Tracing our ancestors isn't just about names and dates—it's about discovering the stories, struggles, triumphs, and everyday lives that shaped who we are today. From military service records that reveal a veteran's full journey to digitized newspapers capturing births, tragedies, and local news, the digital age has made once-hidden archives accessible like never before.

In this guide, I've curated some of my favorite go-to sources that have helped me uncover details about my own family tree—many completely free, others with smart subscription strategies. Whether you're hunting for WWI/WWII veterans, small-town obituaries, early sound recordings, or obscure local histories, these tools have proven invaluable. Patience is often key (especially with government requests!), but the rewards—those "aha" moments when pieces finally connect—are worth every wait.

Reclaim The Records... BIRLS files

www.BIRLS.org One of our favorite sources of military veterans information, even though response times can take a year or more. We're still waiting on several requests—anxious but grateful for the opportunity. We've used Reclaim the Records to file FOIA requests online for many ancestors, especially from the WWI and WWII eras.

Newspaper Collections - Link to Heirloom page on Newspapers

There are so many newspaper sites to choose from—and they each organize their collections differently. Some boast more titles, while others focus on multiple editions of a smaller set. Still others shine when it comes to small-town papers and obituaries.
​Advice: Always check if a site covers the specific region you're researching before subscribing. A free trial is ideal—test it out first!
Personally, I use more than one. Through newspaper archives, I’ve discovered births, deaths, suicides, weddings, homecomings, war dispatches, and tragedies—from the explosion at Black Tom Island to the sinking of the Titanic.

Government and Public Archives

National Jukebox - www.loc.gov/collections/national-jukebox/ - The Library of Congress offers free access to early 20th-century sound recordings from now-defunct labels like Victor and Columbia. Great for hearing the music your ancestors may have danced to.​

​Digital Public Library of America - (https://dp.la) ​A digital treasure chest! DPLA brings together millions of items—photos, maps, letters, family Bibles, local histories, and more—from libraries, museums, and archives across the country. It’s like a nationwide card catalog of digitized resources, often linking directly to the hosting institution.

National Archives – AAD - https://aad.archives.gov Still exploring this one (let me know if you’ve had success!). AAD is a free searchable portal from the National Archives with over 100 million records, including WWII Army enlistments, civilian draft cards, and immigration data. Excellent for official 20th-century records.

Collaborative Trees

FamilySearch - www.familysearch.org
​The largest free genealogy platform, maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fantastic access to millions of indexed and digitized records. However, be cautious with their global family tree—users often add or edit entries without sourcing. While you are researching on that site, check out some of the experimental apps. Always cutting edge.

​WikiTree - https://www.wikitree.com/
​A collaborative family tree with a strong emphasis on sourcing. Unlike other platforms, no names are added without documentation. It takes time, but the accuracy makes it worthwhile.

Ancestry - www.ancestry.com - You can create and store a tree for free, but most records require a subscription (U.S., International, or All Access). I recommend keeping your tree private to avoid it showing up in Google or Ancestry search results.
About tree hints: Even though Ancestry promotes them, their Pro Tools (for an extra fee) warn you not to rely on tree hints without real sources. Always verify with records like obits, BMD certificates, and news clippings. Trust, but verify.

​Books, Directories & Ephemera

The Internet Archive aka The Wayback Machine, https://archive.org
One of the most underrated goldmines in family research. The Internet Archive offers free access to millions of digitized books, yearbooks, city directories, family genealogies, church records, and local histories—many published in the 1800s and early 1900s. I’ve found high school yearbooks with ancestor photos, church anniversary booklets listing relatives in pew order, and small-town centennial booklets full of buried gems. Try searching by surname, town name, or church name—you never know what you’ll uncover.

HathiTrust Digital Library - https://www.hathitrust.org
A partnership of academic libraries providing access to digitized books and periodicals. Think scholarly local histories, church bulletins, university records, and more. Some full text, some limited view, but worth digging into. Especially strong for U.S. and European regional histories.

Google Books - https://books.google.com
Sometimes dismissed, but extremely useful for tracking down obscure mentions. Search for full names or unusual phrases (“Samuel Burchfield, born 1834”). Many older books are fully downloadable as PDFs, including family genealogies, town reports, and historic biographies.

NYPL Digital Collections - https://digitalcollections.nypl.org
The New York Public Library’s digital archive includes directories, maps, scrapbooks, photograph albums, and ephemera—especially strong for New York City and immigrant neighborhoods. I've found property tax guides and school publications here that you won't find anywhere else.

Medical Glossary. (Links within Heirloomed site) Some of our ancestors lived well into their 90s, while others were gone before their lives truly began. It makes you wonder how different our family story might be if they’d had access to the medical care we have today. For perspective, penicillin wasn’t even in use until World War II. Here is a list of medical terms they would have known in their own time – words that tell the story of how people suffered, healed, and hoped in centuries past. Note - This is one of my favorite parts of the Heirloomed site.

Resources