January 30, 2012

Marriage Index: Illinois, 1851-1900

This database contains information on approximately 707,000 individuals who were married in Illinois between 1851 and 1900. It is a great resource because it brings together previously uncollected marriage records from fifty-eight Illinois counties...

January 29, 2012

Marriage Index: Alabama, 1800-1900s

This database contains information on approximately 179,000 individuals who were married in Alabama between 1800 and 1900. It offers information on marriages that took place before marriage licenses were required and brings together previously uncollected information from forty-one Alabama counties...

Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

January 27, 2012

How to Find a Birth, Marriage or Death Record in Pennsylvania.

Finally, from Pennsylvania -- it's a whole new collection of birth, marriage and death records. A short overview of how to find a BMD in PA, the challenges, etc...

Click Here to watch the video.

View additional Pennsylvania lookup databases:

Pennsylvania Colonial Records, 1600s-1800s
The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, Vols. 1-39, 1650-1900s
East Pennsylvania, 1870 Census Index
West Pennsylvania, 1870 Census Index
Pennsylvania, 1850 Census Microfilm Records
Pennsylvania Colonial Records, 1600s-1800s
Land Records: Bucks and Lancaster Co., 1682-1825
Pennsylvania Family Histories #1, pre-1600 to 1900s
Pennsylvania Biographies and Genealogies, 1600s-1800s
Egle's Notes and Queries of Pennsylvania, 1700s-1800s
Pennsylvania Family Histories #1, pre-1600 to 1900s
Pennsylvania Vital Records, 1700s-1800s
Church Records: Adams, Berks, and Lancaster Counties, Pennsylvania, 1729-1881
Pennsylvania German Church Records, 1729-1870
Pennsylvania, 1740-1900 County and Family Histories
The Encyclopedia of Quaker Genealogy, 1740-1930
Immigrants to Pennsylvania, 1600s-1800s
Passenger and Immigration Lists: Philadelphia, 1800-1850
Naturalization Records: Philadelphia, 1789-1880

Marriage Index: North Carolina, 1851-1900

Marriage indexes can save you research time by telling you that a particular marriage record containing your ancestor's name exists. With the information provided, you may be able to find a newspaper announcement, which may provide more details about the bride, groom, and their families.

Listings Include:
- Full names of both spouses.
- Date of the marriage.
- Township in which the marriage was recorded.
- Location of the Family History Library microfilm, microfiche, or book referencing the marriage. 

January 25, 2012

Marriage Index: Arkansas, 1850-1900

This database contains information on approximately 287,000 individuals married in Arkansas. Because this database compiles and indexes marriage records collected at the county level, it makes it easier than ever to locate your family among local records.

Compared to another Arkansas marriage 1779-1992 index, This Database has more extensive and concentrated coverage of the entire state. It references 287,000 individuals from the years 1850-1900 while Arkansas marriage 1779-1992 index only has 154,000 individuals from a period spanning more than a 200 years. 

January 24, 2012

One search. Multiple data sources. Infinite possibilities.

Archives.com makes it easier than ever to search for your family. There are many useful family history websites online, but it's very time-consuming to search each of them individually. When you search from Archives.com, you'll get results from the most popular websites all at once.

- Comprehensive:
Hundreds of millions of records at your fingertips.

- Accurate:
Advanced algorithms bring back the closest matches.

- Fast:
Search results returned in a few seconds.

Marriage Index: Indiana, 1851-1900

This database contains information on approximately 292,000 individuals who were married in Indiana between 1851 and 1900. It includes previously uncollected information from thirty-six Indiana counties.

Listings Include:- Name of each spouse.
- Marriage date Location of the marriage County where the marriage was recorded.
- Where to find copies of your ancestor's original marriage record so that you can obtain even more detailed family history information.

Marriage Index: Mississippi and Florida, 1800-1900

This database contains information on approximately 154,000 individuals who were married between 1800 and 1900 in Mississippi and 37,000 individuals who were married between 1823 and 1900 in Florida (191,000 individuals total). It brings together previously uncollected marriage records and gives you easy access to information that you would otherwise need to obtain from a county office.

Listings Include:- Name of each spouse.
- Marriage date Location of the marriage County where the marriage was recorded.
- Where to find copies of your ancestor's original marriage record so that you can obtain even more detailed family history information.

January 22, 2012

Marriage Index: West Virginia, 1863-1900

This database contains information on approximately 177,000 individuals who were married between 1863 and 1900 in select West Virginia counties. Fully indexed, it is a great resource because it brings together previously uncollected marriage records and gives you easy access to information that you would otherwise have to obtain from local sources.

Information was collected from the following West Virginia counties:
*Barbour *Jackson *Roane *Boone *Kanawha *Summers *Brooke *Lewis *Taylor *Calhoun *Marion *Tyler *Clay *Marshall *Upshur *Doddridge *Mason *Wayne *Fayette *Nicholas *Wetzel *Gilmer *Pleasants *Wirt *Greenbrier *Raleigh *Wyoming *Hampshire *Randolph *Harrison *Ritchie

Since all but three of West Virginia's counties were established prior to June 20, 1863 (when West Virginia was admitted to the Union), counties in existence prior to this date were governed by the same laws as other Virginia counties. In 1853, Virginia began requiring county clerks to keep marriage registers and issue marriage licenses. Individuals who applied for a license between May and June of 1863 may appear in Virginia records as well as West Virginia records. In rare cases, a marriage license may have been applied for in Virginia but recorded in West Virginia.

Listings Include:
- Name of each spouse.
- Marriage date
- County where the marriage was recorded.
- Where to find copies of your ancestor's original marriage record so that you can obtain even more detailed family history information.

Researching Ireland at Home and Abroad

Sometimes the hardest part of Irish research is actually deciding where to begin and at what point enough information has been gathered so that efforts can move into Irish records. But, the search for Irish origins is a combined research effort in the country where an immigrant settled, and in Irish records-preferably in that order. The biggest mistake a researcher can make when beginning Irish research is to "jump over the water" too quickly. If Irish records are examined prematurely, efforts can quickly come to a stand still... Read More

January 21, 2012

Marriage Index: New Jersey, 1680-1900

This database brings together previously uncollected marriage records for approximately 179,000 individuals married in New Jersey between 1680 and 1900.

Listings Include:- Name of each spouse.
- Marriage date Location of the marriage County where the marriage was recorded.
- Where to find copies of your ancestor's original marriage record so that you can obtain even more detailed family history information. 

Childhood Diseases in the Victorian Age

Children in the nineteenth century faced tremendous physical hazards that are almost unimaginable in today's world. Long before they would ever reach the age where they could enter the workforce they had to survive the variety of epidemic diseases that ravaged America throughout the Victorian era. Our ancestors' children became so accustomed to seeing horse-drawn hearses on a regular basis that they developed a game called Funerals, just as children today play Doctor or House.

From the great epidemic diseases to more common illnesses that still afflicted children well into the twentieth century, sickness put young children and their families at great risk for much of the nineteenth century. Since poorly-trained physicians had no knowledge of vitamins, nor did they understand the benefits of bathing, general health remained questionable throughout the century... Read More

Genealogical Records: New York, 1675-1920

This database is a comprehensive index of more than 600,000 individuals who lived in New York between 1675 and 1920. It indexes a broad range of New York records including passenger lists, land records, city directories, and census records. This index helps you locate a particular individual at a specific place and point in time.

Listings Include:
In general, each record in the index tells you about an event, giving the individual's name and the year and location in which the event took place. Each record typically also tells you what the source of this information is, so you can refer to the original materials for more detailed information about the individual. Knowing a name, location, and year may help you find your ancestor in other records of genealogical value, which are not necessarily included in this index...

January 19, 2012

Remembering World War II

I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was a ten-year-old studying for a World War II unit test in the front room. As I struggled to memorize the strange names and places with which I had no associations, I became frustrated. In time, my father heard my complaints and came to my rescue. Taking my sheet of terms, he quizzed me on Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, even the four beaches assaulted on D-day. Then he asked me where the Battle of the Bulge took place. I was stumped. "I can’t remember it all, Dad," I said feebly.

With an intensity in his eyes that I rarely saw, he said, "You can never forget the Battle of the Bulge! I was there. Very few of my comrades returned home. I was the lucky one. If you forget everything else, never forget the Battle of the Bulge." Suddenly, that battle was real. It was no longer a piece of world history written on the pages of my fourth-grade textbook. My dad was there... Read More

A Korean War Story

Nicolas "Nick" Garza was a PFC and a member of Co. C, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. On July 5, 1950, Nick was defending a position about two miles north of Osan, South Korea. It was overrun, and he was captured by North Korean forces. Nick and the other POWs were moved from place to place until the “Tiger Death March” commenced on Oct. 31st. The POWs were forced to marched through mountainous terrain in sub-zero weather for 108 miles. The POWs who survived were taken to a prisoner of war (POW) camp at Hanjang-ni. There was no heat, food, or medical attention. Nick died of malnutrition and dysentery on Dec. 20, 1950 and was buried in the mass graves at the POW camp.

The remains of many men who died in the Korean conflict have yet to be returned by North Korea. Both of Nick’s sisters joined the Dept. of Defense DNA Registry so that if the North Korean government ever repatriates his remains, Nick can be identified. The Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory will send a kit and instructions to "family members of military personnel whose remains have not been recovered or identified from Southeast Asia, Cold War incidents, Korea, and World War II." If you would like to submit a sample, write to... Read More

January 18, 2012

Marriage Index: Georgia, 1851-1900

This database contains information on approximately 277,000 individuals who were married in Georgia between 1851 and 1900. It is a great resource because it includes information on marriages that occurred before marriages were registered with the state and brings together previously uncollected marriage records.

Listings Include:- Name of each spouse.
- Marriage date.
- Location of the marriage.
- County where the marriage was recorded.
- Source of the original marriage record.
- Where to find copies of your ancestor's original marriage record so that you can obtain even more detailed family history information.

Marriage Index: Ohio, 1851-1900

This database contains information on approximately 272,000 individuals who were married in Ohio between 1851 and 1900. It includes information on marriages that occurred before marriage licenses were required and brings together previously uncollected information.

Listings Include:- Name of each spouse.
- Marriage date Location of the marriage County where the marriage was recorded.
- Source of the original marriage record.
- Where to find copies of your ancestor's original marriage record so that you can obtain even more detailed family history information. 


January 17, 2012

Marriage Index: Tennessee, 1851-1900

This database contains information on approximately 439,000 individuals who were wed in Tennessee. Tennessee's settlers came largely from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. In addition, many Scotch-Irish traveled through the Shenandoah Valley to reach Tennessee territory. The state's marriage records have been maintained consistently throughout its history and marriages that occurred between 1851 and 1900 in selected Tennessee counties have been included in this datebase...

Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

Marriage Index: Missouri, 1851-1900

Missouri's central location attracted settlers from many different locations including New England, the Ohio Valley, the Appalachian region, the South, as well as Germany and other European nations. Because of this, Missouri family history information will be of interest to a great many researchers. This database contains information on approximately 409,000 individuals who were married in Missouri between 1851 and 1900. It includes information on marriages that occurred before marriage licenses were required and brings together previously uncollected information...

Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

January 16, 2012

Marriage Index: Kentucky, 1851-1900

This database contains information on approximately 318,000 individuals who were married in sixty-two Kentucky counties between 1851 and 1900... 

Marriage Index: Massachusetts, 1633-1850

This database contains an index to approximately 837,500 marriage records for individuals from Massachusetts who were married between 1633 and 1850. Records indexed may not be comprehensive for the time and region covered...

January 15, 2012

Battle of Gettysburg

After his victory in the battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate general Robert E. Lee undertook a second invasion of the North. The reorganized Army of Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac (June 17) via the Shenandoah valley, which Richard S. Ewell (2d Corps), as leader of the advance, swept clear of Union forces. By late June, Ewell was seriously threatening Harrisburg, Pa., while Lee, with James Longstreet (1st Corps) and A. P. Hill (3d Corps), was at Chambersburg, Pa. However, with the absence of his cavalry under J. E. B. Stuart, which was raiding in the area between Washington and the position of the Union army, Lee was unable to determine the enemy's strength and movements.

When he finally learned that George G. Meade was concentrating N of the Potomac, he ordered the concentration of his own force. Meade, intending to make his stand at Pipe Creek in Maryland, sent ahead John F. Reynolds, commanding the left wing. But on July 1, John Buford's cavalry, covering Reynolds, came into contact with Harry Heth's division of Hill's corps on the Chambersburg pike just W of Gettysburg. The environs of Gettysburg thus became the unintended site of the greatest battle of the war (July 1–3, 1863).

The Gettysburg Times (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)

Gettysburg Campaign:
Brandy Station - Winchester II - Aldie - Middleburg - Upperville - Hanover -
Gettysburg -  Williamsport - Boonsboro - Manassas Gap

January 13, 2012

Start your family tree.

It's fun and free! Build it, share it, and trace your roots; use our family history database
of vital records, newspaper images, and census data to discover your ancestors' world...

Click Here

Marriage Index: KY, NC, TN, and VA, 1660-1850

This database contains indexes to approximately 1,200,000 individuals from 333 counties in five states. Some Tennessee marriage records are from newspaper collections. Some Virginia records are from ecclesiastical marriage collections. Some West Virginia records date from prior to its statehood...

Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

Marriage Index: IL, IN, 1790-1850

This database contains indexes to approximately 190,238 marriage records from Illinois and Indiana. Records indexed may not be comprehensive for the time and region covered.

January 11, 2012

Marriage Index: Selected Counties of AR, CA, IA, LA, MN, MO, OR, TX, 1728-1850

This database contains indexes to approximately 108,000 selected marriage recordsfrom 227 counties in eight western states. Records indexed may not be comprehensive for the time and region covered.

Listings Include:
- Marriage date.
- Name of each spouse.
- State & County where the marriage was recorded. 

Marriage Index: GA, 1754-1850

This database contains indexes to approximately 84,624 marriage records from 76 Georgia counties. The earliest records are for Effingham (1754), though most counties have records beginning in the 1800s. Counties not included are: Appling, Baker, Bryan, Burke, Clinch, Cobb, Dade, Gordon, Gwinnett, Heard, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, McIntosh, Twiggs, Walker, and Ware. Records indexed may not be comprehensive for the time and region covered.

Listings Include:
- Marriage date.
- Name of each spouse.
- State & County where the marriage was recorded. 

Marriage Index: AZ, CA, ID, NV, 1850-1951

This database contains indexes to approximately 146,000 marriage records from selected counties in Arizona, California, Idaho, and Nevada. Records indexed may not be comprehensive for the time and region covered.

Listings Include:
- Marriage date.
- Name of each spouse.
- State & County where the marriage was recorded.

Marriage Index: Maryland, 1655-1850

This database contains an alphabetical listing of approximately 258,000 individuals who were married in Maryland between 1655 and 1850. Calvert county is not included since the courthouse burned in 1882 and most records were destroyed. In addition Garrett, Howard, and Wicomico counties are not included since they were formed after 1850. Records indexed may not be comprehensive for the time and region covered...

Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

January 9, 2012

Trace Your Family Tree As Far Back As Possible!

With over 1.5 billion records, Archives is your complete solution for tracing your family tree as far back as possible.

Find birth, death, marriage, divorce and historic vital records from one easy-to-use search interface!

Discover new connections to your family tree with cemetery listings, obituaries, burial and military records, surname histories, and more.

Great for people at all levels - whether you're just starting out or have been doing genealogy for years!

Try it now for free!

Marriage Index: Iowa, 1851-1900

Approximately 157,000 individuals who were married between 1851 and 1900 in select Iowa counties.

Marriage indexes can save you research time by telling you that a particular marriage record containing your ancestor's name exists. With the information provided, you may be able to find a newspaper announcement, which may provide more details about the bride, groom, and their families.

Listings Include:
- Full names of both spouses.
- Date of the marriage.
- Township in which the marriage was recorded.
- Location of the Family History Library microfilm, microfiche, or book referencing the marriage.

January 8, 2012

Vital Records: Massachusetts, 1600s-1800s

The depth and quality of information contained in Massachusetts vital records is more significant than any other state. Although Massachusetts did not develop a centralized system of collecting vital information until 1844, they did require that towns collect vital records (births and deaths) very early on. Though sometimes incomplete and varying in accuracy, the importance of this data set cannot be over-emphasized....

Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

January 7, 2012

Indiana Deaths, 1882-1920

Trace your turn-of-the-century ancestors with information on approximately 886,000 individuals whose deaths were recorded in Indiana. Originally compiled by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), this collection covers 67 of Indiana's 92 counties...

Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

January 5, 2012

Rhode Island Vital Records, 1500s-1800s

Referencing approximately 550,000 individuals, this database includes pages of 20 volumes of the Rhode Island Genealogical Register and 13 volumes of Rhode Island Vital Records...

Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

World War II Links and Resources

Read More

Check out our more Genealogy Tips at Free Genealogy Helps and Free Genealogy Lookups.

January 4, 2012

Georgia Genealogy

In the United States, generally speaking, each state has jurisdiction over the government records that are kept regarding their inhabitants' births, marriages, deaths, divorces, land transactions, probates, health, disease, education etc. They were not responsible for private record-keeping efforts such as those done by churches, cemeteries, community groups, companies, businesses etc. Certain cities also participated in early record-keeping efforts even prior to their state's commencement of such things. And then there are numerous other entities involved with keeping records; these include shipping lines, publication companies (city and county directories, and phone books), orphanages, hospitals and military organizations.

If you are researching your genealogy in Georgia, then this article is for you. We will look at the history of Georgia, websites and other research aids that will help you with your Georgia genealogy.

The history and genealogy of Georgia is lengthy and interesting. Fought over for decades by the Spanish (in Florida) and English (in South Carolina), Georgia was finally won by the English in the early 1700s. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_of_Georgia, by 1732 a group of British philanthropists had organized to recommend that "worthy poor" (i.e. those who were incarcerated in debtors' prisons) be sent to the colonies in America to establish themselves as productive citizens, and the first group of 113 settlers arrived in what was to become Savannah, GA. Thus Georgia was founded At the same time, non-English immigrants (including Scots and Irish) seeking religious freedom were encouraged to settle in Georgia as a counterbalance to Spanish Catholicism, so search among church records of various denominations and ethnicities for your Georgia genealogy. In 1733 a group of 42 mostly Sephardic Portuguese Jews settled in Savannah. In 1752 Georgia became a crown colony.

The non-Anglican churches were in part responsible for the antagonistic feeling against Britain, and Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution in 1788. Since Georgia was a relatively new colony, compared to the other twelve, it had a much smaller army and contributed less during the American Revolution (you will find few Revolutionary War records in your Georgia genealogy). With an agricultural economy, early one-third of its population was black slaves and there were also a fairly large number of indentured servants (see http://www.pricegen.com/immigrantservants/links.htm for more information). During the American Revolution, many of the slaves escaped and joined British forces who promised them freedom, ending up in other British colonies such as Canada and the Caribbean (so, if you find your black ancestors in Canada, for example, in the late 1700s, look for them earlier in Georgia). One hundred and fifty years later, another Great Migration of blacks to the North occurred.

Long before white settlers arrived, the area was populated by Native Americans. In 1830, the year after gold was discovered in Georgia, the Indian Removal Act forced all Cherokees off the land and into what was to become Oklahoma. If you have Native lines in Oklahoma at this time period, you may be able to trace your genealogy back to Georgia, although written records of Cherokees are rare.

With its agricultural economy and heavy dependence on slaves, Georgia joined the Confederacy in 1861. It was the last state to be restored to the Union, in 1870. During the Civil War, Georgia was home to the infamous Andersonville Prison. Many records are available if you think your Union ancestor might have been incarcerated there. There are also numbers of Confederate soldier records available on www.footnote.com, and Southern Claims Commission records for sympathizers of the North who had property confiscated by Union troops during the war. A web site that might be of use in searching for your Georgia genealogy is http://www.georgiagenealogy.org/ with links to Footnote, GenealogyBank and Ancestry. The state government and universities are also making many of their records available.

With such a diverse population and interesting history, searching for your genealogy in Georgia promises to be exciting and challenging, but there are so many more records more readily available today than ever before...

Read More

Check out our more Genealogy Tips at Free Genealogy Helps and Free Genealogy Lookups.

New York Deaths, 1700s-1900s

This information derives from a great variety of local sources including cemeteries, churches, newspapers, and town records. Because it originated with local sources, the information included here is especially valuable and would otherwise be quite difficult to find.

Knowing the date and location of a vital event such as a death, you can determine where to follow up with additional research. For example, you may wish to write to the county to obtain copies of the original records. Original death records can provide you with information such as the names of the individual's parents and the name of a surviving spouse, if any. The birth and death dates and locations may also allow you to find newspaper announcements about the person's birth or death, which may provide more details about the family.

Listings Include:- Dates of birth and death
- Age at death
- Death location and cause of death
- Names of other family members
- Cemetery where the individual was buried
- Source of record 

January 3, 2012

The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, Vols. 1-39, 1650-1900s

Published by the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, the Magazine is distributed semi-annually to its members. This scholarly journal contains book reviews, methodological case studies, discussions of major resources, family histories and genealogies, and research guides...

Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

January 2, 2012

The National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vols. 1-85, 1600s-1900s

Among the oldest and most widely respected genealogical journals, the NGS Quarterly contains methodological case studies, discussions of major resources, compiled family histories and genealogies, and guides to research.

Originally published between 1908 and 1997, the essays collected here include information on more than 701,000 individuals...

January 1, 2012

Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin, Volumes 1-38

Each volume includes historical and genealogical material, family charts from personal and public records, transcribed public-domain documents, letters to the editor as well as queries and answers. Published by the Maryland Genealogical Society, the Bulletin is distributed quarterly to its members and contains family history information from the 1600s to the 1900s. The essays and articles collected in this database include information on approximately 240,000 individuals...

Request a Free Lookup From This Database.

Massachusetts, 1620-1930 Local and Family Histories

This database contains seventeen comprehensive volumes of Massachusetts local and family histories. Many of the volumes were published in small quantities or for limited distribution and have previously been hard to find and research. They contain information on approximately 192,000 Massachusetts residents and their families, often referencing family members from other states, such as Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire, and Maine.

On this database you can find historical information from the following towns and their early settlers and residents: Canton, Clinton, Dedham, Duxbury, Millbury, Newburyport, Northampton, Roxbury, Salem, and Watertown... 

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