Ancestry Library Edition is the perfect place to start piecing together your family’s history. It’s only accessible through the computers available at BCLS locations, but the trip to your local branch is worth it; there are endless avenues to pursue and endless ways to learn more about where you came from. All you have to do is start with a grandparent, and then you’ll be on your way to updating your family tree or maybe just learning a little more about your background.

To help get you started, Ancestry features a handful of downloadable forms and charts that you can personalize and update at your own pace. Try keeping your research organized with an ancestral chart, research calendar, source summary or correspondence record.

You’ll be able to search billions of records – including 800 million obituaries and 220 million marriages through Ancestry’s Newspaper.com indexes – to help you find what you’re looking for. Browse Census data, vital records, immigration records, family histories, stories, memories, military records, court and legal documents, directories, photos, maps and more. 

You’ll also have access to tax, criminal, land and will records; message boards, city directories, schools, churches, reference resources, dictionaries, a virtual card catalog, and almanacs. And if you’d like help getting started (or unstuck from a road block), check out the Research Aids page, where you’ll find a comprehensive list of tips and tricks to help you get moving. You’ll have everything you need to get to know your ancestors and start tracing your family’s journey.