LibGuides: Topic: Researching Your Family History: Getting Started

Researching Your Family History

This guide highlights the variety of resources available as your start your search for your ancestors. Some resources are restricted to the UConn community while others are available to Connecticut residents with library cards or are free to the general public.

Basic Steps

Start with yourself
Look for family information around your home (birth, marriage, death records, baby books, photographs, heirlooms, etc)
Record the information (paper or online)
Interview relatives
Look for information from others
Search for both online and print resources
Verify your information and record your sources

Starting Sites

Key Websites

HeritageQuest Online: FREE with CT State Library Card
Enter the barcode from your Connecticut State Library card
Ancestry.com $ & Free
With more than 7 billion names and 26,000 searchable databases, Ancestry.com is a major source for family history information. Free access to some databases like the 1940 census.
FamilySearch.org
Resources from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Free. Create a free logon for access to digital content.
Resources for Genealogists: National Archives USA
Rootsweb.com
Share your research, communicate with others and volunteer to help
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites
A comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online.
Family Tree Magazine Best Genealogy Websites
The genealogy websites to help you trace your family tree; pick from many categories.
US Gen Web Project
A collection of sites for every county in the United States maintained by volunteers.
Linkpendium- Genealogy
a 10,000,000+ resource directory to everything on the Web about families worldwide and genealogically-relevant information about U.S. states and counties

Topic: Researching Your Family History — Getting Started

Researching Your Family History

Starting Sites

Key Websites

Forms