Facebook Genealogy Groups

Facebook Groups.png

Social media, especially Facebook, can be a surprisingly helpful tool for researchers. We suggest the following:

Create a group for your relatives to upload and share photos, videos, family recipes, memories, and stories. This can be especially helpful for identifying old photos in your collection! There’s no limit to the amount of groups you can make and manage. Use surnames in the name of your group and make it visible to the public, so others researching the same surnames can request to join.

Find genealogy groups of fellow researchers and experts that can provide community support, knowledge, and advice. Some even provide free translations or photo restorations! In addition to our list of recommended groups below, there are also groups specific to states for local genealogical societies, historical societies, museums, and research subjects. Make sure the groups have been active recently and have at least 5 posts a week. And when you join a new group, be sure to read their specific rules for posting! For the best results, offer detailed information with a direct question.

Tip: If a group’s posts get to be overwhelming where it is taking over your newsfeed in Facebook, you can choose to “unfollow” the group. You will still be a member, and can search for and use the group anytime.

Look up groups relevant to your ancestors, from the towns they lived in to the schools they attended. There are also many groups related to military service. Nostalgia levels are high on Facebook and there are many groups providing a look back in time, often with first hand experience.

Follow genealogy related companies and professional pages, such as Ancestry.com or LegacyTree Genealogists, as they sometimes announce free weekends or discounts, special events, or updates to their available collections. These are pages which you follow, rather than groups you join for discussion. Don’t forget to find us, Start Researching!

Facebook Genealogy Groups to Join

Facebook Genealogy Pages to Follow

Feel free to send us links to any active Facebook genealogy groups or pages you think would be helpful to fellow researchers and they will be considered for this list of our favorites.

For a very extensive list, professional genealogist Katherine R. Willson has published a massive PDF file that can be accessed from her site here: socialmediagenealogy.com