Register for or sign in to your free FamilyTreeMagazine.com account for easy, one-click access to each reference guide.
Genealogy Records Guides
US Statewide Vital Records Reference Chart
See at a glance the years that each US state began keeping state-level birth, marriage and death records. (Note that many counties began recording these events earlier.)
LEARN MORECENSUS
Official US Census Dates Chart
The date a census taker wrote on his form isn’t as important as the official census date. This magic date varied, so use this chart to sort out ancestors’ reported ages.
LEARN MORE
State Census Chart
This list of extant state, territory and colonial censuses for every state in the union will help you know what to look for. (Note: Our inventory excludes enumerations that were destroyed or were only statistical.)
LEARN MORE
1880 DDD Supplemental Census Records by State
This state-by-state listing helps you find the 1880 supplemental schedules of “defective, dependent and delinquent classes” for your ancestor’s state.
LEARN MOREIMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION
US Migration Routes Map
Learn how your ancestors got from point A to point B: Studying migration routes can help you track your family and guide your research. This map highlights the most popular routes American migrants used.
LEARN MORE
Naturalization Laws Timeline
What laws might have affected your ancestors when they immigrated to America? Knowing the restrictions and guidelines in place will help you identify records to consult.
LEARN MORE
Women’s Naturalization Laws Timeline
Download and print this Women’s Naturalization Timeline to understand the impact of U.S. naturalization laws on women.
LEARN MOREMILITARY
War Service Reference Guide
From the American Revolution to the Vietnam War, most families have members who served in the military. View a timeline of US conflicts, plus our birth date chart serves as a quick guide to telling which major war your ancestor likely served in.
LEARN MORE
Common Military Acronyms
Confused by abbreviations in your ancestors’ military records? Here’s a guide to some of the most common military acronyms.
LEARN MORECEMETERY
Tombstone Iconography Guide
This handy guide, complete with example photos, helps take the guesswork out of some of the most popular gravestone symbols.
LEARN MORECOURTHOUSE
Courthouse Records Checklist
Take this list of records on your courthouse research trips—they represent just a sampling of what you might find.
LEARN MORE
Legal Terms Glossary for Genealogy Research
Use this glossary of common legal terms to decipher courthouse records in your family’s history. Don’t forget to grab your free download to keep on your desktop or in a family research binder.
LEARN MORELAND
State Land vs. Public Land States Reference Chart
Whether your ancestors lived in a state-land or public-land state affects the land records you’ll look for. Learn which states fall into which category.
LEARN MOREForeign Records Research
CANADIAN
Canadian Provinces Genealogy Fast Facts
This chart shows you at a glance when each province formed, when civil registration began and where to go for records.
LEARN MORECZECH
Czech Genealogy Terms Glossary
Researching your Czech ancestry can be difficult, especially if you aren’t familiar with the language. Keep this glossary of common genealogy terms handy as you research to save both time and frustration.
LEARN MOREFRENCH
French Genealogy Terms Glossary
Keep this glossary of genealogy terms handy for easy translations as you research your French and French-speaking ancestors.
LEARN MOREGERMAN
German Genealogy Terms Reference Charts
These translations of common German genealogy terms can be a big help when researching your ancestors, from reviewing documents to looking through an old family journal.
LEARN MORE
Old Script Germanic Alphabet Chart
Download this handy alphabet chart to help you in deciphering handwritten Germanic letters you’ll encounter in genealogical records research.
LEARN MORE
Map of the German Diaspora in Europe
Your German-speaking ancestors might not have come from Germany proper—German “enclaves” are scattered across Europe. See the different groups and the regions where they settled.
LEARN MOREHUNGARIAN
Hungarian Counties Reference Guide
Consult this list of old Hungarian county names and their equivalents in other languages for help locating ancestor records.
LEARN MOREIRISH
Irish Poor Law Unions (PLU) Map
By knowing the Poor Law Union your ancestor lived in, you can find him in Ireland’s civil birth, marriage and death records.
LEARN MORESPANISH
Spanish Genealogy Terms Reference Charts
These free glossaries can be a big help when researching your ancestors, from reviewing documents to looking through an old family journal.
LEARN MOREDNA and Genetic Genealogy Guides
Cousin Chart: Free Download to Determine DNA Matches
Follow the steps on this cousin chart to figure out what kind of cousins you are with a relative, including percentage of DNA matches and average shared centimorgans.
LEARN MORE
DNA and Genetic Genealogy Terms Glossary
Taking a DNA test for genetic genealogy research? This glossary will help you understand terms and testing procedures.
LEARN MORE
Family Relationship Chart
Use this free reference chart to identify an unknown relationship between family members through their most recent common ancestor.
LEARN MOREHelpful General Reference Guides
Source Citations Guide
Make source citations easier! Quickly reference examples of how to properly cite sources for various source types, from censuses to cemetery transcriptions.
LEARN MORE
Genealogy Research Backup Checklist
If you use a cloud backup service with storage limit, you may be looking for files to eliminate from your online archive. Download this checklist to keep track.
LEARN MORE
Family History “Stuff” Keep or Toss Checklist
You don’t have to keep all the papers, photos and other “stuff” you inherited from Grandma’s attic. Our checklist will help you decide what to keep and toss.
LEARN MORE
Old Occupations Glossary
So your ancestor was an axle tree maker — what does that mean? Use this glossary to translate your kin’s archaic occupations.
LEARN MORE
Photograph Shot List for Genealogy
Your camera can be an indispensable genealogy tool! Download this free, handy shot list to keep track of your genealogy photo projects. This list covers essential shots for five key family history categories: gravestones, ancestral homes, family heirlooms, records and family portraits.
LEARN MORE
Old Recipe Measurements Conversion Chart
Got an old recipe that calls for a pinch or a pottle? Convert Great-grandma’s cryptic measurements to their modern equivalents with our free equivalency chart download.
LEARN MORE
Computer Keyboard Shortcuts Guide
No need to click through your software menus—you can perform many common computer functions with a few simple keystrokes, saving time and energy. Refer to our handy list to learn keyboard shortcuts (on Windows and Mac) for everything from searching to saving.
LEARN MORE
Family Tree Magazine’s Past Article Indexes
Looking for an article in a past issue of Family Tree Magazine? Our article indexes can point you to that expert advice. This download has indexes of every article from every issue. Download and save them with your collection of back issues! Each subject entry provides the issue date and page number where we published the corresponding article.
LEARN MORE
Directory of Family History Centers
Find a Family History Center near you in this directory of US and Canadian locations, listed by state and province.
LEARN MORE
Free Versions of Subscription Databases Chart
Did you know some of the genealogy databases on subscription websites are also available elsewhere for free? This chart compares the gratis and subscription versions of several popular data collections.
LEARN MORE