Ancestry Library

Start With Yourself

• Gather up records – school records, yearbooks, home addresses. Look at your birth certificate. Record your name, Place of Birth (POB), Date of Birth (DOB,) names of parents, ages of parents. Use one of the forms supplied by Ancestry.com. As you proceed with your research you will discover just how useful it is to have these forms handy when you work.
• Turn to your parents and/or other living relatives. They may be willing to dig out records and newspaper clippings, or they may just tell you what they know. The more you know the easier it will be to search Ancestry and collect source documents provided by Ancestry.com.
• Talk to older relatives. Ask them questions. Listen to their family stories. Ask your great-uncle about his relationship to the cousin mentioned in his favorite funny story. Pay attention to the stories. They are not only interesting; they can provide clues to the mysteries that often baffle researchers.
• Do you visit cemeteries with family members? Record information from headstones. Ask family members about deceased relatives. Cemetery visits provide good opportunities for family stories.
• Record as much information about family members, living and deceased, as you can;  names, POB, DOB, Date of Death (DOD,) Place of Death (POD,) Place of Marriage (POM,) Date of Marriage (DOM,) ages, schools, current and past residences and years of residency, jobs held  - anything and everything can help your search.

Genealogy Resource LInks

National Archives

The most comprehensive collection of beginner's guides, training resources, links to record collections and resources, record descriptions and more

Chronicling America - Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress.

Searchable by state, county and city. It lists all newspapers published in the US plus holdings information. NOT FULL TEXT – use when you need an article unobtainable through other sources (e.g. a small town historic newspaper that has never been digitized.) 

FamilySearch.org

Another comprehensive collection of training tools, resource links, record descriptions. FamilySearch requires that you set up an account if you wish to search its databases but there is no charge. In addition, you can set up an online family tree, as individual Ancestry subscribers can on Ancestry

United States Census Bureau. U.S. Census. History. Index of Questions

Best source for information about the U.S. census records and the information provided by these records - listed by decade

United States Census Bureau. State Censuses.

Alphabetical list of states with years of census

United States Genealogy by State. FamilySearch.

Click on any state and find links to genealogy for that state. Particularly useful for vital records

Resources for African American Genealogy Research

Family History Daily: African American Genealogy: A Guide to Finding Your Ancestors Online

Detailed and thorough; techniques, record types, links to databases and resources

Genealogy Research in Military Records. National Archives - guide to military records; searching for military records 

United States Military Online Genealogy Records - FamilySearch