Fresno California Family History Center/Resources

Databases and Software Programs
This center features the Family History Center Portal page which provides free access to the following premium family history software programs and websites that generally charge for subscriptions:
 * 19th Century British Library Newspapers – This fully searchable database of the British Library's newspaper holdings provides a complete run of 48 national and regional Victorian British newspapers for the 19th century from 1800 to 1900. These support the study of colonial history, genealogical research, politics, urban studies, and media courses.


 * Access Newspaper Archives – NewspaperArchive.com is the world's largest online newspaper archive. Featuring billions of articles from historical newspapers around the U.S. and the world, NewspaperARCHIVE makes exploring history and genealogy easy and fun. Discover fascinating news in archived newspapers hundreds of years old—including obituaries, birth announcements, sports articles, comics, and more—to fill in the life stories you are interested in. And share those stories with others through our community at Our NewspaperARCHIVE. All of our historical newspapers are full-page and fully searchable. Try exploring the above site, and discover your history today!


 * Alexander Street Press&mdash;American Civil War – Contains indexed, searchable information on over 4 million soldiers and thousands of battles, together with 15,000 photographs. Also, contains approximately 100,000 indexed pages of diaries, letters, and memoirs, including 4,000 pages of previously unpublished manuscripts, such as the letters of Amos Wood and his wife and the diary of Maryland planter William Claytor. Provides a vivid history of the American Civil War with over 1,400 images. Personal accounts of well-known historical figures. Organized around the history of women in social movements in the United States between 1600 and 2000 A.D.


 * American Ancestors – Advance your family history research today with AmericanAncestors.org! Created by the expert staff at New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), America's founding genealogical organization, AmericanAncestors.org is the portal to the nation's leading resource for the highest-quality, comprehensive family history services. Consult with our expert staff, some of the most respected genealogists in the profession. Read the most significant original scholarship and important publications in genealogy. Access millions of exclusive and sought-after records online. Learn with in-depth online courses and webinars from expert staff. Explore the largest collection of original family history research materials in America.


 * Ancestry – Ancestry gives you access to thousands of collections of records from around the world, including immigration, census, voter, vital, and military records; newspapers and periodicals; family trees; photos and images; directories, maps, court records, land records, wills and financial records, stories, memories, and histories; and detailed records about births, marriages, deaths, land ownership, and much more. It is the largest for-profit genealogy company in the world.


 * ArkivDigital – ArkivDigital is the largest private provider of Swedish Church Records and other historical records online! All images are newly photographed color images of the original documents. Click the link from the Premium Family History Websites page to install the current client version of ArkivDigital Online.


 * FamNet – The online family history network for those who have New Zealand roots.


 * Findmypast – Findmypast makes it easy to research your UK ancestry and create your family tree. Search census records and trace births, marriages, and deaths to bring your family history to life. Please note that not all of the content from Findmypast is available in family history centers.


 * Fold3 (formerly Footnote) – Search or browse millions of historical documents and photos. Fold3 has refocused their efforts on gathering the best online collection of military records and stories. The Fold3 name reflects military history and honor, since traditionally, the third fold in a flag-folding ceremony honors and remembers veterans for their sacrifice in defending their country and promoting peace in the world.


 * Geneanet – With 3 billion referenced individuals and 600,000 trees online, Geneanet is the first site dedicated to genealogy in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany. The Geneanet community has 2 million members who exchange genealogical information.


 * Kinpoint – Kinpoint is designed to make it easier for you to do your family history by letting you see what to work on at a glance, quickly find missing information in your family tree, and discover insights into the lives of your ancestors.


 * MyHeritage&mdash;Library Edition – Used by millions of people worldwide to help research family history, build a family tree, and add photos, historical records, and more.


 * Paper Trail – Provides access to 19th century westward American migration documents.


 * ProQuest Obituary Listings – The ProQuest obituaries collection is a premier resource for genealogical and historical research. You can use the collection to search obituaries and death notices from prominent newspapers, such as the New York Times (dating back to 1851). The collection includes both famous and lesser-known individuals and can be searched by name or by keywords appearing in the body of the article.


 * Puzzilla – Find new research opportunities on descendant lines in Family Tree.


 * World Vital Records – The link to World Vital Records currently redirects to MyHeritage.com. In the near future, World Vital Records will be removed from the Portal.

Hardware and Equipment
Our Family History Center has:
 * 10 computer workstations
 * 1 microfilm/microfiche reader/workstation
 * 1 All-in-one printer/copier/scanner