General Research Aid
This page is a work in progess. If you know of an especially helpful website that is not listed here, or maybe an article that might belong in the research tools section, please do send that information to the coordinator using the email address listed on the Home page.
Jump to:
General Links
Heraldry and Old Handwriting
Military Links
Miscellaneous
Organizations, Symbolism, Terminologies
Supplies, Charts, Organizational Tools
Helpful Websites with Free Resources
General
Bureau of Land Management (search land patents and other land records)
Census - Finding Enumeration District Definitions in One Step (1880-1940)
Cyndi's List (thousands of genealogical-based links, categorized and cross-referenced, in more than 180 categories)
Decoding Social Security Numbers in One Step (calculator to determine where and when a Social Security number was issued)
Ellis Island (search service for immigrants arriving at Ellis Island and Port of New York 1892-1924)
FamilySearch (official LDS site - owned by Ancestry.com; while some resources on this site are free, you must pay a membership fee to view others)
Find a Grave (memorials and cemetery surveys compiled and maintained by members)
GenForum (forums devoted to genealogy)
Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild (emigration, immigration and naturalization)
National Archives (explore our nation's history through documents, photos, and records)
Rootsweb (owned by Ancestry.com; while some resources on this site are free, you must pay a membership fee to view others)
The Ships List (passenger lists, fleet lists, photos, shipping schedules, ship descriptions, wreck data and more)
USGenWeb (national project)
USGenWeb Archives (archives for all counties, states and special projects)
USGenWeb Special Projects (national special projects)
WorldGenWeb (world project)
Military
American Battle Monuments Commission (national and overseas military cemeteries, memorials, monuments and markers - mostly WWI and WWII)
American Ex-Prisoners of War Organization (biographies of former POWs - all wars)
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (National Park Service)
Nationwide Grave Locator (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
Helpful Research Tools for New and Intermediate Genealogists
Organizations, Symbolism, Terminologies
Abbreviations of (Mostly) Old Organizations (available as a book for purchase)
Common Tombstone Abbreviations (courtesy of Marc Irish, The El Dorado County CAGenWeb Project)
Genealogy Glossary of Terms (at Genealogy.com)
Gravestone Symbolism (article by Kimberly Powell)
Gravestone Symbolism (at Grave Addiction)
List of Archaic Medical Terms for Diseases and Ailments
Heraldry and Old Handwriting
Deciphering Old Handwriting (article by Sabina J. Murray)
Heraldry 101 - A Primer for Genealogists (article by Kimberly Powell)
How to Read Old Handwriting (article from GenealogyInTime Magazine)
Reading Old Handwriting (tutorials and examples by Kimberly Powell)
There is NO SUCH THING as a Family Coat of Arms (article by Elizabeth E. Bullard)
Supplies, Charts, Organizational Tools
Family Tree Magazine Downloadable Forms
How to Organize Your Genealogy Research (an Ah Ha! article)
Supplies, Charts, Forms, etc. (at Cyndi's List)
Miscellaneous
Cousin Calculator
Evaluating Records, Sources, and Evidence (article by Elizabeth E. Bullard)
Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills (I strongly recommend her "QuickLessons" archive. She has written some wonderful articles.)
Five Family History Scams to Avoid (article by Kimberly Powell)
Google Translate
How to Cite Genealogy Sources (a terrific guide by Kimberly Powell)
How to Research Mining Claims (article by Tim I. Purdy, Lassen County historian, and courtesy of Marc Irish, of The El Dorado County CAGenWeb Project)
Top 10 Genealogy Mistakes to Avoid (article by Kimberly Powell)
U.S. Index to Census Occupations (Bureau of the Census)
USGenWeb Genealogical Events Project
Why You Can't Always Trust Information Found at Genealogy Websites (article by Elizabeth E. Bullard)
The Legal Stuff:
Website Design © 2017 Elizabeth E. Bullard. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright Notice:
The content of this website is a collective work that may contain some private contributions. Said private contributions are so-noted and copyright of those private contributions belongs to the original author. Most of the textual and photographic content on this site has been donated by Elizabeth E. Bullard and is free for the public to use at will, as long as the data remains free. Under no circumstances is any data from this site to be re-published in any fashion without the express written consent of its owner. Clipart found on this site is royalty-free, but may include some limited commercial rights.
Disclaimers:
This site is not in any way affiliated with any governmental body or agency.
Links to some external websites have been provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only. The act of pointing, via hyperlink, to any website by this website does not in any way whatsoever constitute an endorsement or an approval by The USGenWeb Project or any of its affliates or any of their administrators of any product, service, or opinion that may be appear on that website.
The USGenWeb Project and its affiliates and their administrators make no guarantee whatsoever about the content and/or quality of any research material that may be provided by any genealogical or historical researcher that may be listed on this website. The USGenWeb Project and its affiliates and their administrators make no guarantee whatsoever about the expertise of any genealogical or historical researcher that may be listed on this website. The listing on this website of any genealogical or historical researcher does not in any way whatsoever constitute endorsement of that genealogical or historical researcher by The USGenWeb Project or any of its affiliates or any of their administrators.