LibGuides: RE 5140 Advanced Children's Literature: Genealogical Research

General Guidelines

1. Start with who you know -- yourself, siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents. Locate birth and death dates.

2. Fill in the Ancestral chart as a starting point for your research.

3. Conduct informal oral history interviews with family members to fill in more of your pedigree chart

4. Switch to a Family Group Sheet to obtain a more inclusive view of your extended family.

5. Use pencil for all your research, write dates in a standardized format, and keep a research log of sources that you consult.

Genealogy Databases

Ancestry Library This link opens in a new window
Ancestry® Library Edition, delivers billions of records in census data, vital records, directories, photos, and more.

Over 4,000 databases and four billion names including key collections such as U.S. Federal Census images and indexes from 1790 to 1930; the Map Center containing more than 1,000 historical maps; Military Records Collection; Immigration Collection; American Genealogical Biographical Index (over 200 volumes); Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage (over 150 volumes); The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1630; Social Security Death Index (updated monthly); WWI Draft Registration Cards; Federal Slave Narratives; and a strong Civil War collection.

Coverage of the United States and the United Kingdom, including census, vital, church, court, and immigration records, as well as record collections from Canada and other areas.
Coverage: 1300-present
HeritageQuest This link opens in a new window
HeritageQuest includes all of the images, and extensive indexing, from the 1790 - 1930 U.S. federal censuses (over 140 million names), more than 20,000 book titles, including over 24,000 family and local histories, and the Periodical Source Index (PERSI), a widely recognized resource guide, updated annually, that covers more than 6,300 genealogy and history periodicals written in English and French (Canada) since 1800. Other collections include the Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, the Freedman’s Bank Records, and the U.S. Serial Set.

Researchers can use HeritageQuest Online to find their ancestors, trace their paths across America, and learn what life was like in the areas where they settled.

Coverage: 1700's-present

Websites and Article Databases

CastleGarden.org: http://www.castlegarden.org/
Information on individuals who entered the U.S. between 1820 and 1913 through the port in New York.

Ellis Island: http://www.ellisisland.org/
Information on individuals who entered the U.S. between 1913 and 1924

Family Search: https://familysearch.org/search
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' website - searches birth, marriage, death, probate, land, military records and more. Also see:

Getting started: https://familysearch.org/ask/gettingStarted
Learning Center: https://familysearch.org/learningcenter/home.html

Cyndi's List: http://www.cyndislist.com/
A comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online.

A great place to look for immigrant groups, including African-American, Asian, Eastern European and more: http://www.cyndislist.com/categories/

Access Genealogy: http://www.accessgenealogy.com/
Provides an emphasis to listing of resources by states.

Also an extensive listing of Native American Indian tribes: http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/

American Ancestors: http://www.americanancestors.org/home.html
The New England Historic Genealogical Society's website linking to databases for researching ancestors in New England, New York,, and AFrican American ancestors.

Library Guides

RE 5140 Advanced Children's Literature: Genealogical Research

IMC Librarian

General Guidelines

Genealogy Databases

Websites and Article Databases

IMC Librarian