We’re blogging about family this month, so I thought a few free genealogy links—including how-to tips and resources for researching—would be in order. All descriptions come directly from the organizations.

Library of Congress

Local History & Geneology Reference Services – The Library of Congress has one of the world’s premier collections of U.S. and foreign genealogical and local historical publications. The Library’s genealogy collection began as early as 1815 with the purchase of Thomas Jefferson’s library.

While most LOC resources are hard copy, here are some online options:

• Family Group Sheet (pdf)
• Hispanic Local History and Genealogy at the Library of Congress – Learn how to research Hispanic local history and genealogy at the Library of Congress.
• Newspapers – Primarily U.S.
• Research log (pdf)

National Archives

Resources for Geneaologists and Family Historians – START HERE!

Searchable Database Recommendations

• Daughters of the American Revolution Genealogical Research System – free resource provided by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution  (DAR) to aid general genealogical research and to assist with the DAR membership process.
• Dead Fred Geneology Photo Archive – a free, fun photo genealogy research web site devoted to helping you visualize your heritage!
• Digital Library on American Slavery – houses tens of thousands of records relating to all 15 slave states and Washington, D.C. as well as a number of northern states. DLAS contains detailed personal information about over 100 thousand individuals, including enslaved people, enslavers, free people of color, and more.
• Ellis Island Passenger Search database – home to 65 million records of passengers arriving to the Port of New York from 1820 to 1957.
• The Ships List – immigration reports, newspaper records, shipwreck information, ship pictures, ship descriptions, shipping-line fleet lists and more; as well as hundreds of passenger lists to Canada, USA, Australia and even some for South Africa.

 

Library and Archives Canada

Geneology and Family History Ancestor Search  

• Canadian Directories Collection – a database of scanned, microfiche versions of pre-1901 Canadian directories. There are 95 directories in the Canadian Directories Collection database, including a comprehensive collection of directories for Ottawa (spanning 1861 to 1901) and Halifax (1869 to 1901).
• Ethno-Cultural Groups: Search for sources relating to a particular group, such as Irish, Chinese and German.
• Family Tree Chart
• Home Children, 1869-1932 – Between 1869 and 1932, over 100,000 children were sent from Britain to Canada through assisted juvenile emigration. The children were placed with families in rural Canada.
• Marriage Bonds, 1779-1858 – Upper and Lower Canada
• Passenger Lists, 1865-1922 – The passenger list is a list of immigrants arriving at an official port of entry on a particular ship on a given date. In some of the earlier manifests, personal information is omitted for wives, minor children, groups of labourers and first and second class passengers.
• War of 1812 – Library and Archives Canada (LAC) holds a unique and vast collection of records about the Canadian men and women who were involved in the War of 1812. Their names can be found on muster rolls, pay lists, claims, certificates of service, land grants, and medal registers.

New York Public Library

Genealogical Research at The New York Public Library – The Milstein Division of United States History, Local History & Genealogy is one of the largest genealogical collections free and open to the public. Following is a selective list of online resources, with an emphasis on New York City.

• Atlases of New York City
• The Negro Motorist Green Book
• New York City Directories 1786-1934
• The Philadelphia colored directory, 1910: a handbook of the religious, social, political, professional, business and other activities of the Negroes of Philadelphia.
• Simms’ blue book and national Negro business and professional directory (Chicago)
• Trow business directory of the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx

Finis!