Genealogy Resource Roundup
Are you ready to explore your family history?
Here are some resources I’ve gathered for you, in the following categories, to help you get started:
- Org4life Blog Posts (mine)
- Blogs (other people’s)
- Related Org4life Resource Roundups
- Software for Your Computer
- Free Research & Resource Websites
- Paid Research Websites
- Tools & Forms
- Books
- Podcasts
- Videos
- Facebook Groups
- Conferences
- Webinars
- Libraries
- Societies
- DIY Family Website
- DNA
This list is by no means exhaustive! (I also don’t want to overwhelm you.) It’s mostly a list of websites and tools I use myself. (If you want exhaustive, check out Cyndi’s List below.)
Please let me know if you find something here that helps you!
And, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, just ask!
Org4life Blog Posts (mine)
Blogs (other people’s)
- Modern Genealogy Made Easy — Amy Johnson Crow
- Are You My Cousin? — Lisa Lisson
- The Photo Detective — Maureen Taylor
- The Legal Genealogist — Judy G. Russell
- Organize Your Family History — Janine Adams
Related Org4life Resource Roundups
Software for Your Computer
There are lots more perfectly good programs, but those two are very popular and they both sync with Ancestry.
Free Research & Resource Websites

Me (left) with genealogy rock star Cyndi Ingle. I have used Cyndi’s List since its inception in 1996, and got to meet her in person when she came to visit the New Mexico Genealogical Society a few years ago.
- Family Search
- Google Maps
- Cyndi’s List
- National Archives
- Find A Grave
- FREE Genealogy Cheat Sheets (among other things) — Thomas MacEntee, Genealogy Bargain$
- Albuquerque Public Library Genealogy Center (Check your local library for online genealogy resources!)
- Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free & Borrowable Books
Subscription Research Websites
Check your local library for limited versions of these sites, which you may be able to use for free online or in person.
Paid Research Help
- How to Hire a Professional Genealogist — Association of Professional Genealogists
Many research websites such as Ancestry and Family Search offer paid help.
Tools & Forms
- Family Group Sheet (Ancestry)
- Family Relationship Chart (aka Cousin Chart)
- DNA Match Chart (“The Green One”)
- Handwriting Helps (Family Search)
- Blank Census Forms (Ancestry)
Books
- What’s a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy — Hazel Thornton (Part 3 — “Dig Deeper & Climb Higher” — is all about genealogy!)
- 500 Best Genealogy & Family History Tips (2015 Edition) — Thomas MacEntee
- Genealogy Standards Second Edition — Board for Certification of Genealogists
- Family Photo Detective: Learn How to Find Genealogy Clues in Old Photos and Solve Family Photo Mysteries — Maureen A. Taylor
- Genealogy: Your Family History, Doing It Right The First Time — Valerie Hughes
- Official Guide to Ancestry.com, 2nd edition — George G. Morgan
- The Basic Genealogy Checklist: 101 Tips & Tactics To Find Your Family History — Henrietta M. Christmas & Paul F. Rhetts
Podcasts
- The Genealogy Guys — George G. Morgan & Drew Smith
- Generations Cafe — Amy Johnson Crow
- Getting to Good Enough — Janine Adams and Shannon Wilkinson (episode 20 is specifically about Genealogy)
- The Photo Detective — Maureen Taylor
Videos
- The Formidable Genealogist — Jen Shaffer (tons of very short videos under a minute in length)
- The Barefoot Genealogist — Ancestry’s Crista Cowan (series)
- An Introduction: Genealogical Proof Standard — Ancestry
- Is Everyone a Descendant of Royalty? — UsefulCharts
Facebook Groups
(There are Facebook groups for almost every ethnicity, religion, surname, timeframe, and location you can imagine. Just search for them!)
Conferences
Webinars
- Southern California Genealogy Society (Free to everyone when first presented live. Members have access to the archives.)
- Family Tree Webinars (Free to everyone when first presented live. Members have access to the archives.)
- My Heritage Facebook Live Series (Free)
Libraries
There are way too many to list! But at the very least you should know about…
Your local library might have a genealogy section. Mine has an entire floor!
Societies
I recommend joining multiple genealogy societies (they are usually quite affordable):
- One local to where you live so that you can associate with, and learn from, the other members.
- Several local to wherever your various ancestors lived, so that you can learn from them and help support their continued existence.
- Whichever societies you discover that provide good education, regardless of whether or not your ancestors lived there.
DIY Family Website
- The Next Generation (TNG) — This is the program I used to build my Thornton Family History page on this website. (I’m not saying it was easy. I needed help and you might too.)
DNA
- DNA Match Chart (“The Green One”)
- The Best DNA Test For Ancestry (2020) — Dan Miller (detailed comparisons)
- The 17 Best DNA Upload Sites of 2022: Get Additional Analysis of Your Raw DNA File (From 23andMe, AncestryDNA, & MyHeritage) — Genomelink Blog
- How to Delete Your Data from every DNA testing service — KnowYourDNA