It is always good practice in genealogy to check the original document images when searching indexes or when presented with a summary (abstract) of the records. There are two good reasons for this; Occasionally documents can be transcribed wrongly, or perhaps a surname isn’t quite correct, by checking the original it can confirm any errors. […]
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County history books are a great genealogical resource, they contain a lot of useful information. Most contained biographies for wealthy local citizens and even history from before American settlement. Sometimes your ancestor may also be mentioned in the history sections if instrumental in founding a county or settlement. Very popular in the late 1800’s, persons […]
Court records cover a vastly diverse set of records that document our ancestors from early in America’s history. Court records can include probate, naturalization, divorce, debt, adoption, guardianship, licenses, appointment to public offices, taxes, civil lawsuits, property disputes, and crimes. Why do you want to search court records? Some of the reasons you may want […]
Land records are the earliest and largest type of record in the United States as they begin when the colonists settled the land, to show legal proof of ownership. Before 1850 as many as 90% men owned land, this came with the expansion of colonisation, so finding an ancestor in land records is very high. […]
Compulsory public education didn’t begin until the 1920s and many people assume that there are few records before this for genealogical purposes. However many children attended school much earlier. The first public school in the United States opened in the 17th century. School records can be a very valuable resource for genealogy research and can […]
Draft registration cards do not contain information on an individual’s military service but do contain information very useful to the researcher. Information between records offices differs but generally they may include order & serial numbers, full name, date and place of birth, race, citizenship, occupation, personal description, next of kin and signature. When researching draft […]
The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865, between northern states loyal to the Union and southern states that had formed the Confederate States of America. Over 2.8 million men, including some women, served in the Union and Confederate armies. The Act of July 14, 1862 started the General […]
County boundaries have often changed over time so you may be looking for your ancestor in the wrong county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries can confirm which boundary to research, whether that’s for vital records, censuses or other records. A very useful tool. Using the interactive map Step 1. Visit their website https://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp Step […]
Maps can help you better understand your ancestor’s place and time, they can help you to picture where they were born, lived, attended school, worked, shopped, voted, traveled, worshipped,, married, raised families, and were laid to rest. Maps of city & county boundaries are very useful to show how the area changed over time, but […]
Church records are a very useful resource for researching your ancestry. Vital records in the United States did not begin until shortly after 1900, with the exception of some New England states. In 1787 the constitution separated the powers of church and state and each church kept their own variety of records. So before 1900, […]
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Using U.S. City Directories
The first city directories were published soon after the American Revolution. Starting with the Macpherson’s Directory for the City and Suburbs of Philadelphia, published November 16th, 1785. Most comprehensive city directory archives will run from 1822 until 1960. They were initially formed by salesmen and craftsmen as a way to contact local residents and potential […]
Sometimes we come up against a brick wall finding births for our ancestors, here are some tips to help find that elusive birth record. Be aware of possible name changes Name changes are commonplace. For example your ancestor in later records could be going by the name Betty but her original name was Elizabeth, same […]
Coast Place 