Monday, December 08, 2014

10 Cool Places to Find Your Ancestors Online (USA)

For Genealogy Research

FamilySearch Genealogy Record Search
You'll find all sorts of free genealogy indexes and records here with more being added fairly often.

National Archives Online Public Access Search
Here you can search the online resources of the U.S. National Archives, including the Access to Archival Databases (AAD).

Online Searchable Death Indexes, Records and Obituaries
A list of indexes for death certificates, death records, newspaper obituaries, cemetery burials and probate records.

Online Birth and Marriage Records Indexes
A list of indexes for birth and marriage records.

Online Military Indexes and Records
A list of online military indexes from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam.

Ship Passenger Lists on the Internet
Internet sources for digitized and transcribed passenger records and indexes.

Online Naturalization Records and Indexes
A directory to help find USA naturalization records.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM), General Land Office (GLO) Records
Here you can search for some federal land records from the BLM.

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
A growing collection of searchable digitized newspapers (1836-1922) from the Library of Congress.

Some Free Online Census Records and Indexes
A list of some free census records and indexes on the Internet.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Online Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries - Latest Additions and Updates

The Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records Directory has been updated with links to the following items...

California
 - Ventura County: Bardsdale Cemetery District Records (in Fillmore, California)
 - Ventura County: Ivy Lawn Memorial Park Records (cemetery in Ventura, California)

Colorado
 - Denver: Riverside Cemetery Burial Register Index, 1876-1963
 - Denver Public Library Obituaries Indexes, 1924-2009 for the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News (update: more years added)
 - Douglas County Cemetery Photos (searchable database of headstones in Bear Cañon and Spring Valley Cemeteries)
 - Lake County Cemetery Burial Indexes

District of Columbia
 - The Oak Hill Cemetery Burials

Florida
 - Hillsborough County: City of Tampa Cemetery Database (for Jackson Heights, Marti/Colon, Oaklawn, and Woodlawn Cemeteries)
 - Hillsborough County: Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library History and Genealogy Records (includes Lord and Fernandez Funeral Home Records, and J L Reed Funeral Home Records)

Georgia
 - Chatham County: Savannah, Georgia Vital Records Indexes and Cemetery Burials (at Ancestry/fee-based)

Idaho
 - Idaho Death Records, 1890-1930 (at Ancestry/fee-based) includes scanned copies of the death certificates; most are for 1911-1930
 - Ada County: Idaho Statesman Obituary Index 1959-Present from the Boise Public Library (update: more years added)
 - Ada County: Dry Creek Cemetery Burials (Boise, Idaho)

Illinois
 - Boone County: Ida Public Library Genealogy Indexes (includes Belvidere newspaper obituary index, Boone County death certificate indexes 1877-1955, and other items)
 - Cook County Death Index 1878-1939, and Chicago Death Index 1959-1995 at FamilySearch (update: more years added). See: Online Chicago & Cook County, Illinois Death Records & Indexes

Iowa
 - Iowa Gravestone Photo Project (update: now has over 1 million entries)
 - Davis County Death Records Indexes, 1880-1900 (also has indexes for marriages and other items)
 - Fayette County: Grandview Cemetery Records (from the Fayette Community Library)
 - Polk County: Highland Memory Gardens Cemetery Burials (in Des Moines, Iowa)
 - Polk County: Des Moines Municipal Cemeteries Interment Search
 - Polk County: Des Moines Funeral Home Indexes and St. Ambrose Roman Catholic Cemetery Burials (from the Iowa Genealogical Society)
 - Scott County: Pine Hill Cemetery Burials (in Davenport)

Kansas
 - Johnson County: Olathe Memorial Cemetery Burials
 - Osage County: Osage City Library Obituaries Index
 - Riley County: Grave and Lot Locator for Sunrise and Sunset Cemeteries (in Manhattan, Kansas)
 - Shawnee County: Historic Topeka Cemetery Burials Search

Kentucky
 - Harrison County Funeral Home Indexes

Louisiana
 - Louisiana Death Records Index 1911-1963 (update: year 1963 added)
 - Calcasieu Parish Public Library Obituaries Indexes 2000-2012

Michigan
 - Ottawa County: Holland Sentinel Vital Records and Obituaries Indexes (Vital records indexes include death notices, obituaries, birth announcements and other items.)

Minnesota
 - Otter Tail County Historical Society Cemeteries and Obituaries

Mississippi
 - Mississippi Death Index, November 1912-1943 (not complete for 1912-1921)

Missouri
 - Buchanan County: St. Joseph Public Library Obituary Database (covers 1953-2011, but some years have not yet been added)
 - Jackson County: Elmwood Cemetery Family History and Burial Information (in Kansas City, Missouri)
 - Marion County Library Master Cemetery Index

Montana
 - Cascade County: Great Falls Genealogy Society Indexes (includes cemetery burials, coroner's records and more)
 - Gallatin County: Sunset Hills Cemetery Interactive Map Burials Search (in Bozeman, Montana)
 - Yellowstone County Gravesite Locator (includes the following cemeteries: Boothill, Castle Butte, Custer, Mountview, Riverside, Scandia and Yellowstone County Veterans Cemetery)

New Jersey
 - New Jersey Death Records Index, June 1878-June 1892 (update: 2 more years added)

New Mexico
 - Hidalgo County Cemeteries
 - San Juan County: Aztec Cemetery Burials (in Aztec, New Mexico)
 - Santa Fe County: Fairview Cemetery Burials (in Santa Fe, New Mexico)

New York
 - Livingston County Historian Genealogy Records Index (includes burials up to 1885 and other items)

North Dakota
 - Burleigh County: St. Mary's Cemetery Burials (Catholic Diocese of Bismarck; two-thirds of the burials are Catholics)
 - Morton County: Mandan Union Cemetery Burials

Ohio
 - Diocese of Cleveland Catholic Cemeteries Burial Search (requires free registration; currently includes 4 cemeteries with more being worked on). See: Online Cleveland & Cuyahoga County, Ohio Death Records & Indexes

Oregon
 - Marion County: Willamette Valley Death Records, 1838-2006 (at Ancestry/fee-based; a collection of various death records, including scanned copies of obituaries, cemetery burials and death certificates)
 - Marion County: Lee Mission Cemetery Burial Search (Salem, Oregon)

Pennsylvania
 - Allegheny County: Diocese of Pittsburgh Catholic Cemeteries Search
 - Allegheny Cemetery - Burials Search (in Pittsburgh)
 - Allegheny County: Henderson Cemetery Burials (in Acmetonia, Pennsylvania near Harmarville)
 - Columbia County Genealogy Indexes (includes indexes for death certificates, obituaries, death notices and other items; from the Columbia County Historical and Genealogical Society)
 - Lehigh County: Morning Call Online Obituary Index 1895-1983 (update: now complete) from the Allentown Public Library

Rhode Island
 - Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence Cemetery Burials (update: 4 cemeteries added)

South Carolina
 - Greenville County: Springwood and Richland Cemetery Viewer (City of Greenville); requires Flash; includes burials search
 - Lexington County Public Library Obituary and Death Notice Index

Tennessee
 - Davidson County: Calvary Catholic Cemetery Burials (Diocese of Nashville)
 - Davidson County: Metropolitan Nashville/Davidson County Archives Genealogy Indexes; includes Wills Index 1783-1924, Nashville Globe Obituaries Index 1907-1918 (African American Newspaper), Birth and Marriage Indexes, and other items

Virginia
 - Fauquier County: Fauquier Democrat/Times-Democrat Index (indexes births, marriages, deaths and other items; covers 1905-1983 with some years missing)
 - Fredericksburg Historic Court Records (includes wills search 1782-1957)
 - Loudoun County: Indexes for Births, Marriages, Deaths, Wills and other items (death index covers 1912-1917; wills index covers 1757-1946)
 - Richmond City: Hollywood Cemetery Burials (also includes a database for Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery)

Wyoming
 - Big Horn Basin Cemeteries (includes cemetery burial listings in Big Horn County, Hot Springs County and Washakie County)
 - Albany County: Greenhill Cemetery Burials (Laramie, Wyoming)
 - Campbell County Cemeteries
 - Johnson County Cemeteries and Obituaries (includes Willow Grove Cemetery burials and an index of obituaries published in the Buffalo Bulletin)
 - Park County: Riverside Cemetery District Burials (in Cody, Wyoming)
 - Platte County: Wheatland Cemetery Burials (includes gravestone photographs and PDFs of obituaries)
 - Sublette County: Index to the Pinedale Roundup Newspaper of Sublette County, Wyoming 1904-1999
 - Sublette County: Big Piney and LaBarge Area Cemeteries
 - Sweetwater County: Rock Springs Cemetery Burials

This is a list of the most recent additions. There are many more links for death records indexes at: Online Searchable Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Monday, July 14, 2014

Online Indexes for Death Records, Cemeteries and Obituaries - Latest Additions

The Online Death Records and Indexes Website has been updated with links to the following items...

California
- Contra Costa County Obituary Index 1855-1920, and Probate Indexes
- Orange County Catholic Cemeteries- Burial Search

Colorado
- Elbert County: Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery Burials (Diocese of Colorado Springs)
- Montrose Genealogy Center Cemetery Transcriptions (also has some listings for Delta and San Miguel Counties)
- Montrose County: Cedar Creek Cemetery Burials (Montrose, CO)

Florida
- Palm Beach: Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Cemetery Burial Records Search

Georgia
- Georgia Death Certificates 1928-1939 at FamilySearch (update: years 1931-1939 added)
- Fulton County: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta Cemeteries (PDF files with burial listings for individual cemeteries)

Illinois
- DuPage County: Bloomingdale Public Library Obituary Index (includes PDFs for many of the obituaries)
- Jackson County: St. Andrew Catholic Cemetery Burials
- Lake County: Highland Park Obituary Index 1874-2009 (update: more years added)

- Cook County Death Index 1878-1922 and Chicago Death Index 1959-1994 at FamilySearch (update: years 1959-1994 for Chicago added) See: Online Chicago & Cook County, Illinois Death Records & Indexes

Indiana
- Warrick County Genealogy Indexes (includes WPA death records index 1882-1920, cemetery burials and more)

Iowa
- Iowa: County Death Records, 1880-1992 at FamilySearch

Kansas
- Cowley County: Riverview Cemetery Burials (Arkansas City, Kansas)

Kentucky
- Clark County: Winchester Cemetery Burial Records (Winchester, KY)

Massachusetts
- Bristol County: Swansea Cemeteries
- Middlesex County: City of Waltham Cemetery Records Search (for Mount Feake and Grove Hill Cemeteries)
- Worcester County: Town of Charlton Cemeteries

Michigan
- Alpena County Obituary and Cemetery Indexes (also has Alpena Catholic Church records indexes and other items)
- Emmet County: Greenwood Cemetery Burials (Petoskey, Michigan)
- Mason County: Lakeview Cemetery Burials (Ludington, Michigan)
- Oakland County: Rochester-Avon Historical Society Obituaries Index
- Oakland County: Royal Oak Cemetery Burials

Minnesota
- Hennepin County: Saint Vincent de Paul Cemetery Burials (Catholic cemetery in Osseo, Minnesota)

Missouri
- Catholic Cemetery Burials in Iron, St. Francois and Ste. Genevieve Counties

Nebraska
- Knox County Cemeteries

New York
- Jefferson County Estate Claims Index
- Monroe County: Burials in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery (Clarkson, NY)
- New York City: Brooklyn Daily Eagle Newspaper 1841-1955 (update: several more years added)
- Saratoga County Cemeteries
- Schenectady County: Vale Cemetery Burials (Schenectady, New York)
- Westchester County: Field Library Obituary Index (index of death notices from Peekskill, New York newspapers from the mid-1800s to the present)

North Carolina
- Wake County: Raleigh News and Observer Newspaper Index 1926-1992 (includes death notices)

Ohio
- Montgomery County: Dayton Memorial Park Cemetery Burials (Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio)
- Tuscarawas County Genealogical Society Obituary Indexes (for the Dover Daily Reporter 1954-1967 and the Dover Times-Reporter 2003-2011)

Oklahoma
- Pottawatomie County: Fairview Cemetery Burials (Shawnee, Oklahoma)
- Sequoyah County: Sallisaw Memorial Cemetery Burials (Sallisaw, Oklahoma)
- Woods County: Alva Cemetery Burials (Alva, Oklahoma)

Oregon
- Multnomah County (and Lane County): Portland Catholic Cemeteries Burial Search (includes Mount Calvary and Gethsemani Catholic Cemeteries in Portland, and Mount Calvary Cemetery in Eugene)

Pennsylvania
- See: Recently Added Online Pennsylvania Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries

Rhode Island
- Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Commission Grave Search

Tennessee
- TNGenWeb Cemetery Database (has burial listings for several counties)
- Tipton County: Covington Leader Obituaries Index 1917-1953

Texas
- Harris County: Kingwood Observer Obituary File Index 1993-Feb 2013 (update: more years added)

Wisconsin
- Oneida County: Rhinelander Area Newspaper Obituary Index 1882-2006
- Rock County: Eastlawn Cemetery Burials (Beloit, Wisconsin)

This is a list of the most recent additions. There are many more links for death records indexes at: Online Searchable Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries

Monday, July 07, 2014

Pennsylvania Cemetery, Obituary and Death Records Indexes - Latest Additions

Links to the items listed below were recently updated or added to: Online Pennsylvania Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries

Pennsylvania Death Indexes - Updates and Additions
- Pennsylvania Death Certificates 1906-1963 at Ancestry (fee-based) (Update: years 1925-1963 added)

- Allegheny County: The Homewood Cemetery - Burials Index (in Pittsburgh)
- Centre County: Centre Daily Times Obituaries Index -- index covers 1937-2011; some scanned obituary images are available from April 1961-August 1985 (update: some scanned obituary images are now available online)
- Dauphin County Cemetery Database
- Delaware County: Cumberland Cemetery Burials (Media, Pennsylvania)
- Lancaster County: Lititz Public Library Obituary Index
- Montgomery County: Montefiore Cemetery Burials (Jewish Cemetery in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania)
- Northumberland County: Tifereth Israel Cemetery Burials (Jewish Cemetery in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania)
- Warren County: Court House Vital Records -- Deaths 1893-1905 (not yet complete)

This article was updated on 29 October 2014

Tuesday, July 01, 2014

Online Military Records and Indexes Website (USA) - Latest Updates

The Online U.S. Military Records and Indexes website has been updated with links to the following items...

War of 1812
 - War of 1812 Index to Pension Application Files, 1812-1910 from FamilySearch
 - Michigan: War of 1812 Pensioners Index, 1883

Spanish American War
 - Wisconsin Genealogy Spanish American War Database

Civil War
 - United States Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933 at FamilySearch
 - Kentucky: Battle of Perryville Casualty Database
 - North Carolina Confederate Soldiers Burial Database (ongoing project)
 - South Carolina: Confederate Rolls of South Carolina
 - Texas: United Confederate Veterans Robert E. Lee Camp No. 158 in Fort Worth (from the Fort Worth Library Digital Archives)
 - Washington: Civil War Veterans Buried In Washington State
 - Wisconsin Genealogy Civil War Database

World War I
 - Alaska WWI Military Service Records: Personnel Information and Death Statistics
 - Arkansas World War I Discharge Records Index
 - California: San Francisco World War I Enemy Alien Registration Affidavits, 1918, from FamilySearch
 - New York Soldiers of the Great War: Fallen New York Soldiers of World War One
 - Texas: A Short History and Photographic Record of the 359th Infantry Texas Brigade (scanned searchable book); primarily from 39 Northeast Texas counties, but some other counties are included

World War II
 - United States Marine Corps Casualty Card Databases (for World War II, the Interwar Period 1946-1950, and WWII War Dogs)
 - Arkansas First Registration Draft Cards, 1940-1945 from FamilySearch (index is not yet complete)
 - Louisiana First Registration Draft Cards, 1940-1945 from FamilySearch (not yet complete)

Vietnam War
 - Indiana Vietnam War Deaths

This is a list of the most recent additions. There are many more military indexes listed at: Online Military Indexes and Records

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Pennsylvania Death Certificates 1906-1963 Now Online

Ancestry has been working with the Pennsylvania State Archives to digitize Pennsylvania death certificates and put them online. Scanned death certificates covering 1906-1963 are available now (fee required). See:

Online Pennsylvania Death Certificates, Indexes and Records

Ancestry is has now completed the database to 1963...

1925-1944 -- now available (added June 24, 2014)
1945-1963 -- now available (added October 24, 2014)

If you are a resident of Pennsylvania you may be able to access these Pennsylvania death certificates for free. See: Ancestry.com Pennsylvania for more information.

This article was updated on October 24, 2014.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Catholic Cemeteries with Online Burial Databases in the US

Roman Catholic Cemeteries with Burial Databases
Among the many items listed at the Online Death Indexes website you can find links for Catholic Cemeteries with burial searches in the following places...

Arizona: Diocese of Phoenix Cemeteries
California: Orange County Catholic Cemeteries, and Holy Cross Cemetery in San Mateo County
Colorado: Diocese of Colorado Springs - Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery Burials (listed under Elbert County)
Delaware: Diocese of Wilmington (encompasses all of Delaware and 9 counties of the Eastern Shore of Maryland (listed under New Castle County, Delaware)
Florida: Palm Beach
Georgia: Archdiocese of Atlanta Cemeteries (Fulton County)
Illinois: Jackson County: St. Andrew Catholic Cemetery Burials
Indina Allen County: Fort Wayne Catholic Cemetery
Maine: Portland (Cumberland County)
Maryland: St. Joseph's and St. Mary's Catholic Cemeteries; New Cathedral Catholic Cemetery (all 3 in Baltimore)
Michigan: Mt. Elliott Cemetery Association (Detroit area)
Minnesota: Saint Vincent de Paul Cemetery Burials (Hennepin County)
Missouri: Archdiocese of St. Louis; and Catholic Cemetery Burials in Iron, St. Francois and Ste. Genevieve Counties
Nebraska: Omaha (Douglas County)
New Jersey: Newark (Essex County)
New Mexico: Archdiocese of Santa Fe Catholic Cemetery Association Burials Database
New York:
  • Brooklyn And Queens: Diocese of Brooklyn Catholic Cemeteries (includes burial indexes for cemeteries in Brooklyn, Queens and Nassau County)
  • Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Rochester, Ascension Garden in Henrietta, and St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Clarkson (listed under Monroe County)
North Dakota: Catholic Diocese of Bismarck: St. Mary's Cemetery Burials (listed under Burleigh County)
Ohio: Cincinnati (Hamilton County), Cleveland Diocese (Cuyahoga County) and Dayton (Montgomery County)
Oklahoma Resurrection Memorial Cemetery in Oklahoma City
Oregon: Eugene and Portland (listed under Multnomah County)
Pennsylvania: Diocese of Pittsburgh Catholic Cemeteries (listed under Allegheny County)
Rhode Island: Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence
Tennessee: Calvary Cemetery Burials - in Nashville (listed under Davidson County)
Texas: Catholic Cemeteries of the Victoria Diocese (several counties in South Texas; listed under Victoria County)
Washington: Archdiocese of Seattle (King County)
Wisconsin: Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Wyoming: Mount Olivet Cemetery in Cheyenne (Laramie County)

You can find links to the above databases at the Online Death Indexes website:

Online Death Records Indexes, Obituay Indexes and Cemetery Burials

Click on the appropriate state, then scroll down to the city or county as listed above.

Even if a Catholic Cemetery doesn't have an online burials search you may still be able to contact the cemetery for information (sometimes a fee may be required). Try using Google to see if there is a website for the Catholic cemetery, diocese or archdiocese you need.

This article was updated on 18 January 2023

Monday, April 07, 2014

Connecticut Cemetery, Obituary and Death Records Indexes - New Additions

Links to the items listed below were recently added to: Online Connecticut Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries

Connecticut Death Indexes - Newest Additions
 - Fairfield County: Fairfield Citizen News Obituaries Index 1982-2006 (from the Fairfield Public Library; some years missing)
 - Fairfield County: Greenwich Publications Index (includes obituaries from February 1983 to present)
 - Fairfield County: Stamford Obituary Index (includes the Stamford Advocate 1843-present and other area newspapers for earlier years)
 - Fairfield County: Westport Library Obituaries Index
 - Fairfield County: Pine Island Cemetery and Mill Hill Burying Ground Burials (Norwalk, Connecticut)
 
 - Hartford County: Wethersfield Ancient Burying Ground and Village Cemetery (map and index of burials)
 - Hartford County: Vital Records of Simsbury, Connecticut (includes indexes for burials in 3 cemeteries, death notices, probate notices and other items)
 
 - Litchfield County: New Hartford Burial Records
 
 - New Haven County: Beacon Falls Death Records Index and Cemetery Index