ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
1
NumTitle / Link WebsitesCategoryTypeDescription
2
1Alexander StreetGeneralProQuest's Alexander Street products are curated, discipline-focused, primary-source collections, websites, and streaming media for learning and research.
3
1American AncestorsGeneralPayNew England Historic Genealogical Society
4
ANC ExplorerGeneralThis app, introduced in 2012, helps you explore the rich history of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Use it to search for gravesites and other points of interest, get step-by-step directions, view photos of markers and monuments, and follow self-guided tours.
5
1AncestryGeneralPayThis subscription behemoth ($149 for six months’ global access) includes more than 32,000 collections, with 2019 or early 2020 additions including Holocaust records, WWII draft files and 10 million English parish records. Also new is the ability to search for other members by name or common interests. Use the Ancestry mobile app to take your trees and research with you.
6
1ArchivesGenerealPayArchives, as the name suggests, is a huge database filled with information - over 11 billion records with photos, maps and architectural drawings to name a few more unique types. This is aimed at the ancestry buff who has already started building a family tree and has either reached a dead end of wants to dive deeper than the usual services can help with. This supports GEDCOM files so you can upload your tree and build on it from there
7
1Access GenealogyGeneralFreeThis grab-bag of free genealogy records keeps growing. Click the Databases tab to search data from Southern states, military records, small-town newspapers and the Guion Miller Roll index to Cherokee tribal members. The latter supplements what was already a must-bookmark site if you have Native American roots.
8
1FamilySearchGeneralFreeMore than 2,200 online collections (and growing) make this the internet’s largest home to free genealogy data, with recent updates spotlighting Italy, South America and US vital records. You can share and record your finds in family trees and a “Memories Gallery,” and get research help from the wiki.
9
1Find My PastGeneralPayBritish Isles ancestors, subscribing to this site ($179 annually for full access) is a must. (The site also has a pay-as-you-go credit system, if you’d prefer that flexibility.) Findmypast also offers US censuses and other records, Australian collections, DNA testing, improved newspaper search and a companion mobile app.
10
1Genealogical.comGeneralPayTap decades of the Genealogical Publishing Company’s expertise at this site, which sells books ranging from how-to advice to transcriptions of old records not available anywhere else. The $99.95/year ePub subscription offers digital access to more than 740 titles, including The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy by Val D. Greenwood and Evidence! by Elizabeth Shown Mills.
11
1Genealogy TodayGeneral
12
1GoogleGeneralFreeWe’re emphasizing genealogy-focused sites in this list, but can’t omit this omnipresent search engine, which also offers mapping, book searching, translation, email and much more.
13
1HeritageQuest OnlineGeneralFree (Library)Free to your home computer courtesy of your library card via participating institutions, HeritageQuest is now “powered by” (but not owned by) Ancestry.com. This partnership has dramatically expanded its half-dozen collections to a sort of “Ancestry.com lite,” including the complete US census, military and immigration records, and city directories. Click Search and scroll all the way to the bottom to unlock more US records as well as selected foreign databases.
14
1Internet ArchiveGeneralSort of like a Google that has time travel, the “Wayback Machine” here archives and searches more than 401 billion sites from the past. The main site also serves up a wealth of digital documents, including family and local histories, as well as goodies ranging from old-time radio to patents.
15
1JSTORGeneralAccess to thousands of professional journals including genealogy
16
1LinkpendiumGeneralDeveloped and is maintained by Brian and Karen Leverich, the original developers of RootWeb. (They’ve been around the genealogy-on-the-Internet space for awhile!) Linkpendium is a curated list of more than 10 million genealogy websites from the US and UK and family/surname websites. What’s really cool is that it has a built in search engine. So it’s kind of like Google specifically for genealogy. You can do a search for your ancestor’s name and it will search across those websites that they have listed in Linkpendium
17
1MyHeritageGeneralPayBuild your tree here, get your DNA tested ($79) and use SuperSearch to scour more than 10 billion records, including Scandinavian and French collections. Alerts link these elements, and a DNA hinting tool reconstructs possible tree relationships between genetic matches. Plus, a powerful mobile app puts most site features in the palm of your hand. Complete access to records and unlimited tree building costs $299 per year.
18
1MyTreesGeneralPayMyTrees has been around since 1996 and the dated website sure does look like it's had little love. That said, the records are decent with plenty to pick from, including search assistance and access to professional help. Over 1billion records
19
1USGenWeb GeneralFreeThis volunteer site recently celebrated its 20th birthday with a mobile-friendly update. Its state and county pages and special projects remain as vibrant as ever. Just found an ancestor who lived in, say, Stone County, Ark.? There’s a page for that, as for almost every other place your family may have landed.
20
2BillionGravesRecordsFreeBilling itself as the world’s largest resource for searchable GPS cemetery data, BillionGraves invites users to contribute to its ambitious goal using a free app. Even if you don’t, you can easily search others’ uploads. A “Plus” upgrade ($54.99 annually) lets you check family and neighboring plots and get notifications of additions.
21
2Blacksheep AncestorsRecordsMaybe the solution to your pedigree puzzle lies in this site’s tales of outlaws and pirates or records of prisons, courts, executions and insane asylums. You’ll find these “black sheep” here in links and lists for the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.
22
2BYU IdahoRecordsFreeFind your ancestors’ marriage records in 12 Western states among the 913,000 searchable entries here.
23
2Cemetery Junction:RecordsMany of the cemeteries in this directory are linked to transcriptions entered by volunteers, so please remember to thank the individuals who took the time to prepare them.
24
2Endangered Archiuves ProgramRecordsprimarily funds digitization projects to record and preserve the content of archives; includes great archival material for the Turks & Caicos.
25
2Find A GraveRecordsFreeHome to an ever-growing collection of searchable cemetery records since 1995, this site now tops 180 million volunteer transcriptions of the dearly departed.
26
2Historic Oakland CemteryRecordsThis app takes cemetery visitors on a tour of more than 60 points of interest throughout Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery, including the “Original Six Acres,”
27
2iCemeteryRecordsiOS FreeCanadians will find this app handy for searching for loved ones in cemeteries from six locations in Canada, including Woodlawn Cemetery in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; and Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver, British Columbia
28
2CWBC War GravesRecordsiOS , Android, FreeThe Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s free War Graves app lets you search for graves of 1.7 million British casualties of the World Wars in more than 23,000 cemeteries, memorials and other locations in 153 countries
29
2Interment.netRecordsGoing beyond volunteer efforts, this 20-year-old site adds cemetery and other death records from fraternal groups, historical societies and government data. Check the advanced search tips to unlock the site’s powerful finding abilities.
30
2Magazine of Early American Datasets Records
31
2Olive Tree Genealogy  RecordsFreeSince its launch in 1996, this modest website has grown into a useful collection of how-to help and databases. It’s strongest on passenger records, heritage groups such as Palatines and American Indians, and less-familiar records, such as those for residents of orphans and almshouses.
32
Political Graveyard:RecordsFreeThe Internet's Most Comprehensive Source of U.S. Political Biography
33
2Reclaim the RecordsRecordsNew York state death indexes, New Jersey marriages, post-1920 Missouri births and New York City marriages are just the latest success stories from this nonprofit public-records advocacy group. It liberates records—more than 25 million so far—using freedom of information laws and open-data requests.
34
3Facebook Family Tree & SharingFreeNot just for posting political rants and pictures of your kids, the world’s biggest social networking site is also a useful tool for finding cousins and sharing research finds. All your favorite genealogy organizations (including Family Tree Magazine) have pages as well.
35
3GeniFamily Tree & SharingNow connecting more than 200 million individuals worldwide, this free family tree site makes it easier to involve other family members.
36
3Pinterest Family Tree & SharingFree
37
3RootsWeb Family Tree & SharingFreeThis venerable free site still serves up how-to articles, databases of surnames and US locations, mailing lists, pedigree files and much more—making it an oldie but a goodie.
38
Tombstone Transcription Project:Family Tree & SharingFree
39
3Treelines Family Tree & SharingFreeWinner of the Developer Challenge at FamilySearch’s 2013 RootsTech conference, Treelines takes a narrative approach to online family trees, helping you turn your pedigree charts into ancestral stories.
40
3TribalPagesFamily Tree & SharingFree
41
3TwileFamily Tree & SharingBuild and share an interactive family tree that combines your ancestry with world events.
42
3WeRelate Family Tree & SharingfreeThis wiki-style project from the Foundation for On-Line Genealogy has pages for more than 2.8 million ancestors of its members.
43
3WikiTree Family Tree & SharingThis shared family tree includes more than 13 million profiles contributed by more than 400,000 genealogists from around the world. Don’t let the sharing scare you, though: Modern family histories are private; as you go back in time, the privacy controls open up.
44
4Dear MyrtleGenealogy News and BlogsCousin Russ and I are pleased to share news of an upcoming free training webinar for Zoom Hosts wishing to add live CC to their upcoming Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinars.
45
4DNAeXplainedGenealogy News and BlogsTimely news on any changes in DNA websites
46
4Eastman’s Online Genealogy NewsletterGenealogy News and BlogsDick Eastman has been keeping us in the know about genealogy—especially tech tools—for more than 20 years. Get the latest on data additions, events, software and more.
47
4GeneaBloggersGenealogy News and BlogsAre you blogging, vlogging, podcasting or telling stories about family history on social media? We’d love to have you join us. Click below to fill out our form and have your site added to our roll or to become a premium member.
48
4Genas GenealogyGenealogy News and BlogsWhere every day is dedicated to women's history/genealogy
49
4Genealogy BargainsGenealogy News and BlogsStop here before you shop to discover daily deals on DNA services, webinars, books, tech tools and all things genealogical.
50
4Genealogy GemsGenealogy News and BlogsFamily Tree Magazine’s own Lisa Louise Cooke serves up podcasts, videos, how-to articles and getting-started guides.
51
4Genealogy GuysGenealogy News and BlogsThe titular guys—George G. Morgan and Drew Smith—have been podcasting about genealogy since 2005, sharing news, tips, reviews and interviews. Rather read than listen? Check out their blog .
52
4Genealogy ReporterGenealogy News and BlogsNews about upcoming Genealogy events
53
4GenealogyBank Blog:Genealogy News and Blogs
54
4Genea-MusingsGenealogy News and BlogsPacked with content, Randy Seaver’s charming blog mixes his own family history finds with the latest record additions, webinar schedules, tips and upload updates.
55
4Homestead HebrewsGenealogy News and Blogs
56
4JSTOR Daily:Genealogy News and Blogs
57
4Legal GenealogistGenealogy News and BlogsThe Legal Genealogist for authoritative but readable commentary on breaking genealogy news and current issues.
58
4The Life WriterGenealogy News and BlogsIf (instead of research) you need help with writing it all down, this site serves up 440 lifestory questions to answer by text or audio-to-text transcription. Your content gets automatically organized into chapters like a memoir book. A onetime fee of $95 lets you access it all.
59
4North Carolina State Archives Blog –Genealogy News and Blogs
60
4RootsTechGenealogy News and BlogsRelive this annual Salt Lake City conference—and its London offshoot—or see what you missed in the video archives.
61
4The Social HistorianGenealogy News and Blogs
62
5Access GenealogyUS BasedFreeSpecializing in US research, this free site stands out for yearbooks and directories, Native American records, land management tract books, and family and local histories.
63
5American AncestorsUS BasedPayAmerican AncesTREES, a family-tree-building platform launched in 2019, enhances this site from the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Though strongest on Yankee roots—definitely worth $94.95 per year if you’ve got New England ancestors—its more than 450 collections, totaling over 1.4 billion names, touch on most states.
64
5Castle GardenUS BasedFree
65
5Genealogy TrailsUS BasedLaunched 20 years ago as a volunteer transcription site for Illinois data, this site has expanded nationwide over the years. No scanned images here, just transcriptions galore—from Alcatraz prisoners and muster rolls to obituaries and heirloom recipes.
66
5germanroots.comUS BasedOnline Birth & Marriage Records Indexes for the USA
67
5Historical MarkersUS Based
68
5National Archives and Records Administration US BasedFreeRead all about the genealogical treasures stored at the National Archives, order military and other records, and browse historical maps and photos. Access to Archival Databases serves up files ranging from WWII enlistments to passenger lists for millions of German, Irish, Russian and Italian immigrants.
69
5DeathindexesUS BasedOnline Searchable Death Indexes and Records
70
5Native Land – Indigenous Map US Based
71
5Online Birth and Marriage RecordsUS BasedOnline Birth & Marriage Records Indexes for the USA a genealogy guide for finding vital records
72
5The Social Historian
73
5Statue of Liberty & Ellis IslandUS BasedFreeNo longer limited to Ellis Island passengers, this site now hosts 65 million records of arrivals through the Port of New York dating back to 1820.
74
5US CensusUS BasedFreeGives unique youtube talks on the various US Census records
75
5USGenWeb US BasedFreeThis volunteer site recently celebrated its 20th birthday with a mobile-friendly update. Its state and county pages and special projects remain as vibrant as ever. Just found an ancestor who lived in, say, Stone County, Ark.? There’s a page for that, as for almost every other place your family may have landed.
76
5vitalrec.comUS BasedUnited States Birth Certificates, Death Records & Marriage Licenses
77
6AfriGeneasAfrican American“AfriGeneas is a site devoted to African American genealogy, to researching African Ancestry in the Americas in particular and to genealogical research and resources in general. It is also an African Ancestry research community featuring the AfriGeneas mail list, the AfriGeneas message boards and daily and weekly genealogy chats.” This website is a must for your research and continuing education. Don’t forget to explore the Records section for databases such as the Death Records Database that includes African American Obituaries, Funeral Programs And Cemetery Records or the Surnames Database and Registry with over 56, 000 African American surnames
78
6AfricaMapAfrican AmericanFrom place names to trade routes, Adamawa to Voltaic tribes, this stunning site from Harvard’s Center for Geographical Analysis and its partners traces the slave trade.
79
6Enslaved.orgAfrican AmericanFreeWith the help of scholars, educators, and family historians, Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade (Enslaved.org) is rapidly expanding in 2021. We are building a robust, open-source architecture to discover, connect, and visualize 600,000 (and growing) people records and 5 million data points
80
6FamilySearch Research Wiki African American GenealogyAfrican AmericanFreeFamilySearch is a starting point for most research and the Wiki is your guide. The African American FamilySearch wiki page is a must with its links explaining record types that will help you research your African American genealogy. Don’t forget to explore the Finding Aid links to places like archives and libraries and internet sources for even more resources. This wiki page and its links provide a book-length treatment on African American family history.
81
6Digital Black HistoryAfrican AmericanThis website is a free, searchable directory for online history projects that can help further Black History research. This ongoing project was created to collect information about these digital Black History projects in order to benefit historians, genealogists, and family historians who are researching the lives of Black individuals and families.
82
6Digital Library on American SlaveryAfrican AmericanCollections here include petitions about 150,000 individuals from court and legislative documents, information on 35,000 slave-trade voyages, and North Carolina runaway-slave advertisements and deeds.
83
6Frederick Douglass NewspapersAfrican American
84
6Freedmen’s Bureau ProjectAfrican AmericanThis volunteer project has indexed nearly 1.8 million individuals found in records from the Freedmen’s Bureau, created after the Civil War to assist formerly enslaved African Americans.
85
6Freedom on the MoveAfrican American
86
6Heinonline Slavery in America and the WorldAfrican American
87
6International African American Museum Center for Family HistoryAfrican AmericanThis handsome site is home to photos, videos, articles, a helpful blog and a growing collection of funeral programs, obituaries, historical documents and family histories.
88
6Last Seen Finding Family After laveryAfrican American
89
6Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & LawAfrican AmericanFree registration unlocks access to 1.1 million pages from 11,110 volumes about slavery.
90
6Slave VoyagesAfrican AmericanEXPLORE THE DISPERSAL OF ENSLAVED AFRICANS ACROSS THE ATLANTIC WORLD
91
6St John Fisher Collection African American
92
7aEllis IslandImmigrationWelcome to the Ellis Island Passenger and Ship Search database. Our 65 million records cover passengers arriving to the Port of New York from 1820 to 1957. This service will soon migrate to the Foundation’s new website. In the meanwhile, the database will remain active and free for all to use.
93
7aImmigrant Ships Transcribers GuildImmigration18,000+ Passenger Manifests in 18 Volumes plus numerous other passengers listed in Special Projects.
94
7aOnline Searchable Naturalization RecordsImmigrationPlaces to Find U.S. Naturalization Records and Indexes Online
95
7aUS Migration Trails and RoadsImmigrationTable of trails
96
7American Battle Monuments CommissionMilitarySearch for the overseas burial sites of more than 200,000 Americans who died in the two World Wars, and plan your trip to these cemeteries.
97
7American Revolutionary WarMilitary
98
7American Revolutionary War Soldiers & Their Descendants
99
7Civil War Soldiers and Sailors SystemMilitaryFind your Union or Confederate ancestor in this database of 6.3 million men from 44 states and territories, then read about their regiments in more than 4,000 unit histories.
100
7Daughters of the American RevolutionMilitaryThis venerable organization’s Genealogical Research System lets you search for Revolutionary War patriots, their descendants and DAR members’ links to them. You can also explore more than 80,000 Bible records, the DAR library catalog, and back issues of American Spirit magazine.