Genealogy @ the Algonquin Area Public Library

Beginning Genealogy Resources

PBS Ancestors
Beginning genealogy guide and free ancestor charts to organize your research.

Genealogy for Beginners
How to's from the people at about.com

Cyndi’s List
A directory of links to genealogy web sites organized by topic and fully searchable. With 233,000 links and growing, it is still genealogy’s largest website directory.

Linkpendium
Link directory of 1,035,614 genealogical resources organized by geographic location. Great for locating resources focusing on a specific town, county, or state.

Rootsweb
Subscribe to message boards for surnames and counties you are researching. Connect with other genealogists doing similar research. Ask others for help. Features include Roots_L listserv, World Connect Family trees, and free access to some databases including Social Security Death Index.

US GenWeb
The USGenWeb Project consists of a group of volunteers working together to provide Internet websites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States. The Project is non-commercial and fully committed to free access for everyone. Includes census transcriptions and county histories.

FamilySearch (LDS)
Search the Family History Center’s catalog to locate microfilm or the IGI database for vital records, or the Ancestral and Pedigree Files for family histories. Also, freely search the 1880 United States, 1881 British Isles, or the 1881 Canadian Censuses.

Genealogy Blog
Your daily news site for all things genealogy. A great place to learn about new genealogy web sites and sources.

Genealogy Research Guides - Online Tips & Records
Basics of Online Genealogy Research for Beginners & Beyond