Research by Subject: Genealogy
    OUTSTANDING  RESOURCES

WVC Library Home Page > Research by Subject Menu > Genealogy > Outstanding U.S. Resources > Outstanding Resources

 


GENERAL HELP & GUIDES
FamilySearch Wiki is becoming absolutely fabulous.  Put your subject or locality in the search box and see if they have guides or pages for what you are after.  They won't have records but they will tell you all sorts of things about researching in that area

General Nationwide U.S. Resources


American Memory
from the Library of Congress - history & photographs of many major America eras and events

 Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates 1774-1875
 Beginning with the Continental Congress America's national legislative bodies have kept records of their proceedings. Thousands of early Americans are named through petitions, lawsuits, military service etc.


HeritageQuest is available to patrons of the North Central Regional Library System (Washington State). They have all U.S. census (though all is not indexed), Rev. War Pensions, many family histories and county histories etc. You will need a library card # to access the site.
National Archives & Records Service
has new databases including Russians to America, Irish famine immigrants, Italian immigrants etc.

Rays Place Place for New England History and Genealogy
Here you will find over 5,000 pages of history and genealogy records.

WorldConnect (Rootsweb) is a researcher's database
there are many more on the Gedcom Research page and our Finding Other Researchers page
 

    DIGITAL BOOK COLLECTIONS

  • BYU Digital Book Collection (primarily family histories)
     
  • DigitalBookIndex
     
  • Google Books Advanced Search - it has a little of everything from county histories to family histories and many other books that will help you in your research.  Click "limited preview" for best results - this will give you full text content AND will give you books that let you read some chapters online.
     
  • Making of America Books
    FOR BEST RESULTS USE THE SUBJECT BROWSE Making of America (MOA) is a digital library of primary sources in American social history primarily from the antebellum period through reconstruction. The collection is particularly strong in the subject areas of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology. The book collection currently contains approximately 10,000 books with 19th century imprints.

    FAMILYSEARCH COLLECTIONS
     
  • FamilySearch (LDS) is the NEW Family Search Interface that includes ALL the FamilySearch Databases.  NOTICE it has a link at the top of the page to the Family History Library Catalog (the catalog in Salt Lake)
     
  • If you find it overwhelming GO TO THE PREVIOUS SITE which still exists.  It is much easier on the old site to specifically search the old Ancestral File, Pedigree Resource File, IGI, Social Security Death Index, Vital Records Index etc.  It is a matter of preference
     
  • Family History Library users will soon be able to order film from Salt Lake online (you will still have to read it at the local FHL)
     
  • Family Search Labs Wikis have research guides
      

    ADOPTION RESOURCES
  • Adoption Reunion Registry - the world's largest adoption reunion registry
  • Orphans' Home Website has transcriptions of many resources as well as advice

    CHURCH RECORDS
  • Digital Quaker Collection from Earlham School of Religion  
  • Quaker Archives from Leeds University, Yorkshire, England
  • Quaker Collection from haverford College has many guides and helpful information
  • Swarthmore Friends Historical Library has many really great links

   GEOGRAPHIC HELP

 

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