Genealogy Records Cheat Sheets Collection

Dive into genealogy records! This collection features quick guides to some of the most useful, fundamental genealogy resources. Learn what ancestor details each contains and how you can find records online. You’ll also see sample records, plus learn the important social history behind when and why records were kept.

Included in this collection: 

US Census Genealogy Cheat Sheet (8 pages) gives you key facts, tips and timelines for US census research, including:

• Seven essential tips for searching census records and locating hard-to-find ancestors
• The official census dates for censuses from 1790 to 1950
• Why the census might have your ancestor’s name spelled wrong or his age off by a few years
• The type of information collected about your ancestors during each census
• Genealogy websites where you can search and view census records online
• What happened to the 1890 census, and how to get over the resulting research brick walls
• Glossary of terms and abbreviations found in census records
• State-by-state listing of censuses with extant records—not just the decennial federal census, but also colonial, territorial, state and local censuses
• Sample census records so you’ll know what to expect as you view your ancestors’ census schedules
• Resource listing of genealogy websites and books to help you locate and understand your ancestors’ census records

Immigration Records Cheat Sheet (8 pages) helps you find the old passenger lists, naturalization documents, passports and other historical records that can tell you when your ancestors first arrived in America, the port where they arrived, and the places they came from. The easy-to-use tips, charts, resource listings and more include:

• 9 top tips to research immigrant ancestors
• Genealogical records with clues to when your ancestors immigrated and the arrival ports where they entered the country
• Immigration research Q&A covering topics such as finding an immigrant’s original name in the “old country,” colonial and early-American immigrants, records of immigration overland from Canada and Mexico, and more
• Timeline of essential immigration history
• Why “our name was changed at Ellis Island” is a myth
• Quick-guide chart to using major immigration records and resources, including ships’ passenger lists, naturalization papers, departure records, the Passenger & Immigration Lists Index and more
• Example passenger lists
• The best websites, books and organizations to help you trace immigrant ancestors

Newspapers Cheat Sheet (8 pages) tells you how and where to search for historical newspapers online. Inside, you’ll find:

• What you can expect to find in newspapers, including all the kinds of records that appear in them
• Guides to searching for historical newspapers on popular sites Newspapers.com and GenealogyBank
• Tips for researching historical records across the internet

Historical Maps Cheat Sheet (8 pages) shows you how to find and use historical maps online, plus how to apply them to your research. Inside, you’ll find:

• Seven of the most useful kinds of historical maps, plus annotations that highlight their research value
• Resources for finding maps online
• Tips for using web tools like Google Earth to compare historical maps with modern ones

Land Records Cheat Sheet (8 pages) serves as a quick-reference guide to finding and understanding your ancestors’ deeds, land patents, plat maps, property tax records and more. Including:

• Five steps for finding your ancestors’ old property deeds among court records
• Tips for understanding deeds
• Quick-guide chart of eight important types of land records, including patents, plat maps, Sanborn fire insurance maps, land entry case files and more, and how to find them
• Glossary of key terms in land records research
• Timeline of US land expansion and settlement
• Map of US territorial acquisitions
• Detailed explanation of state lands and public lands, including the public land survey system
• How to cite land records for genealogy
• List of top websites, books and other resources to help you with you land records research

Cemetery Research Cheat Sheet (8 pages) gives you a crash-course lesson in how to research your ancestors in cemeteries, with key do’s and don’ts for working with tombstones. Including:

• Tips and strategies for researching in a cemetery, including what to pack for your trip and best practices for preserving stones
• The top records you should be searching for in cemeteries, including tombstones, burial certificates and funeral records
• Step-by-step guides to searching for burial sites on Find A Grave and BillionGraves
• A tombstone symbolism guide to help you interpret headstones

Once you download the Genealogy Records Cheat Sheets, you’ll need a PDF reader, such as the free Adobe Reader software, to open them. Adobe Reader is available for both Mac and Windows computers.