Links

GENEALOGY: GENERAL

• Allen County Public Library’s Genealogy Section: This renowned collection includes more than 350,000 printed volumes and 513,000 items of microfilm and microfiche. Nice tips for beginners, too.
• Ancestor Hunt: Free genealogy search engines.
• Ancestry.com: Still the premier research site, but it has become quite pricey the last few years. When I started subscribing, it was only $65 a year. Still worth the investment for serious genealogists, but plan on paying about $300 annually for full access nowadays. I have learned a lot from the connections to distant cousins I have made online here and to me, it’s worth it. But if you’re on a budget, check out some of the less pricey options with reduced access.
• Board for Certification of Genealogists: Yes, you can get certified as a professional genealogist and get paid for performing research for others. There are many amazingly knowledgeable people who specialize in certain areas of the world, historic periods or even specific ethnic groups (African American, Native American, etc.) which have special research considerations and/or challenges.
• Castle Garden: America’s first immigration center. This and Ellis Island is where the American experience began for many immigrants to the United States.
• Cyndi’s List: If I had to pick just two sites, this would be one of them. And this one is FREE! Great resource for locating what’s out there in a single place. Definitely worth a visit periodically to check out what’s new.
• Ellis Island: Has a great database that comes in handy if you know your immigrant ancestor passed through Ellis Island.
• Library of Congress: There’s more here than just genealogy. It’s fun to look at the scope of what they have here. I have a lot of reverence for libraries – and this is one of our country’s great treasures, along with the National Archives. Here is their link to their Genealogy and Family History Reading Room. It’s worth a visit.
• National Archives: Democracy begins here is their site’s motto. Has a ton of really cool stuff. And they started several years ago to digitize a lot of their files. Someday a lot of their records will be available online for everyone to enjoy. If you are looking for military records, this is a great place to start.
• RootsWeb: Message boards and family trees are very valuable. An Ancestry.com community. Still a good resource.