Did you know that there are dozens of Facebook groups where you can connect with people researching similar topics? This is a great way to get answers to your questions, research ideas, and even help with translations.
Facebook groups have been a great help to me over the years. I have posted photographs of gravestones for help with transcriptions and photographs of old family history items to see if others can identify them.
I've also shared some of my tough brick wall mysteries to get ideas and advice about what my next steps should be. It's also nice to be able to help others by answering their questions, too, when I am able.
Most groups usually have a few amateur experts who are especially knowledgeable about the group's topics. These members are typically enthusiastic about answering questions and providing suggested resources.
It was through one of these groups that I was able to identify the Prussian-born parents and grandparents of my second great-grandfather. A group expert found records in a database that I had never heard of, which proved to be immensely helpful.
Below are some of the most popular Facebook groups for common family history and DNA research topics. I'm a member of many of these groups myself.
General genealogy
The Genealogy Squad - This is a general genealogy group where people can post questions about family history research
Random Acts of Genealogy Kindness - RAOGK USA - This is a great group that provides free genealogy help to group members
FamilySearch Users Group - For those who use Family Search
Royal Lines Collective Genealogy - For those researching royal or noble lines, there is also a DNA focus in the group
DNA for genealogy
DNA Detectives - A good group for those who were adopted or have unknown parent or parents. "Search angels" may be able to help
DD Social - This is a group run by the same admins as the DNA Detectives, but it's for general DNA and genealogy questions
Genetic Genealogy Tips & Techniques - A good group with experienced amateur genetic genealogists who can help answer questions
AncestryDNA GEDmatch 23andMe FTDNA MyHeritage Genealogy LivingDNA - This group is for genetic genealogy questions, or for using the various DNA testing sites
Facebook groups for specific countries or ancestry
British Genealogy - For those who are researching British ancestors
New England Family Genealogy and History - For anyone researching ancestors from New England
Early Quaker History and Genealogy - If you have ancestors who were early Quakers
Irish Genealogy - For anyone who has Irish ancestors
German Genealogy - Prussia, Austro-Hungary, Russia, Denmark, Swiss & more! - For anyone who has German ancestors or ancestors from any of these countries
Polish Genealogy - This group is for anyone researching Polish ancestors
Galician Genealogy Group - For those with former Galicia (Poland & Ukraine) ancestry, their history and culture.
Mexican Genealogy - For those who are researching Mexican ancestors
NATIVE AMERICAN Ancestry Explorer: DNA, Genetics, Genealogy & Anthropology - If you have Native American/Indigenous ancestry, this is a helpful group. Be sure to read group rules carefully before posting
Italian Genealogy - For those researching Italian ancestors
Australian Ancestors - Family History Research Group - for those who want to learn more about their Australian ancestors
How to choose a Facebook group for the topics you are interested in
If you don't see a Facebook group mentioned in this post that you would be interested in, you might be able to search on Facebook to find one for yourself. Here is how to do it, and how to find one that is active enough to be a good resource for you.
The first step is to type in the topic you are looking for into the Facebook search bar. On a desktop or laptop, this information appears in the upper left side of the page, but you can also do this on your telephone.
For this example, I chose "french genealogy" as a search term. Then, I chose to filter the search results to only show groups.
These are a few of the groups that I saw when I searched for French genealogy. There are three details that you should look at in order to evaluate whether you should join the group, which I have highlighted in the red rectangle.
The details under the group name show whether it is private, how many members the group has, and how many posts the group has a day (or month) on average.
I prefer to join groups that are private. This is what I post in public groups will be visible to anyone using Facebook, and my Facebook friends might be able to see what I write in public groups.
To make sure that I can have a little "privacy", or as much as can be had on Facebook, I prefer private groups. I also generally prefer have at least a few thousand members and have a few posts each day.
Even though I prefer large groups, there are smaller, more "niche" groups that may only have a few hundred members. This might be people all descended from the same ancestor, or a group of people with the same ancestry who are descended from immigrants to a specific country.
Conclusion
Most of us find using Facebook to be a mixed bag of the joy of keeping up with extended family members versus arguing with complete strangers about current events. Facebook groups are no different, and we might occasionally encounter a rude group member or an unfriendly/unhelpful group admin.
If I am a member of a group and I no longer find that the group's values align with mine, I just leave and find another group. It's as easy as that!
I hope that you have found this list of Facebook groups to be useful, and that you were able to find a few that you find interesting enough to join.
If you have any questions about something that you read in this post, or if you would like to share a Facebook group that you have found to be especially helpful, please join in the discussion below.
Thanks for reading today!