Genealogy
Whether you are looking for information online or in print, the Central Rappahannock Regional Library's Virginiana Room at Fredericksburg Branch provides a welcoming harbor for genealogists and historians, experienced or not.
Discover your family history with help from these online resources and our friendly staff.
Starting Out
Those who are new to family research can use our online resources to begin their genealogical journey.
AncestryLibrary is a popular genealogy research database offering access to obituaries, census records, vital records, city directories, and much more.
Ancestry is no longer supported in Internet Explorer.
AncestryLibrary
Available at most library branches. Remote access unavailable.
A Checklist for Genealogical Neophytes
Want to start researching your family history? Complete this helpful checklist before you begin!
The Virginiana Room
The Virginiana Room at Fredericksburg Branch is the place to go if you want to learn more about ancestors - especially if they lived in our part of Virginia.
People from around the country come to our library to search for their roots.
Stop by and see what we can do for you.
If you can't stop by the Virginiana Room, you can still ask us for assistance.
You might start with our obituary indexes for local newspapers, dating to 1788. Indexed obits can be found in our microfilmed copies of Fredericksburg newspapers. Look in our "family files" to see what other researchers may have found.
If your ancestor fought for Virginia units in the Revolutionary War or Civil War, this is the place to look. Early Fredericksburg city directories, lot history files and insurance maps can tell you when and where your ancestors lived in more recent times.
Online Databases for Genealogy
Finding Your Family Through DNA
Decide between multiple DNA tests with this informative article on discovering your family roots.
Getting Started in Genealogy
These books will give you a good grounding as you begin the search for your family's past.
FamilySearch: A Genealogy Gold Mine
Librarian Joy introduces outstanding online tools to help you discover your family history, highlighting the free database FamilySearch.
Genealogy in the Catalog
Resources on the Web
Websites and other web resources from local, state, and national archives, documents, and records.
Local History
Local History Blogs
Local African American Historical Sites
Our surrounding counties have houses, churches, and museums of great importance to African American history and heritage.
Union Church of Falmouth
When the storm destroyed Union Church’s roof in 1950, there wasn’t much to be done about it. It had not been used since 1935, after all,…
A Civil War Christmas
If we lived during the Civil War, what kinds of memories would we have? Learn a bit more about Christmas during the years 1861-1864.