My own 4-generation pedigree chart. And my paternal grandparents. Aren’t they cute?
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:
- Org4lilfe Services
- Org4life Blog Posts
- Related Resource Roundups
- Programs for Your Computer
- Free Research Websites
- Paid Research Websites
- Tools & Forms
- Books
- Blogs (other people’s)
- Podcasts
- Videos
- Facebook Groups
- Conferences
- Webinars
- Libraries
- 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!
(P.S. There’s a search box on my blog.)
Org4life Services
Family History Research Services
Schedule a Call or Session
Org4life Blog Posts
CATEGORY: Genealogy
CATEGORY: Hazel’s Family Stories
Related Resource Roundups
Legacy
Photo & Memorabilia
Emergency Preparedness
Software for Your Computer
Family Tree Maker
Roots Magic
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
Ancestry.com
Fold3.com
Newspapers.com
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)
Part 3 — Dig Deeper & Climb Higher — is all about genealogy!
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
Blogs (other people’s)
Organize Your Family History — Janine Adams
Modern Genealogy Made Easy — Amy Johnson Crow
Are You My Cousin? — Lisa Lisson
The Photo Detective — Maureen Taylor
The Legal Genealogist — Judy G. Russell
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 Barefoot Genealogist — Ancestry’s Crista Cowan (series)
Genealogy in a Minute — Ancestry’s Crista Cowan (series)
An Introduction: Genealogical Proof Standard — Ancestry
Is Everyone a Descendant of Royalty? — UsefulCharts
Facebook Groups
The Genealogy Squad — George G. Morgan & Drew Smith (The Genealogy Guys), Cyndi Ingle (Cyndi’s List), Cari A. Taplin (Genealogy Pants)
(There are Facebook groups for almost every ethnicity, religion, surname, timeframe, and location you can imagine. Just search for them!)
Conferences
Rootstech — Next: March 2-4, 2023.
SCGS Genealogy Jamboree — Next: August 19-27, 2022. (Genetic Genealogy + Jamboree + JamboFREE)
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 least you should know about…
LDS Family History Centers
Your local library might have a genealogy section. Mine has an entire floor!
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
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