v
Birth Certificates
v
Marriage Certificates
v
Death Certificates
v
Divorce Certificates
v
Adoption Certificates
v
Memberships in lodges, clubs, etc.
v
Blessing Certificates
v
Baptism/Confirmation Certificates
v
Temple Sealings
v
Patriarchal Blessings
v
Missionary Records
v
Temple Ordinance Books
v
Christening Certificates
v
Passports
v
Newspaper clippings
v
Funeral memorials
v
Photographs of tombstones
v
Birth Announcements
v
Military Enlistment or Induction papers, discharge papers
v
Military bounty land grant papers
v
Insurance Papers
v
Wills/Probate
v
Administration of estates
v
Guardianship matters
v
Letter testamentary
v
Bonds
v
Inventories
v
Settlements
v
School papers & trophies
v
Pension and disability records
v
Passenger records
v
Citizenship/naturalization records
v
Apprenticeship & indenture records
v
Land and estate records
v
Grants, warrants
v
Patents
v
Land Surveys
v
Leases
v
Mortgages
v
Abstracts of title
v
Deeds
v
Tax records
v
Petitions
v
Journals
v
Diaries
v
Family newsletter
v
Correspondence
v
Baby and Wedding Books
v
Books of Remembrance
v
Biographies/histories
v
Family Bibles
Now you’re ready to research!
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Beginning the
Search
Using your Family Group Sheets, find the areas for which you
need information. Make a list of the
missing data. Work from the known to
the unknown. Keep in mind – do not be
ashamed of your ancestors, they were human too! Obtain information about each person on your direct line (from
you Pedigree Chart), which means gather birth, marriage, and death dates, along
with other personal information where possible. Obtain parents’ names, thus continually extending your pedigree
chart back to previous generations.
FamilySearch
FamilySearch is the Church computer system available at
family history centers and now on the Internet. You can quickly search through the names of millions of people;
dates and places of birth , marriage and death; names of parents, spouses, and
children; and dates of completed LDS temple ordinances.
Census Records
The census as a research tool is used to place an ancestor
in a given place at a specific time, giving us clues to the location of other
records. The federal government began
taking censuses in 1790 and has continued every ten years since that date. Many of these censuses are available at
local LDS family history centers. You
can look up your ancestor’s surname and locate the census film on which that
name can be found. Regional, State and
Local libraries as well as National Archives Regional Centers, have collections
of some of these films.
Vital Records
After locating an ancestor’s family through family records
or census records, you begin the work of verifying what you’ve learned. The two main sources for these are church
and civil registration. Many civil
records have been microfilmed and are available through the LDS Family History
Centers. You can get certified copies
of death, marriage and birth certificates from the State Department of Vital
Statistics for that particular state.
There is usually a small fee for the copy.
Libraries
Among the most important books you can use in your local
library are the history books.
Understanding the history, culture and events which affected your
ancestor can often help you determine where to look for more records. Also look for biographies, telephone
directories, atlases and maps. University
Libraries are often the repositories of many of the records no one knows what
to do with when they clean out the courthouse.
The also contain reference works, history related works and special
collections. Each state has at least
one state archive which contains censuses, Civil War records and other material
generated from and in that state or region.
There are also specialized libraries, such as The Library of Congress,
the National Archives and LDS Family History Library. PLAN AHEAD! Do as much
work at home as possible so that you do not waste precious time at the library.
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Other
Genealogical Sources
Migration Records
Passenger lists of ships which carried immigrants can
sometimes be found on microfilm in large libraries or through the National
Archives. U.S. passport applications
from 1791-1926 are on microfilm in the National Archives and some major libraries.
Naturalization Papers
Papers filed prior to 1906 can usually be found in the
courts where they were filed. After
1906, the records were sent to the Bureau of Immigration and
Naturalization. Also from 1956 records
are in the district offices of the federal courts but are confidential.
Military Records
Three basic records should be checked: Compiled Service Records (including
enlistment, muster, pay, rosters, hospital, prisoner, death, capture, and
prison records), Pension Records (including applications, supporting documents
for evidence of age, marriage, residence and widow’s applications), and Bounty
Land Grants (including applications, supporting documents and warrants). There are many published indexes of these
for earlier wars, or you can write to the State or National Archives. Records
for military service after 1900 are controlled by the date of separation and
the branch of service.
Land Records
Deeds are legal documents used to transfer a property title
from one person to another, and are normally in the custody of the county
recorder or in the registry of deeds in the county courthouse.
Legal Records
According to law, a person’s estate at death must be
probated, which is the process of proving before an authorized person that a
will submitted for official certification is genuine. The law determines if a person’s estate is either testate (having
a valid will) or in testate (not having a valid will). In an in testate situation, the probate
court becomes involved when someone (the heirs or the creditors) petitions it
to probate the estate. The county or
probate court is also responsible for adoptions, appointment of guardians,
issuing citizenship papers, and placement of orphans.
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Genealogy on
the World Wide Web
The use of the Internet in Genealogy Research is
immeasurable. The information you can
find grows rapidly every day. Thousands
of people post their own genealogical information to the Internet daily and
thousands search for the information.
Below are links to several large sites that are helpful launching
points.
FamilySearch
Vicki’s
Genealogy List servers, Newsgroups and Special Homepages
Cyndi’s List of
Genealogy Sites on the Internet
USGenWeb Project
Rootsweb
Ancestry, Inc.
A Barrel
of Genealogy Links
Family Tree Maker
Helm’s Genealogy
Toolbox
Journal of Online
Genealogy
Genealogy Home Page
Genealogy
Resources on the Internet
Genealogical
Journeys in Time
The Library of Congress
The National Archives and
Records Administration
The New England
Historical Genealogical Society
The National
Genealogical Society
Search Engines:
Alta Vista
HotBot
Excite
Lycos
Infoseek
Switchboard: The
Internet Directory
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Preserve
and Share
After you have some basic information, it’s time to preserve
and share that information. By doing
so, you not only help others with their search for information, but you also
increase your information by connecting with others who are researching the
same name or area. Preserve your
information for yourself and for your own family in easy to read forms and
stories that can be shared and treasured for years to come. Share your information with other family
members so that they can appreciate their heritage and get excited about their
past. Another way to share information
is to put your information onto the Internet with a way to contact you if a
connection is made. Rootsweb now offers
free, unlimited web space. There are
many places which offer free web space and help in creating a web page.
Return to Rootsweb
Index with family names
Return to Walker
Family Homepage
Last revised: 30 December 2000
Ó 2000 Sally Walker
