Introduction

Step 1
What You Know

Step 2
Interview and Gather

Step 3
Examine Documents

Step 4
Create an Organizational Plan

Step 5
Arm Yourself

Step 6
Ready to Reach Out

Step 7
The Journey Begins

Step 8
Genealogy Sources

Step 10
Your Ancestors Await You

Step 8 - Genealogy Sources

Your genealogical journey is now taking you outside the family, beyond the home sources, and into publicly available records and documents. There are as many paths to take and documents to search for as there are questions in your mind. It is beyond the scope of this tutorial to review all that is available to the genealogist. Step 8 will provide a birds-eye view of the two genealogy sources: Census Records and Courthouse Records.

Print out the chart Where do I find that? to use as a guide in identifying information sources for specific pieces of missing genealogical data.

Primary and Secondary Sources

Before we look at documents, a short discussion about primary and secondary sources is in order. Understanding the difference will help you properly analyze the documents discovered in your research.

A Primary Source is a document created near the time that the event occurred and is typically created by someone having direct knowledge of the event and the parties involved. A Primary Source is often the first record of an event and can be the most reliable of sources.

A Secondary Source is one created either after an event happened or by someone who did not have personal knowledge of the event or the parties involved. Secondary Sources are often later or subsequent records of events. The accuracy of Secondary Sources should be proven against Primary Sources.

Example: A death certificate created at the time of death is a Primary Source for that person's death date. The birth date on that same death certificate, and provided by the son of the deceased, is a Secondary Source because the document was created long after the date of birth and the information was given by someone who did not have first-hand knowledge of the event.

Census Records

Census records are one of the first record sets sought by genealogists. They are rich in information about our ancestors. What's In The Census? is a helpful chart that identifies the information included in each of the U.S. Federal censuses between the years 1850 and 1930.

More information about census records, how to use them, and where to find them can be found in many books. Most genealogy how-to books devote a chapter to using the federal census records. There are also several books written specifically on the subject:

The Census Book
Your Guide to the Federal Census
Finding Answers in U.S. Census Records

Courthouse Records

Many records generated by your ancestors during their lifetimes can be found at the courthouse. Births were registered, death certificates were generated, deeds were recorded, and wills were filed. The Courthouse can be a goldmine of information. Locating and interpreting these records is a necessary stop along your genealogical journey.

Courthouse records may or may not be housed at the courthouse today. Some records remain in dusty basements while others have been transferred to other local repositories. Some Courthouse records have been microfilmed and may be available at a library in the area, a state archives, or the Family History Center in Salt Lake City. The first step in locating these records is contacting the courthouse in your area of research.

To learn more about the wealth of information contained in Courthouse records, consult your favorite genealogy how-to book, or one of these helpful tomes:

Courthouse Research for Family Historians
Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County & Town Sources
The Handybook for Genealogists
International Vital Records Handbook
Locating Your Roots: Discover Your Ancestors Using Land Records

Continue with Step 9 - A Word of Caution