Resources for Salem Ancestry Research

This year’s Salem Ancestry Days runs in person and virtually April 30-May 3, 2021. This new annual event celebrates ancestral and immigrant connections to Salem with lectures, walking tours, panels with genealogy experts and more.

Whether you are looking to get a jump start on researching your family history ahead of your visit, or looking for ways to get started at home, we’ve put together a list of resources that can be accessed all year long:

Getting Started with Ancestry Research

• Ancestry.com
• Congressional Library & Archives
• DNA & Genealogy Subject Guide by NEHGS
• FamilySearch.org
• “First Steps in Family Research,” archived webinar by NEHGS
• Genealogy for the Next Generation: Getting Kids Involved by NEHGS
• Getting Started with Family History Subject Guide by NEHGS
• National Archives
• National Genealogical Society

Salem Ancestry Resources

• American Ancestors & New England Historic Genealogical Society
• City of Salem Digital Archive
• Essex Society of Genealogists 
• Phillips Library Collection
• Salem Public Library Digital Heritage Collection
• Salem State Archives & Special Collections

Salem Witch Trials

• Famous Descendants of the Infamous 1692 Salem Witch Trials by Danvers Historical Society
• Salem Witch Museum’s Witch Trials Site Tour
• Salem Witch Trials Victims Descendant Packets by the Salem Witch Museum

African American History

• History of Slavery at Salem Maritime
• Massachusetts Historical Society & the End of Slavery in MA
• Salem Historical Society African American History Resource List
• Salem State University – Life of Charlotte Forten
• Salem’s Black Heritage Audio Tour
• Untold African American Stories told by biographer Adelaide Solomon-Jordan by Hamilton Hall

Indigenous Resources

• Institute for New England Native American Studies
• Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness (MCNAA)
• Massachusett Tribe
• North American Indian Center of Boston (NAICOB)
• Salem Historical Society Indigenous Resource List

Architectural History

• Historic Salem Inc.’s Historic House Database

Regional Resources

• Danvers Archival Center
• Historic Beverly
• Historic New England’s Collection
• Lynn Museum & Historical Society
• Marblehead Museum Archives
• Massachusetts Historical Society

To learn more about Salem Ancestry Days, visit salemancestry.org.