Each town, whether in America, England, Canada or China, has its own story to tell. Sometimes the great events of history will have affected the community, while other times the community will have generated its own fascinating dramas. Researching the local history of the town, village or city where your ancestors lived is a big step toward understanding what their life was like - the people, places and events that impacted the course of their own personal history.
1. Read Published Histories
Local histories, especially town histories, are full of collected genealogical information. Often they profile every family who lived in the town, providing as complete a family structure as the early records (often including family Bibles) permit. They also provide great glimpses into the daily life of the town or county, and its residents. It is important to realize that books such as this are often called "brag books" because the biographical sketches are generally unverified, and it is not unusual to find exaggerations or incorrect information. Don't overlook such resources, just verify what they tell you.Historical maps of a city, town or village may provide details on the town's original layout and buildings, as well as the names and locations of many of the town residents. Tithe maps, for example, were produced for about 75 percent of the parishes and towns in England and Wales during the 1840s to document the land subject to tithe (local payments due to the parish for the upkeep of local church and clergy), along with the names of the property owners. Many types of historical maps can be useful for locality research, including city and county atlases, plat maps and fire insurance maps, among others.
Minutes of local court proceedings are another rich source Property disputes, the layout out of roads, deed and will entries, civil complaints and estate inventories. In New Zealand, the minutes of the Maori Land Court are especially rich with
whakapapa (Maori genealogies), as well as place names and burial groundlocations.
Talking to people who actually live in your town of interest can often turn up interesting nuggets of information you'll find nowhere else. Of course nothing beats an onsite visit and first-hand interviews, but the Internet and email also makes it easy to interview people who live halfway around the world. The local historical society - if one exists - may be able to point you to likely candidates. Or just try googling for local residents who appear to show an interest in local history - perhaps those researching their family genealogy. Even if their family history interest is elsewhere, they may be willing to help you locate historial information on the place they call home.
The Internet is quickly becoming one of the richest sources for local history research. Many libraries and historical societies are putting their special collections of local historical materials into digital form and making them available online. The
Summit Memory Project is just one such example, a collaborative county-wide effort administered by the Akron-Summit County Public Library in Ohio. Local history blogs such as the
Ann Arbor Local History Blog, message boards, mailing lists, and personal and town Web sites are all potential sources of local history. Do a search on the name of the town or village along with search terms such as
history,
church, or
cemetery. A
Google Images search may turn up photos.
Obituaries, death notices, marriage announcements and society columns capsule the lives of the local residents. Public announcements and advertisements show what residents found important. Newspapers are also rich sources of information on local events, town news, school activities, etc.
