Libraries
One of the best genealogical resources may be right in your own backyard: your public library. Your local library is a great place to check out a book on how to get started on your family history; however, public libraries offer so much more than books and other media. They often host community workshops on various subjects (including genealogy), children’s programs, and many are now offering a library of things. They also are a genealogist’s friend. At your local library you may find:
- ebooks & audiobooks that you can check out from home;
- Ancestry Library Edition;
- MyHeritage Library Edition, which I have found to be better than Newspapers.com when it comes to locating my ancestors in newspapers. Also, through my local library, I can access MyHeritage from home; and,
- a collection of genealogical & historical resources for your local area. Be sure to check your library’s website because some of these resources may be available online.
If you’re lucky enough to live nearby, your state library serves as a repository for all sorts of records, such as local history materials, including city and county histories, newspaper clippings, vital records, cemetery transcripts, and plat maps.
Even if you cannot visit in person, check out your state library’s website to see if they have digitized records that you can view online.
Finally, while most of us do not live near Washington DC, the Library of Congress’ digital collection offers a wide array of resources that are free to use, including family registers, family trees and photos, maps that document land ownership and more.
Books in the Public Domain
There are a ton of older local histories, biographies, and compiled genealogies* that are part of the public domain, and these books have come in very handy to me over the years. They can be found in several places around the internet, including Internet Archive, Google Books, HathiTrust, FamilySearch and university websites; however, I generally don’t go directly to any of these sites to locate a book. I usually know which book I want to look at, so I simply google the title, and if the book is in the public domain, I usually get a few different hits. I try to go with whichever site has an indexed (searchable) version of the book.
County Historical & Genealogical Societies
The volunteers at your local historical and/or genealogical society are incredible people who work hard to provide their communities with access to local genealogical and historical resources. Also, in my experience, they are passionate about what they do and are incredibly helpful in assisting the public in locating pertinent records and information.
Some of these societies even offer research services for those not in the area, where for a nominal fee, they will research their archives and send you photocopies of relevant records for a per-page fee. However, not all societies have the manpower to offer such services, so definitely check before you send a request.
Volunteers also spend a lot of time indexing their archives, so that they are searchable online. That way, you can see what information they have on your ancestor(s) prior to planning a visit. If you’re lucky, they may even have some records available online.
County Clerk’s Office
If your research is local, your local county clerk’s office may be the place to go for vital records. Many allow the public into their office to research their countywide birth, marriage, and death records. If you’re not in the area, and you know your ancestor’s birth/marriage/death date, many clerk’s offices will have a records request form available online, so that you can order records right from home. If you do not have this information some county clerk’s offices will do the research for you for free or for a nominal fee. Word of warning: whether you visit in person or request a record online, if you want a certified copy of that record, you will be charged, and they can cost as much as $30.00 per record.
Courthouses
Another county-level resource is the courthouse, where you may find the following records: vital (birth, marriage, and death), wills & probate, adoption, naturalizations, taxes, deeds, & more. If you are intimidated about going to a courthouse, you’re definitely not alone. Here is a book that may be helpful in preparation for your visit.
Family Surname Groups & Associations
In my experience, the best way to meet people online who are researching a surname you’re interested in is through DNA testing, but there will be more on that at a later time; this article is for free resources. For a free way to connect with others, it is a good idea to do some googling for any online groups that have been created for the surname you’re researching, such as a Facebook group.
Also, if there is a particular surname you’re really invested in researching, it may be worth it to see if there is a family association for that surname. While membership usually is not free, it may be worth it to pay $20.00 for an annual membership to access their ancestor database and newsletter archives (if they offer such things).
If you do not want to pay, these associations usually have Facebook groups. Also, you may still get lucky by sending an email request for information on a specific ancestor. I stumbled upon a family association that was incredibly helpful with an ancestor for whom I’d seemingly hit a dead-end. I could not figure out who his parents were for over ten years. After one email to the association’s head researcher, I was given the name of his parents, which opened up his family tree back to the 1600s. I then went ahead and joined for access to their huge database (to which I have since added many of my own ancestors and their families—with sources, of course). It was worth the $20.00 to me for the database alone.
I hope I have given you some valuable information today. While this is, by no means, an exhaustive list of resources, these are the resources that I have found to be the most helpful to me. Because I have agoraphobia from my car accident and have trouble leaving my home, I’ve included many resources available online. And, honestly, that’s how I have performed 100% of my research up to this point.
Next time I will be wrapping up my series on free resources by going over some miscellaneous websites that I have found to be helpful.
*Please remember that compiled genealogies are a secondary source, which can often contain inaccuracies despite how meticulously-researched they were at the time they were written. However, they can also be incredibly helpful for gleaning new information. Just try to corroborate that information with other sources—primary sources, if possible.