| Introduction to Genealogy | |
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When looking for information on your family in outside sources, there are a wide variety of genealogical repositories available to you. This list should include public & private libraries, your nearest Family History Center, historical societies, genealogical societies, ethnic societies, archives, courthouses and records offices.
Public
& Private Libraries
Most large cities around the world have a library with a large repository of
genealogical information. Such a library may be public, as is the Allen County,
Indiana public library known for having one of the largest collections of
genealogy material in the United States, or private such as the libraries of
many genealogical and historical societies which are limited to use by members
only. Most public libraries cannot handle genealogical research by
correspondence because the staff is either not trained for genealogical research
or they just don't have the time to answer all of the requests they would
receive if they offered such a service. Many private libraries, on the other
hand, do offer research services by mail for a fee.
If you can't find what you are looking for in a library near you, many libraries make portions of their genealogical collections available through inter-library loan, a procedure in which one library lends a book or a microfilm to another library for use by a patron. Several large genealogy lending libraries also exist around the world which lend out books and/or microfilm by mail for a small fee, often to members only.
Family
History Centers
The largest genealogical collection in the world is the collection of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons). The main library building is
located in Salt Lake City, Utah and contains 142,000 square feet of space on
five floors. The collection housed in this library contains over 2.2 million
rolls of microfilmed records, 742,000 microfiche, 300,000 books and 4,500
periodicals from around the world - all devoted to genealogy! You don't have to
travel to Utah to have access to this collection, however. The library operates
more than 3,400 satellite branches, known as Family History Centers, which
operate in 75 countries and territories. These Family History Centers are open
to use by everyone, not just by members of the church, and are a genealogist's
best friend.
Historical &
Genealogical Societies
Genealogical and historical societies libraries offer a great
potential for the family history researcher. The facilities, collection and
hours of operation will vary greatly from one site to another, however. Some of
these collections are housed in local public libraries and others in small
offices open only to members. The majority are staffed entirely by member
volunteers who may or may not be experts at genealogical research in the area.
The best rule of thumb is to call ahead and ask for details of the collection,
the hours of operation and when the best time to visit is if you need someone
available to help you with your research.
Archives
Many countries around the world maintain huge collections of primary source
documents of interest to genealogists including vital records, census records,
wills, military records, land records, etc. Depending upon the country, large
collections of records may be maintained at the national archives, in regional
or provincial archives or both. The primary difference between archives and
libraries is that
Courthouses and Record
Offices
Records kept at the local level (town, county, district, etc.) can be found in a
wide variety of locations. This is where you will need to have a general
knowledge of the area in which you are researching. In the United States, for
example, many local records can be found in county courthouses or other local
government offices such as the office of the Recorder of Deeds. In France many
civil records, especially more recent ones, are handled by the local registrar's
office (bureau de l'état civil), usually located in the town hall (mairie).
The location of such records can even differ in the same country - wills in
Queensland, Australia can be found at the State Archives, wills in Victoria are
held at the Public Record Office and wills in New South Wales are available from
the Supreme Court of New South Wales. The motto here is "Do Your
Homework!"
When visiting a library or archives for the first time, there are some basic steps you can take to help ensure a successful visit:
- Know what you are looking
for and have your list of questions and a pedigree chart with you in case
you need help locating records.
- Take advantage of an
orientation tour, if the library or archives has one. This will help you to
become quickly acquainted with the materials available to you, where they
are located and the libraries policies and procedures for handling and
photocopying of records.
- Allow plenty of time for your research trip and keep your search organized. It is easy to become overwhelmed by the amount of material available to you, but if you don't take time to scan records for all clues which they may contain and make careful, detailed notes and source citations, you will regret it later.
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