National Genealogy Sources

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) 

NARA's comprehensive website provides a wealth of information for the genealogical researcher. Below are listed two sites that may be especially useful.

NARA Genealogy Page

NARA, an independent Federal agency, is America's national recordkeeper. NARA's genealogy page provides information on census catalogs, soundex indexing, genealogy research strategy, and genealogy publications.

The National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records (NPRC-MPR) is the repository of millions of military personnel, health, and medical records of discharged and deceased veterans of all services during the 20th century. NPRC (MPR) also stores medical treatment records of retirees from all services, as well as records for dependent and other persons treated at naval medical facilities. Information from the records is made available upon written request (with signature and date) to the extent allowed by law.

The Official Federal Land Patent Records Site

This site created by the  Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the General Land Office (GLO) provides live access to Federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States. It also provide image access to more than two million Federal land title records for Eastern Public Land States, issued between 1820 and 1908. Images of Serial patents (land titles issued between 1908 and the mid-1960's) are currently being added to this web site.

Ancestry.com's Social Security Death Index

This site contains a searchable database of the U.S. Social Security Administration Death Master File. These records contain information on deceased persons who were assigned a Social Security number and whose death was reported to the Social Security Administration.

Family Search

This site, provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, provides a number of genealogical search functions and advice on how to get started with genealogical research.

Census Schedules and Black Genealogical Research:
One Family's Experience

This site provides excellent information on how to use government records for finding genealogical information.

Regional  Genealogy Sources

Allen County Genealogy Site 

This site contains information on genealogical resources in Allen County, Indiana. The site also contains links for resources in other states.

Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS)

This site provides links to a number of genealogical resources specific to Illinois, including a list of cemeteries in Illinois and a list of prairie pioneers.

Illinois State Archives

The Illinois State Archives serves by law as the depository of public records of Illinois state and local governmental agencies which possess permanent administrative, legal, or historical research values.

Genealogy in the Illinois State Archives

Along with a link on how to get started with conducting genealogical  research, this site provides descriptive information on specific genealogical records (military, probate, land sales, etc.) that are held in Illinois State Archives.

Illinois Regional Archives Depository System (IRAD)
The State Archives administers a system of Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD) to manage the archival records of local governments. 

ILGenWeb Project

The goal of Illinois GenWeb is to provide users with  everything they wanted to know about Illinois Genealogy, Illinois History, life in Illinois, and Illinois in the Civil War. The following are GenWeb Projects:

Illinois in the Civil War Project

This extensive site provides Civil War photographs, Illinois Civil War History, and Illinois Civil War rosters.

Illinois State Historical Library-Genealogy 

This site describes useful genealogical materials that are held at the Illinois State Historical Library. The site also provides information (prices and policies) on requesting genealogical research that can be conducted by Illinois State Historical Library staff.

Urbana Free Library

This is an online index to Champaign County records.  This has grown to about 1.7 million entries.  Some of the main genealogy pages are: Heritage Quest, AncestryPlus and Soundex.  There is also some local government data available.