NHNational Heritageand Research Institute

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NHRI’s Research Desk, document storage, shared records, and genealogy assistance are free. Choose the task you want to do today.

Open your Research Desk Have an NHRI account ID? Sign in

Five ways to get started

Ask GenoAsk a history question or find the right records and repositories for your research.Upload researchBring records into a project. Review the destination and sharing choices before submitting.Search the databaseDiscover NHRI records and save useful documents to a selected Research Desk project.Learn with articles & newsExplore record explanations, research methods, and family history examples.Request human researchDescribe the question, place, dates, and records already checked. Research, copying, travel, and shipping are quoted before approval.

Before you begin

Do I need a paid membership?

No. Open the Research Desk and sign in with ChatGPT to start a free account. Newsletter, seminar, and helpful-tip preferences are optional. Human research services and physical document delivery may have separately approved costs.

How do I return to my account?

Use the same ChatGPT account you used when creating your Research Desk. If you previously created an NHRI account ID and password, you can also use account ID sign-in. If you forget that password, try your original ChatGPT sign-in to return to the same research account.

How do I store and share a document?

Choose a project in your Research Desk and upload a PDF, JPG, or PNG up to 15 MB. Private project documents and contributions to the public database use different workflows. Public contributions require rights and privacy consent and administrator review before publication. Avoid contributing personal information about living people without appropriate permission.

How do I use a document found in the database?

Open the record, check its image and citation, then choose the option to save it to your Research Desk. Select the project where it belongs. Treat a saved record as evidence to analyze; it does not automatically prove a relationship.

Can the virtual genealogists guarantee a correct answer?

Geno, Gene, and Genea help explain sources, compare evidence, and plan research. Review citations and original records, especially when names, dates, or relationships conflict. A prepared reference answer is identified when a live AI answer is unavailable. A recommended repository is a place to check; it does not mean its records have already been searched.

What if the record is not online?

A human genealogist can evaluate courthouse, archive, cemetery, church, library, or other repository work. Send a research request with the person, place, period, and specific question. Any paid scope and expenses need your approval before work begins.