Provides access to family history via documents that record the lineage of individuals from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and more.
FamilySearch claims to have "the largest collection of genealogical and historical records in the world." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the primary benefactor for FamilySearch services. It is free but you must sign up for an account.
Many more resources for ancestry research are linked to the genealogy research guide.
Secondary Sources
The following databases provide information that may help you understand what life was like for your ancestors living in different places and time periods.
Covers the black experience from its African origins to the present day. Topics include history, biography, literature, arts, music, pop culture, folklore, business, slavery, civil rights, politics, sports, education, and science & technology.
Includes hundreds of primary documents: manuscripts, speeches, court cases, quotations, advertisements, statistics, and other papers; More than 4,000 interviews with former slaves, including the WPA slave narratives from the acclaimed The American Slave: A Composite Autobiography; Sixty-seven Negro University Press texts from the late 1700s to the early 1970s classics in black scholarship. Other Features: In their Own Voices (audio clips, such as interviews with former slaves and music files). Links to vetted Web sites. Lesson plans, directly tied to associated primary source documents and images, and other classroom resources. Hundreds and hundreds of photographs, maps, and other images.
Full-text digital resource exploring the histories and contemporary cultures of the indigenous peoples of the United States. Offers access to more than 150 volumes of scholarship and reference content, hundreds of primary documents, and thousands of images.
Country reports that include local customs, basic economic and social data, politics and history, national flags, national anthems, etc. CultureGrams consists of three editions of country reports updated annually: World Edition, World Kids Edition, and States Edition.
Explores ordinary life through time and across the globe. A cross-disciplinary resource for researching historical topics such as food and cooking, celebrations, clothes, romance, work, religion, housing, language, and social customs.
A starting point for research and learning that offers unlimited access to hundreds of full text reference books on every subject. Includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and books of quotations.
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