Genealogy: Beyond the Basics

Finding and Using U.S. Records for Your Genealogical Research

Presented by:

Elaine Jones Hayes

Special Collections Librarian

Laramie County Library System1

Review of Beginning Genealogy

1. Record What You Already Know

2. Read a How-to Book

3. Begin Your Research At Home

4. Look for compiled information

5. Choose one ancestral line to research

6. Look for Original Records2

Other U.S. Records

• Probate (Wills)

• Land

• Church

• Cemetery and Burial

• Newspapers

• Federal and Local Tax

• Military

• City Directories

• Immigration/Naturalization 3

Where to Find Public Records?

• Check books and periodicals in libraries.

• Check the Internet & Genealogy Internet databases such as:

–Ancestry Library Edition

–MyHeritage

–www.familysearch.org

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But not everything is on the Internet:

• You may have to go to the original source in a county courthouse, state vital records division, state archives, etc. And pay $ to get a copy of the birth certificate, will, etc.

• Search the Internet on Google.com or another search engine, but look for a .gov website.

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About Internet Searching:

• Verify what you find.

• Learn to do a really good Internet search.

• Try using Google advanced search at http://www.google.com/advanced_search

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Ancestry Library Edition: Much more than just census images.

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MyHeritage Library Edition (available at home through our website)

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Probate Court Records

• Probate process involves:

–Collecting a decedent’s assets

–Liquidating liabilities

–Paying necessary taxes

–Distributing property to heirs13

More About Probate Court

• Probate court has general power over:

–probate of wills,

–administration of estates, and

– in some states, is empowered to appoint guardians or approve adoption of minors.

• May be called Surrogate or Orphan’sCourt

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Two Classes of Probate Records:

• Testate-

–Person died leaving a valid will

• Intestate-

–Person died leaving no will

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Why Use Probate Records?

• Exist in times and places earlier than other records.

• Identify family relationships and verify death dates.

• Name spouse or past-spouses and children.

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Where to Find Probate Court Records

• Most wills are registered and filed in the counties where they were probated.

• Also books or periodicals.

• Internet:

• www.ancestrylibrary.com, MyHeritage

• ancestry.com or www.familysearch.org.

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Land Records

• Land records exist from the very

beginning of the first permanent

settlements in America.

• In early America the great majority

of free adult males were land

owners.

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Why Use Land Records?

• Place individuals in a particular placeat a specific time.

• Often list the spouse.

• Often state other relationships.

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Land Records – Patent vs. Deed

• Patent indicates the first sale of a piece of property.

• Once a patent is issued, the property becomes part of the “private” sector of land ownership and is subsequently sold by a deed.

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State Land States vs. Federal Land States

• State-Land States:

–Land controlled initially by the individual state.

• Federal Land States:

–Lands initially controlled and dispersed by the United States government (public domain).

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The State-Land States

• Connecticut

• Delaware

• Georgia

• Hawaii

• Kentucky

• Maine

• Maryland

• Massachusetts

• New Hampshire

• New Jersey

• New York

• North Carolina

• Pennsylvania

• Rhode Island

• South Carolina

• Tennessee

• Texas

• Vermont

• Virginia

• West Virginia25

State-Land States

• Usually recorded in the deed books of each county or town

• Look for:

Grantee (buyer) index

Grantor (seller) index

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Federal Land States• Alabama• Alaska• Arizona• Arkansas• California• Colorado• Florida• Idaho• Illinois• Indiana• Iowa• Kansas• Louisiana• Michigan • Minnesota

• Mississippi• Missouri• Montana• Nebraska• Nevada• New Mexico• North Dakota• Ohio• Oklahoma• Oregon• South Dakota• Utah• Washington• Wisconsin• Wyoming

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Federal Land Records

• Applicants completed a structured process.

–Completed papers were sent to the General Land Office.

• Case files can show:

–Places of origin

–Relationships

–Naturalization information

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Federal Land Records –Homestead Records

• Began in 1862.

• Required filing fee, residence, cultivation, and improvement of land.

• Allotted to heads of households, widows, single persons of either sex over the age of 21.

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Homestead Records

• Genealogical value:

–Contain proof of residence.

–Can show previous residence, port of entry, place of origin.

–Final documents show name, age, marital and citizenship status, postal address and settlement date.

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Finding Homestead Records

• Search at www.glorecords.blm.gov

• To find the information needed to order land-entry case files from the Nat’l Archives www.archives.gov.

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http://s3w/schedule/show

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Federal Land Records –Cash Entry System and Credit Sales

• Land ordinance of 1785 opened lands for sale.

–Case files often only contain a receipt.

• Credit Sales

–1800 -1820.

–Gave owner 4 years to pay.

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Military Bounty Land Grants

• Given in lieu of monetary compensation for military service.

• Citizenship not a requirement for military bounty land.

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Finding Military Bounty Land Grants

• All federal military bounty-land original records are housed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

• Bounty Land Warrants can also be found at glorecords.blm.gov.

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Finding Military Bounty Land Grants

• Books:

Laramie County Library System (LCLS) has several indexes for the revolutionary war bounty land.

• Also check Ancestry.com, Ancestry Library Edition and glorecords.blm.gov.

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Individual or Private Lands

• If located in federal-land state, will be described by township, range and section.

• If located in a state-land state, will retain metes and bounds.

• Registered in deed books at the county or town recorder’s office.

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Private Land Records

• Genealogical value:

–Names of the buyer and seller

–Dates

–Description and acreage

–County and state of residence

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Church Records

• Kept before civil records.

• Report births, marriages and deaths (baptisms, marriages and burials.).

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Church Records• May be difficult to locate.

–Difficulty determining your ancestors religious affiliation.

Many church records have been published, microfilmed or are available on the Internet.

• Check library catalogs such as the LCLS library catalog at laramiecountylibrary.org, WorldCatand the LDS Family History Library catalog and database at familysearch.org.

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Cemetery and Burial Records

• Cemetery caretakers usually keep good records

• Note names and dates of others in that plot.

–See the Sexton’s records.

• Older records may also be found in:

– local libraries, archives, or historical societies.

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More Cemetery Records

• Look for cemetery listings on the Internet.

• Funeral director’s records may be as good as official records.

• But try to visit the cemetery in person if possible. If not possible try www.raogk.org.

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Cemetery Records on the Internet

• Find A Grave at www.findagrave.com

• Interment.net at www.interment.net

• The USGenWeb www.usgenweb.org and WorldGenWeb www.worldgenweb.org

• RootsWeb Cemetery search http://userdb.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cemeteries/.

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Newspapers

• Most states have on-going newspaper digitization projects. This only covers pre-1922 newspapers.

• Look for newspapers from the geographical area where your ancestor lived.

• Search WorldCat.org and try ILL (Interlibrary Loan).

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newspapers.wyo.gov

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City Directories

• After 1800

• Many are available on Ancestry Library Edition and MyHeritage. Also check local libraries and Google Books.

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Military Records

• In general the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (archives.gov) has military records from 1775 to ~1917.

• The National Personal Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, MO has records from ~1917 to the present day.

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More about Military Service Records

• Colonial wars (1675-1763).

• Revolutionary and Post Revolutionary (1774-1848).

–Most rosters and rolls have been published and are also available in genealogy libraries and/or on the Internet.

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Revolutionary War Records

• Revolutionary war records.

•Available at the National Archives and regional branches. There is a NARA branch in Denver.

•Check the Internet and computer databases like FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com and Ancestry Library Edition.

•Also see www.dar.org.

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Revolutionary War Records cont.

• Three types of records:

–Pensions

–Bounty-land warrant applications

–Military service records

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Civil War Records

• Some 2.8 million men served the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War 1861-65.

The Civil War Pension Index is available at Ancestry.com, Ancestry Library Edition, and FamilySearch.org is one of the best places to start looking for Union soldiers.

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Civil War – Confederate Records

• The National Archives does not have

pension files for Confederate soldiers.

• Pensions were granted to Confederate

veterans and their widows and minor

children by the southern states. These

records are in the state archives or

equivalent agency.

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Military Service Records cont.

• WWII to present (1938 to present).

– Service records restricted to immediate family.

• Right-to-privacy laws (75 years).

–Housed at National Personnel Records Center St. Louis, MO.

• Fire in 1973 destroyed millions of records.

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World Wars I and II

• World War I draft registration cards.

–Required males between 18 and 45 to register.

–Are available from the National Archives and the LDS Family History Library and on Ancestry Library.

• Discharge records for World Wars I and II areon file at the local county courthouse.

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Types of Tax Records

• Personal Property tax lists

• Tithables

• Poll Lists

• Land Tax Lists

• Rent Rolls

• Tax records can be found in county courthouses, state archives, books, Internet databases, LDS Family History Library etc.

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Why Use Tax Records?

• To trace a family’s location.

• Indicate the amount and type of property owned.

• Estimate birth and death dates.

• Some tax lists can be found on the Internet or on genealogy databases such as Ancestry Library Edition and Heritage Quest.

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Tax Records – Federal Tax

• Federal direct tax to raise money for armies.

–1798 French war direct tax on real property and slaves.

–War of 1812 (1814-1816).

–Civil War direct taxes.

• Income taxes.

• Property taxes.

• License fees.

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Tax Records – County Taxes

• Poll tax lists.

–Colonial and antebellum counties usually taxed free adult males (poll or head tax)) when the young man reached 18 or 21 and ceased when the man reached 50 or 60.

• Search county poll tax lists and property tax lists.

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Immigration Records

• From the earliest colonial period until approximately 1820, immigration records were kept by the colony or state where the port was located.

• Customs passenger lists

• From 1820 until approximately 1891

• Immigration passenger lists

• From 1892 until ~195772

Immigration Records cont.

• Federal immigration records are in the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

–Copies of some of these records are also located in the regional branches of the National Archives.

• We have books such as Filby’s Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1538-1940.

• Also on Ancestry Library Edition or through other Internet databases.

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Immigration Records on the Internet

• Ellis Island

–libertyellisfoundation.org/passenger

• Castle Garden

–www.castlegarden.org

• Immigrant Ship Transcribers Guild

–www.immigrantships.net

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Naturalization Records

• Naturalization is the process by which an alien becomes an American citizen

• From the first naturalization law passed by Congress in 1790 through much of the 20th century, an alien could become naturalized in any court of record.

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Recent Naturalizations

• In 1906 congress created the Immigration and Naturalization Service (now the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service).

• www.uscis.gov/files/form/g-639.pdf

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US Citizenship & Immigration Service

• The USCIS has a Genealogy Program which is a fee for service program.

• See www.uscis.gov/genealogy.

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Naturalization Process cont.• Naturalization process took a minimum of 5 years.

– After residing in the United States for 2 years, a person could file a "declaration of intent“ to become a citizen.

– After 3 additional years, the person could "petition for naturalization."

– After the petition was granted, a certificate of citizenship was issued.

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Additional Sources

• Agriculture Society Records

• Association Records

• Biography Indexes

• Employment Records

• Insurance Records

• Non-US Records

• And more (use your imagination/creativity)

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Other Good Genealogy Websites

• Cyndi’s List www.cyndislist.com

• FindAGrave www.findagrave.com

• RootsWeb www.rootsweb.com

• U.S. GenWeb www.usgenweb.com

• Library of Congress www.loc.gov

• WorldGenWeb www.worldgenweb.org

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Upcoming Genealogy Classes

• Genealogy classes at LCLS are presented on Monday nights in February, June and October.

• Check the library events calendar.

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Thanks for Attending!

• Please consider:

– checking out a genealogy how-to book (929)

–Becoming a member of a genealogy society (CGHS meets 2nd Tuesday – Sept. to May).

– researching in our Genealogy room.

– accessing MyHeritage from our website

• www.laramiecountylibrary.org you’ll need a LCLS library card number and a PIN (default PIN is wyld).

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