Resources for family history include collections of sources on websites and in repositories such as libraries and archives, applications and software, and other tools such as templates and forms. This page will guide you towards such resources.
The best way to develop and improve your family history research skills is to apply the knowledge, tools and techniques to your research.
Practice creates progress!
Research tools for family history
All of the research tools that I discuss on this website are ones that I have personally used in my own family history research. Of course, you do not have to use these tools just because I like them. Try them out and decide for yourself.
The Tree Health Assessment Tool is a tool that I developed. You can use this tool for your research, but copyright laws apply if you publish anything using it. If that is the case, please include an acknowledgement and a link back to either this website or my book, The Good Genealogist.
All of the other tools are adaptations of tools I gathered over the decades that I have been conducting research, in family history and other fields. I encourage you to apply these tools and others that you may find, adapting them if necessary to suit your needs and your way of working.
Where are the research tools?
There are three ways that you can find the research tools:
- Click on the relevant heading below to go directly to the page for that tool. There are only two listed so far, but check back later as I will be adding more.
- Find links to other tools on the relevant pages in the Research Methods section of this website. The research plan template, for example, is available from the Plan page.
- Find information about research tools in my book, The Good Genealogist.
Read the article: Six ways to find an article on my website
Using Notion in family history
Other Resources
My three favourite guides to online resources for family history:
- Cora Num – an Australian focus, but it also contains resources for other countries
- Cyndi’s List – ‘A comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online.’
- FamilySearch Research Wiki provides a research guide for each country, including tips for getting started, information about the history, jurisdictions and languages.
Libraries and archives provide a ton of resources for family history. The FamilySearch Research Wiki will help you identify which ones exist in the area you are researching.
Family history societies and historical societies also provide resources. Look for them in the guides listed above. If you are doing Australian research, you should investigate the Society of Australian Genealogists, which has a library and an archive, and provides lectures and courses. Click here for information about the lectures and courses that I give through the Society.
Applications, tools and software
My articles:
- Chrome extensions for family history
- Using Wikitree for DNA research
- Ancestry tags, notes and comments
- Another way to search Ancestry
- Use genealogy timelines to organise, analyse and improve your research
- Best tools for creating genealogy timelines: A Comparison
Need more?
There are tons of tips, tools and techniques in my blog posts, but if you want more you might like to buy a copy of my book, The Good Genealogist.
I also teach two online research methods courses through the Society of Australian Genealogists.