One of the oldest and most comprehensive free sources of genealogy links is Cyndi's List. As shown above, Cyndi's page organizes U.S. genealogy links both geographically and by categories (such as African-American genealogy, Ellis Island, Mayflower/Pilgrims, etc.). It has international gen links, as well.
Usually, I begin with the geographic category index, browsing all those links in search of a specific region, county, city, or township. Many of the genealogy categories are quite useful for focusing on specific regions or aspects of family history, such as how to use Ancestry or links to research about specific occupations. Since hubby's family includes four Mayflower ancestors, I've also checked out Cyndi's Mayflower category.
Remember that although Cyndi's List is free, it does include links to pay sites as well as free sources. For instance, below is an entry from the Connecticut--maps & geography page, clickable to the Ancestry map collections that would help anyone researching the Nutmeg State. Note the "fee-based subscription" comment.
Cyndi began collecting genealogy links in 1996, and after 22 years, she has a wealth of links ready for researchers to click. Because her site focuses on links, it loads quickly and processes clicks quickly, too. Go ahead, click on Cyndi's List and see what you can find.
This is the latest entry in my ongoing Genealogy: Free or Fee? series. For more, click HERE!
Years ago, I used Cyndi's List often. But, I haven't used it much in recent years. I know it can be helpful! Thanks for this reminder!
ReplyDeleteI'm using it now for tips and how-tos on timelines - under which she has 82 links!
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm looking for newer info on a brick-wall ancestor or looking up a newly-found ancestor (or ancestor-in-law), I find Cyndi's List to be very valuable--just browse links and click. Simple and practical. Anna, thanks for the "how-to" idea about timelines, which I need to learn to make. I'm going to check out what Cyndi's List has to offer!
ReplyDeleteLike Dana, I used to use Cyndi's List more often in the past. I know I've gotten a lot better finding tidbits online, but I guess I should check there, too, in case I am missing something good!
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