New and Updated U.S. Genealogical Records Online

New U.S. records online for free this week! Explore military records from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, WWI, and WWII. Plus we’ve got a wide assortment of vital records, church records, county and criminal records, and more. You never know where your U.S. ancestors may be hiding, so take a look at these new and updated collections, noted by state. 

Featured: New U.S. Records

FamilySearch.org has released lots of new collections for U.S. records that you will definitely want to explore. 

Hawaii, Russian Immigrant Laborers Index 1909-1910: These records were probably recorded in Harbin, Manchuria in 1909 by A.L.C. Atkinson and A.W. Perelstrous. They were recruiting Russians to work on the Hawaii plantations. A.L.C. Atkinson was a Special Agent for the Territorial Board of Immigration.

Minnesota Birth and Death Records, 1900-1953: This collection contains an index and images to births and deaths recorded in Frankfort Township and St. Michael Village, Wright County, Minnesota, for the years 1900 to 1953. The birth records appear in both certificate and register-style documents. Some burial permits, are also included.

New Hampshire Obituaries, 1800-2007: The collection consists of cemetery records from the Pine Grove, Valley and other cemeteries in the Manchester area. The records provide the name and age of deceased, date of death, date of burial, birth date of deceased, location of grave, cause of death, and the name of undertaker.

Oregon, World War I, County Military Service Records, 1919-1920: This is a collection of WWI Military Service Records for various counties in the state of Oregon. The records are arranged alphabetically by county name, then numerical by the school district and alphabetical by surname. This series documents an individual’s military service in Oregon during WWI and used as a basis for medal distribution.

Oregon, Yamhill County Records, 1857-1963: This collection was recently updated, and includes images of deeds, mortgages, and military service records from Yamhill County. It also includes 6 volumes of “Miscellaneous Records” dated 1899-1957. The miscellaneous records include some land transactions, licensing records and other items. 

Texas, Gonzales County, Death records, 1863-1970: The collection was recently updated with over 36,000 more records. It includes an index and browse-only images. 

Utah Early Church Information File, 1830-1900: Browse images of index cards in alphabetical order for some members of the LDS Church. The names on the cards come primarily from sources from 1830 to the mid-1900s. The Early Church Information File (ECIF) was created using various sources including LDS church records, journals, biographies, cemetery records, immigration records and published books.

Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783: Look for your Revolutionary War ancestors in this collection of published state rosters of Revolutionary War soldiers from the states of Alabama, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont, and Virginia.

More U.S. Collections

From the Digital Library of Georgia: Athens, Georgia crime dockets from 1902 to 1907 now freely available online. “The digital collection consists of eight bound dockets dating from 1902 to 1907, and includes about 5,760 individual arrest cases in Athens, Georgia. Entries generally include a case number, the defendant’s name, the code violated, the date and location of the arrest, the date papers were served, the arresting officer’s name, a list of witnesses, and the dispensation of the case.”

University of Arkansas: A Belated Gift: U.S. Copyright and the Public Domain. “The University Libraries launched a new digital exhibit in celebration of Public Domain Day Jan. 1. ‘A Belated Gift: U.S. Copyright and the Public Domain,’ which features Arkansan contributions from 1923 that are now in the public domain, is available to researchers worldwide, free of charge.”

War of 1812 Pension Files Update: Fold3 has almost completed digitizing through the letter “P” with their War of 1812 collection. The files are organized by state or organization, and then by the soldier’s surname and given name. While the digitization process is slow, they are continuing to add to this collection and will continue to do so until it is complete, so keep checking back!

From Findmypast: United States Directories & Almanacs
93 volumes of New York City Directories spanning the years 1786 to 1923 are now available to search. These new directories record the names and addresses of city residents, businesses, churches, schools, police stations, courts, and other government offices, as well as the names of individuals associated with those institutions. They also feature images, including maps, illustrations of buildings, and advertisements.

Hawaii News Now: Never-before-seen trove of photos shows Honolulu during height of World War II. Nearly 800 photos taken on Oahu during WWII have been discovered and digitized. Many of the photos feature military personnel, but few names are listed. The World War II Pacific Veterans Project was founded in an effort to identify these soldiers. In addition, these photos depict life on the island 70 years ago, which looks vastly different than it does today and gives context to soldier life during WWII. 

Get tips on U.S. records research and more!

Are you listening to The Genealogy Gems Podcast yet? This free audio show helps you make the most of your family history research time by providing quick and easy-to-use research techniques. Producer and host Lisa Louise Cooke brings you the best websites, best practices, and best resources available. This podcast is 100% free!

Click here to start listening right now on our computer.

On your smartphone or tablet it’s as easy as 1-2-3:

  1. open your device’s podcast app: Apple Podcasts on the iPhone / iPad, or Google Podcasts on Android.
  2. search for “Genealogy Gems”.
  3. When the show pops up, tap the “Subscribe” button.

That way, the show will be in your podcast app’s Library ready to listen when you are!

Lacey Cooke

Lacey Cooke

Lacey has been working with Genealogy Gems since the company’s inception in 2007. Now, as the full-time manager of Genealogy Gems, she creates the free weekly newsletter, writes blogs, coordinates live events, and collaborates on new product development. No stranger to working with dead people, Lacey holds a degree in Forensic Anthropology, and is passionate about criminal justice and investigative techniques. She is the proud dog mom of Renly the corgi. 

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links and Genealogy Gems will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for supporting Genealogy Gems!

Big Genealogy Records Updates for England & the U.S.

Big updates to UK records king Findmypast are new this week. Discover your ancestors in updated collections for Kent and Norfolk, along with an update to a fascinating collection for Devon, England. Also new and updated this week are US records including marriage licenses for New Jersey, Boston Pilot newspaper ads, Ohio County naturalization records, and historic Georgia newspapers. 

Featured: Updates at Findmypast

Genealogy giant subscription website Findmypast has kicked off the new year with big updates to their collections for Kent and Norfolk. Findmypast is our favorite records website for finding your ancestors in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Click here to learn more about why they should be at the top of your list for your UK research.

Updates to Kent

Kent Baptisms: “Over 23,000 new records covering Anglican and Wesleyan baptisms in Dover, Gravesend, Higham, Nettlestead and Maidstone have been added to our collection of Kent parish baptisms. The new additions span the years 1736-1917.”

Kent Marriages: Explore more than “22,000 new records covering 9 Anglican parishes in Aylesford, Boxley, Higham and Nettlestead…Parish marriage registers will provide you with birth years, father’s names, occupations, and residences for both the bride and groom as well as the date and location of their marriage.”

Kent Burials: “Over 203,000 additional records covering the former Grange Road Cemetery in Gillingham, now a public open space, Fort Pitt Military Cemetery and the cemetery in Robin Hood Lane, Chatham have been added to the collection.”

Updates to Norfolk

Norfolk Baptisms: Check out the 76,000 additional records that have been added, spanning 1777 to 1990. This update covers the parishes of North Creake, Ringland, Southwood, Thornham and Worstead.

Norfolk Banns: Banns of marriage are the public announcement in a Christian parish church of a forthcoming marriage. In this update are 33,000 new Norfolk Banns covering the parishes of Rockland All Saints & St Andrew, Roughton, Snetterton and Yaxham. 

Norfolk Marriages: “Over 27,000 new records covering the parishes of North Creake, Rockland All Saints & St Andrew, Snetterton, Somerleyton, Southwood, Wacton, Wells next the Sea, Westacre and Worstead. The new additions span the years 1777 to 1984 and will reveal a combination of names, dates and locations related to both the bride and groom.”

Norfolk Burials: “Search over 15,000 recent additions to our collection of Norfolk Burials covering the parishes of North Creake, Rockland All Saints & St Andrew, Southwood, Wells next the Sea and Worstead. The transcripts and images will list a combination of your ancestors’ burial dates, ages and residences at time of death, and their birth years.”

Devon Social & Institutional Records

From Findmypast: “Over 76,000 new records have been added to our collection of Devon Social & Institutional Records. Search this extraordinarily rich set of records to find paupers and vagrants, apprentices, peddlers and tradesmen. Find out if they got married, were vaccinated against smallpox or got Christmas presents while their father was fighting WW1. Explore more than two centuries of social history to find rare details of the lives of ordinary people.”

New U.S. Records & Collections

New Jersey: MyHeritage has recently added a new collection: New Jersey Marriage License Index, 1915-2016. With over 11 million records, “this collection is an index to marriage licenses filed at the New Jersey State Clerk Offices from 1915 to 2016. The index contains the given names and surnames of both the bride and the groom, the year of the license application, and the state file number. The images in this collection have been obtained through the outstanding work and efforts of Reclaim the Records.”

Boston, Massachusettes: Did any of your Irish ancestors emigrate to the United States? Search this unique collection of Boston Pilot Newspaper Information Wanted Ads from Findmypast. These ads were placed in the Boston Pilot newspaper by family members and others looking for lost friends and relatives from 1831 to 1920. From the description: “These records provide an insight into Irish immigration and reflect the tumultuous times that led to the Irish diaspora such as the Great Irish Famine and the United States Civil War.”

Ohio County: Free records website FamilySearch has added new records to their Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977 collection. “Index and images of naturalization records from county courthouses in Ohio. The record content and available years vary by county, though most content falls between 1818 and 1954.”

Georgia: Lastly, we love this new collection from the Digital Library of Georgia. They have digitized approximately 53,930 pages of Georgia newspaper titles published prior to 1861 from microfilm held by the Georgia Newspaper Project (http://www.libs.uga.edu/gnp/). The project creates full-text searchable versions of the newspapers and presents them online for free in its Georgia Historic Newspapers database at http://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu. 

Try Findmypast FREE for 14 Days

We know there are a lot of records websites out there, and each with their own subscription costs. So why not make a game plan of what you want to research and set aside dedicated time during a 14-day free trial? Findmypast offers incredible collections and resources for those seeking their ancestors in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. You can take our word for it or try it out for yourself with a free trial that you can cancel any time. Click here to get started.

Lacey Cooke

Lacey Cooke

Lacey has been working with Genealogy Gems since the company’s inception in 2007. Now, as the full-time manager of Genealogy Gems, she creates the free weekly newsletter, writes blogs, coordinates live events, and collaborates on new product development. No stranger to working with dead people, Lacey holds a degree in Forensic Anthropology, and is passionate about criminal justice and investigative techniques. She is the proud dog mom of Renly the corgi. 

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links and Genealogy Gems will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for supporting Genealogy Gems!

Pin It on Pinterest

MENU