Find It! - Genealogy

Have you always wanted to know where your grandparents came from? Do you have a deep dark family secret that you want to research but don't know where to start? Do you like solving mysteries, then give genealogy a try. Our list of core genealogical reference tools was selected by genealogy librarians. If you're just getting started in genealogy, check out our beginner's guides. We also have suggestions for African-American, Hispanic, Jewish and Texas genealogy. There are also suggestions for searching obituaries. Finally, we have a number of books on genealogy in our collections.

American Family Immigration History Center - http://www.ellisislandrecords.org/

Search the Ellis Island passenger lists by name.

 

Ancestry.com - http://www.ancestry.com/main.aspx

Multiple databases, including U.S. Census and Social Security Death Index. Some databases on this site require payment.

 

Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet - http://www.cyndislist.com/

The most comprehensive directory of genealogy sites on the Internet.

 

Family Search - http://www.familysearch.org/

Information on starting genealogical research, research guides and forms, and the record collection of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

 

HeritageQuest

Provides a unique, continuously expanding collection of research materials for tracing family lineage and American culture. 25,000 family and local histories are already online, and the complete US Federal Census from 1790-1930, the American Revolutionary War Pension Applications & Bounty Land Warrant Applications, the complete Freedman's Bank Records, and ProQuest obituaries from more than 150 newspapers across America will all be added soon. New enhanced digital images of every page and new linked indexing provide comprehensive resources for genealogists and local historians. You will need your library card number and PIN to access this database.

 

National Archives and Records Administration Genealogy - http://www.archives.gov/research_room/genealogy/index.html

Includes information on the records available and forms to obtain them.

 

Roots Web - http://www.rootsweb.com/

Search multiple databases, others' research, and share your own family history.

 

Social Security Death Index - http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com/

Search the 70 million plus records in the SSDI.

 

The U.S. GenWeb Project - http://www.usgenweb.com/

Comprehensive genealogical project that links to state and local resources.

 

Vital Records Information - http://www.vitalrec.com/

Information on where to obtain vital records for the United States.

Getting Started

Cyndi's List - Beginners - http://www.cyndislist.com/beginner.htm

Offers links to a number of resources to help you get started.

 

Genealogy Beginners Guide - http://www.genealogybeginnersguide.com/

Offers general tips for beginning your search as well as specialized information for finding genealogical data from various countries.

 

Genealogy Learning Center - http://www.genealogy.com/genehelp.html

Tips for getting started, organizing your information, how to do research, and sharing your history.

Obituaries & Death Notices

Legacy.com

Nationwide resource for obituaries and guestbooks. Includes newspaper sites.

 

ObitsArchive.com

National search by name, date, and text.

African-American

AfriGeneas - http://www.afrigeneas.com/

Devoted to African-American genealogy with an excellent beginner's guide.

 

Christine's Genealogy Website - http://ccharity.com/

Offers news relating to African-American genealogy as well as resources for research.

Hispanic

Hispanic Genealogical Society - http://www.hispanicgs.com/

Headquartered in Houston, assists members in locating their family history.

 

Hispanic Genealogy Center Reference Center - http://www.hispanicgenealogy.com/refer1.htm

Resources to aid in Hispanic genealogy searches. Includes a beginners guide.

MexicoGenWeb Project - http://www.rootsweb.com/~mexwgw/

Information and resources for Mexican genealogy. In English and Español.

 

Spanish and Mexican Land Resources - http://www.glo.state.tx.us/archives/find_spanmex.html

Finding aid from the Texas General Land Office.

Jewish

The Genealogy Home page: Jewish Genealogy - http://www.genhomepage.com/jewish.html

Directory of Jewish genealogy sites.

 

JewishGen - http://www.jewishgen.org/

Extensive site with surname & town directory and variety of databases.

Texas

Clayton Library: Center for Genealogical Research - http://www.houstonlibrary.org/clayton/

Part of the Houston Public Library.

 

Galveston, Texas Passenger Lists - http://home.att.net/~wee-monster/galveston.html

Aid to finding passenger lists for the Port of Galveston.

 

Harris County Clerk - http://www.cclerk.hctx.net/

Information on obtaining birth and death certificates.  Also offers databases for births, deaths, marriages, and assumed names.

 

Harris County, Texas Genealogy - http://www.rootsweb.com/%7Etxharri2/

Part of the USGenWeb and TXGenWeb projects; links to genealogy resources.

 

Paul's Genealogy and Cemetery Project - http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~prsmith/

The location, and select photos, of cemetaries throughout Harris County.

 

Texas Bureau of Vital Statistics - http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/bvs/

Information on obtaining birth & death certificates, marriage and divorce reocrds, among others.

 

Texas Death Records

Search records from 1964 - 1998.

 

Texas Genealogy - http://www.rootsweb.com/~txgenweb/

Part of the USGenWeb project; links to genealogy resources.

 

Texas Genealogy Family Register - http://www.lsjunction.com/gen.htm

Board with postings from people searching for Texas ancestors.

 

Texas State Library and Archives Commission Genealogy - http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/arc/genfirst.html

Information on library resources