Finding Unexpected Genealogical Sources in JSTOR

Most genealogists have either never heard of JSTOR or assume it is “only for professors.” In reality, JSTOR quietly hosts millions of digitized pages that can contain direct references to people, schools, churches, organizations, towns, occupations, and institutions connected to family history research.

JSTOR is not a genealogy database.
It is a content discovery platform — similar in spirit to HathiTrust or Google Books — but with a different mix of material.

For genealogists, JSTOR’s value lies in:

• uncovering unexpected publications
• finding names buried in institutional or academic works
• discovering school, church, and organizational material
• locating regional and community studies
• adding context and confirmation where civil records are thin

This Quicksheet focuses on what kinds of genealogical material exist in JSTOR, not on academic research techniques.

Download the Quicksheet PDF

To obtain a five-page Quicksheet PDF of the information, download it by clicking on the Download button below: 

For all the previously published Quick Reference Guides, click on QuickSheets. 

Genealogy QuickSheets – Frequently Asked Questions