Genealogy Resources

1950 Census
The 1950 census information was released by the National Archives in 2022. Their site has step by step directions for locating residents. Census data is also available in Ancestry and Heritage Quest.

American Ancestors
If you're looking for information on New England genealogy, the site of the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston offers a wealth of information. Their scope has expanded to national coverage as well. It includes the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center and Research Guides on topics including African American, Armenian, Chinese-American, French-Canadian, and Japanese-American Genealogy. (you must sign up for a free guest membership to access guides).

Ancestry Library Edition
A searchable genealogy database.  In library access only.

Ancestry.com
A very popular genealogy site on the web. There are portions of the site for members only.   Ancestry.com contains features that are not available in Ancestry Library Edition.

Cyndi's List
The largest online genealogical directory with over 229categories and more than 317,000 links.

Ellis Island Records
Track immigrants entering via Ellis Island and honored at the Statue of Liberty.   Register for free to access passenger information.

FamilySearch
This site is from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and contains the largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world. This site has a free account level that includes an online family tree maker.  Includes resources for South Asian genealogy.

HeritageQuest Online
Use your Bedford Library card number to access this database which contains census records, an index to hundreds of historical and genealogical publications and family histories.

JewishGen.org
The global home for Jewish genealogy

New Hampshire Historical Society
Provides information on numerous aspects of NH history.

New Hampshire Society of Genealogists
A non-profit organization that provides education in genealogical research techniques, brings together all persons interested in genealogy, publishes and makes available genealogical material, and ensures public access to records and promotes records preservation.

Resources for Genealogists
The National Archives and Records Administration compiled an excellent guide to beginning genealogy research and an introduction to resources for genealogists. This is a great place to begin.

RootsWeb
A free genealogy site hosted by ancestry.com

Slavevoyages

A searchable database of Trans-Atlantic and Inter-American slave voyages.  It includes the African names of some captives and the names of the owners and captains of slave ships.

Stevemorse.org
This website links to numerous other genealogical sources and provides genealogy searching tips.

Town of Bedford Cemeteries
The records of the Bedford Cemeteries may be searched by a number of different parameters. You may search for information on an individual basis using Last Name, Maiden Name, Date of Birth, Date of Death, Father's Name, Mother's Name and Mother's Maiden Name. Information about each cemetery is accessed by choosing the cemetery from the menu. 

Writing for Vital Records
This site provides addresses to obtain vital records from around the country.