Enter for a chance to win $20,000 Ultimate Family History Journey™

Briefly Defined

• Mailing lists are free to subscribe to and you participate in specific genealogical or historical discussions via e-mail.
• There are specific mailing lists for a variety of genealogical and historical topics.
• Some mailing lists are "gatewayed" or "mirrored" with newsgroups. This means that the same messages appear on both forums.
• To participate in a mailing list you send e-mail commands to a computer software program (i.e. Listserv, Smartlist, etc.) in order to be automatically subscribed to the list. You send e-mail messages to a different address for that mailing list in order to communicate with the other subscribers.
• Commonly used mailing list and newsgroup terms defined by NetLingo :
  • Deja News Research Service 
  • FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) 
  • Gateway 
  • LISTSERV 
  • Mailing List 
  • Majordomo 
  • Moderated Mailing List 
  • Netiquette 
  • Newsgroups 
  • Signature File or Sig File 
  • Spam 
  • Subscribe 
  • Thread 
  • USENET 

The Complete Resource for Genealogy Mailing Lists

From Genealogy Resources On the Internet  by John Fuller & Chris Gaunt:

• Genealogy Resources: Mailing Lists 
  • Adoption 
  • African-Ancestored (other than Freedmen) 
  • Cemeteries/Monuments/Obituaries 
  • Computing/Internet Resources 
  • DNA Studies/Testing 
  • Countries other than USA 
    See the list, arranged by country, on the main index page.
  • Emigration/Migration Ships and Trails 
  • Family History, Folklore, and Artifacts 
  • Freedmen (African, Native American, caucasian, etc.) 
  • Genealogical Material/Services 
  • General Information/Discussion 
  • Jewish 
  • LDS 
  • Native American 
  • Newspapers 
  • Nobility/Heads of State/Heraldry 
  • Occupations 
  • Religions/Churches (other than Jewish/LDS) 
  • Societies 
  • Software 
  • Surnames 
    See the alphabetical table at the bottom of the main index page
  • Translations and Word Origins 
  • Uncategorized (some great lists) 
  • USA 
    See the list, arranged by state, on the main index page.
  • Vital Records (census, BDM) 
  • Wars/Military 

General Resource Sites

• AOL NetFind | Newsgroup Etiquette 
• AOL NetFind | Newsgroup Scoop Glossary 
• Before You Post 
  Article by Michael John Neill.
• Computer Viruses and Genealogy Mailing Lists 
  What you need to know about protecting yourself against computer viruses and their effects on genealogical mailing lists.
• Dave HEIN's Genealogy Page 
  Digest freeware - converts mail list digests into hypertext to view in a web browser.
• David's Genealogy Discussion Lists Homepage - All Things Lists - Lists of Lists, About Lists and List Hosting Sites 
• David's Genealogy Discussion Lists Homepage - Links to Other Genealogy List Homepages 
• Family Chronicle - Mailing Lists 
  "Mark Howells looks at the genealogist’s most powerful Internet tool."
• FamilySearch - Collaboration E-Mail Lists 
  Create your own genealogy mailing list easily with this service from the LDS church. Browse the list of current mailing lists and subscribe to lists in an instant.
• Flame Warriors 
  An amusing & insightful look at online personality types.
• Genealogy Resources on the Internet: Mailing Lists 
• Interlinks - E-Mail Discussion Groups 
• Larry Stephens Genealogy Page - E-mail Lists I Own 
• ListServe.com Internet Power Tool - Publicly Accessible Mailing Lists 
• LISTSERV Help - Larry Stephens Genealogy Page 
• LISTSERV – The Mailing List Management Classic 
  Software program that runs many mailing lists.
• Liszt: Searchable Directory of e-Mail Discussion Groups 
• Mailing Lists Are Fun! 
  Article from "Along Those Lines..." by George Morgan.
• Mailing Lists - The Genealogist's Most Powerful Internet Tool 
  Article by Mark Howells.
• Maiser Help 
• The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette 
  For Listservs/Mailing Lists/ Discussion Groups, by Arlene Rinaldi.
• ONElist E-mail Communities 
• RootsWeb.com 
  • Genealogy Mailing Lists at RootsWeb 
    A categorized list of the mailing lists currently hosted on the RootsWeb servers.
    • New or Adoptable Mailing Lists 
  • RootsWeb: FAQ: Mailing Lists - What Are They? 
  • RootsWeb: FAQ: Mailing Lists - Subscribing / Unsubscribing 
  • RootsWeb: FAQ: Mailing Lists - Subscriber Questions 
  • RootsWeb: FAQ: Mailing Lists - List Administrator Questions 
  • RootsWeb: FAQ: Mailing Lists - RootsWeb Questions 
  • RootsWeb: FAQ: Mailing Lists - Temporary List Administrators-Index of Volunteers 
• Search the List of Lists 
• Usenet Genealogy Archives Searchpage 
• Yahoo! Groups - Genealogy 
• Yahoo!...Mailing Lists 

General Mailing Lists

• Genealogy Resources on the Internet - General Information / Discussion Mailing Lists 
  Most of the mailing list links below point to this site, wonderfully maintained for years by John Fuller. This site indexes links for all known genealogy mailing lists, including RootsWeb and others.
• RootsWeb: Genealogy Mailing Lists: New Zealand 
  The majority of genealogy mailing lists are hosted by RootsWeb.com. Messages on RootsWeb lists are archived. The links to RootsWeb below point you to the archives (browse or search).

• ADVANCED-RESEARCH Mailing List 
  For the discussion and sharing of information regarding genealogy research techniques for the intermediate to advance researcher. Discussion topics will include techniques and methodologies used to resolve brick wall problems, as well as exploring the use of difficult original sources, such as tax rolls and similar types of documents. Archives: browse or search.
• agenealogychat Mailing List 
  For chatting about genealogy including why we love it; how it feels when you find yet another ancestor; what do you do now and how do you do it; requests for lookups; new lists, resources, and URLs; and most anything else related to genealogy.
• ALT-GENEALOGY Mailing List 
  Gatewayed with the alt.genealogy newsgroup. For general genealogical discussions. Archives: browse or search.
• BRICKWALL Mailing List 
  For anyone who wants to post their "brickwalls", those most elusive ancestors you can find nothing on, and queries on where to go for further information.
• gene-helpline Mailing List 
• GenHelpNetwork Mailing List 
  For genealogy help and anything else related to genealogy.
• GENMSC Mailing List 
  Gatewayed with the soc.genealogy.misc newsgroup for general genealogical discussions that don't fit within one of the other soc.genealogy.* newsgroups. Archives: browse or search.
• GENMTD Mailing List 
  Gatewayed with the soc.genealogy.methods newsgroup for the discussion of genealogy research techniques and resources. Archives: browse or search.
• GEN-ROOTERS Mailing List 
  For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to share ideas and helpful hints on the "how-to's" of genealogy.
• GenTips Mailing List 
  For anyone who has an interest in genealogy. This list hopes to provide tips about obtaining genealogy records and is useful for both beginning genealogists and experts. Archives: browse or search.
• Internet_Genealogy Mailing List 
  For students of Marthe Arends' Practical Internet Genealogy series of courses at Virtual University. Archives: browse or search.
• ROOTS-L Mailing List 
  Broad-based genealogy topics - over 10,000 subscribers. Archives: browse or search.

• A Place for Us 
• H-Net Discussion Networks 
  More than 100 mailing lists for history and social science. For historical research, not to post surname queries.

How To

• 6 Steps to Writing a Successful Genealogy Query 
• David's Genealogy Discussion Lists Homepage - Writing a Good Query 
• Genealogical Queries - The Art of the Query 
• How to Write a Productive Query 
  Genealogy queries are an effective way to locate others who are researching the same family names that you are and to share information with them. Creating a productive query is a simple process if you keep a few specific requirements in mind.
• Internet Genealogy Lesson 2: Creating Effective Queries 
  From an online course by Marthe Arends.
• Lineages.com - Write Successful Genealogy Queries 
• Michael John Neill's articles in the Ancestry Daily News 
  • After You Post 
  • Before You Post 
• NGS | Hints on How to Write a Good Query 
• St. Clair County Michigan Sample Queries 
  A humorous and instructive guide to how NOT to write a query. Provides excellent advice on how to compose an effective query. Applicable for all queries in any locality.
• Writing Better Queries 
• Writing Effective Electronic Queries 
  By Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens, CGRS, CGL.

Internet Resources

• Genealogy Resources on the Internet - Computing / Internet Resources Mailing Lists 
  Most of the mailing list links below point to this site, wonderfully maintained for years by John Fuller. This site indexes links for all known genealogy mailing lists, including RootsWeb and others.
• RootsWeb: Genealogy Mailing Lists: New Zealand 
  The majority of genealogy mailing lists are hosted by RootsWeb.com. Messages on RootsWeb lists are archived. The links to RootsWeb below point you to the archives (browse or search).

• The CyndisList Mailing List 
  An announcements-only list for information regarding daily updates to the Cyndi's List web site.
• FAMILYSEARCH Mailing List 
  Designed to assist anyone with questions regarding use of the Internet for searching Family History. The FamilySearch internet site and others are discussed for genealogical research such as searching, downloading, contributing, cross-referencing and microfilm numbers, and basic "getting started" questions are also discussed and welcomed. Surname specific research is not discussed and you must be a subscriber to post messages to the list. Archives: browse or search.
• GENCMP Mailing List 
  Gatewayed with the soc.genealogy.computing  newsgroup for the discussion of genealogical computing and net resources. Archives: browse or search.
• GEN-IRC Mailing List 
  For anyone who has an interest in genealogy and is using or would like to use Internet Relay Chat (IRC) to communicate with other genealogists. Archives: browse or search.
• GEN-SITE-SWAP Mailing List 
  For the swapping of good genealogy URLs. Archives: browse or search.
• GEN-WEB-DESIGN Mailing List 
  For the discussion and sharing of information regarding the design of genealogy web pages and associated databases. Archives: browse or search.
• HTMLHELP Mailing List 
  For helping genealogists who would like to place their webpages on the internet. This is the place to learn programming and to discuss uploading and design elements. Archives: browse or search.
• NEW-GENLIST Mailing List 
  For announcing new genealogy mailing lists. Archives: browse or search.
• NEW-GEN-URL Mailing List 
  For announcing new or updated genealogy-related web sites. Archives: browse or search.

• RootsWeb Review: Weekly News  and the archive of back-issues
  Homepage of RootsWeb Review, a weekly E-zine, pertaining to the news of RootsWeb and of matters of interest to online genealogists worldwide. To subscribe, send a NEW e-mail message to    ROOTSWEB-REVIEW-L-request@rootsweb.com    and in the body of the message enter only one word:     subscribe.

Mailing List Archives

• List archives at LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU 
  Browse through the online archives for several genealogy mailing lists run by Larry Stephens.
• ROOTS-L Mailing List 
  The Internet's First Genealogy Mailing List
  • ROOTS-L Archive - Text Messages via FTP 
    Browse through this index of messages from August 1996 through the present.
  • ROOTS-L Daily Index of Mailing List Messages 
  • ROOTS-L Search Page 
    A searchable form for all messages from 1987 through the present.
• Rootsweb List Archive Searches Using CNIDR's ISearch 
  An unofficial set of recommendations on how to construct search queries on the Rootsweb archives that use the CNIDR search software - from John Robertson.
• RootsWeb Mailing Lists -- Interactive Search 
• RootsWeb Threaded Mailing List Archives 

Military

• Genealogy Resources on the Internet - Wars / Military Mailing Lists 
  Most of the mailing list links below point to this site, wonderfully maintained for years by John Fuller. This site indexes links for all known genealogy mailing lists, including RootsWeb and others.
• RootsWeb: Genealogy Mailing Lists: New Zealand 
  The majority of genealogy mailing lists are hosted by RootsWeb.com. Messages on RootsWeb lists are archived. The links to RootsWeb below point you to the archives (browse or search).

• AMERICAN-REVOLUTION Mailing List 
  For the discussion of events during the American Revolution and genealogical matters related to the American Revolution. The French-Indian Wars and the War of 1812 are also suitable topics for discussion. Archives: browse or search.
• AMREV-HESSIANS Mailing List 
  For anyone with a genealogical interest in the Hessian soldiers (German auxiliary troops employed by King George III of England) who remained in America after the American Revolution. Archives: browse or search.
• BLACKWARHEROS Mailing List 
  For anyone with a genealogical or historical interest in Black Americans who were "heros" during any war. Archives: browse or search.
• FRENCH-INDIAN Mailing List 
  Archives: browse or search.
• SEMINOLE-WARS Mailing List 
  Archives: browse or search.
• UNITED-EMPIRE-LOYALIST Mailing List 
  For anyone with a genealogical, cultural or historical interest in the United Empire loyalists who came to Canada from the United States during and after the American Revolution. Archives: browse or search.
• USWARS Mailing List 
  For anyone with a genealogical interest in the wars and military actions in which the United States fought that is not directed toward a specific war or military action. Archives: browse or search.
• USWARS-1800S Mailing List 
  For anyone with a genealogical interest in the "little" wars fought by the United States during the 1800s (e.g., Mexican War, Spanish-American War, Indian wars). Archives: browse or search.
• WARBRIDES Mailing List 
  For putting WWII war brides and their children in touch with others to share reminiscences. Archives: browse or search.
• WARof1812 Mailing List 
  Archives: browse or search.
• WORLDWAR2 Mailing List 
  Mailing list to help those who are researching the genealogy and service records of family members who served in the armed services during World War II (1939-1945) and the history of the units and organizations in which they served. Archives: browse or search.
• WW20-ROOTS-L Mailing List 
  For the discussion of genealogy in all 20th century wars.

• The Anglo Boer War Discussion Page
  This mailing list is for the discussion of the Anglo Boer War and other military related topics pre-1900.
• FOB-LIST - Friends of the Boers - E-mail List 
  The primary topic of this mailing list is the centenary commemoration of the 2nd Anglo Boer War (1899-1902).

Miscellaneous

• BlackSheep Mailing List  and the official web page
  For the International Black Sheep Society of Genealogists (IBSSG) which includes all those who have a dastardly, infamous individual of public knowledge and ill-repute somewhere in their family ... preferably in their direct lines. This individual must have been publicly pilloried in disgrace for acts of a significantly anti-social nature. Archives: browse or search.
• David's Genealogy Discussion Lists Homepage 
• FOLKLORE Mailing List 
  A mailing list for the exchange of folklore - folk medicine and recipes. Archives: browse or search.
• GENEALIB Mailing List 
  For librarians who specialize in genealogy.
• GEN_SOCIETIES Mailing List 
  For persons involved with establishing a local genealogical society in order to share program ideas, discuss means of promoting growth within a group, discuss how to work with libraries, and other related topics. Archives: browse or search.
• GEN-UNSOLVED-MYSTERIES Mailing List 
  For people whose family genealogies include "unsolved mysteries." Postings should include only mysterious disappearances or appearances, unsolved murders, questionable incarcerations, and other mysterious or unsolved events in an ancestor's life. Postings should not include "brick walls" since these would be repetitive of the content of other lists. Archives: browse or search.
• HOMESPUN Mailing List 
  For those who want to have a bit of fun reminiscing. Subscribers are welcome to share memories, traditions, poems, humor, stories, recipes, folklore and home remedies. Archives: browse or search.
• IIGS-UNIVERSITY Mailing List 
  For volunteers who are working on the International Internet Genealogical Society (IIGS) University project. Archives: browse or search.
• IIGS-UNIVERSITY-LIBRARY Mailing List 
  For volunteers who are working on the International Internet Genealogical Society (IIGS) University Library project. Archives: browse or search.
• INTERRACIAL-GENEALOGY Mailing List 
  For anyone who is researching their interracial ancestry. Archives: browse or search.
• [The original link is broken. This link points to an archived copy on the Wayback Machine]
  Kissing Cousins in Genealogy 
  Companion site to the Kissing Cousins Mailing List, for marriages of the same family name such as a Walter/Walter marriage, as well as families that have 2 relatives that married into the same family and both had issue. Also for families that married into one another repeatedly.
• Mariners Mailing List 
  For anyone who is researching their seafaring ancestors. Archives: browse or search.
• METISGEN Mailing List 
  For the discussion and sharing of information regarding the Metis and their descendants. The Metis are North America's Fur Trading Children ... the new nation of individuals born within North America from the first unions of natives and whites. Archives: browse or search.
• MOMS_N_ME-ROOTS Mailing List 
  To aid moms of all ages, but especially those with young children, in researching their family. Also welcome are any ideas for helping mothers teach their children about their heritage and the importance of family research. Archives: browse or search.
• NOTABLE-WOMEN-ANCESTORS Mailing List 
  For the discussion of female ancestors (famous and not-so-famous) and methods of researching women in conjunction with the NWA web site  and the NWA Newsletter "Notable Women Ancestors: The Journal of Women's Genealogy and History" . Archives: browse or search.
• Photo Generations - Home of the PhotoGen Mailing List Page 
  The Photography and Genealogy Mailing List.
• ProResearchers Mailing List 
  Just for Professional Researchers to discuss their industry. Archives: browse or search.
• SALEM-WITCH Mailing List  and the associated web page
  A genealogy and history mailing list for descendants of the people involved in the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 -- the accusers and the accused, the afflicted and the executed, as well as the magistrates, clergy, jurors, and anyone affected by the proceedings. Archives: browse or search.
• TheShipsList Mailing List 
  For anyone interested in the ships our ancestors migrated on. Subjects include emigration/immigration, ports of entry, ports of departure, ship descriptions and history, passenger lists and other related information. Archives: browse or search.
• UFO-ROOTS Mailing List 
  For those whose ancestors arrived from outer space to make connections with others sharing this problem, discuss their ancestry, and provide advice on possible avenues for further research. Archives: browse or search.
• WORDS Mailing List  and the associated web page
  A light-hearted discussion of English-English/American-English phrases and how they might have originated. Archives: browse or search.

Newbies

• Cyndi's List - Beginners 
  The links in this section have been moved to their own page. Please update your bookmarks.

Newsletters (Read-only Mailing Lists)

• Cyndi's List - Magazines, Journals, Columns & Newsletters 
  The links in this section have been moved to their own page. Please update your bookmarks.

Queries & Surnames

• Genealogy Resources on the Internet - "General" Surname Mailing Lists 
  Most of the mailing list links below point to this site, wonderfully maintained for years by John Fuller. This site indexes links for all known genealogy mailing lists, including RootsWeb and others.
• RootsWeb: Genealogy Mailing Lists: New Zealand 
  The majority of genealogy mailing lists are hosted by RootsWeb.com. Messages on RootsWeb lists are archived. The links to RootsWeb below point you to the archives (browse or search).

• GOONS-L Mailing List 
  For members of the Guild of One-Name Studies (GOONS) to promote discussion of matters concerned with One-Name Studies and the Guild. Archives: browse or search.
• ROLL-CALL Mailing List 
  For the posting of "roll calls" (lists) of the surnames you are researching so that others can determine if there is a common interest. Archives: browse or search.
• RSL-UPDATE Mailing List 
  The RootsWeb Surname List database monthly update of new surnames. Archives: browse or search.
• soc.genealogy.surnames.* newsgroups and SURNAMES-* mailing lists 
• Surname Mailing Lists - Genealogy Resources on the Internet 
  See the alphabetical listing at the bottom of the main index.
• SURNAME-ORIGINS Mailing List 
  For the discussion of the etymology (word origin) of surnames, as well as the geographic origins of surnames. Archives: browse or search.
• SURNAME-QUERY Mailing List 
  For users to send queries on specific surname searches.
• SURNAMES Mailing List 
  Gatewayed with the soc.genealogy.surnames.global newsgroup. Surname queries central database. Archives: browse or search.
• SURNAMES-BRITAIN Mailing List 
  Gatewayed with the soc.genealogy.surnames.britain newsgroup. For surname queries related to Great Britain. Archives: browse or search.
• SURNAMES-CANADA Mailing List 
  Gatewayed with the soc.genealogy.surnames.canada newsgroup. For surname queries related to Canada. Archives: browse or search.
• SURNAMES-GERMAN Mailing List 
  Gatewayed with the soc.genealogy.surnames.german newsgroup. For surname queries related to German speaking countries. Archives: browse or search.
• SURNAMES-IRELAND Mailing List 
  Gatewayed with the soc.genealogy.surnames.ireland newsgroup. For surname queries related to Ireland and Northern Ireland. Archives: browse or search.
• SURNAMES-MISC Mailing List 
  Gatewayed with the soc.genealogy.surnames.misc newsgroup. For surname queries for regions not addressed elsewhere in the soc.genealogy.surnames.* hierarchy. Archives: browse or search.
• SURNAMES-USA Mailing List 
  Gatewayed with the soc.genealogy.surnames.usa newsgroup. For surname queries related to the United States. Archives: browse or search.
• WGW-SURNAMES-SCOTLAND Mailing List 
  For the discussion and sharing of information regarding surnames originating in Scotland. Archives: browse or search.

Vendors: Buy, Sell or Trade

• Ancestry Daily News 
  Daily by Juliana Smith.
• GEN-BOOKS Mailing List 
  For anyone with an interest in the buying or selling of new or used genealogy books and CDs made from these books. Archives: browse or search.
• GEN-BOOKS Mailing List 
  For announcements of genealogy or history books, maps, post cards, etc. which are available for sale, trade or on-line auction, as well as "want lists" of books or items.
• GEN-MARKET Mailing List 
  Gatewayed with the soc.genealogy.marketplace newsgroup for commercial postings of unique interest to genealogists. Archives: browse or search.
• GEN-MAT Mailing List 
  This is a mailing list for anyone who has an interest in the buying or selling of new or used genealogical materials (e.g., books, newsletters, CDs, magazines). Archives: browse or search.
• GEN-MAT-15 Mailing List 
  For anyone who desires to post the availability of new or used genealogical materials (e.g., books, newsletters, CDs, magazines) or services for sale at a price of $15 or less. Archives: browse or search.
• GEN-MAT-HX Mailing List 
  For anyone who has an interest in the buying or selling of new or used biographies and history books. Publishers of such books are welcome, as are resellers (businesses or individuals cleaning bookshelves). Archives: browse or search.
• GenSwap Mailing List 
  For exchanging research time and swapping records for records with others (e.g., researching in your area for someone else in exchange for like efforts on their part). Archives: browse or search.
• LegacyNews Mailing List 
  A read-only mailing list maintained by Millennia Corporation for announcements of interest to users of the Legacy Family Tree genealogy software program.

Report a Broken Link / Update a Link

Enter for a chance to win $20,000 Ultimate Family History Journey™