These top website picks for US genealogy research offer everything from immigration records to local histories.
Access Genealogy
Specializing in US research, this free site stands out for yearbooks and directories, Native American records, land management tract books, and family and local histories.
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American Ancestors
American AncesTREES, a family-tree-building platform launched in 2019, enhances this site from the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Though strongest on Yankee roots—definitely worth $94.95 per year if you’ve got New England ancestors—its more than 450 collections, totaling over 1.4 billion names, touch on most states.
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Genealogy Trails
Launched 20 years ago as a volunteer transcription site for Illinois data, this site has expanded nationwide over the years. No scanned images here, just transcriptions galore—from Alcatraz prisoners and muster rolls to obituaries and heirloom recipes.
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National Archives and Records Administration
Order your veteran ancestors’ records here, then explore historic images, arrival records for emigrants from Germany and Russia, WWII enlistment records, and more.
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The Statue of Liberty–Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.
No longer limited to Ellis Island passengers, this site now hosts 65 million records of arrivals through the Port of New York dating back to 1820.
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The US GenWeb Project
An essential bookmark for more than two decades, this collection of state, county and special-project pages shows what volunteers can accomplish in the Internet era.
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