Bibliographies and Guides

Listed below are published guides to the genealogy collections of the Library of Congress, compiled by reference librarians and available in full text by selecting the desired link. PDF documents require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Newest Additions: Inventory of United States Telephone Directories

General Resources

• Genealogical Periodicals in the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room
• Genealogical Research at the Library of Congress (PDF 189KB)
• Guides to Genealogical Research
• Heraldry: A Selected List of References
• Resources for Local History and Genealogy by State
• Searching for Female Ancestors: A Selected Bibliography (PDF 201KB)
• Surnames: A Selected List of References About Personal Names

Directories

• Reverse Directories in the Library of Congress: A List of Holdings from the 19th & 20th Centuries
• Telephone and City Directories in the Library of Congress
• U.S. City Directories on Microfilm in the Microform Reading Room
• Inventory of United States Telephone Directories

Indexes and Finding Aids

• Harleian Society Series (PDF 139KB)
• Index to the Enciclopedia Heráldica Hispano-Americana of Alberto and Arturo García Carraffa

International

• East Central European Genealogy and Local History: Sources for Research
• Handbooks for Foreign Genealogical Research
• Researching French Local History and Genealogy at the Library of Congress (PDF 98KB)
• Sources for Research in English Genealogy
• Sources for Research in Irish Genealogy
• Sources for Research in Scottish Genealogy
• Sources for Research in Welsh Genealogy (PDF 172KB)

U.S. Ethnic Groups and Communities

• African American Family Histories and Related Works in the Library of Congress (PDF 266KB)
• Afro-American Genealogical Research
• Danish Immigration to America
• Dutch American Local History and Genealogy: Selected Titles at the Library of Congress (PDF 232KB)
• Generations Past: A Selected List of Sources for Afro-American Genealogical Research (PDF 13.84MB) Page view
• German Immigrant Arrivals (PDF 189KB)
• Hispanic Local History and Genealogy in the United States
• Immigrant Arrivals: A Guide to Published Sources
• Norwegian-American Immigration and Local History
• Swedish American Genealogy and Local History (PDF 245KB)

U.S. Local and Military History

• Civil War Diaries and Personal Narratives, 1960-1994 (PDF 5.76MB) Page view
• Four Hundred Years of American Life and Culture (PDF 1MB)
• George Washington’s Military Manuals (PDF 34KB)
• U.S. Civil War Regimental Histories in the Library of Congress
• US Civil War: Selected Resources