WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Those interested in finding out whether their great-great-great grandfather was a German farmer or an Austrian shoe cobbler may have an easier time doing so, thanks to a new partnership between Ancestry.com and the National Archives.

The D.C.-based Archives and the genealogy Web site signed an agreement Tuesday that would allow Ancestry.com to digitize many of its records and make them available online for family tree enthusiasts.

“The National Archives has, truly, billions of documents and without partnerships like this, they have no really good way or substantial budget to digitize them themselves,” said Tim Sullivan, chief executive of Ancestry.com.

Under the agreement, Ancestry.com will make INS passenger arrival and departure lists between 1897 and 1958 available.

Researchers will also be able to find death notices for U.S. citizens abroad between 1835-1974.

The company previously worked with the Archives to put census records online, Sullivan said, and will put up additional information as their relationship progresses.

Ancestry.com employees working on the project will be allowed direct access to the Archives themselves to do their work.

Genealogy has been growing as a hobby over the past few years; Ancestry.com, for example, has around three million users. According to Elizabeth Powell Crowe, author of the book “Genealogy Online”, the Internet has made access to primary sources rather than secondary ones more feasible and convenient, cutting down on the travel time and expense the pursuit requires.

“It’s getting easier all the time, and the interaction between online genealogists is getting better,” Crowe said. For example, the virtual program Second Life has several groups devoted to the topic, she said.

melissa.frederick@dcexaminer.com