Genealogy Resources

Places to Consider in Your Research

9 min read

Comprehensive genealogy research requires using a mix of online databases, government archives, and specialized resources to find and verify information about ancestors. Many services offer both free and subscription-based tools to help build your family tree.

Major online genealogy databases:

These all-in-one websites are essential, as they contain billions of historical records and provide tools for building your family tree.

  • FamilySearch: Operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this is the largest free genealogy resource in the world. It provides access to a massive database of digitized historical records and a collaborative family tree.

  • Ancestry: As one of the most well-known paid services, Ancestry.com offers access to over 27 billion historical records, including census data and military documents. It also has the largest DNA testing database for connecting with relatives.

  • MyHeritage: This platform offers a vast database of global records, with a strong focus on European content. It features automatic "Smart Matching" with other users' family trees and photo enhancement tools.

  • Findmypast: A must-use resource for those with UK and Irish heritage, Findmypast specializes in records from Great Britain and Ireland, including military records and historical newspapers.

Government archives and official records:

Federal and state archives are crucial for accessing official documents that verify genealogical information.

  • National Archives and Records Administration (NARA): This federal agency holds records of high genealogical value, including U.S. Census records, military service and pension files, immigration and naturalization documents, and land records.

  • U.S. Census Bureau: Provides access to census forms and guides for all federal census years. These records can help you trace families every 10 years.

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM): The General Land Office (GLO) Records website provides access to federal land conveyance records, which can be valuable for tracing westward-moving ancestors.

  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA): Offers resources for those researching Native American ancestry. The BIA has records for individuals who had land in trust or went through probate.

Specialized and free online resources:

For more targeted or free research, these resources can be indispensable.

  • Cyndi's List: This curated index organizes links to thousands of genealogy websites by category, making it an excellent starting point for any type of search.

  • USGenWeb Project: A volunteer-driven collection of websites providing free county-by-county resources and data across the United States. This is a great resource for local histories and records.

  • Find a Grave and BillionGraves: These crowdsourced websites offer millions of gravestone photos and transcriptions, providing birth, death, and burial information. They are useful for finding and confirming birth and death dates.

  • Chronicling America: The Library of Congress provides free access to historical American newspapers from 1777 to 1963. This can help add rich, historical context to your ancestors' lives.

  • Library of Congress (LOC): The LOC holds one of the world's largest collections of books, maps, and other materials, and has a specific guide for genealogy and local history research.

  • Google Books: This service can be used to search for digitized family histories, city directories, and local histories that may mention your ancestors.

Physical and local resources:

Beyond the web, physical archives and organizations offer invaluable assistance.

  • Local and state archives: For pre-1880s records, and for finding records that were never digitized, check local and state archives. Many courthouses, libraries, and historical societies hold county vital records, deeds, and wills.

  • Genealogical societies: Membership in local or national genealogical societies can provide access to resources, educational workshops, and a community of experienced researchers.

  • FamilySearch Centers and affiliate libraries: These locations provide free access to premium online databases like Ancestry and FamilySearch's extensive collection of records and microfilms.

  • Local libraries: Many public libraries offer access to premium genealogy sites through their institutional memberships. Librarians can also help you find relevant books and local resources.

Many genealogical records are found in offline archives or in specialized databases that are less well-known than major services like Ancestry and FamilySearch. Investigating these lesser-known sources can often help you break through research "brick walls" and add rich, contextual detail to your family's story.

Court and legal records:

Court records provide insight into the personal lives of ancestors, revealing details not found in basic vital records. Many of these are only available at the county or state level.

  • Probate records: Even if an ancestor died without a will (intestate), a court would have appointed an administrator to manage their estate. These files often list heirs and describe personal property.

  • Guardianship papers: These documents name a guardian for a minor whose parents were deceased or unable to provide care. For adults with disabilities, they can also name a guardian and provide insights into the person's life.

  • Naturalization records: Before 1906, naturalization was handled at local and state courts, and the files can contain rich details about an immigrant's origins.

  • Civil and criminal cases: Court cases can reveal financial disputes, divorces, or criminal activity. News stories about court proceedings can also be helpful.

  • Orphans' court records: These specific court records, found in some states, detail the care and guardianship of orphaned minors.

Land records:

While major government databases list federal land patents, many other land records offer clues to familial relationships. County deeds and mortgages document transfers of property and can indirectly identify heirs when land is inherited. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) website offers access to federal land records for public land states.

Military records:

Military service records contain more than just combat information. Records can include a person's physical description, age, and next of kin. Some useful military record collections include:

Newspaper archives:

Beyond obituaries, newspapers contain a wealth of genealogical information, including birth and marriage announcements, gossip columns, and legal notices for land transfers, bankruptcies, or probate filings.

  • Chronicling America: A free resource from the Library of Congress featuring U.S. newspapers from 1777 to 1963.

  • Small local archives and university libraries: These institutions may have unique, un-digitized collections of local newspapers.

  • Newspapers.com: Newspapers.com is the largest online newspaper archive consisting of 1 billion+ pages of historical newspapers from 29,500+ newspapers from around the United States and beyond. Newspapers provide a unique view of the past and can help us understand and connect with the people, events and attitudes of an earlier time.

Immigrant records:

In addition to major ports like Ellis Island, many smaller points of entry have their own records.

Niche records and other local resources:

For deeper context, look to highly specific collections.

  • Merchant ledgers: Store owners kept records of their customers' accounts, which can be found in state archives, university special collections, and local museums.

  • Church directories and records: These can provide membership lists and often include photos of parishioners.

  • Poor farm or almshouse records: These records detail the lives of ancestors who were indigent and received county assistance.

  • School records: Can place ancestors in a specific time and location, including school teachers and superintendents.

  • Cemetery surveys: Besides Find a Grave, local societies often have their own detailed surveys of cemeteries that may include oral histories.

  • Jewish Genealogy - Preserving Jewish Family History and Heritage.

Community and archival resources:

  • Local historical societies and university archives: Smaller archives often contain unique, undigitized records, including personal diaries and other materials. Use ArchiveGrid to search the holdings of archives and special collections.

  • Genealogy communities: Online forums and local clubs provide a network of experienced researchers who can offer specific advice.

  • Archive.org (Internet Archive): Search this database for digitized books, including local histories and published family genealogies. This is also where you can find the "Wayback Machine".

  • Family heirlooms: Items like old letters, baby books, or inscribed jewelry can contain a wealth of personal information.

Merchant ledgers and other account books can be invaluable genealogical resources, offering detailed insights into an ancestor's life and location that are often missing from more common records like censuses. These primary source documents, often found in local historical societies, libraries, and archives, were created in real-time, providing a unique snapshot of a person's life and community.

Information you can find in merchant ledgers:

  • Proof of presence: Ledgers can place an ancestor in a specific time and location, verifying their residence during a period where census records may be incomplete or missing.

  • Timeline and death clues: When an account abruptly changes hands from a deceased ancestor to their heirs or widow, it can help pinpoint a death date. The records might show "John Turner's Heirs" or "John Turner's Widow," for example.

  • Insight into daily life: Entries detail the goods and services purchased by an ancestor, providing clues about their lifestyle, occupation, and economic status. For example, a customer's purchase of fishing gear could indicate they were an oysterman or fisherman in coastal communities.

  • Identification of relatives and associates: Ledgers can reveal relationships when one person pays the debt of another family member, or when names like "John Waters of Isaac" are used to distinguish between individuals with the same name. This can be a key clue for "FAN club" research (Friends, Associates, and Neighbors).

  • Information in "burned counties": For areas where official records were lost due to fire or war, such as in many counties in Virginia, Tennessee, and other Southern states merchant account books that survived can be a critical substitute for lost records.

Where to find merchant ledgers:

Because these ledgers were primarily private business documents, they are typically not found in major online databases like Ancestry, though some digitized examples do exist. The best places to look are:

  • Local historical societies and genealogical societies: These organizations often receive donations of old business records and are excellent starting points.

  • Archives and libraries: University and state libraries, particularly their special collections or manuscript departments, frequently house these items.

  • ArchiveGrid: This resource can help you find holdings of archives and special collections. Searching terms like "store ledger book" or "account book" can yield results.

  • Digital archives: The Digital Public Library of America and the Internet Archive have digitized some ledger collections.

  • Small local archives: Records that were never digitized may exist in local courthouses, libraries, or museums.

Civil War records are one of the most comprehensive and genealogically rich collections available for American researchers. They can document a veteran's service and family relationships, particularly through pension files. Records for Union and Confederate soldiers are housed in different locations and may contain varying levels of detail.

Primary record sources:

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

NARA holds the most significant federal records for Civil War research.

  • Compiled Military Service Records (CMSRs): NARA holds these records for both Union and Confederate soldiers. A CMSR is a jacket containing cards abstracted from a soldier's original muster rolls, hospital rolls, and other records. They document a soldier's military career and may include his age, birthplace, occupation, and physical description.

  • Union pension files: These are the most genealogically valuable records for Union soldiers. They were not microfilmed and are being digitized, but the original files are at NARA. An application could be filed by the veteran for disability or by a widow or dependent. Files often contain affidavits from comrades, marriage certificates, birth records of children, and family bible pages.

  • Indexes for pensions: While most files are not online, indexes can be searched to determine if a file exists. The General Index to Pension Files, 1861–1934 (T288) and the Organizational Index to Pension Files (T289) are available on major genealogy sites and point to the physical records at NARA.

  • 1890 Veterans Schedule: This is a special census schedule enumerating surviving Union veterans and their widows. Though much of the original schedule was destroyed by fire, surviving portions for about half of the country can be a good starting point.

State and Confederate records:

  • State archives for Confederate pensions: Because the Confederate government was dissolved, Confederate pension records were created and maintained by the individual Southern states to support their veterans and widows. Each state archives holds its own collection, and eligibility rules and documentation requirements varied.

  • Confederate amnesty papers: NARA holds some Confederate records, including amnesty applications for Southerners who sought a pardon from the U.S. government after the war. These can include a soldier's signature, physical description, residence, and oath of allegiance.

Online and supplemental resources

Major genealogy sites:

  • Fold3: This subscription site is considered the premier destination for military records, with a strong emphasis on the Civil War. In partnership with NARA, it has digitized many CMSRs and other military-related documents.

  • Ancestry.com and FamilySearch: These platforms also hold extensive Civil War records, including pension indexes, service records, and census data that indicates military service.

Free resources:

  • Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS): This is a free, searchable index provided by the National Park Service. It contains millions of names from both the Union and Confederate armies. While it only provides minimal information, it is an essential first step to identify a soldier's regiment and company, which is needed to order further records.

  • Library of Congress: The LOC has vast digital collections of Civil War-era materials, including letters, maps, photos, and published histories.

  • Chronicling America: This Library of Congress project allows free access to historical newspapers, which can contain articles about your ancestor's enlistment, company movements, battles, or post-war activities.

Research strategies:

  • Start broadly, then narrow down: Begin with the CWSS database or census records to identify a soldier and his unit.

  • Move to specific record types: Once you know the unit, you can look for the CMSR and, if applicable, the pension file. For common names, the regiment and company are essential for positive identification.

  • Use pension files for family connections: If a widow or other dependent applied for a pension, the file may hold significant family information. Look for affidavits from neighbors or relatives that can provide valuable context and relationship clues.

  • Consult regimental histories: For insight into your ancestor's wartime experience, find published histories of his regiment. These can describe battles, campaigns, and camp life.

  • Check other sources: Don't forget local resources, such as county historical societies, which may have records about local recruitment and soldiers.

Additional Search Areas to Consider - Carried over from previous Hooper Connections website, just in case you used these websites and still wanted the links to get there:

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