Genealogy Topics
Every guide on the site, grouped by the kind of record or research problem it covers.
Getting Started
The first steps, habits and free tools every family tree is built on.
Census Records
Federal and state censuses, and the other records that work like a census: how to find them, read them and get every clue out of them.
Birth, Marriage & Death Records
Vital records, and the substitutes to use for the years before states kept them.
Church Records
Baptisms, marriages, burials and membership records kept by congregations, often long before civil records.
Cemeteries & Burials
Finding graves, reading headstones, and the sexton and funeral home records behind them.
Newspapers & Obituaries
Obituaries, notices and local news, and how to search old papers well.
Land & Property Records
Deeds, grants, patents and tax rolls: the records that place a family on the map.
Wills, Probate & Court Records
Wills, estate files, guardianships and court minutes, which name relationships outright.
Tax Records
Annual tax lists that track adults year by year and survive where other records were lost.
Military Records
Service records, pensions, bounty land and draft cards from the colonial wars to the 20th century.
Immigration & Naturalization
Passenger lists, naturalization papers and the records that trace an immigrant back to the old country.
DNA & Genetic Genealogy
Autosomal and Y-DNA testing, matches and how to use them alongside the paper trail.
Libraries & Archives
How to get the most from public libraries, genealogy libraries, archives and courthouses, in person and online.
Research in the Old Country
Tracing immigrant ancestors back to the parish registers, censuses and civil records of their homeland.
African American Research
Strategies and records for tracing African American families, including before 1870.
Research Methods & Evidence
How experienced researchers analyze records, weigh evidence and prove conclusions.
Brick Walls
Strategies for ancestors who seem to have left no trail.
Organizing Your Research
Systems for files, notes, sources and research logs that keep a growing tree under control.
Online Sites & Family Trees
Getting the most from genealogy websites and online trees, free and paid.