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4 billion historical records. Our rich collections include photographs, memoirs, maps and family trees — along with census records and detailed accounts of births, marriages, deaths, military service, immigration, land ownership and much more.
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Use these helpful tips to quickly understand historical records
Learn more about Ancestry Search Discover ways get better results.
What are historical records?
Historical records are typically old documents that can provide important details about family relationships and the lives of your ancestors. Whether created by quill pen, typewriter, or computer, these records can help you discover new clues about your family story.
What things can I learn from a historical record?
Historical records often provide information about when and where your ancestors were born and lived; who, when and where they married; whether or not they served in the military; what property they may have owned; what their occupations were; and even what they looked like. You can also discover info about other relatives to help you grow your family tree.
What is the best way to find a historical record?
The best way to find a historical record is to enter as much information as you can into your search. The more you tell us about your ancestor, the easier it will be to find good matches about him or her.
What do I do after I find a historical record?
Once you find a matching historical record, save it to your family tree—that way you can provide evidence to back up the info in your family tree, easily share your discovery with your family, and quickly find the historical record again later.
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Go Directly to a Specific Title or Collection
Go to the Card Catalog- Census & Voter Lists
- 1911 Census of Canada
- 1906 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta
- 1901 Census of Canada
- 1901 England Census
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- Immigration & Emigration
- Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935
- Canadian Immigrant Records, Part One
- Border Crossings: From U.S. to Canada, 1908-1935
- Border Crossings: From Canada to U.S., 1895-1956
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- Stories, Memories & Histories
- Public Member Stories
- History of the Settlement of Upper Canada
- Slave Narratives
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- Court, Land, Wills & Financial
- Ontario, Canada Land Gazetteer, 1875-81
- U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907
- Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania Wills, 1682-1819
- U.S. Freedmen Bank Records, 1865-1874
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- Birth, Marriage & Death
- Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967
- Ontario, Canada Marriages, 1857-1924
- Ontario, Canada Births, 1869-1909
- Ontario, Canada Deaths, 1869-1934
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- Newspapers & Periodicals
- The Lethbridge Herald (Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada)
- The Times (London, England)
- Winnipeg Free Press (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)
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- Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers
- Ontario, Canada Land Gazetteer, 1875-81
- U.S. County Land Ownership Atlases, c. 1864-1918
- Lippincott’s Gazetteer of the World, 1913
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- Reference Materials & Finding Aids
- Canadian Genealogy Index, 1600s-1900s
- Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
- U.S. Military Records
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- Military
- Canadian Soldiers of World War I, 1914-1918
- U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
- British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920
- U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865
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- Pictures
- Public Member Photos & Scanned Documents
- Library of Congress Photo Collection, 1840-2000
- U.S. School Yearbooks
- Historical Postcards Collection, c. 1893-1960
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- Directories & Member Lists
- Canadian Phone and Address Directories, 1995-2002
- Civil Service List of Canada: 1911
- The Canada Directory
- British Phone Books, 1880-1984
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Go to the Card Catalog to browse through all titles across all of our collections