We are happy that you are considering becoming accredited in the New England region. The New England states consist of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. This resource page contains a list of important record types that you should be familiar with before applying for accreditation. It also contains links to important record collections, resources, and repositories that will be helpful to you as you prepare for the New England exam.
Although this list is not comprehensive, it will provide a starting point for you as you learn what is available to New England researchers. If you would like to contribute additional resources to this page, please contact the moderator: Tristan Tolman, AG.
IMPORTANT RECORD TYPES
New England 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 New England region from other regions of the United States.
Record Types You Must Know Very Well
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
Vital records (birth, marriage, death)
Record Types with Which You Should Have a Good Working Knowledge
Directories
Family histories and biographies
Immigration and migration records
Local and county histories
Maps, gazetteers, and historical geography
Obituaries
Tax records
Periodicals
Town records
Record Types with Which You Should Have Some Familiarity
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
ONLINE RECORDS AND RESOURCES: ALL U.S. REGIONS
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:
The following websites provide major records important to U.S. research:
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
Maps and Gazetteers
Migration
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
- Footnote $ 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
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
USEFUL PRINTED AND CD/ROM REFERENCES:
ALL U.S. REGIONS
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.
REPOSITORIES AND LIBRARIES: ALL U.S. REGIONS
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Its Regional Centers house collections specific to that region
Family History Library has an expanding collection of microfilms, images, printed material, and (in-house only) online database subscriptions for researching your ancestors in the U.S. and other localities around the world
Allen County Public Library, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, has a large collection of periodicals as well as census records and local histories
National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Library has biographies, histories, genealogies, directories, periodicals, and manuscripts
The Library of Congress’ digital offerings include newspapers, maps, photographs, histories, and documents
New England Historic Genealogical Society $ has a wide online collection, including regions outside of New England
Godfrey Memorial Library $ Membership provides access to a variety of indexes, local and family histories, military databases, newspapers, and other genealogical collections
EDUCATION
CONFERENCES AND INSTITUTES
ICAPGen frequently offers instruction on regional research and methodologies at its annual conference, normally held in Utah in November. The syllabus materials for the 2010 ICAPGen conference can be ordered from the ICAPGen Store.
Brigham Young University (BYU) Genealogy and Family History Conference, Provo, Utah, normally held in July or August.
Family History Expos offers events in a variety of locations throughout the year
Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) Conference, locations vary, normally held in August or September
Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), Samford University, Birmigham, Alabama, normally held in June
National Genealogical Society (NGS):
National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR), National Archives in Washington, D.C. and College Park, Maryland, normally held in July
RootsTech, Salt Lake City, Utah, normally held in February
Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, Burbank, California, normally held in June
Utah Genealogical Society’sSalt Lake Institute of Genealogy, Salt Lake City, Utah, normally held in January
OTHER
ICAPGen’s Mentoring Classes
Clifford, Karen. Becoming an Accredited Genealogist. Revised edition. Provo, Utah: Ancestry Publishing, 1998.
FamilySearch.org’s “Learn” tab offers:
Brigham Young University’s Online Genealogy Tutorial
Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
In order to pass a U.S. regional exam, you will be expected to accurately transcribe documents of genealogical significance. The FamilySearch Wiki “United States Handwriting” page provides a list of resources and other online links for understanding early American handwriting
American Ancestors Collection of articles from the New England Historic Genealogical Society
Distant Cousins Links to Genealogy Records (by state, record type, name)
WorldCat
Connecticut
Maine
The following sites may have records pertaining to Maine as it was originally part of Massachusetts.
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
The following sites may have records pertaining to New Hampshire.
Rhode Island
Vermont
Contributors to this web page: Judy Davis, Charlene Pipkin, AG, C. Lynn Andersen, AG, Tristan L. Tolman, AG.
