Where to Research

Where is the best place to find information? Well, in today's information age, you'll find lots of data in lots of places. My recommendation, start with the reputable sources.

If you want to do online research, check out websites such as Ancestry.com or Genealogy.com. Both have a lot of basic resources to help you get started for free. If you want the detailed information, you'll have to pony up some cash though and subscribe to their sites. Another great place for information that is becoming more and more available… state and local government offices. Many larger cities now have online research tools that let you look up information. For example, one phenomenal tool available via West Virginia's Archives department is the ability to look up birth, death, and marriage certificates online. It is a project that is monumental in size and they are continually adding additional years of data to each county. Their website is found at http://www.wvculture.org/history/archivesindex.aspx.

By far, the more cumbersome method, but still the one with most information available… libraries! Many local libraries offer local genealogies. Some, such as the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, offer a much larger research base.

Finally, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka the Mormon Church) houses extensive genealogy records in their library in Salt Lake City, Utah. They have a website which will allow you to do a lot of research as well. It can be found at http://www.familysearch.org/.

These are just the beginning of a list of tools you can use in your own family hunt. Now get out there and start digging!

Category: Genealogy