Beginners' Guide
To Genealogy Research on the Internet

Genealogy information available on the internet is growing daily!   It is possible to find 1,000's of sites with a wealth of information.  Beginners can utilize this valuable genealogy resource.  The internet can be used in so many ways in your research.   Searching databases is only one part of research on the internet.   There are many other valuable resources available as well. 

Some sites provide historical information,  others have records such as census, birth, marriage and death records.  You can find leads to books and other materials available to help with your research. We have included a few helpful books and various genealogy software programs on the bottom of this page that you might find helpful.

You can contact other researchers, libraries, and resources in other parts of the country and the world.  The wonderful part is that this body of information is growing and changing every day.   When you find a  site with helpful information, be sure to bookmark the site so you can return later to check for new additions and other changes.

Check out all the other resources and links listed on our home page that can help in your research.  You can post queries for books you would like to find, and view the queries of others.   GeneaSearch.com provides a free service for societies and individuals to list genealogy books and other materials such as software they have available for sale.  This provides a central place for researchers to go to find these materials.  

It is possible to locate volunteers who will do free genealogy look ups for you in books and other offline resources they have.   Volunteering to perform lookups is still another way to find researchers with interests similar to yours.   On our volunteers page, you can find GeneaSearch.com visitors who have volunteered to do lookups.   We also provide links to other sites with lookup volunteers listed.  When you are ready, you might want to volunteer to do lookups yourself.

To find links to free online forms, guides, publications, calendar conversion tools, translation tools, and many other useful tools that will help organize your research, be sure to pay a visit to Collection of Free Genealogy Tools on 1-Stop Free Shop.

There are many sites where you can post queries about your ancestors.  You can also view queries posted by other researchers.  This is an excellent source for finding other researchers for your line.  Queries can be posted on GeneaSearch:

Female Ancestors Queries  Post and view queries about female ancestors.

Surname Queries Registry features queries for surnames you are researching.
  

We highly recommend email lists to share information with other researchers.  There are regional as well as surname lists available.  Through email lists, you can connect with others researching your surname or the area in which your ancestors lived.   You can also connect with others researching your ancestral line. These lists are one of the best sources of sharing genealogy information and tips on the internet.

Rootsweb Mailing Lists can help you find email lists to join. 

The links below lead to sites with information that will help you get started with genealogy and research on the internet.  If you are a beginner, be sure to check our other links pages for information that can help you.

Our General page has links to some of the best all-around resources to help you.
  

Featured Links

New2-Genealogy.com     Helping you solve your family mystery. An informative, lighthearted guide to genealogy on the internet. Ebook download free for all visitors

Search for Ancestors  Use these search tools to do free searches on major sites.

Genealogy Today 
Genealogy help for newbies, family researchers, genealogists and professionals with searchable databases, a free membership, surname trackers, and email newsletter.

Female Ancestors  Resources to help find your female ancestors.

Family Tree Searcher 

Genealogy: Advice for Effective Searches  

Free Genealogy Search Help for Google   

Genealogy Tips and Guidelines for Beginners  Offering a list of Genealogy Tips and Guidelines for Beginners on How to Begin the Research on your Family Roots. Tips include everything you need to find your family information from conducting a family interview to purchasing genealogy software.