Genealogy Sources & Resources

So you've started with yourself and are ready to branch out!   Now, what?  Where?  WHO?

Well, the "who" and "what" are up to you.

Who do you want to work on?  Who do you feel you should work on?  Who is going to be the easiest?

There's tons of genealogy to go around, and in terms of getting ordinance work done, I always recommend starting with the easiest people first - the ones who have the most info on them. Start with prayer.

Then when you have decided that, working on the internet is one of the easiest places to start that allows the most work for the least effort.  Although there are times when gathering actual research is necessary and desirable, internet research is one of the easiest places to start.

First you need to know there are holding periods on certain documents that you won't easily have access to right away - for example, censuses are released 72 years after they've been compiled. In the State of Oregon, all birth records have a 100 year restriction on them, meaning unless they were born 100+ years ago, you won't be able to get them, and death records have a 50 year restriction on them. (Click here for other states' rules)  Neither of those are really a problem because we can't submit names for those born less than 110 years ago unless we are the closest living relative.

So where do we start?  All of the following links are on the right of the page so you don't have to go through here again to find them.  I recommend bookmarking these on your web browser to make it easier to find them and use them.


Probably the best and most versatile resource for family history that you will pay for.  An excellent investment. Costs ~$150/year or ~$23/month for access to US records, more for overseas (But VERY worth it!!!! Every penny!) Available for free at LDS family history centers.
*Allows you to download photographs of documents
*Order copies of the original documents
*Print documents
*Link to others' works on your family tree
*Create a family tree others can see online.

New Family Search often will have links or trees of you family already completed by others who've done work before you.  There are also a host of other records available for free.

While I find I upload more into New Family Search than I download, I have had some fantastic success with New Family Search – both on the research side and on the temple records side. To access the research side click “Family Search Web Site” on the main page.

Rootsweb is primarily a message/research board that allows genealogists to connect with one another and post info.  Great place when you're stumped to post a question and find some info, also you can sign up for mailing lists by surname so you are notified anytime someone has a find related to a particular family/branch/name.

More information than you can possibly sort through.  (HUGE!  You *will* get lost in here it's so large and comprehensive and huge and huge and huge and huge and HUGE!)‏ Free – BUT may cost money to access links. It links to the resources that store the info you're looking for – (e.g. Maryland Vital Records, Tillamook County Historical Records, personal published family trees)

The United States Newspaper Program is a cooperative national  effort among the states and the federal government to locate, catalog,  and preserve on microfilm newspapers published in the United States from the eighteenth century to the present.  Your local library may have collections of newspapers as well.  Definitely try the Multnomah County Library link at right.

OBITUARIES – Obituaries are an excellent source of info as they list churches, family, occupations, where born, where died, years of immigration and much much more! land recordedStuck?  Try an obituary! Definitely try the Multnomah County Library Link at the right.






LAND RECORDS!  Land records can help you establish time lines of residence, and other family life events & locations including schools, cemeteries, work – you name it!  People “lived” around where they lived! Got one of your immigrant family members who claimed they came to the US to meet a brother on 5th street in Chicago that nobody can find anything on? (I do!) Land records can help you with things like this! (Heck, you can build a legacy just off land records alone!)


The National Archives specifically has veterans records on file that you can request.  You can order medals – you name it!  In addition there are other genealogical resources, historical documents and more.  Another invaluable resource to use online or at one of the centers (If you're near DC, Atlanta or Anchorage).

There are no records of Indian genealogy before American record keeping began.  At some point in your genealogy, if your family has been in the US for any length of time, you're likely to come across a branch going back into “Indian Territory.”  While going “back” may not be possible, you can “branch forward” and “out” - it needn't be a “dead” end.

Looking to find what happened to your family in the civil war?  Civil war records can provide insight into pensions and family benefits and can be an indirect link to other family members.  Also if you can find where someone may have been killed in the war, you might find where they were buried.  You can also find survivor's records and enlistment papers.  A veritable smorgasbord of info!

Daughters/Sons of the American Revolution are lineage based membership organizations for women/men who are descended from a person involved in the American war for independence.  Like other sources, this can be used to establish identity or secure more information to spread your search out.  Given that many revolutionary patriots were first and second generation Americans, these can take you back overseas and provide a missing link!  I've found some impressive pedigree information off of DAR/SAR applications often going back seven and eight generations.

Millions of Americans came to the Land of the Free through Ellis Island.  The Ellis Island Foundation has links to ship passenger lists, immigration lists and records of entry. Operation as an immigration inspection station began in 1892. Wanna find out when someone got here and how they got here, or where they came from and branch back overseas? Try the Ellis Island Foundation!

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS!  
Another resource on just about anything you might like to look up. This can even include historical documentation on notable persons in your lineage who might have records on file here.

Museums, Libraries and Historical Societies.
Many museums and libraries have genealogy libraries in them.  You will often find original documents from local history.  If you call a museum to ask what they have, ask if they know anywhere else to look in your quest.  I've even found artifacts on display that belonged to my family in some museums I've been to! 

 Bring cash to pay for copies, paper or a laptop to take notes, if you have a portable scanner that hooks up to your laptop – that's just fantastic!  Plan on spending some time and go early because you'll probably have to do your research there and you'll get sucked into the work.  Be prepared to make an appointment.  Other times, you'll meet others working on the same family line and can compare notes or the librarian can help you network resources. Often they have many books particular to the genealogy of the region that branch back into other parts of the world.  Some resources are available only at that library and may not be available online, so going to a museum or library can be a worthwhile trip.

Can be used to research topics or garner sources in greater detail on various historical events, places or people.  Statistically said to have fewer errors than Encyclopedia Britannica.  Use it to learn about censuses, towns you are researching, particular names, battles, events - Wikipedia is an amazing resource!

Is a volunteer program to put genealogy resources onto the web to make them easier to find for free.  more links to county, city and state genealogy resource websites for free.

Provides links to the state archives of each state – including adoption records, probate records, you name it!  You may have to pay for the resources once you locate them. But, once you receive a document – scan it – and put it out on the web for others!

And here's where you can put it! Consider documenting your progress on the world wide web and putting your research where others can find it. Blogger will allow you to create a free blog.  I write about progress on my family history, upload photos and other information here that are a bit more difficult to find. It helps me keep track of where I am if I set my genealogy aside for a while.  It also allows me to write things easier than I might be able to otherwise such as stories from my family. (www.blogger.com).

These are just a few of the resources to use and is by no means the end, this is just the start, but it should put you on your way!