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Free Webinar: Applying to Revolutionary War Lineage Societies
December 7, 2023
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Online Course: New Jersey Research
Wednesdays | Nov 29 - Dec 20
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Virtual Benefit Honoring Historian and Author Lucy Worsley
January 25, 2024
Lucy Worsley

Save $30 on a New Individual Membership

Become a member today and save $30! Unlock over 1.4 billion searchable names from the nation's leading resource for family history. You'll also receive the award-winning print magazine American Ancestors, including online access to all past issues. Your membership helps further our mission, to inspire, educate, and connect family historians everywhere. Sale ends December 2!

Cyber Monday Sale

Last Chance! Submit a Proposal for the International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences 2024

The 36th ICGHS is now accepting proposals for presentations by interested scholars, historians, and researchers. Presentations should relate to the theme of this year's congress: "Origins, Journeys, and Destinations." Deadline for proposals is November 15.

Announcing the 2024 Young Family Historians Essay Contest

This year's essay contest is now open for students enrolled in grades 4–12 in public, private, parochial, and home schools across the nation and US territories. Participants are asked to share a story from their personal family history and to explain how lessons from that story can apply to their life today.

10 Million Names is a new initiative to recover the names and stories of the estimated 10 million men, women, and children of African descent who were enslaved in America between the 1500s and 1865.

Together with a collaborative network of genealogists, cultural organizations, and community-based family historians, we will amplify centuries of family stories, connect researchers and data partners with people seeking answers to family history questions, and expand access to information about enslaved African Americans.

Discover More

10 Million Names in the News

10 Million Names

Download Free Research Guides

On Demand: Building Your Genealogical Skills

Take your research skills to the next level! Whether you are new to genealogy, want to refresh your skills, or learn best practices, this course will help you get the most out of your family history research.

AmericanAncestors.org Named One of 101 Best Websites for Genealogy in 2023

We are pleased to be included on this year's list of 101 Best Genealogy Websites from Family Tree Magazine. Released annually, this list compiles the best online tools available to assist the research of hobbyist genealogists. Visit FamilyTreeMagazine.com to see the full list for 2023.

Family Tree Magazine 202 Best Websites 2023

Where Were Your Ancestors during the Boston Tea Party?

In partnership with the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, we are pleased to introduce the Boston Tea Party Descendants Program. Our mission is to foster interest in genealogical connections to participants in the Boston Tea Party, their families, and those involved in the making of colonial rebellion in Boston.

Apply Now

Explore Resources on our Site

Illustration: Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor

Family History Curriculum

Classroom-Ready Lesson Plans for Students K-12

Developed by experts at American Ancestors/NEHGS, this free-to-access national curriculum is designed to expose students in grades 4 through 6 to the concepts, benefits, and joys of family history.

...Over its long life, [American Ancestors/NEHGS] has gathered together the largest collection of original materials about the British people of North America. Its Great Migration study, a continuing study, has also published the most authoritative record of, quite literally, the tens of thousands of British subjects who helped found New England. So, your contributions are unique. And something of which everyone who is a part of it can, legitimately, be very proud of. Human stories of our collective past are at the heart of your work, and I’d like to thank you for helping to keep those stories alive. It is our emotional DNA. And immensely valuable for this generation and our successors.
Sir John Major, KG CH

Courses On Demand: Educational experiences by our experts, at your convenience

Enjoy some of our most recent and popular courses on your schedule. Each course includes recorded lectures, handouts, activities, and more. Brush up on your research skills and explore topics across the field of genealogy with Courses On Demand!

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Search 1.4 billion names to find your ancestors' records

Search records from all over the world now

I can't tell you how great it feels to be so supported by NEHGS and those of you who bring together such quality programming and make sure it goes as planned.  The online courses, the website, the databases, the "chat with a genealogist" opportunities, the list goes on . . . it all is simply a treasure.  For years my mom was a member of NEHGS and found it so helpful; I just wish she were still alive to attend and enjoy with me the courses now offered.  She would be delighted to know that I'm following in her footsteps.
Barbara Owens

Vita Brevis is 3 Million Views Old!

Vita Brevis, our family history blog, recently marked an important milestone: 3,000,000 page views since it launched in January 2014. Join editor Scott C. Steward for a look back on some of the most popular posts, from research advice to celebrity genealogies to personal stories of family connections made through genealogical research.

Vita Brevis

Upcoming Events

Seminar
Online
Paid

New Jersey Research: Four Centuries of History and Genealogy

Throughout its history—from Dutch colony to English Province to statehood—New Jersey has been characterized by its ethnic and religious diversity. Immigrants settled within its borders attracted by fertile land, industry, and religious tolerance. Despite its long history, however, New Jersey is known for several gaps in its records.

November 29, 2023 and December 6, 13, 20, 2023
Lecture
Online
Free

Applying to Revolutionary War Lineage Societies

With the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War fast approaching, you may be interested in documenting your family connection to an American patriot and applying to a lineage society. Join Vice President of Research and Library Services Lindsay Fulton for a step-by-step look at applying to Revolutionary War lineage societies.

December 7, 2023
Heritage Tour
In Person
Paid

Christmas in Berlin

Join Curt DiCamillo and other experts on a cultural journey to Germany during the most wonderful time of the year!

SOLD OUT

December 4 - 10, 2023

Heritage Tours

Author Event
Online
Free

Charlotte Gray with Passionate Mothers, Powerful Sons: The Lives of Jennie Jerome Churchill and Sara Delano Roosevelt

In this captivating dual biography of two famous women whose sons changed the course of the 20th century, the award-winning historian Charlotte Gray breathes new life into Jennie Jerome Churchill and Sara Delano Roosevelt. Passionate Mothers, Powerful Sons offers a fascinating and fulsome portrait of how leaders are not just born but made.

Moderated by James B. Conroy
December 4, 2023

American Inspiration

Research Tour
Online
Paid

Fall Stay-At-Home

Make real headway in your research! This three-day online experience will give you the necessary skills and knowledge to advance your family history research from home.

December 7 - 9, 2023

The Brue Family Learning Center

Author Event
In Person
Free

We Sort of People—Journalist and Writer Leslie Tucker and Photographer Henry Horenstein

Join us in person at the Boston Public Library for an artist-book talk in their Through the Lens: Exploring Community & Identity series and learn more about the last descendants of a little-known American clan, a mysterious multiethnic family—the Wesorts.

Presented by Henry Horenstein and Leslie Tucker
December 7, 2023

American Inspiration

Browse all upcoming events in our new Event Calendar

Recent Publications

Statement of Inclusion

A message from D. Brenton Simons, President and CEO