Adoption Resources
- Adoption Search - How to Find Your Birth FamilySteps for Locating Adoptees, Birth Parents, and Adoption Records
Caring for Your Records / Archival Information
- Your Family Archives: Treating Memories as Documents (National Archives)Article by Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler In In Prologue vol. 47, no. 1 (Spring 2015) (National Archives)
- Preserving Family PhotosArticle by Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler In Prologue In vol. 47, no. 3 (Fall 2015) (National Archives)
Archival Supplies
Companies of interest (endorsement not implied):
Calendars
- “Perpetual Calendar.” (In: World Almanac and Book of Facts)UD Library AY67 .N5 W7
- Calendar for Year .... (thetimenow)Note: this site is WCAG 2.0 compatible.
- Calendar Changes (National Institute)See especially "The Lost 11 days."
Digital Book Collections
- Genealogy GophersFree searching and downloading of 80,000 digital genealogy books.
- Delaware Heritage CollectionDocuments, artwork, maps, newspapers, slides, photos, audio/video and other important items documenting Delaware’s rich history and culture are available online in the Delaware Heritage Collection.
- eBooks & PDFs (Delaware Public Archives)Full text of important Delaware publications, some of them out of print.
- Family History Books (FamilySearch)A collection of more than 200,000 digitized genealogy and family history publications from the archives of some of the most important family history libraries in the world. The collection includes family histories, county and local histories, genealogy magazines and how-to books, gazetteers, and medieval histories and pedigrees. Search for the title of a book, for surnames, or for topics, such as, "delaware genealogy."
Contacts for "Lookups"
Free:
There are volunteers who will find obituaries or other articles for you. The more information you have, the better. Without a death date, it is unlikely that anyone can locate an obituary for you.
- Request a Free Lookup from a Category (Ancestral Findings)Select option for Resources
Fee:
- Wilmington Public Library Obituary Searches
The Wilmington Library has microfilm of the local newspapers going back to 1871. The library will search any of the newspapers for obituaries or other articles back to 1871 for a $5 search/copy fee.
Genealogical societies in the area you are searching. They may have lists of local volunteers or professional researchers.
Professional Genealogists / Certified Genealogists
Listing here does not imply endorsement.
- Association of Professional Genealogists (APG)Can locate Professionals by specialty, location, etc.
- Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG)Includes a Find a Genealogist section.
Forms to Record Your Genealogical Information
Whether you choose to use a computer program or to use paper for your research, there are paper recording forms that will help you. Recording forms will help you take notes and interpret sources. There are many free sources of forms in books and on the internet.
Example: Research Log. Free from Family History Expos (https://www.familyhistoryexpos.com/freedocs)
- Research journal (Family Tree Magazine)Keep track of sources you've used or plan to use.
- The Librarian’s Guide to Genealogical Research (book)By James Swan. Fort Atkinson, WI: Highsmith Press, c1998. Location: Morris Library Reference CS9 .S93x 1998.
- The Census Book: A Genealogist's Guide to Federal Census Facts, Schedules, and IndexesBy William Dollarhide. Has blank recording forms for population and some nonpopulation schedules.
Available online for free from HeritageQuest. - Free Interactive Pedigree ChartPDF you can fill in and save.
Photographs
Google search:
- genealogy clues photographs
- genealogy photo software
- photograph restoration
Family Tree Magazine has a regular column and a blog called Photo Detective
Pictures: Can You Identify These Pictures?
Guides to Places
These resources help identify changes in county / state boundaries.
- Map Guide to the U. S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920 byCall Number: Reference G1201 .F7 T5 1987Publication Date: 2005
Has U.S. county boundary maps for each census decade.
- What County Am I InEnter a street address to find out the county name.
- NGA GEOnet Names Server (GNS)Use for for Foreign names.
- Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) (USGS)For U.S. names.
* Searchable database of all recognized geographic names in the United States. Use to verify names, find name variants, find information about places, such as, county and geographic coordinates.
* Includes other “features.” Examples: cemeteries, hospitals, lakes, post offices.
* To limit your search to a city or town, use the “feature class” drop down menu, and select the term “populated place.”
Petitions and Claims Introduction
Individuals can petition Congress to give relief, such as redress grievances or make payments. Many of these claims involved veteran's pensions.
Terms include Private claims, private laws, petitions, and memorials.
Claims are published as Congressional documents.
Petition
A petition is a written request to either house of Congress asking that something be done. The petition contains a prayer that the requested action be taken.
Memorial
A memorial contains no prayer and is generally a document in the form of a petition that opposes a contemplated or proposed action. Some petitions, especially those of state legislatures, take the form of resolutions.
Private laws
Private laws affect a specific person or organization, not the public at large. Private laws are published in the U.S. Statutes at Large.
- Untapped Resources Private Claims and Private Legislation in the Records of the U.S. CongressArticle by Charles E. Schamel. In Prologue vol. 27, no. 1 (Spring 1995). (National Archives)
- The Sandbar: Nantucket's 1803 Petition to CongressArticle by Alison M. Garvin. In Prologue vol. 40, no. 2 (Summer 2008), pages 6-9. (National Archives)
- A Final Appeal to Capitol Hill The U.S. House's Accompanying Papers File, 1865–1903Article by John P. Deeben. In Prologue vol. 39, no. 1 (Spring 2007). (National Archives)
Petitions and Claims Sources
Petitions and Claims: Tools
Genealogy Resources at the University of Delaware Library
Although not aimed at genealogy and family history, the collections of the University of Delaware Library (Morris Library) include materials useful to genealogists and family historians.
This Genealogy Research Guide is provided as a service for genealogists. It presents topics and resources to assist researchers.
The UD Library does not specialize in genealogy and does not have staff responsible for genealogy. Library staff cannot conduct research.
For questions about library resources and holdings, use the Ask the Library service.
For questions about getting research assistance, see the suggestions on the home page of this guide or on the topic/resources pages.
Social Security Death Index
Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is a database of people whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration beginning about 1962.
Note: federal restrictions enacted in March 2014 required that newly reported deaths not be made available in the public version of the Social Security Death Index for three years after the individual's death.
- Ancestry Library Edition This link opens in a new window
Access to a number of genealogical and historical resources, including images of the decennial U.S. census from 1790-1930.
- Social Security Death Index (SSDI) (FamilySearch)Note: latest 3 years are not available.
Toolbox
- Reference at Your Desk -- Archives Library Information Center (National Archives)Quick links to guides available on the National Archives website.
Videos
- American History in Video This link opens in a new window
Streaming videos related to American history, including commercial and governmental newsreels, archival and public affairs footage, and documentaries. Includes content from Newsreel Films, Documentary Educational Resources, PBS, The History Channel, NASA, NARA, and Universal Newsreel. Covers the discovery of the Americas to the late 20th century.
Writing and Publishing Your Family History
Internet search: "writing your family history"
- Creating a Worthwhile Family GenealogyArticle by Meridith B. Colket. In National Genealogical Society Quarterly. vol. 56 (December 1968), pages 243-262.
Not available at UD Library
Search the Yellow pages for Books, Publishing.
Search the Internet for subject terms like these:
family history book printing
publish your genealogy
publish your own book
- Higginson Book CompanyThis is an example of a publisher that reprints genealogies, local histories, and related items and offers a publishing service for family histories and genealogies.