Essential Websites for Genealogy and Family History Research

These sites are generally subscription-based and contain vast collections of records and tools.

• Ancestry

  • Website Address: Ancestry.com

  • Focus: The largest overall repository with massive collections of U.S. and UK records. It also hosts the world's largest consumer DNA database.

• MyHeritage

  • Website Address: MyHeritage.com

  • Focus: Strong global and European focus with excellent support for non-English records, plus innovative photo tools (like Deep Nostalgia).

• Findmypast

  • Website Address: Findmypast.com

  • Focus: Highly specialized in records for the United Kingdom and Ireland, including important census records and newspaper archives.

• TheGenealogist

  • Website Address: TheGenealogist.co.uk

  • Focus: A subscription service specializing in UK records, including comprehensive Census records and Birth, Marriage, and Death (BMD) indexes for England and Wales.

These sites are either completely free or thrive on community contributions to build a single, shared family tree.

• FamilySearch

  • Website Address: FamilySearch.org

  • Focus: A completely free service with a massive global collection of records and a single, collaborative "World Tree" compiled by millions of users.

• WikiTree

  • Website Address: WikiTree.com

  • Focus: A collaborative, free platform dedicated to building a single, accurate, and well-sourced family tree for the entire human race.

• Geneanet

  • Website Address: Geneanet.org

  • Focus: A collaborative site that allows users to create unlimited family trees for free. It is particularly strong in European records and community sharing.

• WeRelate

  • Website Address: WeRelate.org

  • Focus: A non-profit, wiki-based site that emphasizes strong source documentation and aims to align data into a unified, reliable global record.

• Rodovid

  • Website Address: Rodovid.org

  • Focus: A free, collaborative family tree portal that supports research in many languages, with strong participation from Eastern European communities.

• Familypedia

  • Website Address: familypedia.fandom.com

  • Focus: A community-driven wiki where users create biographical articles about their ancestors and connect them into a historical network.

These sites focus on specific types of records, regions, or finding aids.

• GEDmatch

  • Website Address: GEDmatch.com

  • Focus: A raw DNA data comparison service. Users can upload test results from major companies (like AncestryDNA or 23andMe) for advanced comparisons and distant matching.

• Fold3

  • Website Address: Fold3.com

  • Focus: Premier collection of U.S. military records, including service records, casualty lists, and pensions.

• Newspapers.com

  • Website Address: Newspapers.com

  • Focus: The largest commercial online newspaper archive, offering access to millions of pages from historical and recent papers.

• Chronicling America

  • Website Address: loc.gov/collections/chronicling-america/

  • Focus: A massive, free, searchable database of historical American newspapers, provided by the Library of Congress.

• FreeBMD

  • Website Address: freebmd.org.uk

  • Focus: A free project providing transcriptions of the indexes to Births, Marriages, and Deaths (BMD) registrations for England and Wales from 1837 onward.

• Find a Grave

  • Website Address: FindAGrave.com

  • Focus: A volunteer-compiled database of cemetery records, grave photos, and burial information from around the world.

• Trackuback

  • Website Address: Trackuback.com

  • Focus: A platform designed to visualize genealogy by connecting family trees to historical maps, geography, and major historical events.

• Cyndi's List

  • Website Address: CyndisList.com

  • Focus: An essential finding aid and categorized index of over 330,000 links to genealogical resources across the entire internet.

These are official government and large institutional archives.

• National Archives (NARA)

  • Website Address: Archives.gov

  • Focus: The official archives of the U.S. Federal Government, housing records like Census data, military service files, and immigration records.

• Library and Archives Canada

  • Website Address: library-archives.canada.ca/eng/Pages/Home.aspx

  • Focus: The primary repository for Canada's documentary heritage, including extensive records for family history research.

• National Archives of Ireland

  • Website Address: nationalarchives.ie

  • Focus: The national institution responsible for collecting and preserving Ireland's public records.

• BALSAC

  • Website Address: balsac.uqac.ca/en/

  • Focus: A population database of digitized Québec vital event records (mainly marriage certificates) used for research into Québec's population history.

• New England Historic Genealogical Society (American Ancestors)

  • Website Address: AmericanAncestors.org

  • Focus: The oldest and largest genealogical society in the U.S., specializing in New England records and research.

• GENUKI

  • Website Address: GENUKI.org.uk

  • Focus: A virtual reference library linking to all major sources of genealogical information in the UK and Ireland, organized by locality.

• USGenWeb Project

  • Website Address: USGenWeb.org

  • Focus: A massive, volunteer-run network of free local records and resources for U.S. counties and states.

• Serbian Genealogical Society

  • Website Address: rodoslovlje.com

  • Focus: Promotes genealogy in Serbia-Montenegro, offering resources, research tools, and family tree posting systems for the region.