Ancestry Magazine

Today’s family historians are living in the best of times when they consider all the records, online data files, electronic tutorials, Internet-based indexes, and digitized documents that were not available or easily accessible just a decade ago. The amount of data they can analyze to support or refute a hypothesis regarding their ancestors approaches the realm of unbelievable .

Searching the large surname data files online should be seen as one of the beginning steps in mining relevant data on the Internet. But researchers should also develop a strategy for searching data on institutional and organizational websites. Mining data from the websites of local and state libraries as well as local and state archives can be most productive.

A proven strategy is to target the city, town, or village where an ancestor lived. Then explore the websites of county and regional organizations followed by state record repositories. Deploying this strategy will greatly expand your knowledge base as well as your resource pool.

Local Libraries
Every time your genealogical research moves you to a new geographic area, you’ll want to explore the website for the local city or county public library. Most public libraries have collected all available published materials that chronicle the lives and times of the people, institutions, organizations, and events in their respective communities. And many public library websites (even the smallest public libraries) offer important data online. Persistence and a degree of creativity may be necessary to mine all the relevant data from some websites, but it’s worth the effort.

Significant percentages of public libraries have online book catalogs. From anywhere in the world, you can determine what items the library owns that chronicle the people, events, and organizations of the community.

In addition to online catalogs, many public libraries have online guides to important parts of their collections—and for many public libraries, the local history sections with all their genealogical resources are among the most important collections. To complement the online catalogs and guides, many public libraries have searchable data files that provide enhanced access to area record groups, compiled family histories, and local history materials. Obituary files, biography files, and company files rank among those most frequently found on public library special collections sites. Special collections listings may also include complete lists of area newspapers and indispensable local government documents.

Remember that some family history materials will not be found under “Family History” or “Genealogy.” On most public library websites, you will want to look for headings or links such as Reference, Special Collections, and Adult Services. If you are using a computer with filtering software, “Adult Services” links on public library websites may be blocked, which may mean that you might not find the tremendous resources provided on a particular library’s website.

An example of the useful data available under “Adult Services,” is the McCracken County Public Library website. Under “Adult Services” is a link to the special collections area, which contains the genealogy collection, Paducah biographies, city directories, birth and death indexes, and a detailed list of all the genealogy and local history records on microfilm at that library, including census, church, tax, and Bible records.

Public libraries also provide links to other important sites, special libraries, organizations, and resources in the local area. They can be the gateway to both additional online sources and the research assistant when planning an onsite visit.

State Libraries
After exploring the online resources of the local public library, turn your attention toward the online offerings of the state library. As public libraries gather as much published materials to document the history of their communities, state libraries attempt to do the same thing at the state level.

The online catalogs of state libraries reveal the rich treasure troves of information those repositories house. State libraries typically provide extensive lists of their newspaper and state government document holdings. In general, their city direc tory collections are quite comprehensive as well. And many have departments or divisions almost totally devoted to assisting those interested in both current and historical data about people, places, and events in the state.

To complement their extensive holdings, numerous state libraries continue to enhance their web presence. The Indiana State Library has ten online databases including a statewide cemetery locator and a marriage index for pre-1850 marriages. The Library of Michigan has an endowed genealogy collection and provides the entire 1870 Michigan federal census index and images among its many online offerings. Similarly, the State Library of Pennsylvania provides links to complete rosters of their Civil War regiments. From research guides and pathfinders to searchable data files and copies of original documents—one or more of these aids will be accessible online from most state library websites.

There are a few states that do not have state libraries. In most of those cases, the state historical society functions in the role of a traditional state library. There are also a number of states, such as Virginia, Texas, Tennessee, and Arizona, that combine their state library and state archives into one unit. The Library of Congress provides a link to the country’s state library websites.

State Archives
In the same manner in which public and state libraries offer a wealth of data on published materials, archives and their websites provide information on and access to manuscript and government materials. Prudent researchers will be frequent visitors to state archives websites of the states in which they are conducting research. The informative data found on these sites can be a boon to most family history endeavors.

Like state libraries, state archives’ websites typically have very good finding aids, guides, and collection descriptions posted online. Most have cataloging syste ms to search for information by subject or topic as well as by record type. In addition, some provide access by ethnicity, occupation, and time period. Dealing with the catalogs and finding aids of archives can be challenging for some genealogists, since surname searching may not be well supported. Hence, it is important to remember that surnames are just one the five research keys for genealogical success. The others are geographic location, ethnicity, occupation, and religion.

State archives often provide remarkable access to amazing quantities of data from their websites. The Illinois State Archives is a good example. It has an entire section of webpages devoted to genealogical research including nine printable research pamphlets. Its collection of online databases is extremely impressive: military databases for Illinois veterans from the War of 1812 to 1929, a statewide death index (1916—1950), servitude and emancipation records, and more.

As with other sites discussed here, state archives sites contain many valuable links to other research collections around their respective states. The state of Georgia provides an excellent webpage listing complete contact information for all fifty state archives, including a link to the webpage of each archive.

State Historical and Genealogical Societies
There are two additional state-level websites a thorough genealogist will visit on a regular basis to develop and pursue research leads—the websites of the state historical societies and the state genealogical societies.

Where they exist, state historical societies have robust collections of both published and manuscript materials. In efforts to serve their membership statewide and beyond, many of these organizations have also developed useful websites. Researchers can expect to find the same useful types of online catalogs and research guides that are hallmarks of state archives and state library websites. A website that provides links to both historical and genealogical societies within the United States can be found here.

The Ohio Historical Society functions as the official archives for the state of Ohio. As such, its collections and data files are extremely robust. Increasingly, a significant amount of this information is finding its way online. For example, the Ohio Death Index from 1913 to 1937 is available on its site. Their online primary sources include “The African American Experience in Ohio 1850—1920,” Civil War materials, military rosters, and more. It is truly a historical playground.

The Kentucky Genealogical Society’s website contains a remarkable collection of data files and digital images. Digital copies of early nineteenth century Frankfort, Kentucky city directories, a listing of individuals buried in the Frankfort Cemetery with pictures of the tombstones, and a growing collection of photographs are but a sampling of their offerings. Other state genealogical society websites have family files and query databases to offer the researcher.

While the two examples above are state-level organizations, increasing numbers of local genealogical, historical, ethnic, religious, and occupational history societies are at least developing informational websites, and are worth exploring.

Expanding your research horizons can pay such dividends. Take the time to create meaningful pools of potentials by digging deeper into the relevant websites of libraries and archives as well as historical and genealogical societies. The benefits are both exciting and rewarding!

Curt B. Witcher, MLS, FUGA, is the president of the National Genealogical Society and the manager of the historical genealogy department for the Allen County Public Library. He is also a popular genealogical lecturer.