Featured Collection
1940 Census Substitute
We’ve recently released the 1940 Census Substitute with more than 2,000 city directories. This collection will help you research your parents, grandparents, and other relatives from the 1940-era, until the 1940 census is released in 2012. Although city directories do not have quite as much detail as census records, they can offer a vivid portrayal of the community your ancestor was living in.
Historical Records
Adding Millions
of new names weekly
Nearly 4 million names are included in these censuses, helping fill in the gaps between the federal census years.
Florida is one of only two U.S. states (South Dakota is the other) to have completed a census as recently as 1945 and the 1935 and 1945 censuses are especially useful for more recent research since the 1940 U.S. Federal Census has not yet been released to the public.
(Ancestry.com also has the 1885 Florida census, which is particularly helpful considering the 1890 U.S. Federal Census was destroyed by a fire in 1921.)
Not all the census years in this collection are complete because some of the records were destroyed or damaged. Those records that still exist were digitized and indexed, as follows:
1867 – Hernando, Madison, Orange, and Santa Rosa counties only
1875 – Alachua county only
1885 – All counties that existed at the time except for Alachua, Clay, Columbia, and Nassau
1935 – All counties
1945 – All counties
Information available for an individual will vary according to the census year and the information requested on the census form. For the 1867 census, only the heads of households were listed, with other members of the household indicated in age and gender categories. Separate listings were kept for “colored” and white inhabitants. More information was recorded in other census years, including the name, age, gender, race, relationship to head of household, birthplace, birth date or estimated birth year, marital status, father’s birthplace, and mother’s birthplace. Some census entries may also contain information regarding an individual’s occupation, real estate or property value, or agricultural information.
Florida is one of only two U.S. states (South Dakota is the other) to have completed a census as recently as 1945 and the 1935 and 1945 censuses are especially useful for more recent research since the 1940 U.S. Federal Census has not yet been released to the public.
(Ancestry.com also has the 1885 Florida census, which is particularly helpful considering the 1890 U.S. Federal Census was destroyed by a fire in 1921.)
Not all the census years in this collection are complete because some of the records were destroyed or damaged. Those records that still exist were digitized and indexed, as follows:
1867 – Hernando, Madison, Orange, and Santa Rosa counties only
1875 – Alachua county only
1885 – All counties that existed at the time except for Alachua, Clay, Columbia, and Nassau
1935 – All counties
1945 – All counties
Information available for an individual will vary according to the census year and the information requested on the census form. For the 1867 census, only the heads of households were listed, with other members of the household indicated in age and gender categories. Separate listings were kept for “colored” and white inhabitants. More information was recorded in other census years, including the name, age, gender, race, relationship to head of household, birthplace, birth date or estimated birth year, marital status, father’s birthplace, and mother’s birthplace. Some census entries may also contain information regarding an individual’s occupation, real estate or property value, or agricultural information.
An estimated 500,000 names from South Carolina death records are being added to this collection. These include returns, registers, and certificates for the cities of Charleston (1821–1914), Spartanburg (1895–1914; 1898–1902 not included), and Union (1900–1914; 1901–1912 not included), plus a few other statewide death certificates (1915–1955). In addition, images of an estimated 814,000 death certificates will be linked to existing indexes in the collection. Some returns have very detailed places of birth for the parents. Most records are on pre-printed forms, but the actual data pertaining to each reported death is all handwritten. A few records are entirely handwritten, with no pre-printed form.
This database is an index to divorces that took place in Wisconsin between 1965 and 1984; it does not include original divorce records. There are approximately 600,000 names in the index.
Divorce records are valuable because they provide names, dates, places, and sometimes ages of individuals involved in an event that is often not talked much about. These can also be helpful in clearing up marriage dates, and sometimes they give clues to paternity.
Anyone who finds a name in this index can write for the original record at the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, Wisconsin Vital Records Office, P.O. Box 309, Madison, WI 53701-0309.
Divorce records are valuable because they provide names, dates, places, and sometimes ages of individuals involved in an event that is often not talked much about. These can also be helpful in clearing up marriage dates, and sometimes they give clues to paternity.
Anyone who finds a name in this index can write for the original record at the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, Wisconsin Vital Records Office, P.O. Box 309, Madison, WI 53701-0309.
Since 2004, Ancestry.com has searched current newspapers for obituaries, kept in our Obituary Collection. We’ve just switched to a new crawler that searches more than 2,000 newspapers—and returns about 9,500 obituaries—every day. That’s almost twice as many obituaries as our old crawler returned.
This database contains images from a set of annually-published books in the UK that included the names and addresses of all doctors who were licensed to practice in the UK from 1859 to 1959. British-qualified doctors working abroad are also included. There are approximately 1.5 million names in the database. Since the listed addresses are for where the doctor was currently practicing, these records are valuable for tracking someone’s movement around the country/world.
This is among the first significant content for Spain available on Ancestry.com. It contains about 240,000 names. Not all localities in Albacete Province are represented, and coverage for any given area may not be complete. Below is a general guide of those areas covered. Most birth/christening records include the parents’ names. All records are in Spanish.
| Alborea | Alcala del Jucar | Alpera |
| Ayna | Barrax | Carcelen |
| Cenizate | El Bonillo | Elche de la Sierra |
| La Roda | Lezuza | Munera |
| Penas de san Pedro | Pozuelo | Riopar |
| Tobarra | Villalgordo del Jucar | Villamalea |
| Villatoya | Viveros | Bonete |
| Canada del Provencio | Casas de Juan Nunez | El Ballestero |
| Fuentealbilla | Ossa de Montiel | Pozo-Canada |
| Pozohondo | Sahuco | Vianos |
| Villa de Ves | Villar de Ves |
This is among the first significant content for Spain available on Ancestry.com. It contains nearly 38,000 names. Not all localities in Albacete Province are represented, and coverage for any given area may not be complete. Below is a general guide of those areas covered. Many marriage records include the parents’ names along with the bride and groom’s. All records are in Spanish.
| Alborea | Alcala del Jucar | Alpera |
| Ayna | Barrax | Carcelen |
| Cenizate | El Bonillo | Elche de la Sierra |
| La Roda | Lezuza | Munera |
| Penas de san Pedro | Pozuelo | Riopar |
| Tobarra | Villalgordo del Jucar | Villamalea |
| Villatoya | Viveros |
Search 629 directories from various cities in the UK. Directories contain geographical descriptions of each county and the individual cities, towns, and villages within them, including geology, agriculture, industries, and transport. Also described are amenities such as schools, churches, hospitals, and workhouses; and, of course, lists of businesses and private residents, along with their trades and occupations. The vast majority of directories in this collection were created between1820 and 1910. Go to the actual database page for a complete listing of all the cities and counties for which directories exist.
Coming Soon!
- Delaware Marriage Records, 1650–1899
- U.S. Naturalization Records for the southern district of New York, eastern and western Pennsylvania, Los Angeles, and San Diego
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Chinese Arrivals, 1900–1923
- U.S. Chinese INS Case Files, 1883–1924
- Chinese Immigration Records, 1882-1941
- Wallonia, Belgium, Births, 1580-1796
- Wallonia, Belgium, Marriages, 1580-1796
- Wallonia, Belgium, Deaths, 1580-1796
- Denmark Marriages, 1631-1902
- 1916 Census of Canada
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In 1917 and 1918, 98 percent of the men in the country who were between 18 and 45 registered for the draft. So whether or not your ancestor actually served in the war, it’s likely you’ll find him in our collection of WWI draft cards.
Find the Mothers in Your Family Tree
Since historical records tend to focus more on men, pinpointing the women on your family tree can be difficult. This article will give you seven tips on how to locate those tough-to-find female ancestors.
Find Your Parents in the 1940 Census Substitute
Since the 1940 U.S. census will not be available until 2012, we’ve released the 1940 Census Substitute, with more than 2,000 city directories to help you research your parents, grandparents, and other relatives from the 1940-era.