Personal Essay: Information Resources

This will be the best resource for tracking down your family tree. Please note that Ancestry can only be used in school, so you won't be able to access the site from home.

Search through historical records, census data, and more to find your ancestors. Note: this site requires you to create a free account

Fold3 provides convenient access to military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served. This resource can only be accessed at school. *Requires Ancestry.com access.

Free family history and genealogy site

*Requires Ancestry.com access.

Search newspaper archives from across the country to find articles about your relatives! This resource can only be accessed in school. *Requires Ancestry.com access.

Search for burial sites and other information about deceased relatives here.

Complete records from the 1940 census- this is the most recent census to be made publicly available.

Resources for census records dating from 1790 to 1940.

Search portions of the census from past years

Includes online ideas for mapping out your family tree (you'll need to create a free account to access those).

Online encyclopedia providing basic information about countries

Use this database to find reference articles, maps, and more relating to your family's country or countries of origin.

This database focuses on information about different cultures.

Page from SHPL's website listing their resources for genealogy research. You'll need to go there to access one of them (Ancestry Library).

From the National Park Service. Note the "Heraldic Health Warning" towards the end.

Background information on the importance and meaning of family traditions

Breaks down information by content type, simplifying the research process.