When was the last time you actually looked at a blogger’s website? I don’t mean that you clicked on a post in Feedly and read it. I mean when was the last time you visited the actual website to see what else might be there?

I’ve learned a lot in the last few years since I started following blogs. Some bloggers focus on just telling the stories or sharing information and they do a great job. However, there are quite a few bloggers out there who have created mini-genealogy websites, packed full of resources (many of which are lesser known AND free).

Besides being storytellers, bloggers keep an eye out for new, interesting information related to genealogical research. Then they not only share that info with their readers, they often add links to separate blog pages of resources.

I follow about 175 blogs a day with Feedly. I have to admit that for some of these blogs, I have only actually looked at the website when I made the initial decision whether or not to follow it. There are others that I do visit off and on to see what is new.

Let’s take a look at a few websites that are not run by professional companies or by people/organizations that I would consider business-oriented first and who happen to also host genealogy blogs.

1. Do you have New England ancestors? Are you looking for new cousins? Heather Wilkinson Rojo who writes Nutfield Genealogy has a link to nine generations of surnames in her family history.  Glancing at her list, I realize that we are cousins through at least a dozen family names.

2. Looking for Eastern European roots? A blogger who only goes by “lostrussianfamily” on Find Lost Russian & Ukrainian Family includes tabs to Best Forums, Free Databases and Links that I can pretty much promise you are not easily found. She (photo is posted with no name) has put a lot of work into compiling these resources.

3. Randy Seaver’s Genea-Musings is packed chock full of interesting links. Check out “Randy’s Genealogy Links” to find everything from Tutorials to Surname/Locality Books and Online Family Trees plus a lot more.

4. Jana’s Genealogy and Family History Blog by Jana Last has a Research Toolbox with tons of links, too, including Calculators and Tools, Genealogy Education and Military, with links to sites that are lesser known.

5. Rhode Island roots? Diane Boumenot has a section on One Rhode Island Family dedicated to free Rhode Island resources.

6. Celebrating Family Stories by Mary Perkinson Nelson offers a Research Toolbox with a long list of links for Georgia Resources, Tools and much more.

7. Sue Maxwell has put together a very long list of “Training Materials – Links, Videos and Tools” on Granite Genealogy.

8. “Genealogy Resources” by Julie Cahill Tarr on Julie’s Genealogy and History Hub uses tags to link to resources. For those interested in writing a family history, her “Writing Your Way to the Past” offers many suggestions.

My last example violates my rule above about not including professional companies. That is because of the subject matter.

9. Roberta Estes’ DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy has a “Help” link. How many times have you not bothered to read the “Help” section on a website? Well, this one, aside from links to purchases, has links for those interested in learning more about DNA and its use in genealogical research.

10. Last, but not least, this blog site has a link to “Research Toolbox” at the top right side of the home page. I’ve been regularly adding links to categories as I’ve covered topics in my blog posts. for the most part, my resources are to free sites. Just hover over it for the drop down menu.

Have I convinced you to take a closer look at your favorite blog sites? I hope so!