| Info Needed |
Good Sources |
Possible Sources |
| Vital Records |
| Age |
Cemeteries , census, pension applications, vital records |
Military records , tax records |
| Birth date |
Census, church records, newspapers, obituaries, vital records |
Cemeteries , military records, obituaries, SSDI (if deceased) |
| Birth name ("maiden" name) |
Bible records, church records, newspapers, town records, vital records |
Cemeteries, records of sisters and aunts, military
records, obituaries, pension records, personal correspondence, probate
records |
| Birth place (especially if
foreign) |
Census, church records, military records, obituaries, probate records,
vital records |
Emigration and immigration records, funeral home records, newspapers |
| Death |
Cemeteries, census mortality schedules, church records, obituaries,
probate and wills, vital records |
Bible records, military records, newspapers, Social Security Death Index
(SSDI) |
| Divorce |
Court records, divorce records, vital records |
Newspapers |
| Marriage |
Bible records, biography, census, newspapers, church records, pension
records, vital records |
Cemeteries, land records, military records, naturalization and
citizenship records, obituaries, probate records |
| Place Information |
| County: origins and history of
boundary changes |
Historical maps |
Gazetteers |
| Emigration/immigration info |
Census, emigration and immigration records, naturalization and
citizenship records, periodicals |
History (colonization), newspapers, obituaries |
| Ethnic origin |
Bible records, census, emigration and immigration records, societies |
Church records, naturalization and citizenship records, periodicals |
| Places (where your ancestor
resided) |
Census (indexed), directories, genealogies, land records |
Military records, obituaries, tax records, voter registration |
| Family Information |
| Living relatives and adoptions |
Court records, directories, obituaries |
Census, church records, newspapers, probate records |
| Occupation |
Census, death records, directories, emigration and immigration records,
obituaries |
Court records, land records, newspapers |
| Family members (parents,
offspring, relatives) |
Census, church records, court records, directories, marriage records,
obituaries, probate records, vital records |
Bible records, biographies, emigration and immigration records, land
records, newspapers |
| Physical description |
Biographies, military records, obituaries |
Emigration and immigration records , genealogies (compiled),
naturalization and citizenship records, vital records |
| Religion |
Biographies , church records |
Bible records, cemeteries, genealogies, obituaries |
| Research compiled by others |
Genealogies , periodicals, societies |
Biographies , histories |
