2. Ancestry Library

Ancestry Library

Ancestry logo

About Ancestry Library

Ancestry Library Edition is similar to the consumer version and provides resources for genealogical and historical research. Includes records from the United States Census; military records; court, land and probate records; vital and church records; directories; passenger lists and more.

At library use only: Access available only via Sonoma County Library WiFi at library locations.

Getting Started

  • At the library, click the Go button above to access this resource
  • Ancestry is divided into several thousand separate databases. Two recommended ways to get started with Ancestry:

    1. Click the All Databases link at the bottom of the Ancestry home page. Then, type in a search in the Keyword(s) box. You can use searches such as:

      • Revolutionary war

      • Texas census

      • Massachusetts

      OR

    2. Click the Search option next to the green Home label at the top of the Ancestry home page. Then, select from the list on the right side of the page. The list includes types of resources such as:

      • Birth, marriage, and death records

      • Passenger lists

      • Family trees and message boards with information and questions from other Ancestry users

Features

  • U.S. Federal Census, 1790-1930

    Complete images, many every-name census indexes

  • UK Census Collection, 1861-1901

    Census data and images

  • US Immigration Collection

    Ship’s logs and passenger indexes, linked to images of original documents

  • Vital Records and Social Security Death Index

    Birth, marriage, and death records

  • Military Collection

    WW I draft registration cards—98% of males under 46 in 1917-18; Civil War, WW II, Korean War records

  • Reference Collection

    Search major genealogy reference books; browse over 700 historic and modern maps

Available for Use On

  • Desktop computers
  • Mobile devices
  • There is no app for this resource

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