Genealogical Research at the NHA Research Library: Where to Start

Step One: The Barney Genealogical Record. The most reliable genealogy for Nantucket’s white families for the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, containing vital information on more than 40,000 Nantucketers. This nineteenth-century manuscript, comprising more than one thousand pages, has been entered into a searchable online database.

Step Two: Vital Records of Nantucket to the Year 1850. These published volumes contain the birth, death, and marriage dates of Nantucketers for a period of two centuries and were assembled from many primary sources, including church records, journals, and the Barney Genealogical Record. Birth, death, and marriage records are separate, so you'll have to check three places.

Step Three: Printed family histories. By checking the library's online book database, you may be able to find a printed history of just your family.

Step Four: Green files. The NHA Research Library contains a file of family genealogies. Ask the reference librarian for assistance.

Step Five: Subject files. The NHA Research Library contains a vertical file of Nantucket information. Files are maintained on many topics and individuals. The librarian can check for individuals with the same family name.

Step Six: Online databases. Within the NHA Research Library are letters, books, ships' logs, and many other items that may mention your ancestors. Images of your ancestors may be available, and their gravestones may have been catalogued.