Genealogy : Getting Started at The New York Public Library: About

The Oxford English Dictionary describes genealogy as:

•  An account of one's descent from an ancestor or ancestors, by enumeration of the intermediate persons; a pedigree.

For the purposes of this guide we will take genealogy to mean:

• the study of family to trace and record lineage in pedigree charts, family trees, and other organizational charts used by genealogists
• research into the history of the lives of the individuals and families identified in pedigree charts and family trees, using records and other historical sources.

Records and other resources used in genealogy research

Genealogy research is detective work, and can utilize many different sources of information.

For instance:

Records created by:

• Federal and local government, e.g. censuses, vital records, property deeds, and wills.
• Religious organizations, e.g. records of baptisms, burials, or congregation lists.
• Businesses
• Clubs and fraternal organizations
• Schools
• Hospitals

Published sources 

• Books, e.g. indexes, transcriptions, abstracts, family histories
• Newspapers
• Maps
• Directories
• Genealogy journals

Family or personal archives e.g.

• Family bibles
• Family photographs
• Diaries
• Correspondence, postcards,
• Steamship tickets
• Certificates of Naturalization

Archive collections

Manuscripts, papers, correspondence and other documents of

• Organizations, e.g. churches, political parties, mutual aid societies
• Prominent families and individuals

To these types of materials you could add images (photographs, paintings, illustrations), ephemera (e.g. postcards, pamphlets, tickets, buttons) and objects (e.g., frakturs, quilts, gravestones, memorials).

Further reading

• A Checklist of Compiled Sources and Where to Find Them

Amateur genealogists

• aka the family historian
• variety of reasons for research
• usually personal
• usually open ended research
• variety of skill levels

Professional genealogists

• paid researchers
• may be certified
• specific goal oriented
• uses the Genealogical Proof Standard

Professional genealogical organizations

• Association of Professional Genealogists
• Board for Certification of Professional Genealogists
• International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists

Materials used by genealogists might be digitized in free or subscription databases, on microfilm, in print, or in special collections. To access these materials you may need to visit libraries, archives, or historical and genealogical societies. The good news is there are usually librarians, archivists, curators, and other information professionals at these locations that can help you find the information you need.

Libraries 

• The Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, IN
• Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT
• Newberry Library, Chicago, IL.
• Clayton Library, Houston Public Library, TX
• Birmingham Public Library, AL
• Denver Public Library, CO
• Detroit Public Library, MI
• Los Angeles Public Library, CA
• Local History and Genealogy Reading Room, Library of Congress, DC
• Midwest Genealogy Center, Mid-Continent Public Library, MO

• New York State Archives, Albany, NY
• Municipal Archives, NYC

Historical and genealogical societies

• New York Genealogical and Biographical Society 
• New-York Historical Society
• Bronx County Historical Society
• Holland Society (New Netherland)

Research centers

• Ackman & Ziff Institute at the Center for Jewish History