These research guides, created by our librarians and specialists in genealogy resources, provide information and tools to help navigate your way through researching local history and genealogy collections.
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Local History and Genealogy Guides
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Research GuideAfrican American Family Histories and Genealogies: A Resource Guide The Library of Congress collections include a wide variety of family histories, genealogies, and electronic resources useful when researching the African American experience. This guide provides alphabetical and subject indexes to these materials.- Date: 2020-06-24
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Research GuideAfrican American Genealogical Research Millions of African Americans are descended from slaves, making genealogical research challenging prior to 1870, the date of the first census to include all free people. This guide provides published resources and case studies to aid in your research.- Date: 2020-06-24
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Research GuideBarbados: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as parish and regional historical research, for the country of Barbados.- Date: 2023-11-15
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Research GuideBuchanan Estate Scam: Detecting and Navigating Genealogical Hoaxes Fabricated family trees are an obstacle to genealogical research. Using the real-life example of the Buchanan Estate Scam material, this guide demonstrates how to recognize similar fake lineages that could derail your research.- Date: 2020-03-30
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Research GuideCalifornia: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as state, county and municipal historical research, for the state of California.- Date: 2022-06-28
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Research GuideChinese Origins of U.S. Families: A Guide to Local History and Genealogy Sources Compiled by subject specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide provides topical bibliographies for print and online resources on researching the genealogy of Chinese families in the U.S., along with key national, state and local histories.- Date: 2022-11-04
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Research GuideChurch and Synagogue Records for Genealogy Baptisms, marriages, and burials are recorded in religious records and can be used to verify or substitute for missing genealogical data. This guide provides search strategies for finding these records along with selected online resources.- Date: 2019-09-11
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Research GuideConnecticut: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as state, county and municipal historical research, for the State of Connecticut.- Date: 2023-07-26
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Research GuideDelaware: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as state, county and municipal historical research, for the state of Delaware.- Date: 2023-12-18
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Research GuideDistrict of Columbia: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as state, county and municipal historical research, for the District of Columbia.- Date: 2021-05-27
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Research GuideDominican Republic: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as provincial and regional historical research, for the country of the Dominican Republic.- Date: 2023-12-18
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Research GuideFamily History for Kids This guide will help you find materials suitable for involving children in family history research.- Date: 2021-03-24
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Research GuideFamily Secrets: Emotional Fallout from Genealogical Research Often considered a wholesome activity assigned to children as schoolwork to help them connect with history and geography lessons, anyone embarking on a genealogy research project should be prepared for the unexpected.- Date: 2020-09-24
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Research GuideFemale Ancestors: Finding Women in Local History and Genealogy This guide provides resources and strategies for discovering the women in local history and family trees. Library of Congress print and digital collections, as well as state, county, and community archives can help to find elusive female ancestors.- Date: 2022-02-01
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Research GuideFinding Ancestors in the Anti-Slavery Movement and Underground Railroad The effort to abolish slavery in the United States spanned centuries and was powered by thousands of ordinary people. This guide provides sources and strategies to search for your ancestors in all this activity.- Date: 2020-11-06
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Research GuideGenealogy and Family History Research: A Guide to Online Resources While not all materials useful in genealogical research are available for at-home research, the number of online resources continues to grow. This guide connects you with Library of Congress digitized collections and external websites to get you started.- Date: 2020-08-20
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Research GuideGenealogy Fiction: Entertainment and Inspiration Family historians have the opportunity to both enjoy and learn from their own specialized genre of fictional creativity.- Date: 2023-02-06
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Research GuideGeorgia: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as state, county and municipal historical research, for the state of Georgia.- Date: 2021-10-29
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Research GuideGerman Origins in the United States: A Guide to Local History and Genealogy Sources Compiled by subject specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide provides print and online resources for researching the genealogy of German families in the U.S., along with key national, state and local histories.- Date: 2022-05-26
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Research GuideGolden Age of Piracy: A Resource Guide From approximately 1650 to 1726, pirates menaced shipping routes from eastern North America to the Indian Ocean and beyond. This guide highlights primary and secondary sources for research, with a focus on those available online from the Library.- Date: 2021-11-29
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Research GuideHispanic Origins in the United States: A Guide to Local History and Genealogy Sources Compiled by subject specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide provides topical bibliographies for print and online resources on researching the genealogy of Hispanic families in the U.S., along with key national, state and local histories.- Date: 2018-06-13
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Research GuideHorn Papers: Forged Local History The three-volume set, entitled “The Horn Papers,” was published by the Greene County, Pennsylvania Historical Society in 1945. This guide comprises resources related to the discrediting of the first two volumes by historical scholars as forgeries.- Date: 2020-10-14
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Research GuideHouse History: A Guide to Uncovering the Stories of Local Buildings and Properties This guide provides research strategies to discover the history of a particular building or property, including architecture, location, ownership, and historical context.- Date: 2021-03-29
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Research GuideIdaho: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as state, county and municipal historical research, for the state of Idaho.- Date: 2022-03-09
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Research GuideIllinois: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as state, county and municipal historical research, for the state of Illinois.- Date: 2021-07-06