Websites for Family History Beginners
Introduction
There are many family history web sites that can help a beginner with their research. This article will list websites that can be used at the Family History Library, Family History Centers, from home, or wherever one has access to the Internet such as cyber cafes or libraries.
Electronic Family Trees and Family Websites
1. FamilySearch: The FamilySearch website is hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It consists of research databases, research guidance, and access to the Family History Library Catalog.
2. RootsWeb:
Research Aids
3. FamilySearch Wiki: The FamilySearch research Wiki is similar to Wikipedia in nature. It is a place to search for any genealogical information to help you with your research. This page is a part of the FamilySearch Wiki.
4. BYU Guides and Tutorials: This web site includes online family history tutorials and area-specific research guides.
Genealogical Directories
5. ProGenealogists: A professional genealogical company that does family history research. Their web site has two pages that are useful, a United States Genealogy Sleuth page, and an International Genealogy Sleuth page. Both of these pages are filled with links to other genealogy web sites.
6. Cyndi's List: A large genealogical directory that can be searched by location, or topic. Select a location or topic, then select a a category of records or topics, and scroll to the specific record or topic desired.
7. Family Genealogy and History Internet Education Directory
8. A genealogy guide for finding vital records:
Original Records
9. FamilySearch Record Search
10. Ancestry or Ancestry Institution $: Ancestry is a paid site, but if you are in the Family History Library you may have the Family History Library access. This access is called Ancestry Institution.
11. HeritageQuest $: The Family History Library has access to this web site. Heritage Quest is available at most family history centers and many public libraries. Check with your local public or academic library for free access to Ancestry or HeritageQuest.
12. Footnote.com $: Free access available at many Family History Centers.
13. World Vital Records $: Free access available at many Family History Centers.
14. USGenWeb
15. WorldGenWeb:
Books
16. BYU Family History Archives: The Family History Archives is a collection of digitized books that can be viewed online. The collection includes family histories, series, and some oral histories. It is sponsered by the Brigham Young University Harold B. Lee library.
17. Google: Google Books contains a large number of public-domain books of family histories and genealogies, plus many local and regional histories of value to the researcher.
Libraries
18. WorldCat
19. International Library Index by Country:
Maps and Gazetteers
20. United States and its Territories Geographic Names Information System
21. Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names: This website allows you to search for a geographic name and shows the heirarchy of jurisdictions associated with that location.
22. David Rumsey Map Collection: A collection of over 21,000 historic maps online. The website includes a link to the David Rumsey Blog for additional information.
23. Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection:
Passenger Lists
24. Ellis Island
25. US Passenger Lists
26. The Olive Tree Genealogy:
Search Engines
27. Google
28. DogPile:DogPile is a metasearch engine. It gathers information from several search engines and displays then under one search site. This allows the user to search several search engines with only one display list.
29. Clusty: Clusty is also a metasearch engine, but the results are delivered in clusters of information.
30. Steve Morse: Steve Morse is a genealogical search web page.
State Archives
31. Council of State Archivists: This website lists each state alphabetically and the web address of their state archives.