A: U.S. RECORDS
1: Records
2: Location, Maps, Geo
3: Regions / States
4: Timelines & Histories |
B: VITAL RECORDS
1: Vital Rec.
2: Birth
3: Adoption
4: Marriage
5: Death, Obits
6: Cemetery |
C: CENSUS
1: Records
2: By Decades |
D: IMMIGRATION
1: Records
2: Passenger / Nat.
3: Other
4: Migration |
E: MILITARY
1: Records
2: By Conflict |
F: OTHER RECORDS
1: Religious
2: Land, Probate, Tax
3: Court
4: News.
5: Arch. / Lib.
6: Help
7: Misc.
KB
Translation Tips
Music
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Part A: U.S. Records and Searches
Goal A2: Learn about location, geography, and time as research tools.Vault
Becoming familiar with locations, geographies, and timelines will help you determine where your ancestors lived, where they moved to or from, and when.
(3:55)
Choices
A Devise a strategy for locating your ancestors, based on where they lived.
Summary
- Understand geographical borders over time, to learn what types of records might be available.
- Discover how tying events and jurisdictions together can lead to the right record sources.
- Learn where your ancestors previously lived, and where to look if counties or towns are missing for an ancestor.
- Look for records before looking for names.
- Examine records carefully for additional clues.
- Basics: Learn about geography and genealogy in this Ancestry video.
AC—Geography and Genealogy—21:39 - 2016
- Watch this video for ideas on researching with purpose and location in mind.
GTV—Research with Purpose and Location First—12:00
Jurisdictions and Record Locations
- Learn about jurisdictions and how they can help locate ancestors.
FS—Locating Records—4:32 - 2018
- Learn more about finding records in jurisdictions.
BYU—Jurisdiction = When + Where—87:30 - 2017
- Learn how jursidictions and boundary changes affect records.
RT—Where? Understanding Boundaries and Jurisdictions—18:20 - 2022
- Record Locations: Identify where genealogy records are located.
LDS—Identifying Where Records Are Located
- Get tips on doing Ancestry searches for U.S. records by location.
BYU—Searching U.S. Records by Location—37:17 - 2022
Researching in Locations
- Basics: Learn how understanding locations can make a difference in your research.
FHD—Why Getting to Know an Ancestor's Location Can Be a Research Game Changer - 2018
- Read these articles for helpful location strategies.
FS—How to Locate Your Ancestor in the U.S.
LDS—Using Distances and Travel Times in Research
- Solving Problems: Learn how the changing of a place name can affect your research.
LDS—Changing Place Names in Research
QUIZ
- Learn about the clues that come with locations, in these case studies from the FamilyLocket blog site.
FL—Revisiting Locality Research - 2020
FL—Location, Location, Location - 2016
- Learn how locality research can help you solve research problems.
RT—Using Locality Research to Solve Complex Problems—54:33 - 2021
- Here are some tips for finding a family who can't be found at the location where they should be.
LT—When Your Family Isn't Where They Ought to Be
Exercises
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings about location and geography for two or more of the following topics: Location strategies, changing place names, location tips, and jurisdictions. Then use the learnings for record searches for one or more U.S. ancestors.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for four topics.
B Use maps effectively.
(13:08)
Summary
- Learn about atlases, boundary change maps, city and town maps, land ownership maps, etc. and where to find them.
- Explore a variety of maps to aid in your U.S. research.
- Intro: Learn what types of U.S. maps are available and what genealogical information they might contain.
FS—United States Maps
BYU—Understanding Maps for Genealogists (60:09) - 2016
- Watch this Ancestry video to see how maps can connect you to your ancestors.
AC—Maps, Paths to Your Ancestors—18:00 - 2012
- Insurance Maps: Learn how to use the Sanborn Insurance Maps in the Library of Congress.
FHD—These Old Fire Insurance Maps Reveal a Surprising Amount of Genealogy Data - 2018
LG—Sanborn® Fire Insurance Maps Online - 2022
- Explore the Sanborn Insurance Maps on the Library of Congress site.
- Plat Maps: Learn how to interpret plat maps.
AF—Where Did Your Ancestor Live? How to Interpret Plat Maps - 2016
- Problems: Learn how to deal with recorded locations that are hard to find.
My Ancestral Town Disappeared From the Map! - 2013
- Sites: Explore the
David Rumsey Map Collection. Browse by location (second column) or year (fourth column).
- Explore the Old Maps Online site for United States maps.
- Explore the Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States for a variety of United States maps.
Gazetteers
A gazetteer is a list and description of places. It can be used to locate the places where your family lived.
- Get an introduction to gazetteers in this video.
RT: An Introduction to Gazetteers—16:03 - 2022
- Learn about gazetteers and how they complement maps in your research.
FS—U.S. Gazetteers
MH Wiki—Gazetteers
- Use gazetteers and atlases in your research.
FE—Using Gazetteers and Atlases in Genealogical Research
Using Mapping Tools
(18:14)
- Learn how to use Google Maps in your genealogy research.
BYU—Using Street View on Google Earth—12:47 - 2019
RT—Connecting the Geographical Dots: Utilizing Google Maps for Genealogical Research - 2019
- Learn about integrating map and genealogy information into Google Earth.
Google Earth for Genealogy, Part 1: Putting Your Ancestors on the Map - 2018
Google Earth for Genealogy, Part 2: Adding Historical Maps & Data - 2018
- Learn about historical map overlays.
TH—Historical Map Overlays for Google Maps and Google Earth
- Explore features in Google Earth Pro.
BYU—Google Earth Pro—16:56 - 2021
- Find locations for a wide variety of geographical and man-made features in the U.S. Geological Survey site.
Exercises
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings about location and geography for two or more of the following topics: Maps and genealogy information, Sanborn Insurance Maps, old map collections, and historical county boundaries. Then use the learnings for record searches for one or more U.S. ancestors.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for four topics.
C Use city and town resources effectively.
Vault
Summary
- City directories and county resources can help you determine where your ancestors lived.
- Vital records were sometimes recorded at the town level.
- Learn about how to research ancestors who lived in cities and urban areas.
- Overview: Learn about U.S. county and city directories in these articles.
FS—United States Directories
MH Wiki—City and Business Directories
- Clues: Use city directories to find clues about where your ancestors lived.
AAC—The City Directory; Your Guide to the Past —Video Series
RT: City Directories—10:49 - 2021
- More: Find out more about city directories in these articles.
AC—Six Things to Find - 2012
MH—Collection of US City Directories - 2020
- Tips: Learn techniques for researching city-dwelling ancestors in the U.S.
AC—City Dwelling Ancestors—4:28 - 2017
- Here are six ways to use city directories in your research.
6 Ways to Use a City Directory—3:52 - 2015
- Get tips for doing research in an urban setting.
PR—Research in an Urban Setting
- Explore city directories on the Internet Archive. Type "city directory" in the search bar, along with the city name if desired.
- Learn how to find interesting details in city directories.
FHF—How to Magnify Hidden Stories in City Directories - 2019
D Use county maps and resources effectively.
Vault
- Learn about definitions for counties, parishes, boroughs, townships, etc.
FE: County Records and Genealogy
- Here are some important things to know about county locations and your ancestors.
AJC—5 Things to Know About Where Your Ancestors Lived - 2018
AJC—Why You Need to Know the Parent County - 2017
- See current county locations for each U.S. state.
- Explore state and county maps in the Genealogy Hound site.
- Historical Boundaries: Explore historical county boundaries for all U.S. states, on the Newberry site or the RandyMajors site.
- Learn how to find historical county boundaries with Google Earth.
AR—Finding Historical U.S. County Boundaries Using Google Earth - 2012
- Learn how to solve problems due to county boundary changes.
AR—Why You Can't Find Your Ancestor In That County: Boundary Changes—14:42 - 2013
LT: Dealing with Shifting County Boundaries
- Learn about techniques for doing effective county research.
FS—County Records Yield Great Sources for Your Family Tree - 2019
FE—County Records and Genealogy
Exercises
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for two or more of the following topics: About city directories, researching with city directories, town histories, and county histories. Then use the learnings for record searches for one or more U.S. ancestors.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for four topics.
QUIKLinks
- FS: Public Records, 1970-2009 (More)
- MH: US City Directories, 1860-1960
- AC: City Directories, 1822-1995
- FS: Scientific/Tech. Personnel Files, 1954-1970 (More)
- AC: Public Records, Vol. 1, 1950-1993
- AC: Public Records, Vol. 2, 1950-1993
- AC: School Yearbooks, 1880-2012
- AC: City Directories, 1890 Census Substitute
- FMP: United States Directories & Almanacs
Goal A2: Learn about location, geography, and time as research tools.Vault
Becoming familiar with locations, geographies, and timelines will help you determine where your ancestors lived, where they moved to or from, and when.
(3:55)
Choices
A Devise a strategy for locating your ancestors, based on where they lived.
Summary
- Understand geographical borders over time, to learn what types of records might be available.
- Discover how tying events and jurisdictions together can lead to the right record sources.
- Learn where your ancestors previously lived, and where to look if counties or towns are missing for an ancestor.
- Look for records before looking for names.
- Examine records carefully for additional clues.
- Basics: Learn about geography and genealogy in this Ancestry video.
AC—Geography and Genealogy—21:39 - 2016
- Watch this video for ideas on researching with purpose and location in mind.
GTV—Research with Purpose and Location First—12:00
Jurisdictions and Record Locations
- Learn about jurisdictions and how they can help locate ancestors.
FS—Locating Records—4:32 - 2018
- Learn more about finding records in jurisdictions.
BYU—Jurisdiction = When + Where—87:30 - 2017
- Learn how jursidictions and boundary changes affect records.
RT—Where? Understanding Boundaries and Jurisdictions—18:20 - 2022
- Record Locations: Identify where genealogy records are located.
LDS—Identifying Where Records Are Located - Get tips on doing Ancestry searches for U.S. records by location.
BYU—Searching U.S. Records by Location—37:17 - 2022
Researching in Locations
- Basics: Learn how understanding locations can make a difference in your research.
FHD—Why Getting to Know an Ancestor's Location Can Be a Research Game Changer - 2018 - Read these articles for helpful location strategies.
FS—How to Locate Your Ancestor in the U.S.
LDS—Using Distances and Travel Times in Research - Solving Problems: Learn how the changing of a place name can affect your research.
LDS—Changing Place Names in Research
QUIZ - Learn about the clues that come with locations, in these case studies from the FamilyLocket blog site.
FL—Revisiting Locality Research - 2020
FL—Location, Location, Location - 2016 - Learn how locality research can help you solve research problems.
RT—Using Locality Research to Solve Complex Problems—54:33 - 2021
- Here are some tips for finding a family who can't be found at the location where they should be.
LT—When Your Family Isn't Where They Ought to Be
Exercises
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings about location and geography for two or more of the following topics: Location strategies, changing place names, location tips, and jurisdictions. Then use the learnings for record searches for one or more U.S. ancestors.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for four topics.
B Use maps effectively.
(13:08)
Summary
- Learn about atlases, boundary change maps, city and town maps, land ownership maps, etc. and where to find them.
- Explore a variety of maps to aid in your U.S. research.
- Intro: Learn what types of U.S. maps are available and what genealogical information they might contain.
FS—United States Maps
BYU—Understanding Maps for Genealogists (60:09) - 2016
- Watch this Ancestry video to see how maps can connect you to your ancestors.
AC—Maps, Paths to Your Ancestors—18:00 - 2012
- Insurance Maps: Learn how to use the Sanborn Insurance Maps in the Library of Congress.
FHD—These Old Fire Insurance Maps Reveal a Surprising Amount of Genealogy Data - 2018
LG—Sanborn® Fire Insurance Maps Online - 2022 - Explore the Sanborn Insurance Maps on the Library of Congress site.
- Plat Maps: Learn how to interpret plat maps.
AF—Where Did Your Ancestor Live? How to Interpret Plat Maps - 2016 - Problems: Learn how to deal with recorded locations that are hard to find.
My Ancestral Town Disappeared From the Map! - 2013 - Sites: Explore the David Rumsey Map Collection. Browse by location (second column) or year (fourth column).
- Explore the Old Maps Online site for United States maps.
- Explore the Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States for a variety of United States maps.
Gazetteers
A gazetteer is a list and description of places. It can be used to locate the places where your family lived.
- Get an introduction to gazetteers in this video.
RT: An Introduction to Gazetteers—16:03 - 2022
- Learn about gazetteers and how they complement maps in your research.
FS—U.S. Gazetteers
MH Wiki—Gazetteers - Use gazetteers and atlases in your research.
FE—Using Gazetteers and Atlases in Genealogical Research
Using Mapping Tools
(18:14)
- Learn how to use Google Maps in your genealogy research.
BYU—Using Street View on Google Earth—12:47 - 2019
RT—Connecting the Geographical Dots: Utilizing Google Maps for Genealogical Research - 2019 - Learn about integrating map and genealogy information into Google Earth.
Google Earth for Genealogy, Part 1: Putting Your Ancestors on the Map - 2018
Google Earth for Genealogy, Part 2: Adding Historical Maps & Data - 2018
- Learn about historical map overlays.
TH—Historical Map Overlays for Google Maps and Google Earth - Explore features in Google Earth Pro.
BYU—Google Earth Pro—16:56 - 2021
- Find locations for a wide variety of geographical and man-made features in the U.S. Geological Survey site.
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings about location and geography for two or more of the following topics: Maps and genealogy information, Sanborn Insurance Maps, old map collections, and historical county boundaries. Then use the learnings for record searches for one or more U.S. ancestors.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for four topics.
C Use city and town resources effectively.
Vault
Summary
Summary
- City directories and county resources can help you determine where your ancestors lived.
- Vital records were sometimes recorded at the town level.
- Learn about how to research ancestors who lived in cities and urban areas.
- Overview: Learn about U.S. county and city directories in these articles.
FS—United States Directories
MH Wiki—City and Business Directories - Clues: Use city directories to find clues about where your ancestors lived.
AAC—The City Directory; Your Guide to the Past —Video Series
RT: City Directories—10:49 - 2021
- More: Find out more about city directories in these articles.
AC—Six Things to Find - 2012
MH—Collection of US City Directories - 2020 - Tips: Learn techniques for researching city-dwelling ancestors in the U.S.
AC—City Dwelling Ancestors—4:28 - 2017
- Here are six ways to use city directories in your research.
6 Ways to Use a City Directory—3:52 - 2015
- Get tips for doing research in an urban setting.
PR—Research in an Urban Setting - Explore city directories on the Internet Archive. Type "city directory" in the search bar, along with the city name if desired.
- Learn how to find interesting details in city directories.
FHF—How to Magnify Hidden Stories in City Directories - 2019
D Use county maps and resources effectively.
Vault
- Learn about definitions for counties, parishes, boroughs, townships, etc.
FE: County Records and Genealogy - Here are some important things to know about county locations and your ancestors.
AJC—5 Things to Know About Where Your Ancestors Lived - 2018
AJC—Why You Need to Know the Parent County - 2017 - See current county locations for each U.S. state.
- Explore state and county maps in the Genealogy Hound site.
- Historical Boundaries: Explore historical county boundaries for all U.S. states, on the Newberry site or the RandyMajors site.
- Learn how to find historical county boundaries with Google Earth.
AR—Finding Historical U.S. County Boundaries Using Google Earth - 2012 - Learn how to solve problems due to county boundary changes.
AR—Why You Can't Find Your Ancestor In That County: Boundary Changes—14:42 - 2013
LT: Dealing with Shifting County Boundaries - Learn about techniques for doing effective county research.
FS—County Records Yield Great Sources for Your Family Tree - 2019
FE—County Records and Genealogy
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for two or more of the following topics: About city directories, researching with city directories, town histories, and county histories. Then use the learnings for record searches for one or more U.S. ancestors.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for four topics.
QUIKLinks
- FS: Public Records, 1970-2009 (More)
- MH: US City Directories, 1860-1960
- AC: City Directories, 1822-1995
- FS: Scientific/Tech. Personnel Files, 1954-1970 (More)
- AC: Public Records, Vol. 1, 1950-1993
- AC: Public Records, Vol. 2, 1950-1993
- AC: School Yearbooks, 1880-2012
- AC: City Directories, 1890 Census Substitute
- FMP: United States Directories & Almanacs