How to Trace Family Genealogy at the Library

Posted by Anonymous , 9/4/2007 Tags:TraceFamilyGenealogyLibrary
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How to Trace Family Genealogy at the Library

Introduction

Libraries--especially university and state libraries--can be treasure troves of genealogical information. You can wander around for hours looking at books on the local region and places further afield. Libraries with good state collections are priceless, and if you can find a library in the hometown of one of your ancestors, you may find even better information. Here's how to trace genealogy in libraries

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Steps

1

Step One

Go to the library with the largest holdings in the city or state where your ancestor lived.
2

Step Two

Determine beforehand what the library offers in terms of genealogical information. Search online for the library's holdings (for example, the Texas State Library publishes "Genealogy Resources Available at Our Library" on its Web site), or call the library and inquire at the Reference desk.
3

Step Three

Explore local, state, and regional histories and biographies, census schedules, government records and military records as well as microfilm of newspapers, vital records and historical documents.
4

Step Four

Enter the last name of your ancestor in the computer that contains the library's catalog. You ancestor just might be memorialized in a local work. (This is especially effective if you have an uncommon last name--not so successful if you come from a long line of Joneses.)
5

Step Five

Write down or make photocopies of any pertinent information you find, and make a record of copy the title page of the book, the publisher, the publication date and the page numbers where you found the information. In the case of microfilms, note the name of the film, the film number, the date and the page where you found the item.

Overall Tips & Warnings

  • Libraries today are multimedia centers, especially in large cities, so you may also be able to access genealogical sites on library computers.

Overall Things You'll Need

  • Library card
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