U.S. General Resources

AFRICAN-AMERICAN GENEALOGY RESOURCES

African-American History:
10 Million Names Project
Access Genealogy: Black Genealogy
African American Civil War Soldiers – new website in 2018
Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society
African-American Life in St. Louis 1804-1865 from the Records of St. Louis’ Courts
African American Lives
African Ancestry
African Roots Podcast
Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy
Ancestry Wiki
Atlas Obscura – The Beautiful, Forgotten and Moving Graves of New England’s Slaves
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Black Soldiers in the Civil War
BlackPast
Boston Public Library Anti-Slavery Manuscript Collection
California Gold Rush -NPR Program on Documenting the History of African-Americans in the California Gold Rush
Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History in Detroit
Christine’s Genealogy Website
Civil Rights Museum – Memphis
Civil War Slave Compensation Claims in Compiled Military Service Records of U.S. Colored Troops
Conversations with My Ancestors – Mavis Jones’s blog
Cyndi’s List
Digital Library on American Slavery
Daughters of the American Revolution – Forgotten Patriots Research Guide
Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade
Family Search
Free People of Color in Louisiana
Freedom on the Move
Freedmen’s Bank Records, 1865-1874
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Hein Online – Free registration for access to Slavery in America and the World: History Culture & Law
IAAM Center for Family History– This site used to be Lowcountry Africana.
Illinois State Archives Servitude and Emancipation Records 1722-1863
IN.gov – Reference list of print and microfilm resources
International African American Museum
International Society of Sons and Daughters of Slave Ancestry
Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia
Legacy of Slavery in Maryland
Library of Virginia – Be sure to browse this site thoroughly. Lots of new resources all the time for all things Virginia: African American Church Histories in Virginia, African American Civil War Research, African American Newspapers
Mapping the Freedmen’s Bureau
Moorland Spingarn Research Center – Howard University
Missouri State Archives – Be sure to browse this site thoroughly, too. Lots of digital material.National Archives
National Archives Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1938
National Park Service Soldiers and Sailors Database
New England Historic Genealogical Society – African American Resources
New York Public Library Digital Gallery
Nomini Hall Slave Legacy Project – Robert Carter III of Virginia freed his 500 slaves. This project chronicles some of those freed by him. Surnames include Allen, Arnold, Banks, Brooke, Brutus, Burke, Burton, Cary, Colson, Conway, Cooper, Craft, Daley, Daniel, Dial Dicher, Dickerson, Gaskins, Glascock, Greggs, Gumby, Hackney, Harris, Harrison, Henry, Hollady, Hubbard, Johnson, Johnston, Jones, Kenardy, Mitchell, Newgent, Newman, Peterson, Puss, Reid, Richards, Richardson, Robinson, Single, Smith, spence, Taylor, Thomas, Thompson, Thornton, Tosspot, Tuckson, Walker, Weldon, Wells, Wilson, Wormley and Wyatt.
North Carolina Runaway Slave Advertisement
Slave Genealogy
Slave Name Roll Project – Schalene Dagutis’s blog site, Tangled Roots and Trees, includes a link to slaves whose names have been “released” as genealogists have come across their names in documents. The roll is an on-going project and includes links to many U.S. counties. Many of the names are found in wills or deeds.
Slave Voyages
Slaves and the Courts 1740-1860
Tennessee State Library and Archives
The Freedmen’s Bureau
The Friends of Freedmen’s Cemetery
The Geography of Slavery in Virginia
The Official Negro Directory and Classified Buyers Guide (1942-1943)
United States Civil War Service Records of Union Colored Troops, 1863-1865
University of North Carolina Digital Library on American Slavery
Unknown No Longer
Virginia – African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009

African-American family history blogs:

Between the Gate Posts – LindaRe’s blog
Caddo Trees – blog about families from Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Claiming Kin – blog
Eastern Shore’s Africans, Melungeons and Native Americans – blog
Into the LIGHT – Renate Yarborough Sanders’ blog
My Genealogical Journey – Minkyadoo’s blog
Notes to Myself – True Lewis’s blog
Our Black Ancestry

CARPATHO-RUSYN RESOURCES

Who are the Carpatho-Rusyns?

Carpatho-Rusyns are a Slavic people who have never had a homeland of their own. Centuries ago, they settled in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in areas that today include southern Poland, the Presov region of eastern Slovakia, part of Ukraine and a small portion of Romania.

In census and other records, they are called Rusyns, Ruthenians, Rusnaks, Uhro-Rusyns and, occasionally, Carpatho-Russians or Carpatho-Ukrainians. The commonality among Rusyns, both in Europe and among the immigrants to the United States, Canada and other countries is their adherence to the Orthodox church. Most belonged to what used to be called the Greek Catholic Church and today is known as the Byzantine Catholic Church, reflecting its ties to Eastern Orthodox religions.

Historical and Cultural Information

Archeparchy of Pittsburgh History – excellent overview of Rusyns to America
Carpatho-Rusyn Society Heritage Radio Program
Carpatho-Rusyn Surname Listing – informational purposes only
Carpatho-Rusyn Immigrant Listing – informational purposes only
Udol (Ujak)/Hajtovka Surname Listing
Carpatho-Rusyn Heritage DNA Project
Who Are the Rusyns?
Society for Rusyn Evolution
Rusyns
Rusyn History, Culture and Language
Many Things Rusyn
Carpathian Ruthenia
Carpatho-Rusyn People
Carpatho-Rusyns
Carpatho-Rusyn Heritage
Carpatho-Rusyn Americans
The Carpathian Connection
Genealogy of Halychyna/Eastern Galicia
Forgotten Galicia
Byzantine Rite Catholics
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
Finding Yesterday’s Children
Carpatho-Rusyn American Archive (magazine)

Rusyn Language

Bitaeme! Welcome! A Textbook of Rusyn (YouTube)
Bitaeme! Welcome! A Textbook of Rusyn (purchase book)

Church/Census Records

FamilySearch is a free website that houses millions of records worldwide. Users must register for a free account to access records.

FamilySearch – 1869 Census of Hungary
FamilySearch – Slovakia Church Records, including Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches
FamilySearch – Greek Catholic Church records in Western Ukraine
Slovak National Archives

Reference Tools

FamilySearch – Poland Gazetteers
FamilySearch – Slovakia Gazetteers
FamilySearch – Ukraine Gazetteers

Useful Phrases in Carpatho-Rusyn
Guide to Rusyn and Latin Alphabets
FamilySearch – Hungarian Genealogical Word List
FamilySearch – Latin Genealogical Word List
FamilySearch – Polish Genealogical Word List
FamilySearch – Romanian Genealogical Word List
FamilySearch – Slovak Genealogical Word List
FamilySearch – Ukrainian Genealogical Word List
Causes of Death (Carpatho-Rusyn Cyrillic)

Organizations, Societies & Websites

Carpatho-Rusyn Society
Rusin Association of Minnesota
Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International
FEEFHS – Foundation for East European Family History Studies
The Lemko Project (blog) and Facebook group The Lemko Project
The Lemko Association
The Carpathian Connection
Carpatho-Rusyns Everywhere (Facebook)
Carpatho-Rusyns Interested in DNA Research (Facebook)
The Carpatho-Rusyn Heritage DNA Project
Rusyn Genetics: Abstracts and Summaries
The Andy Warhol Museum
The Society for Rusyn Evolution
Rusini Slovenska (Facebook group, posts in English)
All Things Carpatho-Rusyn (Pinterest)
Polish Genealogical Society of America
Ukrainian History and Education Center
Find Lost Russian & Ukrainian Family – blog by Vera Miller
Digging into Lemko and Ukrainian Family History in Poland, Ukraine and the U.S.

Facebook has more than 16,000 links to genealogically- and historically-themed groups. Katherine Willson created a PDF list of all of them that was last updated by her in 2021. Since then, Cyndi Ingle of Cyndi’s List has continued to update the groups.

Ruthenian Genealogy

Many Rusyn immigrants first settled in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Ohio. In order to locate European records, one needs to first determine the village of origin perhaps identified in U.S. records.

The FamilySearch Research Wiki is free to use and has excellent historical information and categories of links that will help tell the story of our ancestors’ lives. Links to vital records agencies, county histories and local historical and genealogical societies and many other types of record information are found there. Just choose your county of interest.

Connecticut
New Jersey
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Poland Genealogy
Romania Genealogy
Slovakia Genealogy
Ukraine Genealogy

YouTube

How to Use the Wikisource Ukraine Website
How to Use the TsDIAL Website (L’Viv Archives)
How to Find Censuses of East Galicia and Bukovina + Homestead Records and Passenger Lists for Albertans
How to Use the Wolyn Metryki Website
How to Find Vital Records and More on AGAD (Polish Central Archives) Website

YouTube has videos that cover many Rusyn topics. Here’s a small selection:

Are You Rusyn? A Guide to Finding Your Ancestry
Rusyn Media
How Is Life for Rusyns in Ukraine?
The Lands of Subcarpathian Rus’ in Austria Hungary
DJIMavic Mini Hajtovka z vtacej perspektivy 2021 c01 (drone view of a small Rusyn village)
Exploring Kosice, Slovakia
Who Are the Hutsuls?
St. Michael’s Byzantine Catholic Cathedral, Passaic, New Jersey
Rusyn Folk Songs
The American Lemko
Rusyn Culture, Art, and Cuisine
Carpatho-Rusyn 2020 Summer Seminar Series – Growing Up Rusyn
Carpatho-Rusyn 2021 Summer Seminar Series – The Poetics and Politics of Nicholas Karabelesh

Be sure to search not only for religion, but also towns, churches, art and music!

Books

If you are of Carpatho-Rusyn descent and would like to read more about your heritage, there are several sources.

FamilySearch is normally an excellent resource for accessing digital books. In this case, while there are thousands of genealogy books available, most of the Rusyn collection is under copyright protection and can’t be viewed online. Google Books is, unfortunately, much the same. However, Internet Archive appears to have permission from several modern day authors who write about Carpatho-Rusyns both in English and other languages to present their writing.

A general search for RUSYN brought up too many results to share, including the journal by Dr. Patricia Krafcik, a Rusyn authority – Carpatho-Rusyn American.

A second search for Dr. Paul Robert Magocsi, a professor, author and probably best known Rusyn expert, brought up two terrific results. the first is 545 results which can be browsed.

The other is the Paul Robert Magocsi Carpatho-Ruthenica Library, which houses a collection of 596 items, written in various languages, including English, Rusyn, Slovak and Latin, among others. Many are accessible digitally, but some of the more recent books are listed, but under copyright and no files are accessible.

A quick reading list is found on GoodReads: GoodReads List of Carpatho-Rusyn Books.

For those wanting to build a home library of Rusyn history, the first stop for purchasing books should be The Carpatho-Rusyn Research Center (C-RRC) – They have a fairly extensive catalog of books about Carpatho-Ruthenia and ship quickly. Ask for a publications list – sometimes their prices are way better than other online sellers. (For example, The Lemko Studies handbook ($45.00 from C-RRC) by Horbal was found with a second hand seller online listed for $1495.50 !!!)

Others websites to check out include eBay, Amazon and AbeBooks.

In addition to the books below, I’d highly recommend purchasing the Map of Carpatho-Rusyn Villages – only $18.00 from C-RRC! All known villages are included on this large (30″ x 40″) map. It’s worth every penny of$18.00!

1. With Their Backs to the Mountains, Paul Robert Magocsi, Central European University Press, Budapest- New York, 2015. This is the premier book written about Rusyn history in terms of details and depth of information. Dr. Magocsi is a professor at the University of Toronto and has published many books and articles about Carpatho-Ruthenia and its peoples. I’d highly recommend purchasing this as a reference book. ($45.00 from C-RRC)

2. Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups, Stephan Thernstrom, Editor, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England, 1980. This book has nine pages (200-209) dedicated to statistical information about Rusyns who settled in the United States. There are also numerous footnotes identifying scholarly works for further reference. An added benefit is that information on the collateral ethnic group to which your family belongs (Polish, Romanian, Ukrainian or Slovak) can be found in this book, too. (There are often copies on eBay for under $25.00.)

3. Encyclopedia of Rusyn History and Culture, Revised and Expanded Edition, Paul Robert Magocsi and Ivan Pop, University of Toronto Press, 2005. ($75.00 from C-RRC)

4. Carpathian Rus’ A Historical Atlas, Paul Robert Magocsi, Governing Council of the University of Toronto, 2017. ($28.00 from C-RRC)

5. The People from Nowhere, Paul Robert Magocsi, V. Padiak Publishers, Uzhhorod, Ukraine, 2006. ($24.50 from CRRC – see below)

6. The Rusyns of Hungary, Maria Mayer, East European Monographs, Columbia University Press, New York, 1997. ($24.50 from C-RRC)

7. The Rusyns of Slovakia, Paul Robert Magocsi, 1994 ($65.00 on Amazon)

8. Our People, Carpatho-Rusyns and Their Descendants in North America, Paul Robert Magocsi, 2006 (Out of print from C-RRC. $50.00 on Amazon)

9. Lemko Studies: A Handbook, B. Horbal, 2010 (with an updated 2021 edition available)

10. The Rusyn-Ukrainians of Czechoslovakia, Paul Robert Mabocsi, 1993 (Out of print at C-RRC)

11. Byzantine Rite Rusins in Carpatho-Ruthenia and America by Walter C. Warzeski, 1971 ($45.00 on EBay)

12. The Byzantine Rite – A Short History, Robert F. Taft, 1992 ($10.00 online)

13. Mapping Stateless People: The East Slavs of the Carpathians (revised), Paul Robert Magocsi, 2018, ($8.75 from C-RRC)

14. The Lost World of Subcarpathian Rus’: Photographs of Rudolph Hulka, 2016 ($45.00 from C-RRC)

15. God Is a Rusyn: An Anthology of Contemporary Carpatho-Rusyn Literature, edited by Elaine Rusinko, 2011 ($30.00+ online)

16. Peoples of North America: The Carpatho-Rusyn Americans, Paul Robert Magocsi, 1989 ($20.00 online)

There are two other books, which are definitely in the collectible category, as they are somewhat rare and expensive.

Andy Warhol is arguably the most famous Rusyn. Raymond M. Herbenick wrote Andy Warhol’s Religious and Ethnic Roots: The Carpatho-Rusyn Influence on His Art. Mellen Press still carries the book, but it’s $200.00. However, that is much cheaper than the $350-500 prices when the book is found on Amazon or EBay.

Another fun book is Rusyn Easter Eggs from Eastern Slovakia by Pavlo Markovyc, 1987. It costs around $100.00 when copies can be found for sale online.

Learning to speak the Rusyn language is not for the faint of heart. C-RRC has several language books for sale, including Let’s Speak Rusyn (Presov Region edition, Transcarpathian edition and Lemko Region edition. Each is just $15.00.

These books are basic vocabulary and phrase guides, but are helpful because they present information in 3 columns – English translation, Cyrillic alphabet appearance and a pronunciation guide using our alphabet.

Stefan M. Pugh published an actual textbook (бітаеме! Welcome!) for learning Rusyn in 2021, but a sound knowledge of the Cyrillic alphabet and its sound system is essential, as there are no tapes or videos to help with pronunciation. ($32.75 from C-RRC)

CHURCH, CEMETERY & OBITUARY RECORDS ONLINE

Funeral History:

National Museum of Funeral History – Learn about funeral customs

Church Records Online:

American Baptist Historical Society – why the Baptist church is NOT helpful for genealogists
Archdiocese of Chicago, Illinois Catholic Cemeteries
Digital Quaker Collection, housed at Earlham School of Religion
Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Records 1875-1940 on Ancestry.com (subscription)
Friends Historical Library – Swarthmore College
The Archives of the Episcopal Church – explains records found in the archives, at the parish level and how to find them

Finding Cemetery Records & Obituaries:

American Antiquarian Society – Farber Gravestone Collection (Early U.S. Gravestones, with a focus on New England – free)
The Ancestor Hunt – links to databases of recent and historical obituaries
Ancestors at Rest
BillionGraves
Death Indexes on Line
FindaGrave
Interment.net
Legacy.com
National Cemetery Administration
National Park Service Soldiers and Sailors Database
Social Security Death Index – I could not find a link on the Social Security Administration website and most of the other links were to subscription sites. However, there is a free index search on FamilySearch.

CITY DIRECTORIES

City Directories Online:

Ancestry – Subscription
Circa 1930 City Directories Available at NARA
City and Business Directories of the U.S. Through 1860 – Some of these have been digitized and are available for free online. They are housed at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst

City and Farm Directories
City Directories of the United States of America
DonsList.net
FamilySearch U.S. Directories – Log in your account to search.
Online Historical Directories Website – This site includes international directories.

IMMIGRATION & NATURALIZATION RECORDS

Ships and Passenger Lists:

Boston Passenger Lists 1891-1943
Bremen Passenger Lists
Cyndi’s List – Ships & Passenger Lists
Ellis Island
Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild
Irish Passenger Lists
New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Olive Tree Genealogy
Passenger Arrival Lists for Miscellaneous Atlantic, Gulf Coat & Great Lakes Ports 1820-1873
Philadelphia Passenger Lists – Log into your account to search.
Steve Morse One-Step Webpages

Ship Histories:

ShipIndex.org – free search of database, subscription needed to access info

Naturalization Records, Digitized & Online

JEWISH GENEALOGY RESOURCES

Books:

From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Family History, by Arthur Kurzweil, paperback published by Jossy-Bass, 2011, 400 pages
Getting Started in Jewish Genealogy, by Gary Mokotoff and Warren Blatt, paperback published by Avotaynu, 1999, 66 pages
Avotaynu Guide to Jewish Genealogy, by Sally Amdur Sack and Gary Mokotoff, hardback, published by Avotaynu, 2004, 608 pages.

Websites:

FamilySearch Wiki- Jewish Genealogy Research
JewishGen – Many links to resources. This site also has a jewishgen digest which disseminates great information about specific towns, local histories and information on places Jews went to escape persecution.
Avotaynu
American Jewish Archives
About.com Free Jewish Genealogy Databases Online Museum of the History of Polish Jews
Jewish Genealogical Society – This society is based in New York City. Membership required, but a few free links.
American Jewish Historical Society – Suggestions are offered for research along with links.
Leo Baeck Institute for German-Jewish Family Research – A site to check if your family was from Germany.
Jewish Genealogy Portal: A Guide to Jewish Projects and Resources on Geni.com
Center for Jewish History – Family history collections must be searched on site, but this link as an excellent list of research guides to find your family records worldwide.
Louis Kessler’s Jewish Genealogy Links – Mr. Kessler points out that there are thousands of web pages devoted to Jewish genealogy. He has provided links to those he feels are the greatest use to the most people.
CyndisList – 28 categories of Jewish genealogy topics with related categories.

LIBRARIES, ARCHIVES & SOCIETIES

Library Research Aids:

ArchiveGrid – local archives and repositories in the United States
National Archives – Archives Library Information Center – provides state archives’ contact information with links

Historical Societies:
List of Historical Societies

Ethnic societies :

Cyndi’s List

Major Genealogy Collections in Libraries:

Allen County Public Library and their Genealogy Center
DAR Library
FamilySearch Library
Library of Congress
New England Historic Genealogical Society
U.S. National Archives

HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS ONLINE

Newspapers Online:

Brigham Young University Digital Newspaper Collection
British Columbia Historical Newspapers
California Digital Newspaper Collection
Digital Library of Danish American Newspapers and Journals
Digital Library of Georgia
Google Newspaper Archive
Library of Congress: Chronicling America
Nebraska Newspapers – pre-1923
Online Historical Newspapers
The Ancestor Hunt – fabulous collection of links to digitized newspapers in the U.S. and Canada
The Clan-na-Gael Journal – Pittsburgh Irish
The Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project
Trove – National Library of Australia digital collection
Veridian Newspaper Digital Collections
Wikipedia: List of Online Newspaper Archives – This is a list of worldwide sites, some by subscription and some free.

RAILROAD RECORDS

U.S. Railroad Records

American Memory – Railroad Maps 1828-1900
American-Rails – overview of railroad history
B & O Railroad Museum
(The) Biographical Directory of the Railway Officials of America, 1906 edition
California State Railroad Museum- has employment records for the Southern Pacific Railroad, plus historical information with an online catalog search.
Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society
Chicago History Museum – Find records for the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. There is also an online searchable catalog of its holdings.
Cornell University – Guide to the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Records, 1883-1969. Collection contains reports, pamphlets and correspondence. Also the Catherwood Library railroad related holdings.
Cram’s The American Railway System Atlas of the World – page by page at David Rumsey Historical Maps
Cyndi’s List – Railroads
FamilySearch – has an informational page with tips on finding railroad records
FamilySearch Wiki – Railroads
Kansas Historical Society
Midwest Genealogy Center – 1.5 million national railroad pension record index searchable online
Minnesota Historical Society – maintains some records from the Burlington Northern, Northern Pacific, and Great Northern railroad companies. There is a detailed section on the society’s overall holdings.
Missouri Pacific Historical Society – no employee records, but lots of history
National Archives at Atlanta – Note that there were no railroad pensions before 1936. There is a fee to order copies of any records found. There is also an article in NARA’s journal, Prologue, on railroad history and the archives collection.
National Railway Historical Society
Newberry Library Railroad Archives
Ohio Railroad Stations Past and Present
Pennsylvania and Historical Museum Commission – railroad employees
Pennsylvania Railroad Stations Past and Present
Poor’s Manual of the Railroads of the United States, 1868
Railroad Maps of North America: the First Hundred Years by Andrew M. Modelski, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1984 available on Amazon
Researching Records of Old Railroads and Railway Records
San Diego Historical Society – has records for the San Diego and Arizona Railroad Company. The Research Library page has links to its collections.
They’ve Been Workin’ on the Railroad by James Tanner on Genealogy’s Star
Union Pacific Railroad – History and Photo
Union Pacific Railroad – It’s Just Railroad Talk
U.S. Department of Transportation – online database of Investigations of Railroad Accidents 1911-1993
U.S. Railroad Retirement Board – Note that there were no railroad pensions before 1936.
U.S. Railroad Retirement Claim Records
Washington State Historical Society – has records for the Northern Pacific Beneficial Association hospital records, 1905-1930.

U.S. DIGITAL ARCHIVES – SOCIAL HISTORY

NOTE: For state and local resources, check the links to U.S. state resources on the home page of this blog.

National:

American Civil War Museum – Explore the Collection
American Craft Council Library & Archives Digital Collections
American Heritage Center Digital Collections at the University of Wyoming – Topics ranging from native Americans to Building the Panama Canal Zone and lots in between. NOT just Wyoming!
Digital Collections of the National World War II Museum
DPLA – Digital Public Library of America
Eyewitness to History
Fieldwork Recordings – Dictionary of American Regional English
Hoover Institution Digital Collections
National Archives Digital Photography Collection
National World War I Museum & Memorial – Online Collections Database
New York Public Library Digital Collections – Definitely NOT just New York!
Tenement Museum – New York City
United States Military Academy (West Point) Digital Collections
U.S. National Library of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh ULS Digital Collections – Find information on children’s books to music and more

Regional:

Archives of Appalachia
California Odyssey: Dust Bowl Migration Archive
Congregational Library & Archives – New England’s Hidden Histories: Colonial-Era Church Records
Digital Horizons: Life on the Northern Plains
Digital Library of Appalachia
Historic New England – Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont
Massachusetts Libraries Digital Collections – New England focus
Midwest Genealogy Center Digital & Archival Collections – Missouri and other Midwest and Plains states
Mountain West Digital Library – Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Hawaii
New England Indian Papers Series – Yale University
Northwest Digital Archives – Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and Utah
Pacific Northwest Historical Documents Database
Southern Historical Collection at Louis Round Wilson Library, University of North Carolina

U.S. MILITARY RECORDS

American Battle Monuments Commission – has a searchable database for military serving in 20th century wars
Daughters of the American Revolution – free publicly accessible resources
Family Search – U.S. Revolutionary War Compiled Service Records 1775-1783 – free, but only an index
National Archives Military Records – Find out what is held in the national archives related to military service.
National Park Service Soldiers and Sailors – Civil War database
Nationwide Gravesite Locator – locate any person buried in a U.S. national cemetery
Online Military Indexes and Records – links to all major U.S. military actions. Links include those with free access and those requiring a subscription
U.S. National Archives
War Memorials Trust – U.K. organization
Western Front Association

Historical Photo Collections:

American Civil War
Library of Congress – Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Portraits

World War I and World War II Resources (NOTE: Not military service records):

Photos of the Great War
Interning Japanese-Americans – National Park Service
Japanese Internment Camps – History Channel
Learn More About World War II – PBS
Manzanar National Historic Site
Military Resources: World War I – National Archives (many links)
Military Resources: World War II – National Archives (many links)
Rosie the Riveter – History Channel
Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front – National Historical Park
Teaching World War I – National History Day website, not just for teachers, lots of interesting links
The Great War – PBS
The Japanese American Evacuation & Resettlement: A Digital Archive
The National World War I Museum & Memorial
The National World War II Museum
The World War I Document Archive – BYU
World War II List of Prisoner of War Camps in the United States – many links
WWII Nazi Prisoners of War in the United States – YouTube video

WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION RECORDS

WPA Records – Where and How to Find Them:

Why are they so hard to find? The WPA created jobs at the state, county and local levels. Papers generated by these jobs were originally housed at those levels. However, the WPA’s life ended in 1943 when we were in the midst of World War II. When it came time to find permanent homes for the papers, it seems to have been a free-for-all. As a result, many of the works are unpublished and may be housed in 1) state archives 2) county courthouses 3) New England Historic Genealogical Society 4) the DAR Library in Washington, DC 5) a local historical society 6) National Archives or, in the case of Maine’s unpublished records, which no one wanted, they apparently reside at the bottom of Casco Bay, where they were dumped!

In 1980, Loretta L. Hefner wrote a 55 page book titled The WPA Historical Records Survey: A Guide to the Unpublished Inventories, Indexes and Transcripts. (Chicago, The Society of American Archivists, 1980.) It can be found at the HathiTrust Digital Library.

Empty Branches on the Family Tree

U.S. General Resources

Genealogy Tips & Family History