Genealogy Research Resources

An intensely personal account of the immigration experience as related by a young Jewish girl from Plotzk (a town in the government of Vitebsk, Russia). Mary Antin, with her mother, sisters, and brother, set out from Plotzk in 1894 to join their father, who had journeyed to the "Promised Land" of America three years before. Fourth class railroad cars packed to suffocation, corrupt crossing guards, luggage and persons crudely "disinfected" by German officials who feared the cholera, locked "quarantine" portside, and, finally, the steamer voyage and a famiily reunited. For anyone who has ever wondered what it was like for their grandparents or great grandparents to emmigrate from Europe to the United States last century, this is a fascinating narrative. Mary Antin went on to become an immigration rights activist. She also wrote an autobiography, The Promised Land, published in 1912, which detailed her assimilation into American culture. (Summary by Sue Anderson)

Search for your ancestors in free cemetery and obituary listings. Plus, learn how to do a tombstone rubbing, use GPS to locate family cemeteries, clean and maintain cemeteries, interpret the meaning of icons and symbols on gravestones, and use records from funeral homes, undertakers and coroners.

This Jamaica, West Indies, genealogical research site contains transcriptions from various documents for 1655 to 1947 (and a few to 1993), including nineteenth century Jamaica Almanacs (which list property owners and civil and military officials), the complete text of "Monumental Inscriptions of the British West Indies" written in 1875 by J. H. Lawrence-Archer, Jamaica Directories for 1878, 1891 and 1910, extractions from Jamaican Church records, Civil Registration and Wills, and excerpts from newspapers, books, and other documents. It includes images, a Glossary, Historical Background, and other Utilities to aid in putting this information into focus. New information is added constantly, thus creating a virtual genealogy library for those researching Jamaican families. Here you will come across people from all walks of life: large landowners and paupers, slave and free, knights, gentlemen, laborers, seamen, soldiers, lawmakers and lawbreakers. They all left their imprint in the Jamaican records. Facts come to light, and skeletons jangle in the closet. The colors of people mentioned in the Registers, and the variety of people found here, reflect the island motto, "Out of Many, One People."

This post AND comments are very helpful preparation for a research trip to SLC.

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War - Photos from the Past. Photographs of Civil War ancestors.

Pennsylvania Civil War Era Collection contain all the words, photographs, and advertisements from selected newspapers published during the pivotal years before, during, and after the U.S. Civil War. Newspapers played a prominent role in the conflict. They helped mobilize public opinion for, or against, the war, relayed battlefield developments to their readers, and documented political life on the homefront. Beyond military or political concerns there is much on cultural topics including travel, arts and leisure, sports and contests, and local social events.

Library @ BYU