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Stumped where to begin your ancestry research?
As part of my A to Z Challenge about Family History, I would like to share with you 7 of my all-time favorite FREE Ancestry Research Links.
With these links, I have been able to score some of my favorite archival facts. And without spending a $0.01.
The Birkenhördt Project
The Birkenhördt Project is a non-commercial project committed to documenting all genealogical relationships in the Southern Palatinate (Südpfalz and the French district of Bas-Rhin).
This has been extremely helpful to fill in some holes in my paternal family line (we are descendants of Christian Eberle of Eschbach, Pfalz).
Burdick Family Association
The Burdick Family Association (established in 1651) is dedicated to the genealogy of the Burdick family in North America.
As a descendant of Elizabeth Burdick (born in the 1750s), I have found this free resource to be extremely helpful to discover both my family’s Burdick line and the Maxson line (her spouse’s family). Features of the website include:
- History: Learn about the history of the Burdick family beginning with its roots in Newport, Rhode Island in 1651 with the arrival of Robert Burdick of England.
- Related Families: All of the old Colonial families are related and here you will find links to families closely related to the Burdicks.
- Genealogy Links: There are many, many online resources available to anyone seeking their own family roots. This is a list of sites and organizations that Burdick family members have found to be useful and recommend.
- Burdick Links: As you read more about the Burdick family you will learn there are a lot of us doing great things on the Internet, from business to charity work to family research. Here is a list of currently active Burdick sites.
Cyndi’s List
If you’ve been around the genealogical community at all, you’ve probably heard of Cyndi’s List.
Cyndi’s List includes the following FREE resources:
- A categorized & cross-referenced index to genealogical resources on the Internet.
- A list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online.
- A free jumping-off point for you to use in your online research.
- A “card catalog” to the genealogical collection in the immense library that is the Internet.
- Your genealogical research portal onto the Internet.
Family Search
FamilySearch is a FREE nonprofit family history organization – provided by the Mormon Church – dedicated to connecting families across generations and featuring over 4+ billion names from around the world.
And did you know that even if you are not a member of the Mormon Church, you can still make an appointment at your local ward’s family history center to do research after the Covid-19 lockdowns have lifted?
New York Heritage
New York Heritage is a portal for learning more about the people, places, and events that contributed to the making of New York State.
It’s been so fun to find classic yearbooks featuring my great-aunts and uncles. And to see photographs
Internet Archive
You’ll either love or hate the free Internet Archive.
I am personally extremely grateful to Internet Archive where I’ve been able to read and search records such as “The Brewster Genealogy, 1566-1907: A record of the descendants of William Brewster of the ‘Mayflower'”.
And I love that you can search the record when reading on Internet Archive. For instance, I searched the word “Dayton” and it came up with 7 records I could click on.
Peoria County Genealogical Society
The Peoria County Genealogical Society‘s mission is to identify, preserve and share the heritage of our Peoria County ancestors.
It has been so wonderful to see old city photographs and read about the city’s history. You might not be connected to someone in Peoria but you can definitely check out the local genealogical society where your ancestors hail from. Also, consider checking the local library in your ancestors’ communities.
More Ancestry Research Links and Reads
- 8 Great Tips for Family History Research
- 4 Ancestry Resources for Kids
- 5 Tips for Successfully Using ANCESTRY.COM
- 5 Movies and TV Shows About Genealogy.
Sharing is Caring
Question for Thought
What are some of YOUR favorite ancestry research links?
This is super interesting, thanks for sharing!
You are right about these resources. I bookmarked a few. These links will come in handy.
It’s very interesting to find out more about one’s ancestors. To some people, DNA tests have brought such a surprise.
It must be so overwhelming to find helpful resources when doing genealogical research. This is a great list giving researchers a nice starting point. Weekends In Maine
These are very cool! I did a DNA test last year and really enjoyed it. Was even able to connect with a distant family who had a completed chart of my grandmother. Pretty cool!
a dna test? that is awesome!! so excited you were able to connect w/ a distant relative!!
This is very interesting! One way of getting to know one’s self better. I’ll give it a go.
yay. Enjoy! i hope you have a fun time giving it a go.
Wow this is so interesting. I tried researching at some point of time too.
did you have any success, Raksha? find any useful and interesting resource online?