There is something incredibly interesting and rewarding about conducting a genealogy search. It allows you to get in touch with your past, encounter stories you never knew existed, and preserve history for future generations. With the rise of the internet, genealogy searches have never been easier. New resources, tools, and technologies are surfacing, and the capabilities and possibilities are seemingly endless. Why not start searching?
Different Resources
There are a variety of resources available for your search. Some are free and others carry price tags, but either way, you can find information. Here are a few popular resources:
- National Archives - While the National Archive’s site is very clear that it only has a limited amount of records online, it is still a valuable resource. It can help users find microfilm roll numbers for a records search, allows people to read articles about records, and provides ideas for types of records to investigate. The most commonly searched records are census records, military records, immigration records, naturalization records, and land records.
- FindAGrave.com - A much smaller venture, FindAGrave.com is a site founded with the mission of virtually recording, storing, and presenting information from the world’s cemeteries and graveyards. It can be a helpful tool in finding the graves of ancestors and loved ones. Best of all, it is a completely free resource.
- Ellis Island Records - Ellis Island is the mecca for ancestry records and genealogy searches. The website is a tremendous resource and allows users to search their deep database by passenger name, gender, and approximate year of birth. Advanced search options include search by ship, village, town, year of arrival, and ethnicity.
- Census Finder - Census records are incredibly useful for genealogical research. With the use of CensusFinder.com, you can categorize your search all the way down to the county level. This is a free tool with links to things like census indexes, census images, census transcriptions, and more.
- CourthouseDirect.com - Yes, your very own CourthouseDirect.com offers resources for genealogists. With access to resources like property documents, tax reports, deed and mortgage reports, mailing labels, and more, your genealogy search can reach new levels of detail. Our experienced team has knowledge in areas others don’t and we would be happy to give you personalized and detailed attention.
The search for genealogical records can be exciting, interesting, and sometimes breathtaking. Use some of these resources to aid your search and push you in the right direction.
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