How to Research Ukrainian Roots

Part 2 - Sources in the New World

Cemeteries and Memorial Places

By visiting cemeteries where your ancestor was buried, you may gather basic but valuable information: dates of birth and death, middle names or nicknames, the name of a spouse, and, in some cases, their occupation or hobbies.

If you and your family don't know where your ancestor was buried, you could try the Find a Grave index.

Old Newspapers

Obituaries typically include extended information about the deceased and their relatives. They are usually published in local newspapers up to a few days after the death, so if the date is known, you might find a copy of the newspaper issue in a local library.

Besides obituaries, there might be mentions in various articles.

Many old newspapers have been digitized and are accessible on the internet. Here are some of the useful links:

For more tips on historical newspapers research, we suggest visiting the Guide to Newspapers and Newspaper Indexes by Harvard Library.

Vital Statistics Offices

Recent birth, marriage, and death records are protected by the privacy laws. Every jurisdiction has its own schedule when its protections expire, and the records are transferred from vital statistics offices to relevant archives. Nevertheless, many jurisdictions allow obtaining information about the deceased, especially for the descendants. You may need to submit a relevant request form to your vital statistics office, which usually can be done in person or by mail.

Contact information of vital offices, including department names, mailing addresses, and websites, can be obtained on the following websites:

Provincial/State Archives

Once the privacy protection of the vital records expires, they are usually transferred to the public archives of the jurisdiction. These records are usually available to the general public, and many are available online. Sometimes the archives index these records to allow a convenient search.

In addition to vital records, these archives may preserve other types of records, such as land and property owner lists, some census records, archived court records, city directories, and telephone books.

For the list of state archives in the USA, please refer to the membership directory on the Council of State Archivists website. The archives of Canadian provinces and territories are listed below:

Federal Archives

Most census, immigration and citizenship records, passenger lists, and a limited amount of vital records are held at federal-level institutions:

Court Records

Local courthouses hold records that may assist genealogical research. They may include various types of records:

The earliest court records predate other available sources, dating back to the 15th century. The records, depending on the circumstances, may be held at the original location or transferred to provincial/state archives.

Genealogical Societies Indexes

Many genealogical societies create and maintain indexes to the vital and property records for their service area. A paid membership may be needed to access the indexes and/or records.

Most societies have research guidance publications specific to their locality, as well as volunteer-run programs offering limited free assistance to those researching their roots in the area. Some of them provide members with free access to commercially available resources such as Ancestry or MyHeritage.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of the societies with brief information on their databases:

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch is a non-profit organization that systematically microfilms billions of pages from genealogical sources globally. Most of the records are accessible online with a free account, while some others require a visit to a FamilySearch Center.

In addition to the digitized records, they provide indexes, user-created family trees, genealogical publications, historical newspapers, and more. Some unique materials may require an in-person visit to the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Ancestry and MyHeritage

Ancestry and MyHeritage are subscription-based commercial services facilitating online access to billions of digitized records, indexes of vital records, and more, including user-created family trees.