Here's what you will find in this section:
Getting Started: links to reputable, wide-reaching sources that offer guidance on starting your genealogical journey and may include many types of documents and records from the United States.
Community: major types of organizations that can help connect you to records and information.
Organizing and Preserving: resources for free sources of organizational tools for your family tree and records and reputable resources on preserving photos and documents.
Trouble Spots: common difficulties faced by researchers and resources to help tackle some of these problems.
Historical records have been subject to fire, flood, and other damage. If you are having difficulty finding certain records you are sure must exist, do some side research to determine if the sources may have been damaged or destroyed, as in the following examples.
In 1911, a fire destroyed the collections of the New York State Library.
In 1921, a fire destroyed 99% of the 1890 US Census.
In 1973, a fire destroyed certain military records held at the National Personnel Records Center in Virginia.
Please visit the Getting Started page.
Depending on the location, method, and date of the adoption, the availability of records and the method to obtain them can vary. In the U.S., start by checking with the state where the adoption took place.
Adoption Records Access, Vital Statistics, New Jersey Department of Health
FamilySearch suggestions for researching historical adoptions.
Your level of difficulty in finding and working with international records for genealogy can depend on a number of factors, including the number of conflicts in a nation's history; historical changes in a nation's borders, regions, or name; the language(s) used in record keeping; or the racial or ethnic identity of your family members, to name a few.
Depending on the nation, you may feel comfortable getting in touch with its national archive or library to get more information on what records may be available. You may also find genealogy message boards or social media helpful to connect with other people looking for records in similar locations. Professional genealogists may also be able to share suggestions. In some cases, you may not be able to move forward, at least for the present.
This article from Family Tree Magazine gives an example of tracking changes in Prussian geography for genealogists.
Most 19th-century Irish census records were destroyed in a 1922 fire or were lost during World War I. The National Archives embarked on a project to restore what was lost in the fire of 1922.
Just within the 20th century, Europe's borders changed rapidly. Check out this map from the BBC to explore more.
Your level of difficulty in finding and working with older records for genealogy can depend on the language(s) used in record keeping or the clarity of the handwriting of your ancestor or a government official.
This paleography tutorial from the UK National Archives is designed to help you decipher handwriting in English from between 1500 and 1800.
Explore this list of common words found in genealogy records in multiple languages from FamilySearch.