Genealogy on the Internet: Selected Sources
About.com Guide to Genealogy
This massive commercial site contains free articles on all aspects
of genealogy. Start at the Beginner’s Corner.
Research
Guidance: How Do I Begin?
This brief, no-nonsense tutorial also includes links to printable
Pedigree Charts and Research Logs: must-haves for any genealogist to remain
organized.
The Internet Public
Library: Genealogy
This genealogy pathfinder suggests good starting points in both print
and online formats.
The USGenWeb
Project: Help for Genealogy Researchers
USGenWeb is an all-volunteer organization that is committed to providing
free access to genealogical information with articles and transcription
projects.
Meta-sites, Meta-searches
"Meta" Web sites maintain massive lists of links to other Web
sites on a given topic. "Meta" search engines conduct searches across
more than one search engine--which saves you valuable time!
Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites
on the Internet
This page of annotated and categorized links maintained by amateur
genealogist Cyndi Howells is probably the best-known genealogy site on
the Web.
The Genealogy Home Page
Don't be fooled by the simple, no-frills design: there's a lot of
valuable content here.
I Found It!
"The genealogy Web directory exclusively for genealogists."
Life and Death
Births, burials, and a little in between.
Vital Records Information: United
States
This site indexes the addresses and costs of obtaining birth, marriage,
divorce, and death records for the United States and its territories,
and also provides links to relevant local offices (county clerks, etc.).
National Adoption Information Clearinghouse
This site contains helpful tips on conducting a search for birth
parents and adoption records, a unique challenge in genealogical research.
Social Security Death
Index
This free database conducts searches based on partial names or Social
Security numbers and will return results such as birth date, death date,
and last residence; there is an option to pursue relevant results further
through Ancestry.com (paid
registration required).
Cemetery Transcription Library
Volunteers from around the world transcribe their local cemeteries
and submit alphabetical listings of the tombstones. If your local cemetery
is not included, or the listing is incomplete, see the article on How to Record
a Cemetery for information on how you can help.
New York State Newspaper
Project
Tracking down old newspapers for obituaries and wedding announcements
is now easier than ever, thanks to this undertaking at the state library.
You can search by city of publication
or county
to find out which libraries maintain microfilmed records for the dates
you are seeking.
Immigrants/International Genealogy
Immigration and international records pose a unique problem for
genealogists, but the Internet has made it possible to locate ancestors
from the "old country" without leaving home.
Ellis Island On-Line
One of the most exciting new developments in online genealogy is
this searchable database of immigrant records (registration required).
Afrigeneas: African Ancestored Genealogy
Immigration
and Naturalization
Records at the National Archives
This site subdivides into several topics, including ship passenger
lists, Mexican border crossings, and instructions and forms for ordering
copies of records.
Tracing
Immigrant Origins: Research Outline
This article on the Family History Library's Web site contains a
step-by-step outline to locating and understanding immigration records.
RootsWeb Guide to Tracing Family
Trees
Scroll down past the graphics to the headline "Countries/Ethnic Groups"
for an alphabetized listing of articles to aid in international research.
Babel Fish Translation Services
Conducting international research can be difficult with a language
barrier. This site will provide rough translations for most European and
several Asian languages.
Lockport City Clerk:
Official Website
This page contains contact information, office hours, and downloadable
application forms for birth, marriage, and death records. There is a separate
page for Town of Lockport information.
Niagara County Clerk: Official
Website
Click on "Departments", then "County Clerk" for contact information.
Check "Frequently Asked Questions" (across the top, peach-colored bar)
for information on obtaining genealogical records.
Erie
County Clerk: Records Kept
This page lists the period of records available for request from
the clerk’s office. Also check out the new Online Index and Document Retrieval,
where you can search for scanned records (summaries are free; copies are
$5.00).
Buffalo and Erie County Public Libraries
Lockport Public Library Local History Room
Travel Without Leaving Home
Many libraries, particularly major genealogical hubs, devote a
portion of their Web sites to their genealogy or local history sections.
Even if you can’t afford a visit any time soon, you can search a library’s
collection and (occasionally) submit e-mail queries, all from the comfort
of home.
Allen County Public Library (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
Family History Library (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Library of Congress Genealogy and Local History Reading Room (Washington, D.C.)
National Archives Genealogy Research Room (Washington, D.C.)
New York Public Library (New York, New York)
Yahoo!
Reference: Public Libraries
Find other public libraries' Web sites with this directory, to locate
hours of operation, searchable catalogs, and other useful information to
know before you go.
Visit the directory's main page if you
are looking for a different type of library (academic, archives, government,
etc).
Genealogy
Mailing Lists Tips & Etiquette
This page links to several articles on the subject of writing successful
genealogical queries to e-mail lists, genealogy message boards, and Usenet
newsgroups.
The ROOTS-L Home Page
ROOTS-L is the oldest, and largest, mailing list in existence on
the subject of genealogy. Make sure to check the Help Page before
writing your first query.
Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness
Like Genealogy Helplist, this site offers volunteer services of one
lookup per month...with the caveat that the receiver then perform a similar
search for someone else in need.
Practicing
Safe Genealogy
This site introduces the top online genealogy traps, such as hoaxes/scams,
e-mail viruses, and electronic privacy violations, and includes tips
on how to reduce your risk.
Cyndi's List: Myths,
Hoaxes and Scams
Scroll down past the advertisements for a list of links regarding
common myths of online genealogy, popular online scams, and ways to protect
yourself.
Twenty Ways to Avoid
Genealogical Grief
This article has been reprinted many times on the Web thanks to its
timeless, common-sense advice.
GenSuck.com: Controversial Issues about Genealogy The site itself is rarely updated, but the message boards are an active place for discussing matters such as paid subscriptions vs. free content, problems with major genealogy Web sites, and genealogy in general.
Guidelines
for Developing Beginning Genealogical Collections and Services
From the American Library Association's RUSA. Also available as a
PDF.
Librarians Serving Genealogists
Librarians' Guide to Helping Patrons with Genealogical Research
This page was created by Jennifer Behrens for a class taught at the Lockport Public Library on April 12, 2003. Annotations are the work of the author unless noted otherwise. Please do not duplicate them in whole or in part without the permission of the author. Thank you!
Links last updated March 11, 2008.