Record-type guides
Short guides to the record types you'll meet most often in US genealogy research.
Birth Records in US Genealogy
How civil and church birth records are organized in the US — what they capture, where to find them, and how to read the abbreviations that show up on forms.
Death Records in US Genealogy
What US death certificates and church burial registers capture — and how to interpret the Latin and English abbreviations that fill them.
Marriage Records in US Genealogy
Bonds, licenses, certificates, and church registers — how US marriage records are structured and what each column tells you.
US Census Records
Every US census from 1790 to 1950 — what each schedule captures, and how to read the abbreviations for relationship, race, and occupation.
Probate Records in US Genealogy
Wills, inventories, and administration files — the richest genealogical source when birth and death certificates are missing.
Land and Deed Records in US Genealogy
Deeds, patents, grantee/grantor indexes — how to place an ancestor on a map and trace property through generations.
US Military Records
Service, pension, and bounty-land records — the three distinct paper trails an ancestor's military service can leave.
Immigration and Naturalization Records
Passenger lists, declarations of intention, and naturalization petitions — how an immigrant ancestor becomes visible in the US record trail.
Church and Parish Records
Baptismal, marriage, and burial registers — the primary vital-records source for every US ancestor born before statewide civil registration.
Common Latin Abbreviations in Genealogy
The Latin shorthand that shows up across parish registers, probate files, and early legal records — decoded in one place.