Search United States, family histories

There are 3,926 books in this collection, which can be read in PDF format. You can narrow your search by publication year, title, county, and state, as well as by keywords and page number.

These are publications that contain family histories and genealogies with a particular emphasis on tracing the descendants of the early, colonial immigrants to the United States. While the bulk of titles deal directly with families in the United States (indeed all 50 states are represented), there are several that deal with locations overseas.

Amongst these histories, you can find the majority of the families that make up the First Families of Virginia: the wealthy, prominent families of Colonial Virginia.

While the information contained in these records requires verification from original records, these books are substantial resources for genealogists.

• Noah Webster is mentioned in Webster Family Record (Published 1916) as a direct descendant of John Webster, one of the first settlers in Hartford, Connecticut. Noah is most famously associated with the Merriam-Webster dictionary, which was first published in 1828 and called An American Dictionary of the English Language. Webster made great strides in standardizing spelling in American English and in pioneering the textbook for schoolchildren.
• You can find mention of the founder of the Dutch Reformed Church in this collection. Steven van Voorhees founded the Church in 1664 in present-day Brooklyn. You can learn more of him and his descendants in Van Voorhees Family Genealogy (Published 1888). Steven was born in The Netherlands in 1600 and was one of the first Dutch settlers in America.

Discover more about the individuals in these records in Findmypast’s newspaper collection, which is linked to in the Useful links and resources section.