Genealogy Records & Databases

Restrictions on Chinese immigration to America between 1882 and 1943 created a body of documents known as Chinese Exclusion Case Files that can be a great source of information for anyone researching Chinese American genealogy. Learn where to access these Chinese Exclusion Case Files and what you can expect to find.

The mandatory draft for World War II left behind records of the millions of American men who registered. From them you can learn

Maximize your results from online genealogy databases with these five simple tips.

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Bounty land warrants were issued to veterans in return for military service from the time of the Revolutionary War until 1858. Learn more about the different types of military bounty land warrants and grants, and how to research in bounty land warrant files.

Draft records contain a wealth of information on millions of men between the ages of 16 and about 45. The WWI draft registration records are by far the biggest group of such draft records in the U.S., containing names, ages, and dates and place of birth for more than 24 million men.

Don't know where your ancestor came from? Try one of these suggestions for locating the parents of your ancestor and discovering the next generation in your family tree.

When you can't locate clues to your family tree in the usual places, try these often missed and overlooked records and sources to further your family history search.

Discovering the maiden name of a female ancestor can sometimes be difficult, but can lead to a whole new branch of your family tree. Check these ten record types first when looking for mention of a female's maiden name.

Learn which records to search first when trying to find the date or place where an individual was born.

If you're trying to find a date or place of date for an individual, these are the records you'll want to check first.

Learn which records to look at first when searching for an approximate year or place of marriage, or an actual marriage date or location.

Learn how to research your family tree without spending a fortune with these tips for spending your genealogy money wisely.

A step-by-step guide to searching the world's largest genealogy library from the comfort of home and accessing its extensive family history records at your local Family History Center.

Do you have a criminal in your family tree? If so, don't overlook the large number of historical prison records available online for prisons and prisoners across the United States.

City directories can be used to not only place an ancestor in a particular time and place, but also to follow their occupations and residences, and even identify marriages and deaths. Learn how to use city directories to help build your family tree, as well as where you can access city directories online.

Manuscript collections, filled with these types of personal and family records, are available in the special collections of thousands of libraries, universities, museums, historical societies, and archives around the world. Learn how to locate and use these manuscript collections to answer questions about your own family history.