Topographical Dictionaries of England, Ireland, and Scotland

Originally prepared by Samuel Lewis, the gazetteers reproduced on this database contain detailed information on English, Irish, and Scottish locales as they existed in the mid-1800s. A gazetteer is a topographical (or geographical) dictionary in which a location's political and physical features are defined. For example, for a location listed you may learn information on local industry, nearby towns, population, and primary landholders...

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Kitchener, Ontario German War Graves (Ancestry)

In the rear of Woodland Cemetery in the city of Kitchener lies a special memorial section devoted to German prisoners of war who died during the First and Second World Wars. Those interred here were brought from 36 different locations throughout Canada to rest with other fallen comrades. This database is a collection of burial records for these men and includes the names of nearly 200. Researchers will find birth, death, and rank information. For researchers of German prisoners of war in Canada, this can be an illuminating collection of records.

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Immigration Records: Scottish Immigrants to North America, 1600s-1800s

This database contains immigration records for approximately 70,000 Scottish immigrants to the United States and Canada. Extracted from a great variety of sources both in North America and Scotland, the information collected here would otherwise be difficult to access. Records were compiled from private and public sources including passenger lists, newspapers, church records, land deeds, records of indenture, and oaths of allegiance.

Materials on this database originally spanned sixteen volumes authored by Scottish emigration authority David Dobson and published by the Genealogical Publishing Company. The author of more than twenty books, Mr. Dobson specializes in migration patterns and the historical background of the Scottish people's emigration. Among the sixteen comprehensive volumes you'll find The Original Scots Colonists and a series of supplements to that work. By itself, that work identifies virtually all of the Scottish settlers to America in the 1600s. The other volumes collected here are of equal quality and value...

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German and Swiss Settlers in America, 1700s-1800s Immigration Records

The German and Swiss immigrants included in this resource mostly settled in the Carolinas, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. Among the great variety of resources collected here, you'll find historical essays on German influence in the settlement of Texas, the great Palatine migration from the Rhineland in 1709, as well as German and Swiss migration patterns...

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Newspaper Archive From 1607 to Present

Once upon a time newspapers were the main source of information. Now those old newspapers are a reliable source for hundreds of years of history featuring death notices, birth announcements, historical data and secrets to both the past and the future of the world at large. Individuals looking to tap into that historic information without the hassle of manually sorting through mounds of papers via the public library can benefit from the huge online archive provided by NewspaperARCHIVE.com

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Love and Hate in Jamestown: John Smith, Pocahontas, and the Start of a New Nation

A New York Times Notable Book and aSan Jose Mercury News Top 20 Nonfiction Book of 2003 In 1606, approximately 105 British colonists sailed to America, seeking gold and a trade route to the Pacific. Instead, they found disease, hunger, and hostile natives. Ill prepared for such hardship, the men responded with incompetence and infighting; only the leadership of Captain John Smith averted doom for the first permanent English settlement in the New World.The Jamestown colony is one of the great survival stories of American history, and this book brings it fully to life for the first time. Drawing on extensive original documents, David A. Price paints intimate portraits of the major figures from the formidable monarch Chief Powhatan, to the resourceful but unpopular leader John Smith, to the spirited Pocahontas, who twice saved Smith’s life. He also gives a rare balanced view of relations between the settlers and the natives and debunks popular myths about the colony. This is a superb work of history, reminding us of the horrors and heroism that marked the dawning of our nation... Read More

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Ghost Towns of Route 66

Ghost towns lie all along the Mother Road. The quintessential boom-and-bust highway of the American West, Route 66 once hosted a thriving array of boom towns built around oil wells, railroad stops, cattle ranches, resorts, stagecoach stops, and gold mines. Join Route 66 expert Jim Hinckley as he tours more than 25 ghost towns, rich in stories and history, complemented by gorgeous sepia-tone and color photography by Kerrick James. Also includes directions and travel tips for your ghost-town explorations along Route 66.

Explore the beauty and nostalgia of these abandoned communities along America’s favorite highway!

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Ontario, 1858-1869 Marriage Index

Search a consolidated database of previously scattered Ontario marriage records! Save yourself time and effort - hunt for your ancestors' marriages in one master index, instead of looking through microfilms of 40 county marriage registers or indexes one-by-one.

- Comprehensive coverage of Ontario marriage records between 1858 and July 1869
- Approximately 158,000 individuals referenced
- Genealogically valuable because these marriages were documented before province-wide registration of marriages began.

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Irish to America Passenger and Immigration Lists Volume 2, 1846-1886

Sail across the Atlantic with your Irish ancestors using an all-new volume of Irish to America - completely new details for 550,000+ additional immigrants. Referencing arrivals in Boston between 1846 and 1851 and New York between 1866 and 1886.

You'll discover information taken from original ship manifest schedules - documents filed by all vessels entering United States. Irish to America was produced in collaboration with the Balch Institute Center for Immigration Research and the John F. Kennedy Trust.

A good deal of information in this database was collected from immigrants to the United States during the Great Famine (1845-1849). Between 1847 and 1854, 1.6 million Irish immigrated to the U.S., mostly arriving in New York, marking the first voluntary mass migration to the United States.

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A Short History of England

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery... Read More

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Family Tree Map Research on the Internet (One-Hour Genealogist)

Tracing Your Ancestors' Footsteps

Where did your family live? Where did they travel?

Look at a map and you’ll instantly understand certain family tree migration routes.It's obvious that the easiest routes were along coasts or down rivers. Pull out a present-day atlas, and try to imagine it without roads. You’ll quickly see how your ancestors traveled, and why they ended up in certain locales. If you ever “lose” a generation during your research, you can use maps to help speculate on a possible new home.

Old maps show old place names - names that may no longer exist. Although your ancestor may have lived in the same location for generations, the name of the place and the county in which it was located may have changed numerous times. If you want an idea of the geography of your ancestor’s world, a period map will help almost as much as a visit. Thanks to modern engineering and Mother Nature, the topography of a place may have changed so much that your ancestor wouldn’t recognize his favorite fishing hole. Period maps will depict the landscape as it was, including the rivers your family forded and the forests they helped clear

Pick up this One-Hour Genealogist guide and ride, walk, or float along as you discover ancestral migration routes... Read More

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Southwest Virginia Genealogy Volume 1

Southwest Virginia Genealogy will be a series of books that are based on the works of Wayne McConnell and his wife Margaret. 

Wayne has passed away but his work need to live on. He devoted several years to tracking down his relatives and other descendants. There are literally thousands of pages in this series and I am going to compile these into as many books as I can so that others needing genealogy information do not get information overload... Read More

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Virginia Family Histories #4, 1600s-1800s

This database contains seventeen volumes of Virginia genealogies and family histories. Originally published by a variety of entities, these books contain information about approximately 212,000 individuals. The Virginia resources include vestry books, family histories, vital records, and historical accounts of the colonization of Virginia and its counties...

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The Ontario Register, 1780s-1870s

This extensive collection of genealogical records, which includes vital records as well as family histories, contains a wealth of information about residents of Canada and their descendants. While most of the 244,000 individuals listed are from Canada, some are from the United States...

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The Complete Mayflower Descendant and Other Sources, 1600s-1800s

This database is the only electronic publication of the entire forty-six volumes of The Mayflower Descendant authorized by the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants. Combined, the works on this database reference the names of approximately 200,000 individuals. While the majority of the records date from the 1600s through the 1800s, a number of references date back as far as the 1400s and some date well into the first half of the 1900s...

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Free Access to Marriage Records Through April 21 on Ancestry

Find your family’s happy couple on their big day.  Your family's brides and grooms can help you learn more of your story. 

How you can use it:

• Trace the bride's side of the family.
• Look for announcements in newspapers.
• Find family members, friends and neighbors.
• Discover earlier events in the area.

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Library Resources: U.S./Canada Surname Folder Index

This database provides unprecedented access to an index of over 100,000 unique surnames. The information indexed was originally collected in surname folders at local libraries, historical societies, and genealogical organizations throughout the United States and Canada. Because the surname resources were collected locally, availability of this information has not previously been widespread. When you find a surname listed in this Family Archive, you will learn the name and address of the facility to contact for access to more information about that surname. The contents of the indexed surname folders range from one-of-a-kind family histories to newspaper obituaries, military records, and even correspondence...

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The Compendium of American Genealogy, 1600s-1800s

Over 288,000 individuals and provide broad coverage of who's who in early America. The materials date from the pre-1600s to the 1800s and cover the entire United States.

While not all families are represented, almost every name distinguished in early America will be found in the Compendium. The Compendium was compiled largely from lineage records and manuscript genealogies submitted by individuals selected for inclusion, many of which were illustrated with photographs, portraits, and coats of arms. 

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Census Index: Ireland, 1831-1841

Over forty million Americans now have Irish ancestry. A remarkable aid for painting a complete genealogical picture of families with Irish heritage, this data set indexes approximately 77,047 records from two Irish counties:

• Londonderry: 62,921 records from 1831
• Cavan: 14,126 records from 1841

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Birth Index: Southeastern Pennsylvania, 1680-1800

This database lists approximately 476,000 individuals who either resided in or were born in Southeastern Pennsylvania before 1800. This comprehensive index identifies fathers, mothers and children in a region that is genealogically significant for Americans with eighteenth-century European or United States ancestry. These records, found in 213 church, meeting, and pastoral records and compiled by John T. Humphrey, were originally published in a thirteen-volume set entitled Pennsylvania Births...

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A Hessian Diary of the American Revolution

This unique diary, written by one of the thirty thousand Hessian troops whose services were sold to George III to suppress the American Revolution, is the most complete and informative primary account of the Revolution from the common soldier's point of view. Johann Conrad Döhla describes not just military activities but also events leading up to the Revolution, American customs, the cities and regions that he visited, and incidents in other parts of the world that affected the war. He also evaluates the important military commanders, giving readers an insight into how the enlisted men felt about their leaders and opponents.

Private Döhla crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1777 as a private in the Ansbach-Bayreuth contingent of Hessian mercenaries. His American sojourn began in June 1777 in New York. Then, after several months on Staten Island and Manhatten, the Ansbach-Bayreuth regiments traveled to the thriving seaport of Newport, Rhode Island, where they spent more than a year before the British forces evacuated the area.

The Ansbach-Bayreuth regiments returned briefly to the New York New Jersey area before they were sent to reinforce the English command in Virginia. Eventually Döhla participated in the battle of Yorktown—of which he provides a vivid description—before enduring two years as a prisoner of war after Cornwallis's surrender.

Bruce E. Burgoyne has provided an accurate translation, helpful notes for scholars and general readers, and an introduction on the Ansbach-Bayreuth regiments and the history of Johann Conrad Döhla and his diary. This first edition of the diary in English will delight all who are interested in the American Revolution and the thirteen original colonies... Read More

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The Men Who Built America

Rockefeller Vanderbilt Carnegie Astor Ford and Morgan. Their names are part of history and synonymous with the American dream. These men transformed every industry they touched: oil rail steel shipping automobiles and finance. Their efforts transformed a country. Rising from poverty their paths crossed repeatedly as they elected presidents set economic policies and influenced major events of their day - from the Civil War to The Great Depression. 12 million historical negatives many made available for the first time by the Library of Congress are brought to life to offer an unprecedented view of America's Industrial Age ? and the men who built it... Read More

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Maryland Marriages and Genealogies, 1634-1820

Here you'll find six volumes of comprehensive Maryland family histories and marriages. Three of the volumes contain detailed family histories, some gleaned from the Maryland Historical Magazine, while the rest contain listings of Maryland marriages...

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Researching African American Genealogy in Alabama

Over the past two decades, in workshops and personal consultations, thousands of persons have have received the expertise and knowledge of author Frazine Taylor about Alabama genealogical research. Now in her book, Researching African American Genealogy in Alabama: A Resource Guide, Frazine provides the information and guidance to help locate the resources available for researching African American records in archives, libraries, and county courthouses throughout the state. The idea for this guidebook rose out of her lecturing throughout the country and having noticed that reference guides on African American family history resources seemed to exist for every state except Alabama. This was regrettable not merely for researchers on African American history in Alabama. In fact, Alabama's records play an especially important role in U.S. family history research because of the migration patterns of Alabama's freedmen, first to urban areas of Alabama and then to northern cities, a trend that continued throughout the first part of the twentieth century... Read More

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The New History of Florida (Florida Sesquicentennial)

The New History of Florida, the first comprehensive history of the state to be written in a quarter of a century, is the culmination of the most recent and significant work from a galaxy of specialists. Each of the 22 chapters, which weave together in one continuous narrative, was written especially for this volume. Their authors present here not only political, economic, military, and religious information but also social history and personal experiences. Endnotes and a bibliography are appended to each chapter. 

Florida's first inhabitants entered the peninsula and panhandle about 10,000 years ago. The Spaniard Juan Ponce de León stumbled ashore near Melbourne Beach in 1513. He called the place La Florida, the first permanent geographic name of European origin to be etched upon the maps of the American continent. Over three centuries of Spanish and English colonial history followed before the United States acquired Florida in 1821. The first state flag was raised over a new capitol in Tallahassee on May 26, 1845. Written to observe the sesquicentennial of statehood, this work will document the rich history of the Sunshine State for general readers, students, and scholars well into the twenty-first century... READ MORE

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America: The Story of Us

A riveting adventure of how America was invented, AMERICA THE STORY OF US focuses on the people, ideas and events that built our nation, covering 400 years of American history in the most extensive and in-depth television series ever produced by HISTORY. From the rigors of linking the continent by wagon trails to the transcontinental railway, the engineering of steel-structured buildings through to landing on the moon, this epic 12-part series is a grand cinematic vision of how this country was built. AMERICA THE STORY OF US brings this story to life firsthand through patriots, frontiersmen, slaves, abolitionists, Native Americans, pioneers, immigrants, entrepreneurs and inventors. From the revolutionary war that birthed the nation to the civil war that divided it, into the making of the modern world, America The Story of Us is an epic, dramatic, heartbreaking and triumphant journey that reminds us that American history truly belongs to we, the people. 

Sharing their thoughts on the building of America, and what it means to be an American, are a world-class group of individuals including Tom Brokaw, Michael Douglas, Meryl Streep, Buzz Aldrin, Colin Powell, Donald Trump, John Legend, Melissa Etheridge, Brian Williams and more... Read More

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Massachusetts & Maine Family Histories, 1650s-1930s

This database contains pages from Cape Cod Library of Local History and Genealogy and Massachusetts and Maine Families. These volumes contain information about approximately 77,000 individuals. Since relatively few Cape Cod records have survived, the 108 histories and essays collected in Cape Cod Library of Local History and Genealogy are valuable resources. They can provide a better understanding of the period in which your ancestors lived. Massachusetts and Maine Families documents the complete ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis. Almost anyone with considerable New England ancestry will descend from one or more of the 180 families included in this database. 

What you can learn about each listed individual varies, depending on the original article. These records may provide you with information such as the dates of birth, marriage, and death, will information, description of property, and occupation. Some articles include handwriting samples and photographs...

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Prisoners Without Trial: Japanese Americans in World War II (Critical Issue)

As issues of national security have recently led many to question the scope and extent of our civil liberties, there is a rekindled interest in the internment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War. This brief guide uncovers the history of that tragic part of our past. 

Prisoners Without Trial is part of the celebrated Hill and Wang Critical Issues Series, which offers several concise and affordable works on pivotal topics in American history, society, and politics...

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Your Ancestor’s Role in History

History. As made by your ancestors. 

"No-no boys." That was the name given to Japanese-Americans who answered "no" to two questions on U.S. Alien Draft Registrations, now on Ancestry.com. Both the questions and the answers were products of the time, as a climate of fear and suspicion accompanied the U.S. entry into World War II. 

U.S. Alien Draft Registrations are just one example of unique records you'll find on Ancestry.com that came about because of a particular — or peculiar — moment in history. You'll also find lists of Titanic survivors, Cadet Nurse Corps candidates, grandfathers who registered for the draft, and guillotined French revolutionaries, among others. 

Is your family included? Learn more

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