In September, I wrote about my Link Collection to Various Genealogy & History Resources Online. This collection is my Diigo bookmark library targeted at genealogy. I created a list for each state, as well as a few countries and various topics. There is also a list for general genealogy resources. Over the last week or so, I have highlighted some of these lists. This is the last post in the series.
General Genealogy Resources
I currently have over 230 links in this category and am always adding to it. This list is the catch-all for the resources that don’t really fit into my other categories of location or topic. Here I’ll share some of my favorites as well as those that are unique.
Newberry Library: Research Guides – Tons of information on research in pretty much every topic you can imagine. Most guides discuss references that Newberry holds, but many can be found at other research libraries as well. Many of the guides also point to references outside of Newberry. If you need to get up to speed on a new topic in your genealogy research, this is the place to start!
Research Outlines – Hosted on the BYU website, these are a must-have resource, especially when you are working in a new state or country. Reading these guides will help save you time and energy by giving you a solid footing on researching in a particular location.
David Ramsey Map Collection – This “historical map collection has over 33,000 maps and images online. The collection focuses on rare 18th and 19th century North American and South American maps and other cartographic materials. Historic maps of the World, Europe, Asia, and Africa are also represented.”
Index to American Genealogies – Published in 1900, this book is an index to American families found in a variety of published materials such as county and town histories, biographies, and historical periodicals. It is arranged alphabetically by surname.
USGenWeb Project – A group of volunteers provide a website for just about every county in the country. For each county you might find general information, digital images of records, photographs, transcriptions and abstracts, and other reference materials.
Online Historical Directories Website – A listing of city directories that are available online. It’s always being updated so make sure to refer to it frequently.
Genealogy Book Links – A central repository (although not exhaustive) of links to genealogies, biographies, and histories online. Please note that many of the links point to the BYU collection, which I believe is now being hosted by FamilySearch. Therefore, if a link includes “byu” in the URL, head over to https://books.familysearch.org/ and search for the title of the book and you will be able to access it that way.
Linkpendium – This website is similar to Cyndi’s List with which you are probably familiar. One thing that makes it a little difference is that it is broken down by state, and then by county. There are also resources for the UK and Ireland, as well as links related to a particular surname.
List of Online Newspaper Archives – A Wikipedia listing of online resources for newspaper research by country and US state.
American Memory Collection – This is a project of the Library of Congress. “American Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. It is a digital record of American history and creativity. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America, serving the public as a resource for education and lifelong learning.” There are a variety of topics covered, including Women’s History, Native American History, and Immigration.
Hathi Trust Digital Library – You’ve probably heard of Google Books and Internet Archive, both of which have digitized books available online. You might not be familiar with Hathi Trust, which is similar. If you haven’t already, be sure to add this to your list of digital book collections when looking for a family or county history.
Visit General Genealogy Resources for the entire list of general resources, or visit my library to see my entire collection and other lists.
I’m always updating these resources, so be sure to check back regularly. To receive updates to the General Genealogy Resources list, you can subscribe via RSS. You can also subscribe to my entire collection at for updates to all of my lists.
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