Mid-Atlantic Region: Resources

We are happy that you are considering becoming accredited in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Mid-Atlantic states consist of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. Washington, D.C. is also grouped with the Mid-Atlantic states. This resource page contains links to important record collections, resources, and repositories that will be helpful to you as you prepare to take the Mid-Atlantic exam.

As a Mid-Atlantic researcher, you should be familiar with these resources. Although this list is not comprehensive, it will provide a starting point for you as you learn what is available to Mid-Atlantic researchers. If you are aware of additional online resources for the Mid-Atlantic states, let us know. This web page will be updated regularly, and we'd love to add additional resources that will benefit all Mid-Atlantic researchers.

If you would like to contribute additional resources to this page, please contact the moderator for this page: Tristan L. Tolman, AG.

Mid-Atlantic researchers should have a good working knowledge of many important record types, including (but not limited to) those listed below. Gain experience using these records. Learn to recognize them by sight, become familiar with their content, and know how to use them in genealogical research. Understand the unique aspects and differences of these records in the Mid-Atlantic region from other regions of the United States.

Cemetery records
Census records (federal, state, and special censuses)
Church records (baptism or christening, marriage, burial, membership)
Land and property records
Military records
Naturalization records
Probate records
Town records
Vital records (birth, marriage, death)

Directories
Family histories and biographies
Immigration and migration records
Local and county histories
Maps, gazetteers, and historical geography
Obituaries
Tax records
Periodicals

Adoption records
Bible records
Business/commerce records
Court records
Ethnic, minority, and native races records
Funeral home records
Guardianship records
Manuscript collections
Newspapers
Voting records

Free sites:

• Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
• Family History Archives Brigham Young University’s online family histories, local histories, and how-to books on genealogy
• Family Search Historical records, research guidance, the Family History Library catalog, and collaborative tools
• Google Books Browse or preview books online
• Internet Archive Browse books online or use the “Wayback Machine” to view archived web pages
• Library of Congress, American Memory History, maps, photographs, and more
• Rootsweb Places, surnames, obituary projects, mailing lists, Social Security Death Index
• US Gen Web State and county pages include histories, links, queries, lookups
• Family Group Sheet Project
• USGenWeb Archives
• Historical Map Archive Sponsored by Alabama maps
• CastleGarden.org Free immigration records
• Ellis Island Record Free immigration records
• MortalitySchedules.com

Fee sites:

• Ancestry.com $ Search indexes and images by person’s name, by record type, or by specific locality
• Fold3.com $ Search indexes and images by person’s name, by historical era, or by collection
• World Vital Records $ Search indexes and images by person’s name or by collection
• Godfrey Memorial Library Some records are free without a subscription

Land

• General Land Office Records Index to patents (original title from the government) issued for homesteads, land grants, pre-emption claims, and cash sales for the federal land states
• Public Records Search maps, photos and documents by property description or address within each county

Cemeteries

• Find a Grave Search by surname or place
• Names in Stone Search interactive cemetery maps and records
• US Gen Web’s Tombstone Transcription Project
• ICAPGen’s “Whispers from the Dust” cemetery program

Maps and Gazetteers

• United States Digital Map Collections
• David Rumsey Map Collection
• Library of Congress:
  • American Memory, “Map Collections”
  • Geography and Map Division
• United States Geological Survey
• USGenWeb’s “United States Digital Maps Library”

Migration

• The FamilySearch Research Wiki,“United States Migration Internal” page has articles and links for U.S. waterways, railroads, roads, and trails
• Historical railroad maps for each state are available from the Library of Congress “Railroad Maps Collection 1828-1900”
• Ancestry’s “Immigration and Travel” $ Search indexes and images for border crossings as well as seaports

Military

• The FamilySearch Research Wiki, “United States Military Records” page has articles and links for research strategies and records for each war
• Ancestry.com $ Has indexes and images, including the complete Revolutionary War Pension Files
• Fold3.com $ Has a large collection of U.S. military indexes and images, including the complete Revolutionary War Compiled Service Records and Pension files

Native American/American Indian

• The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and its Regional Centers have several collections pertinent to Native American/American Indian research and the Bureau of Indian Affairs
• The FamilySearch Research Wiki, “American Indian Genealogy” page has articles and links for research strategies and records for most tribes
• Ancestry.com $ “U.S. Native American Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914” and “U.S. Native American Applications for Enrollment in Five Civilized Tribes, 1896”
• Websites of the individual tribes

Newspapers and obituaries

• Chronicling America Library of Congress’ expanding digital newspaper project
• GenDisasters: Events that Touched our Ancestors’ Lives Prairie fires, train wrecks, plagues, explosions, tornadoes, freezing, etc.
• Obituary Search Links to resources in each state, many requiring subscriptions
• Genealogy Bank $ Search newspapers, obituaries, and historical books and documents
• Newspaper Archive $ Search historical newspapers of the world
• Periodical Source Index (PERSI)indexes many historical and genealogical magazines
• Ancestry.com $
• Heritage Quest Available through subscribing libraries

Andriot, Jay. Township Atlas of the United States. McLean, Virginia: Documents Index, 1991.

Eichholz, Alice, Editor. Redbook: American State, County, and Town Sources. Third Edition. Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004.

Freedman’s Bank Records. CD/ROM. Salt Lake City, Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Family History Dept., 2001. (Note that this is a more complete index than what’s available under the same title at a variety of online sites.)

Greenwood, Val D. The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2000.

Hait, Michael, compiler. Online State Resources for Genealogy. 2011. This e-book, available as a paid download from www.lulu.com, is a directory for a variety of online records by government agencies, societies, and libraries.

The Handy Book for Genealogists: United States of America. Tenth edition. Logan, Utah: Everton Publishing, 2006.

Hone, E. Wade. Land and Property Research in the United States. Salt Lake City, Utah: Ancestry, 1997.

Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 2009.

Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Present. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1994.

Rose, Christine. Courthouse Research for Family Historians: Your Guide to Genealogical Treasures. San Jose, Calif.: CR Publications, 2004.

Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, editors. The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy. Third edition. Salt Lake City, Utah: Ancestry, Inc., 2006.

OTHER

Delaware

• Delaware Genealogical Society
• Delaware Historical Society
• Delaware Public Archives
• Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History & Culture
• Hagley Museum and Library
• University of Delaware Library

Maryland

• Archives of Maryland Online
• Baltimore City Archives
• Enoch Pratt Free Library
• George Peabody Library at John Hopkins University
• Historical Society of Baltimore County
• Maryland State Archives
• Maryland Genealogical Society
• Maryland State Historical Society
• Maryland State Law Library
• University of Maryland Libraries
• NARA Mid Atlantic Region
• Western Maryland’s Historical Library