Blog – The Ancestor Hunt

Free California Online Cemetery and Burial Records

Cemetery records and cemeteries, in general, are a very large part of our family history and are a significant pursuit for many genealogists. Sometimes, the information on a headstone is the only information available for certain ancestors.

What can you find in these records? How about birth, marriage, and death information and clues to military service, religion, and organization memberships. Location of the burial plot, tombstone inscriptions, cemetery maps, sexton registers, and headstone photos are also generally available.

Here are a few good primers on the benefits of searching cemetery records:

I have not performed separate searches from Find a Grave, Billion Graves, or Interment.net by county or individual cemetery as that would be time prohibitive. Those sites are very useful, and you might find references to them from sub-collection links.

Note: Some of the links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.

Below are links to cemetery, burial, and interment records as well as indexes and tombstone inscriptions that are available for free online.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

For other Free California Links, click on the category of interest:

Newspapers
Obituaries
BMD Records
Photos
Yearbooks
Directories
Divorce Records
Naturalizations
Church Records
School Records
Coroner Records
Voter Records
Probate and Wills
Immigration
Mortuary Records
Alumni Records
Cemetery Records

Free District of Columbia Online Voter Records

Voter registration records are available online and offline from all over the world and are what I consider a hidden gem of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research.

Here are several reasons why voter records are such a wonderful tool for researching (and finding) ancestors:

They fill in the gaps between censuses – in the ten years between censuses – people move, they die, they get married, etc. The advantage of voter registration records is that they can tell you their address, their occupation, etc. And like city directories, they are published yearly or every couple of years.
Naturalization information – in some records from the 1800s, the date, and place of naturalization is included, which can provide leads for obtaining their detailed naturalization records.
Middle names – often a complete name is included in voter registration records – in fact, the only place that I ever found my great grandfather’s middle name was in several of these records. Prior to finding them, I only knew his middle name as an initial.
You can find a spouse – after 1920 for all of America, women could vote – so at that time their names began to show up in Voter Registration records. Some states had passed women’s suffrage laws prior to 1920, but just a few. To be complete – women in some states in the late 1700s had voting rights until they were all taken away by 1807. The given name of a woman is sometimes included in the voter registration record.. If a man and a woman with the same last name lived at the same address on the registration list, one could surmise that they were married to each other or they could be siblings or have a parent-child relationship. But there is a good possibility that they may be married to each other, providing more clues.
Nativity – again in the 1800s, the place of birth is entered, which is especially helpful for finding naturalized immigrants.
Physical Characteristics – in a few states, the voter registration form includes the applicant’s age, height, complexion, eye and hair color, as well as any distinguishing marks or scars.
Political party or affiliation – usually abbreviated as Dem or Rep, but you will find other party names as well in addition to “None”. Remember that Democrats and Republicans from years ago did not necessarily align with the same principles as the parties do today.
Migration – a few voter registration forms include a question regarding how long the voter lived in the state, the county, and the precinct. This can be useful to determine when they moved, which can help determine their whereabouts for additional research.

Most of the voter registration records are still in paper form or have been microfilmed. There is quite a bit online though, and I am capturing those links and they are below. The paid subscription sites such as Ancestry, Fold3, My Heritage, and FindMyPast have voter registration collections also.

Below are links to voter records available online. Unfortunately, some just list the voter’s name. Although that is sparse information it can help you find a person’s residence at a certain point in time, again helpful to find where ancestors resided between the census years.

Note 1: There may appear to be duplicate titles in the links. This is because there are scanned images of an original typed list or scanned images of original applications, and also a transcribed copy of a voter registration list.

Note 2: Many of the links listed below take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital.

(Updated September 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)

Bankruptcy proceedings, 1802-1821, and Poll Lists, 1850-1852

For links to other states go to the Voter Records page.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

For other Free District of Columbia Links, click on the category of interest:

Newspapers
Obituaries
BMD Records
Photos
Yearbooks
Directories
Divorce Records
Naturalizations
Church Records
School Records
Coroner Records
Voter Records
Probate and Wills
Immigration
Mortuary Records
Alumni Records
Cemetery Records

Free New York Online Voter Records

Here are several reasons why voter records are such a wonderful tool for researching (and finding) ancestors:

They fill in the gaps between censuses – in the ten years between censuses – people move, they die, they get married, etc. The advantage of voter registration records is that they can tell you their address, their occupation, etc. And like city directories, they are published yearly or every couple of years.
Naturalization information – in some records from the 1800s, the date, and place of naturalization is included, which can provide leads for obtaining their detailed naturalization records.
Middle names – often a complete name is included in voter registration records – in fact, the only place that I ever found my great grandfather’s middle name was in several of these records. Prior to finding them, I only knew his middle name as an initial.
You can find a spouse – after 1920 for all of America, women could vote – so at that time their names began to show up in Voter Registration records. Some states had passed women’s suffrage laws prior to 1920, but just a few. To be complete – women in some states in the late 1700s had voting rights until they were all taken away by 1807. The given name of a woman is sometimes included in the voter registration record.. If a man and a woman with the same last name lived at the same address on the registration list, one could surmise that they were married to each other or they could be siblings or have a parent-child relationship. But there is a good possibility that they may be married to each other, providing more clues.
Nativity – again in the 1800s, the place of birth is entered, which is especially helpful for finding naturalized immigrants.
Physical Characteristics – in a few states, the voter registration form includes the applicant’s age, height, complexion, eye and hair color, as well as any distinguishing marks or scars.
Political party or affiliation – usually abbreviated as Dem or Rep, but you will find other party names as well in addition to “None”. Remember that Democrats and Republicans from years ago did not necessarily align with the same principles as the parties do today.
Migration – a few voter registration forms include a question regarding how long the voter lived in the state, the county, and the precinct. This can be useful to determine when they moved, which can help determine their whereabouts for additional research.

(Updated September 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)

For links to other states go to the Voter Records page.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

For other Free New York Links, click on the category of interest:

Free Pennsylvania Online Voter Records

Here are several reasons why voter records are such a wonderful tool for researching (and finding) ancestors:

They fill in the gaps between censuses – in the ten years between censuses – people move, they die, they get married, etc. The advantage of voter registration records is that they can tell you their address, their occupation, etc. And like city directories, they are published yearly or every couple of years.
Naturalization information – in some records from the 1800s, the date, and place of naturalization is included, which can provide leads for obtaining their detailed naturalization records.
Middle names – often a complete name is included in voter registration records – in fact, the only place that I ever found my great grandfather’s middle name was in several of these records. Prior to finding them, I only knew his middle name as an initial.
You can find a spouse – after 1920 for all of America, women could vote – so at that time their names began to show up in Voter Registration records. Some states had passed women’s suffrage laws prior to 1920, but just a few. To be complete – women in some states in the late 1700s had voting rights until they were all taken away by 1807. The given name of a woman is sometimes included in the voter registration record.. If a man and a woman with the same last name lived at the same address on the registration list, one could surmise that they were married to each other or they could be siblings or have a parent-child relationship. But there is a good possibility that they may be married to each other, providing more clues.
Nativity – again in the 1800s, the place of birth is entered, which is especially helpful for finding naturalized immigrants.
Physical Characteristics – in a few states, the voter registration form includes the applicant’s age, height, complexion, eye and hair color, as well as any distinguishing marks or scars.
Political party or affiliation – usually abbreviated as Dem or Rep, but you will find other party names as well in addition to “None”. Remember that Democrats and Republicans from years ago did not necessarily align with the same principles as the parties do today.
Migration – a few voter registration forms include a question regarding how long the voter lived in the state, the county, and the precinct. This can be useful to determine when they moved, which can help determine their whereabouts for additional research.

(Updated September 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)

For links to other states go to the Voter Records page.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

For other Free Pennsylvania Links, click on the category of interest:

Free West Virginia Online Voter Records

Here are several reasons why voter records are such a wonderful tool for researching (and finding) ancestors:

They fill in the gaps between censuses – in the ten years between censuses – people move, they die, they get married, etc. The advantage of voter registration records is that they can tell you their address, their occupation, etc. And like city directories, they are published yearly or every couple of years.
Naturalization information – in some records from the 1800s, the date, and place of naturalization is included, which can provide leads for obtaining their detailed naturalization records.
Middle names – often a complete name is included in voter registration records – in fact, the only place that I ever found my great grandfather’s middle name was in several of these records. Prior to finding them, I only knew his middle name as an initial.
You can find a spouse – after 1920 for all of America, women could vote – so at that time their names began to show up in Voter Registration records. Some states had passed women’s suffrage laws prior to 1920, but just a few. To be complete – women in some states in the late 1700s had voting rights until they were all taken away by 1807. The given name of a woman is sometimes included in the voter registration record.. If a man and a woman with the same last name lived at the same address on the registration list, one could surmise that they were married to each other or they could be siblings or have a parent-child relationship. But there is a good possibility that they may be married to each other, providing more clues.
Nativity – again in the 1800s, the place of birth is entered, which is especially helpful for finding naturalized immigrants.
Physical Characteristics – in a few states, the voter registration form includes the applicant’s age, height, complexion, eye and hair color, as well as any distinguishing marks or scars.
Political party or affiliation – usually abbreviated as Dem or Rep, but you will find other party names as well in addition to “None”. Remember that Democrats and Republicans from years ago did not necessarily align with the same principles as the parties do today.
Migration – a few voter registration forms include a question regarding how long the voter lived in the state, the county, and the precinct. This can be useful to determine when they moved, which can help determine their whereabouts for additional research.

(Updated September 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)

For links to other states go to the Voter Records page.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

For other Free West Virginia Links, click on the category of interest:

Free Texas Probate Records and Wills

Probate records and wills are available online from all over the U.S. and are what I consider another hidden gem of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research.

What can you find in these records? How about date of death, spouses and children names, birth order, siblings and siblings spouses, parents names, and residence locations for all named persons. Also, ownership of land and/or other significant property, business names and occupation, military service, guardianships, and adoptions. Basically, anything owned by the deceased is typically listed and to whom it is to be assigned.

I won’t pretend to be an expert on the probate process – all I know is that I have discovered an amazing amount of good information from probate records and wills as part of my personal genealogy research.

Here are a few good primers on the benefits of searching probate documents and wills:

Below, listed are links to probate records, wills, and indexes available for free online for the state.

Note: Please be aware that if you find a desired will or probate record in an index, that the holder of the actual materials (e.g., (archive, county court, etc.) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the material itself.

Note: Some of the links listed below take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital.

(Updated September 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

For other Free Texas Links, click on the category of interest:

Free Missouri Probate Records and Wills

Here are a few good primers on the benefits of searching probate documents and wills:

Below, listed are links to probate records, wills, and indexes available for free online for the state.

(Updated September 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

For other Free Missouri Links, click on the category of interest:

Free Louisiana Probate Records and Wills

Here are a few good primers on the benefits of searching probate documents and wills:

Below, listed are links to probate records, wills, and indexes available for free online for the state.

(Updated September 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

For other Free Louisiana Links, click on the category of interest:

Free Kentucky Probate Records and Wills

Here are a few good primers on the benefits of searching probate documents and wills:

Below, listed are links to probate records, wills, and indexes available for free online for the state.

(Updated September 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

For other Free Kentucky Links, click on the category of interest:

Free Mississippi Probate Records and Wills

Here are a few good primers on the benefits of searching probate documents and wills:

Below, listed are links to probate records, wills, and indexes available for free online for the state.

(Updated September 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

For other Free Mississippi Links, click on the category of interest: