You've taken the time to ask everyone you can think of about your family. You've collected some great information, but now you have more questions because there seems to be some missing pieces. One thing you can do is start back at the beginning, the first person on your list, and try to fill in the gaps. If grandma mentioned someone's name but couldn't think of any of the details, perhaps your brother or Aunt Suzie can fill in the blanks. But what if no one knows the details you want or they're tired of answering your questions? It's time to take your trusty notebook and pencil, get in the car (or have someone else drive you), and head out to some other places that may have the information. Be sure to have a pocket full of change or some cash in the event that you find papers you need to copy for your records. The following places may contain some great genealogical information.     *** Note: When searching older records, be alert for various spellings of your family's surname (ex: Myers, Moyers, Mairs). These changes may be related to such things as faulty record keeping, if a person couldn't write someone else (census taker, etc.) may have written the name as it sounded, or personal family choice to distinguish their family from unrelated families with the same surname. ***

Cemeteries See my "Cemeteries" page. Churches     Baptism, marriage, and death information.     Cemetery records.     Membership lists which may include such things as leadership positions held. Libraries Some libraries have special genealogy rooms/sections that contain more information.     Bibliographic source lists. Some libraries offer interlibrary loans if they don't have the materials.     Census records with household names, ages, and occupations as well as location of household.     Local histories and biographies.     Newspaper stories and obituaries.     Published family genealogies.     Surname books which describe the origin and meaning of the surname as well as spelling variants. Local courthouses You may have to dig through these files yourself.     Birth, death, and marriage certificates.     Court cases and other court records.     Newspaper stories and obituaries.     Property deeds.     Wills National archives You can search some records yourself or a researcher will locate the records for a fee.     Census records.     Land warrants.     Veterans war records and pensions.     Widow's pensions. Organizations     Membership lists and leadership positions held.     Organizational purpose and goal. Schools     Yearbooks: pictures, graduation date, sports/clubs for students and pictures and duties for teachers. Websites     There are many good genealogy websites on the internet. They may provide search engines for surnames or specific individuals, message boards for posting your research queries, links to other researcher's family sites, and other useful information. See my links section for links to some of the sites I've found useful.     ***Note: Not all information may be available to the general public. If the person you're researching is still alive, some of their records, especially government records, will be confidential. Each organization has their own rules and regulations for what's available. ***     These lists are not all inclusive, but should provide a starting place for your research. There may be some overlapping of information available among the various places. Start closer to home and then expand your searches as you get more information or time allows further travel.

Other pages in this section: How to Start / Cemeteries / Addresses / Formatting Your Tree / Documentation / The Extras

Copyright © 2004-2005 Sheila Rae Myers