Research Topics and How-To Guides

Library of Congress subject specialists have created research guides that provide background and resources for further study.

In addition to the research guides arranged here by subject category, you can also examine related topics under Legacy Guides. These older guides have not been updated, but still provide essential information on genealogical research at the Library of Congress. As these guides are updated, they will migrate onto the appropriate subject page.

Since family history is human history, you can also browse a complete list of research guides from across all divisions of the Library to learn more about the many unique subject areas that may have impacted the lives of your ancestors and their communities.

Research Guides Organized by Subject

African American Family Histories and Genealogies: A Resource Guide
The Library of Congress collections include a wide variety of family histories, genealogies, and electronic resources useful when researching the African American experience. This guide provides alphabetical and subject indexes to these materials.
African American Genealogical Research
Millions of African Americans are descended from slaves, making genealogical research challenging prior to 1870, the date of the first census to include all free people. This guide provides published resources and case studies to aid in your research.
Finding Ancestors in the Anti-Slavery Movement and Underground Railroad
The effort to abolish slavery in the United States spanned centuries and was powered by thousands of ordinary people. This guide provides sources and strategies to search for your ancestors in all this activity.

Genealogy and Family History Research: A Guide to Online Resources
While not all materials useful in genealogical research are available for at-home research, the number of online resources continues to grow. This guide connects you with Library of Congress digitized collections and external websites to get you started.
Genealogy Fiction: Entertainment and Inspiration
Family historians have the opportunity to both enjoy and learn from their own specialized genre of fictional creativity.
U.S. Local History: A Resource Guide
Local history is the study of history in a geographically bounded area such as a region, a state, a county, a city, a town, a village, or a neighborhood. This guide focuses on resources available at the Library of Congress and online.

Church and Synagogue Records for Genealogy
Baptisms, marriages, and burials are recorded in religious records and can be used to verify or substitute for missing genealogical data. This guide provides search strategies for finding these records along with selected online resources.
Family History for Kids
This guide will help you find materials suitable for involving children in family history research.
Genetic Genealogy: DNA and Family History
Modern genealogy combines DNA analysis with traditional documents in order to provide reasonably exhaustive research and more reliable conclusions. This research guide provides tools to unite science with history as you grow your family tree.
House History: A Guide to Uncovering the Stories of Local Buildings and Properties
This guide provides research strategies to discover the history of a particular building or property, including architecture, location, ownership, and historical context.
Paleography: Interpreting Handwriting in Genealogical Research
The ability to read and understand original, handwritten documents is critical to historical and genealogical research. This guide provides resources, context, and samples of text written in the languages common to early United States history.
Surnames: Resources in Local History and Genealogy
This guide provides research strategies and resources at the Library of Congress to help genealogists understand the origins, evolutions, and relevance of family names.
Using Local and Family History Photographs to Tell the Stories of Your Ancestors
This guide offers research strategies to search the Library of Congress print and digital collections for photographs that focus the lens on your family and strengthen your genealogical research.

Bahamas: Genealogy Resource Guide
Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as district and regional historical research for the country of the Bahamas.
Barbados: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide
Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as parish and regional historical research, for the country of Barbados.
Cartographic Resources for Genealogical Research: Eastern Europe and Russia
This guide provides researchers information about geographic feature names in East Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Russia among the collections of the Geography and Map Division at the Library of Congress.
Dominican Republic: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide
Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as provincial and regional historical research, for the country of the Dominican Republic.
Golden Age of Piracy: A Resource Guide
From approximately 1650 to 1726, pirates menaced shipping routes from eastern North America to the Indian Ocean and beyond. This guide highlights primary and secondary sources for research, with a focus on those available online from the Library.
Indentured Servants, Apprentices, and Convicts: Finding Family Histories at the Library of Congress
One third to half of the European population in Colonial Era America came in as indentured servants, apprentices, or convicts. Those searching for family history stories can find documents to help identify ancestors who immigrated in this way.
Jamaica: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide
Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as parish and regional historical research, for the country of Jamaica.
RMS Lusitania: A Resource Guide
The British ocean liner Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine precipitating the U.S. entry into World War One. This guide compiles digital materials at the Library of Congress, external websites, and a selected print bibliography.
Scottish Clans: A Resource Guide
Clan society dominated Scottish culture for centuries and is still celebrated as part of Scottish cultural identity. This guide provides access to digital materials at the Library of Congress, links to related external websites, and a print bibliography.
Wreck of the RMS Titanic: A Resource Guide
The RMS Titanic sank on April 15, 1912 after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage. This guide provides access to digital materials at the Library of Congress, links to related external websites, and a print bibliography.

All Veterans

Veterans History Project (VHP): Exploring the Collections
VHP collects, preserves, and makes accessible the firsthand narratives of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through the present. This guide provides an overview and tips for navigating, locating, and accessing these collections.

Civil War Era

Civil War Men and Women: Glimpses of Their Lives Through Photography
A set of essays about the lives and wartime experiences of particular Civil War soldiers using photographic portraits from the Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs.
Civil War Regimental Histories: A Guide to Finding Unit Information
Regimental histories personalize and bring to life the history of the American Civil War. This guide highlights selected print resources and accessible digitized primary source materials from the Library of Congress collections.
Grand Army of the Republic and Kindred Societies: A Guide to Resources in the General Collections of the Library of Congress
This guide compiles Library of Congress materials related to the Grand Army of the Republic, Woman's Relief Corps, Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.
Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Minorities in the United States Civil War: A Resource Guide
Civil War soldiers tied by a language or culture, facing slavery, racism and prejudice, and religious intolerance served together often by choice, but also hate. This guide comprises digital resources and print materials related to the topic.
U.S. Civil War: Selected Resources at the Library of Congress
This research guide comprises selected digital and print items from the vast body of American Civil War collection material at the Library of Congress. Additionally, links to selected external resources are included.
USS Oneida Disaster
The USS Oneida sank on January 24, 1870, after a controversial collision with the British P&O Steamer Bombay. Lost with the ship were 115 U.S. sailors. This is a guide to Library of Congress and external resources related to the Oneida and her crew.

World War I Era

Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Minorities in World War I: A Resource Guide
Cultural, ethnic, and religious minorities served on the front lines, in military support roles, and on the home front during the First World War. This guide comprises Library of Congress digital resources and print materials related to the topic.

World War II Era

Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Minorities in World War II: A Resource Guide
Cultural, ethnic, and religious minorities served on the front lines, in military support roles, and on the home front during the Second World War. This guide comprises Library of Congress digital resources and print materials related to the topic.

Buchanan Estate Scam: Detecting and Navigating Genealogical Hoaxes
Fabricated family trees are an obstacle to genealogical research. Using the real-life example of the Buchanan Estate Scam material, this guide demonstrates how to recognize similar fake lineages that could derail your research.
Family Secrets: Emotional Fallout from Genealogical Research
Often considered a wholesome activity assigned to children as schoolwork to help them connect with history and geography lessons, anyone embarking on a genealogy research project should be prepared for the unexpected.
Horn Papers: Forged Local History
The three-volume set, entitled “The Horn Papers,” was published by the Greene County, Pennsylvania Historical Society in 1945. This guide comprises resources related to the discrediting of the first two volumes by historical scholars as forgeries.

Chinese Origins of U.S. Families: A Guide to Local History and Genealogy Sources
Compiled by subject specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide provides topical bibliographies for print and online resources on researching the genealogy of Chinese families in the U.S., along with key national, state and local histories.
German Origins in the United States: A Guide to Local History and Genealogy Sources
Compiled by subject specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide provides print and online resources for researching the genealogy of German families in the U.S., along with key national, state and local histories.
Hispanic Origins in the United States: A Guide to Local History and Genealogy Sources
Compiled by subject specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide provides topical bibliographies for print and online resources on researching the genealogy of Hispanic families in the U.S., along with key national, state and local histories.
Irish American Resources at the Library of Congress
Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for studying and engaging Irish American heritage.
Japanese Origins of U.S. Families: A Guide to Local History and Genealogy Sources
Genealogical sources and strategies for tracing Japanese American families.
Native Americans: Resources in Local History and Genealogy
People indigenous to the United States may need to use special resources to untangle and document their family history. This guide provides print and electronic materials for exploring this research at the Library as well as other repositories.
Nordic and Scandinavian Emigration to the United States
Compiled by subject specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide provides print and online resources for researching the genealogy of Scandinavian and Nordic families in the U.S., along with key national, state, and local histories.
Portuguese Origins in the United States: A Guide to Local History and Genealogy Sources
Compiled by subject specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide provides print and online resources for researching the genealogy of Portuguese families in the U.S., along with key national, state and local histories.

American Women: A Guide to Women's History Resources at the Library of Congress
The Library's unique and diverse collections are rich with resources for the study of women's history. This research guide gathers together a collection of topical guides and essays that tell the stories of women in America.
Female Ancestors: Finding Women in Local History and Genealogy
This guide provides resources and strategies for discovering the women in local history and family trees. Library of Congress print and digital collections, as well as state, county, and community archives can help to find elusive female ancestors.

Local History and Genealogy Research Guides

Local History & Genealogy: Ask a Librarian