The best social media accounts for genealogy
Turn your social media into a genealogical research tool with these genealogy and history accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
As the use of social media becomes more common, more and more users are finding ways to make their accounts valuable resources for genealogy professionals – either to share information or to facilitate discussion. We’ve compiled our favorite accounts that are interesting and informative and allow you to connect with experts and other genealogy experts like you. Social media is constantly changing, but these accounts are a great starting point for turning social media into a valuable tool for your genealogical research.
One of the major benefits of Facebook is the ability to join global forums such as DNA Detectives, national groups such as Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, and state- or region-focused groups. We could devote an entire article to Facebook genealogy groups, so instead we’ve highlighted a few of our favorites below and focused the rest of this list on just the Facebook pages we really like (pun intended).
AccessGenealogy
AccessGenealogy is an extensive directory of free records and resources on U.S. genealogy, especially Native American research. The AccessGenealogy Facebook page is a great way to keep up with the latest free resources and site news. Both the AccessGenealogy website and Facebook page are tools that every Native American researcher should keep in their pocket!
Explaining the Evidence
This page, based on Elizabeth Shawn Mill’s classic book, Explaining Evidence: Citing Historical Sources, from Artifacts to Cyberspace (Genealogical Publishing Co.), is a great resource for those who “use, cite and try to understand historical records.” The posts here mostly link to a website explaining the evidence, which hosts an impressive number of forums on citation, evidence analysis, and more. The Facebook page functions as a sort of overview of what’s going on in the forums, and is a great place to dive into the minute details of record usage and citation.
Twitter is the “birdie” of the 21st century for the latest news and gossip. But with access to so much information, this little bird ends up looking more like a whole flock! The following accounts are our favorite tweeters whose songs cut through the noise.
@LegalGen.
Judy J. Russell (also known as “The Legal Genealogist”) is a mainstay in the genealogy community, and her Twitter feed is a great way to keep up with what’s going on on her blog. Russell tweets about genealogy news, research and more, all with her trademark focus on the legal and civil aspects of the genealogical world.
@TNArchivist.
Melissa Barker is a professional genealogy expert and the head of the Houston County, Tennessee archives. She regularly posts helpful tips and instructions about all things archival on her blog, Genealogy in the Archives. But she’s also a regular tweeter. If you’re at all interested in archiving or preserving, her account is definitely worth checking out.
YouTube
Once known for funny cat videos, YouTube has surpassed Facebook as the most widely used social media platform. Free lessons, historical film and brief history lessons are all a click away on this giant video sharing site.
Origins
Ancestry.com has a robust YouTube channel that offers instructional videos on how to use its products and services, as well as some genealogy fun. Barefoot genealogy specialist, Krista Cowan, has an entire playlist of step-by-step instructions and tutorials. You can also watch small snippets of various shows created by Ancestry.com, including “My Family Secrets Revealed,” and watch the full 2019 Sundance film “Railroad Connections.”
British Pathé.
British Pathé, originally known as Pathé News, was a leading producer of newsreels, documentaries and other films in 20th-century Britain. It has since evolved into an impressive archive of films with digital video files available on its Web site and on YouTube.
Users can view a library of more than 80,000 videos, including (among other historical newsreels) interviews with Titanic survivors.
