Our genealogy resources and toolkit is a selection of useful research guides for beginners, printable forms for organizing your research, and helpful links to useful tools that will aid your work, all gathered in one place!
Research Guides
Genealogy: Suggestions for beginners
This guide is meant for those new to genealogy research, and provides helpful tips and tricks to help jump start your research.
Genealogy Research on the Internet
Like our suggestions for beginners research guide, this one is meant to help understand the various genealogy resources and databases available on the internet. To see what databases are available here at the Bridgeport History Center, check out our genealogy resources list!
Family Tree/Pedigree Charts
Pedigree Chart, version 1 | Pedigree Chart, version 2 | Pedigree Chart, version 3 | Pedigree Chart, fan style
Pedigree charts, usually identified as the most obvious form of a family tree, are useful for tracking the parentage of a specific individual through the generations. There are several version, so use the one that works best for you.
Family Group Record Forms/Charts
Family Group Record, version 1 | Family Group Record, version 2 | Family Group Record version 3
Family group records are useful for organizing a particular family for one point in time. On it there are spaces for the parents and their children. These charts do not fan out.
Other Forms
Cemetery Form, version 1 | Cemetery Form, version 2 | Correspondence Sheet, version 1 | Correspondence Sheet, version 2 | Research check List
Cemetery records help to organize information about specific graves. Our correspondence sheets can help to organize your own questions you send out to relatives, other archives, or whatever else you need. Finally, use our research check list to make sure you’ve covered all your available resources!
Toolkit
Birth date Calculator: If you’re working from older tombstones, they often will list age and the date of detah. This tool helps to determine birth dates and does the math for you.
Social Security Death Index: These death records are pulled from the Social Security index and contain extremely useful death information. Please note on the page the last current update, as there is usually a brief gap between the last update and the current calendar year.
Sun and Moon Data –US Naval Observatory: For those looking for information about weather on a given date, this resource, maintained by the US Naval Observatory, is invaluable.
U.S. Census Bureau – Digital Map Database: The US Census is a huge wealth of information for genealogy research.
Genealogy for Kids
Make a Family Tree
Making a family tree is a great way to help children understand how they are related to the individuals that are referred to as “family.”
5 Exciting Activities to Teach Your Kids About Their Family History
Exploring your family’s heritage not only gives children a connection to the past, but it can also guide your child’s future.