Wilson Cobb Library Blog

Welcome to the Wilson Cobb Library! Making it easier for you to search out your ancestry and genealogical history!

Genealogy Records Selection Table

We are so glad you are here! We hope that this website and the library itself will become fabulous resources for you as you search out your family ancestry. This table should help you see what types of sources produce different types of information. 

Info Needed

Good Sources

Possible Sources

Vital Records

AgeCemeteries , census, pension applications, vital recordsMilitary records , tax records
Birth dateCensus, church records, newspapers, obituaries, vital recordsCemeteries , military records, obituaries, SSDI (if deceased)
Birth name (“maiden” name)Bible records, church records, newspapers, town records, vital recordsCemeteries, 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 recordsEmigration and immigration records, funeral home records, newspapers
DeathCemeteries, census mortality schedules, church records, obituaries, probate and wills, vital recordsBible records, military records, newspapers, Social Security Death Index (SSDI)
DivorceCourt records, divorce records, vital recordsNewspapers
MarriageBible records, biography, census, newspapers, church records, pension records, vital recordsCemeteries, land records, military records, naturalization and citizenship records, obituaries, probate records

Place Information

County: origins and history of boundary changesHistorical mapsGazetteers
Emigration/immigration infoCensus, emigration and immigration records, naturalization and citizenship records, periodicalsHistory (colonization), newspapers, obituaries
Ethnic originBible records, census, emigration and immigration records, societiesChurch records, naturalization and citizenship records, periodicals
Places (where your ancestor resided)Census (indexed), directories, genealogies, land recordsMilitary records, obituaries, tax records, voter registration

Family Information

Living relatives and adoptionsCourt records, directories, obituariesCensus, church records, newspapers, probate records
OccupationCensus, death records, directories, emigration and immigration records, obituariesCourt records, land records, newspapers
Family members (parents, offspring, relatives)Census, church records, court records, directories, marriage records, obituaries, probate records, vital recordsBible records, biographies, emigration and immigration records, land records, newspapers
Physical descriptionBiographies, military records, obituariesEmigration and immigration records , genealogies (compiled), naturalization and citizenship records, vital records
ReligionBiographies , church recordsBible records, cemeteries, genealogies, obituaries
Research compiled by othersGenealogies , periodicals, societiesBiographies , histories