the Internet Public Library

Genealogy Resources

Information helpful in finding and/or interpreting records of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or ancestors.

Resources in this category are:

About.com: Genealogy

http://genealogy.about.com/

An Internet guide for genealogy, with feature articles, Website links, and discussion forums. Topics covered include beginners resources, immigration, family reunions, adoption search, census, oral history, and famous ancestors.

Author: Kimberly Powell (genealogy.guide@about.com)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Afrigeneas

http://www.afrigeneas.com/

"Afrigeneas is a Website focused on genealogical research and resources in general and on African ancestry in particular. This page serves as a focal point for information about African-ancestored families and for pointers to genealogical sources worldwide." This site contains many links to web sources on African-American genealogy and genealogy in general, as well as links to musuems, a library, and a bibliography. One important resource is its "Surnames" Database. Updated often and users entries' encouraged.

Author:

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Social Sciences--Ethnicity, Culture, and Race--African/African-American

Keywords: Genealogical Research; African ancestry

American Family Immigration History Center (AFIHC)

http://ellisislandrecords.org/

"Located in the Ellis Island Immigration Museum and on the World Wide Web, the American Family Immigration History Center (AFIHC) allows visitors to explore the extraordinary collection of immigrant arrival records stored in the Ellis Island Archives."

Author: The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. (historycenter@ellisisland.org)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: family history; Ellis Island; record archives

AncientFaces

http://www.ancientfaces.com/

"AncientFaces has become the largest visual genealogy presence on the Internet by providing a free location for the exchange of photos. Thousands of photos are being scanned and then added AncientFaces by their owners so that others researching their family trees can place faces with the names of ancestors."

Author:

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: photographs; family history

Australian Family History and Genealogy on the Internet

http://www.nla.gov.au/oz/genelist.html

Includes links to Australian family history and genealogy sites, Aboriginal family history, military records, etc. Part of the National Library of Australia Internet Subject Lists project.

Author: Information Services, National Library of Australia (www@nla.gov)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: Australia

Beginner's Guide to Family History Research

http://www.arkansasresearch.com/guide.html

"If you can't even spell the word g-e-n-e-a-l-o-g-y, this is the place for you to start. Everyone has ancestors, and if you're wondering who yours are, it's time to get involved in family history and genealogy research." This resource is divided into 13 short chapters that will take a beginner through the basics of genealogy research. There's a glossary of terms and a list of other genealogy resources.

Author: Desmond Walls Allen and Carolyn Earle Billingsley (desmond@ipa.net)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

The Carpathian Connection

http://www.tccweb.org/

"Premier independent genealogy and historial reference site for those researching ancestors from the Carpathian Mountain regions of Eastern Europe. A fantastic resource for students to gain information on the various heritages and cultures who inhabited these territories." Contains information on Eastern European villages, customs and folklore, immigration, settlements and neighborhoods in the US, along with research resources and a surnames listing. 

Author: Joy E. Kovalycsik and Steven M. Osifchin (editors@tccweb.org)

Subjects:

Arts & Humanities--History--Europe

Reference--Genealogy

Social Sciences--Ethnicity, Culture, and Race--European/European-American

Keywords: Eastern Europe; Carpatho-Russians; Slovak; Carpatho-Rusyn; Ruthenians

Cemetery Do's and Dont's

http://members.aol.com/ctgravenet/dosdonts.htm

Information about how to care for gravestones, including cleaning basics, gravestone rubbings, reading inscriptions, and sealing or waterproofing gravestones.

Author: Connecticut Gravestone Network (shapbrown@home.com)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: funeral; funerary; death; graveyard; grave; burial; tomb

Cemetery Records Online

http://www.interment.net/

"Here you will find online records from over 2,000 cemeteries all over the world." Browse by country, or search for burial records, cemeteries, or by ancestry.

Author:

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: cemeteries; burial records; tombstone inscriptions

Coats of Arms from Ireland and Around the World

http://homepage.eircom.net/~donnaweb/

"Over 2000 FREE coats of arms from Ireland and around the world in GIF format." Also "articles relating to Proto-Heraldry in Early Christian Ireland, Heraldry in Ireland, Gaelic Irish Heraldry and Heraldic Practice, The Coats of Arms of Irish Septs, The Meaning of Coats of Arms, Clans and Chieftains in Ireland, Mac and O in Irish Surnames, The Distortion of Irish Surnames, Irish Personal Names and Spurious Coats of Arms."

Author: Eddie Geoghegan

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Social Sciences--Ethnicity, Culture, and Race--European/European-American

Keywords: Irish

Commemorative Motifs, Mourning Images, and Memento Mori

http://members.aol.com/TombView/symbol.html

"Commemorative Motifs, Mourning Images, and Memento Mori," from the "Tomb With a View" newsletter, explains funerary symbolism. It includes a list of symbols seen on tombstones and graves, and their significance.

Author: Tomb With a View (tombview@aol.com)

Subjects:

Arts & Humanities--Religion & Theology

Reference--Genealogy

Social Sciences--Customs, Etiquette, Folklore

Keywords: funerary; funeral; death; cemetery; graveyard; burial; tomb

Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet

http://www.cyndislist.com

Links to tens of thousands of genealogy-related resources on the Web. The majority are categorized & cross-referenced in over 120 categories. No annotations and few descriptions, but a very comprehensive index to all sorts of genealogy-related Internet resources.

Author: Cyndi Howells (cyndihow@oz.net)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: Resources

The DiCammilo Companion to British & Irish Country Houses

http://www.dicamillocompanion.com/

"The Database of Houses is a continuing effort to list every country house built in Britain and Ireland, standing or demolished.  The Database is updated daily and currently lists over 6,500 houses.  This undertaking will compile as many details as can be found about the houses, families who occupied them, and their estates, in a standardized format."

Author: Curt DiCamillo (curt@DiCamilloCompanion.com)

Subjects:

Arts & Humanities--Fine Arts--Architecture

Regional & Country Information--Europe--United Kingdom

Reference--Genealogy

Family History in India

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~clday/

"Website for people tracing their British, European and Anglo-Indian family history in India, Burma, Pakistan and Bangladesh."

Author: Cathy Day

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

familyrecords.gov.uk

http://www.familyrecords.gov.uk/

"Familyrecords.gov is a portal designed to help anyone wishing to carry out research on their family history using UK and Irish government resources. Resources of use to family historians are held by many different national and central government institutions in the UK and Ireland. Finding out which of the many institutions holds the information a researcher needs can be quite a complex process. This site aims to simplify that process by providing one point of access that will give researchers the information they need and direct them to the correct institution. Initially we are providing information on records, links to web sites (both of the member institutions and of other family history resources) and news of events and new services of interest to family historians.Where possible we have linked to web resources; where not we have given, or pointed to, details of how to access material. As more and more resources go online we will bring you news of these new developments. We also provide information about how researchers can make enquiries of the member institutions."

Author: familyrecords.gov consortium (webmaster@familyrecords.gov.uk)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service

http://www.familysearch.org/

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints provides this site, which lets you search their Ancestral File, International Genealogical Index, Pedigree Resource File, and web sites (by last name only). A free registration feature also lets you collaborate with other genealogists.

Author: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

FamliyHistory.com: Society Hall

http://www.familyhistory.com/societyhall/

The Society Hall is the most comprehensive directory of genealogical and historical societies on the Web. It allows you to search for geneological associations by name and geographical location. The rest of the FamilyHistory.com site is a collection of message boards for genealogical researchers. The site has boards under three topics: surname, geographical area, and geneological project (e.g. adoption, passengerships from England, etc.) and each topic is searchable. Message boards include postings from people looking for and sharing genealogical information.

Author: MyFamily.com

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Find a Grave

http://www.findagrave.com/

Information about "Where everybody who was anybody is buried..." Includes photos. It's searchable by name, location, birthdates and death dates, and "claim to fame."

Author: Jim Tipton (jim@findagrave.com)

Subjects:

Reference--Biographies

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: tomb; death; cemetery; graveyard; burial; funeral; funerary

The Gathering of the Clans

http://www.tartans.com/genalogy.htm

This Scottish-focused genealogy section is part of the larger "Gathering of the Clans" site covering Scottish history. Includes a searchable database system of more than 2,100 names, links to clan histories, a glossary and bibliography to support your research, and a page allowing you to post questions. A link to a fee-based ancestral resarch serivce is also available, as well as a link to a similar Irish genealogy web site.

Author: DISCscribe Ltd. (clans@discribe.ca)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: Scottish; Scotland; Database

The Gathering of the Irish

http://www.irishclans.com/genealogy.html

This subsection of the larger "Gathering of the Irish" provides access to information to help conduct Irish-focused genealogy research. Contains a database of names, one of clans, and teh history of many clans and names. One can submit their own information to this sie and a link to a fee-based ancestral research service is provided.

Author: DISCscribe Ltd. (clans@discribe.ca)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: Irish; Database; Ancestral Research Services

Genealogical Research at the National Archives

http://www.nara.gov/genealogy/

"Genealogists are the most numerous users of the Washington, DC, research rooms, and 13 regional records service facilities of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). This area provides many of the finding aids, guides, and research tools that can prepare you for a visit to one of our facilities or for requesting records from NARA." There are essays on different aspects of genealogical research and links to other sources of information.

Author: National Archives and Records Administration (webmaster@nara.gov)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Genealogy FAQ

http://www.census.gov/ftp/pub/genealogy/www/faqgene.txt

A FAQ from the U.S. Census Bureau. Answers many basic genealogy questions, particularly in the realm of government information sources.

Author: U.S. Census Bureau (WebMaster@census.gov)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: Genealogy; United States; Government; FAQ

The Genealogy Home Page

http://www.genhomepage.com/

An annotated listing of scores of Internet resources for genealogical information.

Author: Stephen A. Wood (genhome@genhomepage.com)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Genealogy Resources on the Internet

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~cgaunt/gen_web.html

A partially-anotated listing of genealogy-related Internet resources, organized by subject/location and by type of resource.

Author: Chris Gaunt (cgaunt@umich.edu)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: Resources

GENUKI

http://www.genuki.org.uk/

Links to genealogical information and resources for Ireland and the entire United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man). Information on accessing public records (divided by county). Help on getting started with genealogical research.

Author: GENUKI

Subjects:

Arts & Humanities--History--Europe

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: Irish; Scottish; Welsh; ancestry

Graveyards of Chicago

http://www.graveyards.com/

Information and photographs of over six hundred Chicago tombs, organized by cemetery.

Author: Matt Hucke (hucke@cynico.com)

Subjects:

Arts & Humanities--Religion & Theology

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: funerary; funeral; death; grave; burial; Chicago

Irish Genealogical Society-International (IGSI)

http://www.rootsweb.com/~irish/

"A non-profit organization dedicated to the study and advancement ofgenealogy in Ireland, North and South, and around the world." Website includes items of interest to Irish genealogists, including church records, census substitutes, cemetary lists, and Irish surname info.

Author: Jack Reidy (jreidy@mindspring.com)

Subjects:

Arts & Humanities--History--Europe

Reference--Genealogy

Social Sciences--Ethnicity, Culture, and Race--European/European-American--Celtic

Keywords: Irish

Italian Genealogy Online

http://italiangenealogy.tripod.com/

"Hand-picked Italian genealogy links, surname boards, links to Italian and Italian-American sites, plus plenty of general interest items on Italy. The best genealogy tools to help those of you research your roots including information on various genealogical techniques for finding your family."

Author: Paula Nigro (paulanigro@yahoo.com)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Social Sciences--Ethnicity, Culture, and Race--European/European-American

Keywords: Italian; Italy; Surnames; San Fele

JewishGen: The Home of Jewish Genealogy

http://www.jewishgen.org/

Jewish genealogical information and contacts. Includes databases of meetings, Websites, families and publications, plus a FAQ and other useful information.

Author: JewishGen, Inc. (webmasters@mail.jewishgen.org)

Subjects:

Arts & Humanities--Religion & Theology--Faiths & Denominations--Judaism

Reference--Genealogy

Social Sciences--Ethnicity, Culture, and Race--Jewish

Keywords: Jewish

JNUL Kettubot Database

http://jnul.huji.ac.il/dl/ketubbot/

"The Jewish National and University Library's unparalleled collection of ketubbot is one of the largest in the world (over 1200 items). It contains ketubbot from dozens of different countries, covering a time period of over 900 years and is a major resource for research in Jewish history, law and art. For over 2000 years Jewish law has required that every husband present his wife, at the time of their marriage, with a marriage contract or ketubbah, guaranteeing the wife's financial rights in case of the husband's death or divorce. Over generations, various local customs found their way into the legal text of the ketubbah and ketubbah decorations reflected the Jewish art of each locality and period. Ketubbot are therefore a rich source of material on Jewish history, customs and art. The fact that, as legal documents, ketubbot always contain exact dates and place names allows their absolute identification with specific communities and periods." Users can browse the collection by country, or use the search facility.

Author: Jewish National and University Library

Subjects:

Arts & Humanities--Religion & Theology--Faiths & Denominations--Judaism

Reference--Genealogy

Social Sciences--Ethnicity, Culture, and Race--Jewish

Keywords: Weddings; Wedding contract; Marriage

Louis Kessler's Genealogical Program Links

http://www.concentric.net/~lkessler/gplinks.shtml

An organized and annotated list of web sites with a comprehensive selection of computer software programs for genealogists. Included is the author's subjective opinion about each program. 

Author: Louis Kessler (lkessler@concentric.net )

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

The Mayflower Web Page

http://members.aol.com/calebj/mayflower.html

"The complete Internet site for Mayflower history and genealogy." Includes passenger lists, documents and other writings, genealogical information, and a FAQ.

Author: Caleb Johnson (CalebJ@aol.com)

Subjects:

Arts & Humanities--History--North America--United States

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: Mayflower; FAQ

Palatine & Pennsylvania-Dutch Genealogy

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/3955/

"A site devoted to Palatine & Pennsylvania-Dutch Genealogy. Features include an on-line database, resource addresses and information on Pennsylvania vital records, on-line queries, early Pennsylvania settlers, and surname researchers lists."

Author: Kraig Ruckel (kraigtex@itouch.net)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

PeopleSpot.com

http://www.peoplespot.com/

"PeopleSpot.com simplifies the search for the best and most useful information about people on the Web. We hope that our site will enable you to quickly and easily connect with others, reunite with friends and family, find people who share your interests, learn about notable individuals, discover ways to help others and much more... From PeopleSpot.com, tap into biographies, vital records, population and demographic statistics, e-mail, phone, reverse and professional directories, newsgroups, chat rooms, family and military networks, missing person data, genealogy resources and much more. "

Author: StartSpot Mediaworks, Inc. (feedback@libraryspot.com)

Subjects:

Reference--Biographies

Reference--Genealogy

Reference--Telephone & Address

Keywords: Public Records; Census; Demographics; Reunite; Adoption; Vital Records

Roots Surname List Name Finder

http://rsl.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/rslsql.cgi

The Roots Surname List (RSL) is a list of surnames with associated dates and locations that is intended to help genealogical researchers locate others interested in sharing and comparing data about the same families." This is a searchable front end to the RSL database. Be sure to read the README file first, so you'll understand the output.

Author: RAND Genealogy Club (pboren@rand.or)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: Surname

ROOTS-L Home Page

http://www.rootsweb.com/roots-l/

"ROOTS-L is a LISTSERV mailing list for people who are interested in genealogy." Besides information about the listserv, there is a searchable archive of list traffic, and a large collection of files and databases, including the impressive ROOTS-L library.

Author: Karen Isaacson (karen@rand.org)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: Resources; Listserv

RootsWeb

http://www.rootsweb.com/

"The Internet's Oldest and Largest Genealogy Community" RootsWeb offers a host of genealogical resources, including search engines and databases (surnames, county and state records, the Social Security Death Index), a listserv, discussion groups, and related links.

Author: RootsWeb.com, Inc.

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Soc.genealogy.* - Meta FAQ

http://www.woodgate.org/FAQs/meta-faq.html

A guide to various FAQs and other regular postings from genealogy-related Usenet groups and mailing lists.

Author: John Woodgate (john@meertech.demon.co.uk)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: FAQ

Social Security Death Index Search (SSDI)

http://www.ancestry.com/ssdi/advanced.htm

"The Death Master File (DMF) from the Social Security Administration (SSA) contains over 50 million records created from SSA payment records. This file includes the following information on each decedent, if the data are available to the SSA: Last name, First name SS# (State issued) b. Birth date d. Death date lr. Last residence lp. Lump sum payment." Includes extensive data description and searching tips. For United States only.

Author: Ancestry, Inc.

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: Death; Government; Social Security Administration

Society Hill: The Internet Directory of Genealogical and Historical Societies

http://daddezio.com/society/

Directory of addresses and Websites (where available) for thousands of historical and genealogical societies in the United States, Canada and Australia. Browsable by geographic location.

Author:

Subjects:

Arts & Humanities--History

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: Societies; Directory; United States; Canada; Australia

The Tombstone Tourist

http://www.phog.com/Tourist/main.htm

"This site is dedicated to all those who have spent countless hours in cemeteries trying to find the final resting places of the rich, the famous, the infamous, and those with just really cool tombstones." Photos and details about over two thousand tombstones. The site is currently featuring the graves of musicians.

Author: Scott Stanton (stanton@teleport.com)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: funerary; funeral; death; graveyard; burial; grave; tomb

Treasure Maps

http://www.firstct.com/fv/tmapmenu.html

A guide to doing genealogy research, both on- and off-line. Includes tutorials on deciphering old handwriting, the U.S. Census, and how to use the LDS research outlines.

Author: Robert Ragan

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Treesearch Genealogy

http://wwnet.com/~treesrch/

A lightly annotated guide to genealogy resources on the Internet. Includes special section for Italian and Ontario genealogy resources.

Author: Leslie S. Edwards (treesrch@wwnet.com)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: Italy; Canada; Ontario; Resources

The USGenWeb Project

http://www.usgenweb.com/

A distributed effort to organize genealogy information for each county in the United States. Organized by state.

Author: John Rigdon (Admin@USGenWeb.Com)

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: United States

The Valley of the Shadow

http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/vshadow2/

The Valley of the Shadow Project is a hypermedia archive of thousands of sources of information created during the period before, during, and after the Civil War in Augusta County, Virginia and Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Sources include diaries, newspapers, maps, photographs, church records, populations cenuss and official records, all transcribed for use on the web. " Students can explore every dimension of the conflict and write their own histories, reconstructing the life stories of women, African Americans, farmers, politicians, soldiers, and families. The project is intended for secondary schools, community colleges, libraries, and universities. " There is a good tour of the site to orientate users to the wealth of information available on this site.

Author: Virginia Center for Digital History (ela@virginia.edu)

Subjects:

Arts & Humanities--History--North America--United States--Wars--Civil War

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: War Diaries; Military Records; Chambersburg; Pennsylvania; Staunton; Virginia; Battle Maps; Class Projects

Vital Records Information

http://vitalrec.com/

"This page contains information about where to obtain vital records (such as birth, death & marriage certificates and divorce decrees) from each state, territory and county of the United States. See the guidelines for information on how to order vital records. If you are looking for vital records from a foreign county, see [the] links to foreign vital records web sites."

Author:

Subjects:

Reference--Genealogy

Keywords: birth; death; marriage; divorce

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