Are you new to archival research?
Review our Main Research Getting Started pages.
Genealogy Tutorial
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View our updated Tutorial, "Beginning Your Genealogical Research at the National Archives and Records Administration",
a Powerpoint presentation
Starting Genealogy and Family History Research
- Suggested Ways to Start
- Learn about resources available for research and research methods
- Research with Historical Records
- Records Available on Microfilm
- Research in Other Federal Records
- Research Tips, and Solving Difficult Research Problems
- Questions? Contact Us
Suggested Ways To Start
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Learn about resources available for research and methods for researching
- Review Online tutorials and guides
- Consult books and articles
- Attend Workshops and Conferences
- Join Genealogical Societies
Review Online tutorials and guides
Links to web sites with good sections on how to begin your research.
Consult books and articles
We have included a list of books and articles about what
records are available, where they can be found, and steps in the genealogical
research process.
Attend Workshops and Conferences
See our list of workshops to help people learn how to use historical documents in
genealogical research,
and links to other workshops around the country.
Join Genealogical Societies
In addition to sponsoring workshops, other help is also available through
genealogical societies.
Research With Historical Documents
The National Archives (NARA) is the nation's recordkeeper. It preserves and makes available the valuable records of the Federal Government.
Since the founding of the nation, most Americans at some time in their lives have come into contact with or have had some involvement with the Federal Government. It is records created through this contact where you may find reference to your ancestors in our holdings. As you begin your family research at NARA ask yourself about the person's relationship to the Federal Government.
Records in the National Archives are arranged by how the agencies created them, and there is no master subject or name index.
Your use of historical documents at the National Archives likely will yield better results if you first obtain the following information:
- Names of ancestors, their spouses, their siblings, their children, and other relatives, if known
- Approximate dates of their birth and death, and, if applicable, dates of military service, of marriage, and of divorce
- The places (such as the town, county, state or province, and country) of birth and death, and residence.
Any record that gives a name, place, and/or date may be of interest to you as you conduct your family research. There could be a wealth of information about your family in our holdings, just awaiting your discovery!
Records in our holdings that are most often used by genealogists and family historians include:
- Federal Population Censuses (1790-1930)
- Military service and pension records (ca. 1776-1990)
- Immigration records (1820-1957)
- Naturalization records
- Land records
Once you have the name of an ancestor and an idea of which state he or she resided in,
you may want to begin by exploring census records.
Census records can provide the building
blocks of your research, allowing you to both confirm information, and
to learn a lot more. From 1790-1840 only the head of household is listed,
but beginning with 1850, details are provided for all individuals in households.
The Federal Population Census has been taken every 10 years, beginning in 1790.
The National Archives has the census schedules on microfilm available
from 1790 to 1930.
(Note: Most of the 1890 Census was destroyed in a Department of Commerce fire,
though partial records are available for some states.)
There is a 72-year restriction on access to
population census schedules, which is why 1930 is the latest year currently available.
Learn more about Census Records research
The National Archives holds Federal military service records in two repositories:
- The National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., for Revolutionary War - 1912 (see details of holdings)
- National Military Personnel Records Center (NPRC), in St. Louis, Missouri, for WWI - present (see details of holdings).
Your research path will depend on aspects such as: what branch of service your ancestor was in, which conflict, what dates, whether Regular Army or a volunteer unit, whether your ancestor was an officer or enlisted personnel, and whether there was a pension application.
Learn more about Military Records research
Immigration records, also known as "ship passenger arrival records,"
may provide genealogists with interesting personal information about their
ancestors. In addition to their ship and date of entry, you may learn of
other details, such as their
nationality, place of birth,
age, height, eye and hair color,
profession, place of last residence,
names and addresses of relatives in the U.S., and
amount of money they were carrying with them.
The National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA) has immigration records for
arrivals to the United States from foreign ports between approximately 1820
and 1982. The records are arranged by Port of Arrival.
Indexes are available for most of the ports, with the exception of New York between 1847-1896.
Learn more about research in Passenger Arrival Records
Naturalization is the process by which an alien becomes an American citizen.
These records can provide a researcher with information such as a person's
birth date and location, occupation, immigration year,
marital status and spouse information, witnesses' names and addresses, and more.
The National Archives in Washington, D.C. holds naturalization
records for Federal Courts.
Prior to 1906, any municipal, county, state, or Federal court could grant U.S. citizenship,
so you may need to contact the relevant State Archives to search
in these records as well.
Read more about Naturalization Records research
The land records that are generally of most interest to genealogists
are the land entry case files.
These are records that
document the transfer of
public lands from the U.S. Government to private
ownership.
There are over ten million such individual land transactions in
the custody of the National Archives. These case files cover land entries in all
30 public land states.
For land records in the remaining 20 states that were never part of the original public domain, check
the State Archives for that particular state.
This includes the original 13 colonies, plus Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and West
Virginia.
Read more about research in Land Records
Additional information on getting started on using all of these records can also be found in the various online tutorials and guides.
Research Records Available On Microfilm
Many of the records which are often used in genealogical research are available on microfilm. To learn more about these records and how to obtain them on microfilm, see our published guides, listed below, and search our Microfilm Catalog database, available online.
- Microfilm Resources for Research: A Comprehensive Catalog of National
Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC: National Archives and
Records Administration, 2001. Available for
purchase, or
search online.
- American Indians: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC: National
Archives and Records Administration, 1995. Available
online
or for purchase.
- Black Studies: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC: National
Archives and Records Administration, 1996.
Available online.
- Diplomatic Records: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC:
National Archives and Records Administration, 1986. Available
online
or for purchase.
- Genealogical & Biographical Research: A Select Catalog of National Archives
Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1983).
Available online.
- Federal Court Records: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications.
Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1987.
Available online.
- Immigrant & Passenger Arrivals: A Select Catalog of National Archives
Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1991.
Available online or for
purchase.
- Military Service Records: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1985. Available online or for purchase.
Research in Other Federal Records (Not Online Or On Microfilm)
For information on other Federal records, both microfilmed and unfilmed, in the custody of NARA that are useful for genealogical research, consult the Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 3d edition, 2001. Available for purchase.
Research Tips and Solving Difficult Research Problems
If your research seems to hit a dead-end or poses a tough problem, you can often find other paths by learning how others solved their research problems. We provide a list of articles and links to online resources that may help you get beyond your research obstacles. More ...
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