Delaware Genealogical Research Guide
Welcome to the online version of the fourth edition of the Delaware Genealogical Research Guide!
This guide offers a road map of how and where to find records about your Delaware ancestors. It is designed to complement other online and print genealogical resources. Many chapters include historical information, provide context, and offer suggestions for additional research.
To learn more about what the guide offers, listen to the recorded webinar, “The New Delaware Genealogical Research Guide: A Look Between the Covers.” The full guide, with updated links, is available on this website. Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars, the print edition, released in 2020, is available at Amazon.com.
Table of Contents
Read this first (open to all)
Delaware History (members only)
Geography (members only)
Ethnic Groups (members only)
Immigration and Migration (members only)
Overview of Records in Delaware (open to all)
Vital Records (members only)
Churches and Religious Groups (members only)
Cemetery Records (members only)
Census and Tax Records (members only)
State and County Records (members only)
Military Records (members only)
Record Repositories (members only)
Genealogical Societies (open to all)
Other Sources (members only)
© 2022 All Rights Reserved
Delaware Genealogical Society
505 N. Market Street
Wilmington, Delaware 19801-3091
Acknowledgments
When the Delaware Genealogical Society’s Research Guide Committee began its work on this edition in late 2017, it was immediately clear to us that the third edition of this guide, published in 2002 and edited by Thomas P. Doherty, Ph.D., and his committee, would be our foundation. We are grateful for their thorough work.
As we reviewed and updated each chapter, we sought the assistance of repositories, libraries, societies, and other organizations throughout Delaware. Each was ready and willing to come to our aid, and for that we are thankful. The list of the many people who helped us is too long to share, but we would like to recognize several of those to whom we returned time after time. They are Tom Summers, Randy Goss, and Dawn Mitchell, Delaware Public Archives; Leigh Rifenburg and Ed Richi, Delaware Historical Society; Marie Cunningham and Cathay Keough, Delaware Division of Libraries; Molly Olney-Zide, University of Delaware Library; David Burdash, Hagley Museum, and Library; Rosalyn Green, Regina Barry, and Syl Woolford, Delaware Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society; and R. Hugh Simmons of the Fort Delaware Society. Lastly, we would like to remember Lynn Catanese, former head of the Hagley Museum and Library Manuscripts and Archives Department, whom we thank posthumously.
We were fortunate to have the support of several individuals who, though not official committee members, contributed content and feedback. They include Rosemary Bell, Patricia Curlett, Lynne Fedele, Gary Gittings, Barbara Hamming, J. Joseph Harland, Ph.D., CG®, Douglas Johnston, Kathleen Hauty, Michael Miscoski, Reese Robinson, and Susan Kirk Ryan. Ellen J. Roberts served as our volunteer copy editor with energy, precision, good cheer, and wit.
This guide is designed for you, the researcher. We hope that it opens new doors to your genealogical research journey. Good luck!
The Delaware Genealogical Society Research Guide Committee members for the Fourth Edition: Joan R. Adams, Constance Nelmes Beattie, Marjorie G. McNinch, Robbie Snowdon, and Irene Heffran Monley, editor.