Records Selection Table
A guide to searching the right records.
THE TABLE BELOW can help you decide which records to search. It is most helpful for post-1800 research. Find your goal in the first column. In the second column, find the types of records that are likely to have the information you need. Additional records that may also be useful are listed in the third column. (The terms used in the
second and third columns are the same as the subject headings used in the locality section of the Family History Library Catalog).
Records containing previous research (genealogy, biography, history, periodicals and societies) could provide information for nearly all the goals, but these have not been mentioned unless they are especially helpful for a particular goal. Reproduced with permission of the Family History Library.
| If You Need |
Look First In |
Then Search |
| Age |
Census, Vital Records, Cemeteries |
Military Records, Taxation |
| Birth date |
Vital Records, Church Records, Bible Records |
Cemeteries, Obituaries, Census |
| Birthplace |
Vital Records, Church Records, Census |
Newspapers, Obituaries |
| City or parish of foreign birth |
Church Records, Genealogy, Biography, Naturalization and Citizenship |
Vital Records, Obituaries, History, Emigration and Immigration |
| Country of foreign birth |
Emigration and Immigration, Census, Naturalization and Citizenship, Church Records |
Military Records, Vital Records, Newspapers, Obituaries |
| County origins and boundaries |
History, Maps |
Gazetteers |
| Death |
Vital Records, Cemeteries, Probate Records, Church Records, Obituaries |
Newspapers, Bible Records, Military Records |
| Divorce |
Court Records, Vital Records |
Newspapers |
| Ethnicity |
Minorities, Native Races, Societies |
Church Records, Emigration and Immigration, Naturalization and Citizenship |
| Historical background |
History, Periodicals |
Minorities |
| Immigration date |
Emigration and Immigration, Naturalization and Citizenship, Genealogy |
Census, Newspapers, Biography |
| Living relatives (and adoptions) |
Genealogy, Directories, Court Records, Obituaries |
Census, Biography, Societies, Church
Records, Probate Records |
| Maiden name |
Vital Records, Church Records, Newspapers, Bible Records |
Cemeteries, Military Records, Probate Records, Obituaries |
| Marriage |
Vital Records, Church Records, Census, Newspapers, Bible Records |
Cemeteries, Military Records, Probate Records, Naturalization and
Citizenship, Land and Property |
| Occupation |
Census, Directories, Emigration and Immigration |
Newspapers, Court Records |
| Parents, children, and other family members |
Vital Records, Church Records, Census, Probate Records, Obituaries |
Bible Records, Newspapers, Emigration and Immigration |
| Physical description |
Military Records, Biography
|
Naturalization and Citizenship, Vital Records, Emigration and Immigration, Genealogy |
| Place-finding aids |
Gazetteers, Maps |
History, Periodicals |
| Place (town) of residence when you know only the state |
Census, Land and Property, History |
Biography, Probate Records, History |
| Places family has lived |
Census (indexed), Genealogy, Military Records, Vital Records, and other records with a statewide index |
Military Records, Taxation, Obituaries |
| Previous research (compiled genealogy) |
Genealogy, Periodicals, Societies |
History, Biography |
| Record-finding aids |
Archives and Libraries, Societies |
Periodicals |
| Religion |
Church Records, History, Biography |
Bible Records, Cemeteries, Genealogy |
| Social activities |
History, Biography, Newspapers, Societies |
Town Records, Court Records, Cemeteries, Directories, Obituaries
|
This article originally appeared in our September/October 1999 issue.
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