Great places to dig for clues

FamilySearch

The world's largest free family history library, with billions of records and fun discovery activities.

Good for: Searching census and birth records with a grown-up

👪 Best with a grown-up — some parts need an account

WikiTree

One big free family tree that researchers around the world build together — including many famous people.

Good for: Looking up famous people's families

Kiddle

A kid-safe encyclopedia with easy-to-read articles about history, places and people.

Good for: Quick facts about history and famous people

Library of Congress — Chronicling America

Millions of pages of old American newspapers, free to read and search.

Good for: Finding news stories from your ancestor's town

DocsTeach (National Archives)

Real historical documents with activities made for students.

Good for: Practicing reading old documents

Smithsonian Learning Lab

Millions of photos, objects and stories from the Smithsonian museums.

Good for: Seeing what life looked like in the past

Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation

Free search of passenger lists for ships that came to New York.

Good for: Finding ancestors who came to America by ship

👪 Best with a grown-up — some parts need an account

National Geographic Kids

History, geography and culture articles written for kids.

Good for: Learning about the countries your family came from

Find a Grave

Photos of gravestones from cemeteries all over the world, with dates and family links.

Good for: Finding birth and death dates (with a grown-up)

👪 Best with a grown-up — some parts need an account