Yankee Genealogical Society
Researching New England,
New York, Pennsylvania,
New Jersey & Delaware

Yankee Research Quick Guide

 
Resources at the William J. Hoffman Library and Research Center (LRC)
at the Minnesota Genealogy Center (MGC)
 
Are you new to New England research, or would you like a refresher? The books and websites listed below focus on New England as a whole, and are a great place to jump-start your research. For more detail on individual states, browse the shelves (by state or category) or search the Library catalog.
 
Call Numbers: the Library is in the process of converting to the Dewey Decimal system. As cataloging continues, the call numbers below are subject to change.
As books are re-labeled with Dewey numbers they are re-shelved at the end of the same section on the shelf, marked with a red "Dewey" flag.
 
If you cannot find an item, check the online catalog or ask the library volunteer for help.
 
For a good overview, we recommend that you start with this book in the New England section:
 
US 974.072 Hat
Researching Your Colonial New England Ancestors
by Patricia Law Hatcher, published 2006 by Ancestry
 
 
Free Access to Subscription Websites at MGC
 
Library computer workstations provide free access to the following websites. You may also use these sites on your laptop or mobile device (free wi-fi available), at no charge, while at the Library. Note that the links below may not be active for you unless you are in the Library.
 
  • ancestrylibrary.com - Ancestry Library Edition, free access at MGC and many public libraries
    Original New England town vital records, New York Reformed Dutch Church records, Canadian vital records
  • americanancestors.org - New England Historic Genealogical Society
    New England town record transcriptions, Barbour Collection of Connecticut town records, early newspapers, NEHG Register, Mayflower Descendant, New England periodicals
  • findmypast.com
    New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, British and Irish records
  • familysearch.org - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
    Original New England town vital and church records, land, probate, and court records. MGC is a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, allowing you to view many “locked” databases that would not be accessible from home.
  • fold3library.com - Fold3 Library Edition
    Revolutionary and War of 1812 pensions, military service records from all wars.
 
New England and Military Research
"old" LRC call number new LRC
Dewey number
Reference
Reference section
  REF 929.1072 GRE Greenwood, The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy (3rd ed., 2000)
REF 182 GRU   Grundset, American Genealogical Research at the DAR, Washington, D.C. (2nd ed. 2004)
US General shelves
US NENG 049 AND   Anderson, The Winthrop Fleet: Massachusetts Bay Company Immigrants to New England, 1629-1630
US Dewey shelves
  US 929.374 AND Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633 (1995, 3 volumes)
  US 929.374 ANDE Anderson, The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635 (1999, 7 volumes)
  US 929.374482 AND Anderson, The Mayflower Migration: immigrants to Plymouth, 1620 (2020)
  US 929.10974 Savage, A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England (1884, 4 volumes)
  FH 929.2 HOWLAND White, John Howland of the Mayflower (4 volumes)
  US 929.10974 SAV Savage, A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England (1884, 4 volumes)
 
US 974 SAV INDEX
Myers, Female Index to Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England by Savage (2008)
  US 929.20973 NSMD Mayflower Families through 5 Generations  (21 volumes), the “silver books.”
  US 929.374 TOR Anderson, The Great Migration Directory: Immigrants to New England 1620-1640 (2015)
  US 974 Torrey, New England Marriages prior to 1700
     
US Military History shelves
US MH 024   Rose, Military Bounty Land, 1776-1855 (2011)
US MH 210 Whi   White, Genealogical Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files (1990, 4 volumes)
US MH 219 Hat   Hatcher, Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots (1987, 4 volumes)
US MH 221 Whi   White, Index to Revolutionary War Service Records (1995, 4 volumes)
New England shelves
US NE Yan 004   Yankee Research Aids; Yankee Pathfinder (3-ring binder)
  US 929.1072074 MCC McClure, Genealogist’s Handbook for New England Research, 6th ed. (2021)
US NEng 023 Lai   Lainhart, Digging for Genealogical Treasure in New England Town Records (1996)
US NEng 038 Rap   Rapaport, New England Court Records (2006)
US NEng 045 Tay  
Taylor and Hoff, A Guide to the Library of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (2004)
US NEng 049  
Anderson, The Winthrop Fleet: Massachusetts Bay Company Immigrants to New England, 1629-1630 (2012)
Connecticut shelves
  CT 974.603 MUL Mullen, Connecticut town meeting records during the American Revolution (2011, 2 volumes)
Maine, New Hampshire shelves
  ME 929.374 Pope, Pioneers of Maine and New Hampshire, 1623-1660
Massachusetts shelves
US MA 205 And   The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth Colony 1620-1633 (2004)
  MA 929.209744 LAM Ullmann, Western Massachusetts Families of 1790, 2 volumes (2012-2017)
  MA 929.509744 ULL Lambert, A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries, 2nd ed. (2009)
New York shelves
  NY 929.10720747 NYGBS NYG&BS, New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer (2014)
US NY 078 Rob   Roberts and Mather, New York in the Revolution as Colony and State (1897, reprint)
US NY 241   Grundset, New York in the American Revolution: A Source Guide for Genealogists and Historians (2012)
  NY 929.10720747 REM Remington, New York state Probate Records: a Genealogist’s Guide to Testate and Intestate Records, 2nd ed. (2011)
  NY 974.733 DOH Doherty, Settlers of the Beekman Patent (1990-2017), volumes 1, 10, 11, 12, 13
Note: volumes 2-9 are available from the New England Historic Geneal. Soc. at americanancestors.org
Pennsylvania shelves
US PA 144   McCrea, Pennsylvania Land Applications, 1765-1773, 2 volumes (2002-3)
US PA 186 MUN   Munger, Pennsylvania Land Records; a History and Guide for Research (1993)
  PA 929.3748 EGL Egle, Early Pennsylvania Land Records (1976)
  PA 929.3748 EGL Ser. 1&2 Egle, Notes and Queries, chiefly relating to interior Pennsylvania; 12 volumes (reprint 1970)
  PA  AUR974.8 Aurand, Index to Egle’s Notes and Queries (1934; reprint 1970)
Rhode Island shelves
US RI 015   MacGunnigle, Rhode Island Freemen, 1747-1755; a census of registered voters (1982)
US RI 020   Chapin, Rhode Island in the Colonial Wars: 1740-1748 and 1755-1762 (1994)
  RI 973.3445 CHA Chamberlain, Rhode Island 1777 Military Census (1985)
Vermont shelves
US VT 017   Bartley, Vermont Families in 1791, 2 volumes (1992)
US VT 030 ROL   Rollins, Vermont Religious Certificates (2003)
US VT 032   Rollins, Vermont Warnings Out, 2 volumes (1995)
US VT 019 RIS   Rising, Vermont Newspaper Extracts, 1783-1816