining Freedom, Slave Ownership and more). A wealth of information.
- FamilySearch
- This genealogical resource from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints contains three billion names. The site includes a search function, photos, and a wiki with over 75,000 articles.
- Maryland State Archives Census Indexes
- Created and maintained by the Maryland state archives, this site allows searches of four different historical Maryland censuses.
- 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.
- 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.
- Ancestry Insider
- "The Ancestry Insider reports on, defends, and constructively criticizes these two websites and associated topics. The author attempts to fairly and evenly support both."
- B&F: Jewish Genealogy and More
- This blog primarily geared to users researching Jewish genealogy, but there are also posts of interest to researchers of all origins.
- Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
- Genealogists can find a free newsletter, a premium subscription newsletter, comments, and informative posts.
- Genealogy
- Kimberly Powell writes this blog which gives advice on genealogical issues and news about developments in genealogical research.
- 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.
The National Archives is one of my most favorite web pages to begin searching from. It is a fun site, and has a lot of records that are searchable online as well! And you can order records from here for many things when you desire a hard copy record.
I hope this site assists you as much as it has me! And again, it is a great place to start when you are just beginning your own private search!
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