Featured Resource
Books at the Library
KCLS collections include many resources for the genealogist. The links below will connect you to some of the items available at the library.
Books for Beginners
Family History 101: A Guide to Finding Your Ancestors by Marcia Melnyk
First Steps in Genealogy: A Beginner's Guide to Researching Your Family History by Desmond Walls Allen
Genealogy for the First Time: Researching Your Family History by Laura Best
The Genealogy Handbook: The Complete Guide to Tracing Your Family Tree by Ellen Galford
Unpuzzling Your Past: The Best-Selling Basic Guide to Genealogy by Emily Anne Croom
Genealogy Classics
The Handybook for Genealogists by Everton Publishers
Red Book: American State, County & Town Sources edited by Alice Eichholz
The Source: a Guidebook of American Genealogy edited by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking
Genealogy News
1940 Census
Index Progressing
Two major genealogy services are hard at work developing indexes to the 1940 Census. FamilySearch is coordinating a volunteer effort; you can watch their progress on this map. Ancestry is also developing an index that is available through Ancestry Library Edition in KCLS libraries; updates are reported here.
Since most states have not been indexed, knowing what enumeration district (ED) your individual lived in is essential. Try the enumeration district finder if you know either the address where your individual lived in 1940 or their ED from the 1930 Census. Images of the original census pages will continue to be available online for free, although high traffic may limit access at times. The 1940 Census Records page from the National Archives provides an overview of what information was collected.
War of 1812 Pension Files Digitization Project
The Federation of Genealogical Societies, the National Archives, and members of the genealogy community are working to digitize pension files from the War of 1812 to commemorate the bicentennial of that conflict. Find out about the progress of the project and how you can help.
Who's on the Family Tree? Now it's Complicated
Surrogates, sperm donors and same-sex parents are changing the way we think about the family tree. Check out this interesting article from the New York Times.
First Steps for New Genealogists
Beginner's Guide to Family History Research provides easy-to-digest information on getting started in genealogy, including a glossarey of terms and lists of resources.
Ethnic Heritage Resources from Family Tree Magazine is a collection of articles, research tips, and finding aids that can help if you are looking for ancestors from a particular ethnic group or country.
How to Begin Tracing Your Family Tree provides a step-by-step process for the new researcher, along with links to helpful forms, research tips, and genealogy best practices.
Make a Family Tree, an interactive family tree tool from PBS, gives you an opportunity to create a family tree that not only allows you to show the people who compose your family, but to tell their stories. And by telling their stories, you'll create a picture of your family as a whole that shows why it's unique.
Rootsweb Guide to Tracing Family Trees has more than two dozen entertaining and helpful lessons on successful genealogy, including hints and pointers to some of the best of the web.
Mega-Sites for Further Exploration
Ready for more? Browse through these sites to get a view of the vast world of online genealogy resources.
Cyndi's List of genealogy sites on the internet is the most comprehensive listing of genealogical resources on the internet. It can sometimes be overwhelming if you're not sure what you're looking for. For beginners, it's a good exercise to browse the website for the sake of being able to see the enormous quantities information made available through the internet. Focused researchers can skip to categories -- places, ethnic groups or family names, for example.
Mocavo, the world’s largest free genealogy search engine, provides genealogists access to the best free genealogy content on the web including billions of names, dates and places worldwide.
RootsWeb serves as a clearinghouse, of sorts, for all things genealogical. It's primary function is to connect people for the sharing of research. It hosts other people's family trees on its extensive network, and maintains a huge message board. So if you need help finding a long lost ancestor this might be the perfect place to turn for help!
US GenWeb Project aims to provide a free genealogy website for every state and county in the United States. Content is developed by volunteers, so coverage varies widely from one page to another.
World GenWeb Project has a goal of providing an information page on every country in the world. Like US GenWeb, it is volunteer-based and free.
KCLS Topic Guides
About Topic Guides:
Topic Guides have been created by expert librarians in the King County Library System, in order to provide useres with a path to discover resources in subject areas with which they may be unfamiliar.
Have Questions? Ask a Librarian.
Call the Answer Line at:
425.462.9600 or 800.462.9600
Search for books and other materials in the Library Catalog
Blogs
There are dozens of genealogy blogs that provide research tips, news, or connections with other researchers. To find one on your favorite topic, look through Family Tree Magazine's 40 Best Genealogy Blogs or use the Genealogy Blog Finder.
For a quick fix, check out the Genealogy Tip of the Day.
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