According the Bureau of Indian Affairs, they do not keep a national Indian registry or any kind of database.  They also do not do any genealogy research.  They will tell you that some offices around the country have records concerning Indian ancestry, but they will still insist that there is not any list or database.  However, some branches of the Bureau of Indian affairs will tell you that there are “current records of lists commonly called rolls”, but there is no supporting documentation to go along with these rolls.  When you call the Bureau of Indian Affairs you should be prepared to give the name of the tribe, names and birthdates of the person, and relationships.  You must provide specific information otherwise offices will not provide useful information.

Another good place to look is by checking microfilm census records.  Annual census rolls were taken of individual tribes by government agents, usually under the supervision of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.  The census data was gathered and the amount of information is different with each record. All of them include names, either American birth names in English, Native American or both; age and/or date of birth, gender, the person’s relationship to the head of household, and a roll number. Beginning in 1930, (and in some cases even earlier), many censuses also designate the person’s degree of Native American blood, their marital status, and often the place of residence.

The key to using these microfilms will mean knowing how to use them, and to know which one you want to look at.  The best method for this is to know what geographical area to start looking in.  You should also know the name of the agency that made the original record. Historical records will also help guide you in the right direction.  The more information you have when you start, the easier it will be to locate the right micro film.  A list of microfilm rolls for the tribes named below may be found on most libraries record page.

You can also contact some local offices that deal with Indian archives for information.  Unlike the Bureau of Indian Affairs, these tend to have more information and usually are more willing to work with people doing their own research.  You will have a better chance by contacted them than you will by contacting the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

Here are some addresses of places to contact for more information on Indian Ancestry:

The Oklahoma Historical Society 2100 N. Lincoln Oklahoma City, OK 73105,

Chief, Archives Branch Federal Archives and Records Center P. O. Box 6216 Fort Worth, TX 76115

Heart of America Indian Center 1340 E. Admiral Boulevard Kansas City MO, 64124 (816) 421 – 7608, fax (816) 421 – 6493

American Indian Center 4115 Connecticut Street St. Louis, MO 63116 (314) 773 – 3316

Northern Cherokee Nation of the Old Louisiana Territory 1012 Business Highway 63 North Columbia, MO 65201 (573) 44 3 -8424

Southwest Missouri Indian Center 2422 W. Division Springfield, MO 65802 (417) 869 – 9550, fax (417) 869 – 0922

Saponi Nation of Missouri Mahenips Band c/o 3445 CR 4990 Willow Springs, MO, 65793 (417) 469 – 2547

Cherokee National Historical Society and Cherokee Registration Office P. O. Box 515 Tahlequah, OK 74464 – 0515 (918) 456 – 6007

For Delaware, Osage, Shawnee and Kaw tribes: Kansas State Historical Society 120 West Tenth Topeka, KS 66612 – 1291

Bureau of Indian Affairs Muskogee Agency, 4th Floor Federal Bldg. Muskogee OK 74401

LDS Library 35 North West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84150

Newberry Library 60 West Walton Street Chicago, IL 60610 – 3394

Using all of these sources, as well as your local library will enable you to get a lot of useful information for you ancestral search.

Related posts:

1. Eight Important How-to Tips in Searching Census Records
2. Four Tips for Writing Genealogical Inquiries
3. Five Important Things You Can Learn from Researching Death Records

Death certificates are a great place to start looking for information on your ancestors. The government didn’t actually require states to officially register a person’s death, however, until the twentieth century, so death certificates may not be available for more distant ancestors. Sometimes death registers were kept on a citywide or countywide basis before the twentieth century. Unfortunately, registering a death was voluntary so your ancestor may not be listed, and the information that was provided on the deceased varied greatly in detail. If you decide to look for a more recent ancestor’s death certificate, you first must know three vital pieces of information: full name, death date, and location of death. Knowing the location of death will allow you to locate the state’s vital records office, either on the internet or in books, and learn about the state’s procedures for obtaining of a copy of a death certificate. Many charge a fee, and some require you to provide proof that you are a descendant. The more recent a death certificate is, the more information it will provide. Most contain not only date and location of death but also birth date and birthplace, spouse’s name, occupation, and reason for death or how long the person has been sick. While death certificate are considered a primary source, they do contain errors, and the information contained within them, particularly the manner of death as pronounced by coroners in the early twentieth century, should be scrutinized and substantiated by corresponding evidence.

Another great comprehensive source of information for the recently deceased is the Social Security Death Index, which contains vital information on 64 million people, most of whom are Americans. If your relative filed for Social Security and later died between 1962 and 1988, then he may be included in the index, which also includes a smaller number of records dating back to 1937 and railroad retirement records from around 1900 to the 1950s. If you manage to find your relative in the index, you will learn his or her social security number and can use it to file for his or her social security application, which will provide you with even more information. Using the Social Security Death Index can be tricky, however, and you should search using the least amount of information possible so that you don’t eliminate your ancestor from the search results. The index is available online and on a variety of computer programs.

State and territory death indexes are similar to the Social Security Death Index but contain different information. They also are not standardized and vary in their availability and the amount of information they provide. Wills and estate document can also provide fascinating clues to ancestor’s life. Even poorer people made wills, not only to ensure the correct distribution of their belonging but also to share wisdom or hidden emotions. Many wills are fascinating and provide clues about the members of a family, children and in-laws and even slaves. They can also indicate some of the personal characteristic of your ancestors, and their generousness or stinginess. Wills can be found on the internet and in books. Finally, funeral home records and obituaries can also provide valuable clues to your ancestors’ lives after they have died.

Finally, taxes, on the federal, state, county-wide, or city-wide level, were almost inevitably paid by your adult male ancestors during their lifetimes. They can tell you where a person lived, when they lived there, and, perhaps, other interesting information about their lifestyles. Taxes were very different in previous centuries, however, and it’s best to do your research on the taxes existing during the time period and in the area in which your ancestor lived. Different types of taxes were levied by landlords, the government, and even the church, and varied from marriage taxes, tax lists, and poor taxes to poll taxes, rent rolls, and quit rents. Tax lists can be found in a variety of libraries, archives, and on the internet, so keep looking even if it seems you aren’t finding anything. You may also want to study the handwritten tax list, since the process of transcribing and indexing the records can lead to spelling errors.

Related posts:

1. How the Social Security Death Index Can Help your Genealogical Search
2. Five Important Things You Can Learn from Researching Death Records
3. How to Locate Maiden Names for your Genealogy Search

If your house burned down tonight and you could only save one of your belongings, what would it be? A frequent reply to that question is “family photos.” As the old saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Nothing is more interesting than realizing you have your grandfather’s nose or your great-grandmother’s eyes. Photos can become disorganized, scattered, and, in the end, meaningless, however, if you don’t take steps now to compile them into some semblance of order and to share them with younger generations. Ask family or friends if you can copy any original photos that you don’t own. Describe the people in the photographs, either orally or in writing. Regale your children and grandchildren with anecdotes about your summer trips to the beach or the day you caught the prize-winning fish. Placing your photos in a scrapbook is a particularly powerful way to preserve their meaning and message, and be sure to incorporate captions and other written descriptions of the pictures. Also, don’t forget to include other important documents, such as birth certificates, old report cards, or original art work, poetry, or songs in the scrapbook. Even if you are not artistically inclined, the acid-free scrapbook paper and glue will preserve your photographs and memorabilia for years to come, so just slap them onto the paper as best you can. A lovingly-composed scrapbook will really become a family treasure. 

Another way to capture an image is on video. On a lazy Sunday afternoon, take your home video camera and sit down with an older family member. By asking certain questions, you can mine their memories for gems of wisdom and valuable family anecdotes. You can also help steer the interview so that it is relatively chronological or comprehensive. Perhaps the interviewee may even want to prepare his answers beforehand. Ask about family residences, including physical descriptions or even a room-by-room verbal tour. Sensory descriptions are particularly interesting. Talk about ethnicity and religion and its impact on family traditions or customs. Ask family members about major historical events. Move the discussion from childhood friends to high school events to college, career, and romance. Perhaps you could even interview people from the past, such as old friends or current spouses, about the interviewee. Also encourage your family members to share the disappointments and struggles that they faced as well as the life lessons and wisdom that they gained. A permanent record of not only your family member’s memories but also the way they looked and talked is an invaluable gift to future generations.

If you don’t have a video camera, then use a tape recorder; and if you don’t have a tape recorder, then use a pen and pencil to record your family history. Start a journal, and include not only thoughts and feelings but also descriptions of current events and culture. Such a record will be fascinating to your descendants, no matter how mundane it may seem in the present. There are numerous book and internet sites about journaling or writing a memoir that can help you get started.

Finally, make your family history an interactive experience for your children and grandchildren. Visit the house where you grew or the country from which your grandparents immigrated. Seeing a place first-hand will give future generations a sense of their background and roots. Permanent edifices also provide valuable clues about the economy, architecture, and culture of the time in which family members lived. In addition, make your grandmother’s German strudel with your children, or teach them how to play a harmonica like their Great-Uncle George. Pass your skills and wisdoms down to them in ways they can enjoy. Such highly sensory experiences are not easily forgotten.

Related posts:

1. Fun ways to create lasting family traditions
2. Give the Gift of Genealogy – Five Gifts that Reflect the Family Tree
3. Family Mementoes Hold the Key to your Ancestral Search

First of all, a courthouse can be a wealth of genealogical information. It is home to records going back as far as the courthouse itself in many instances including property records, wills, birth certificates, death certificates and the like. However, you have to know what you are doing when you go into the courthouse, in order to make your trip worthwhile. Here are a couple of tips.

First of all, consider this: you will be going into the record books at the court house. They are very large and heavy most of the time, weighing as much as 20 pounds each. If you are going to make copies, the pages will generally cover the entire glass top of the copy machine. Also, you will find them in racks that are metal and have pockets sized to hold each large record book. Each of these pockets is generally equipped with rollers that allow you to slide them in and out. They can also be located as high as 6 feet up and as low as the floor. In other words, proceed with caution if you have trouble with your back or knees. Another thing to consider is that many home and real estate closings happen at the end of the month. During that time, the records room will be filled with lawyers and their clerks. Consider making your trip to the courthouse during the middle two weeks of the month if you plan to check out the records.

In order to avoid wasting your time, when you first arrive at the courthouse you should ask if the records you are seeking are still there. The reason this is important is that many courthouses have moved many of their older records to the state archives. There is a chance you will be told that records aren’t there simply because not every courthouse clerk is receptive to genealogists. They figure if they tell you the records aren’t there that you will go away. Feel free to do a quick search anyway. If you are told they are at the state archives, you will want to make a follow up phone call just to be sure.

In order to make your trip to the courthouse as productive as possible, you should make sure that you are organized going into the visit. You should prioritize what you want to find on your trip. You may feel that it is hard to prioritize, but perhaps use the method of putting items you have been seeking the longest, nearest the top of your priority list. In order to keep yourself focused once you are in the room, write out your priorities and take them with you. Index cards, a written note, or a typed page will all work just fine. Just make sure that you keep yourself focused so that you get as much done as possible in the time you are there. Remember, productivity is the key to this trip.

Genealogy can be a fantastically exciting hobby, but there is so much you want to find out that you find yourself stuck. Many times experts will tell you to avoid that trip to the courthouse like the plague. You may be told that you are not welcomed there, that the trip will be unproductive, and that you will deal with rude attorneys all day. That all may be true, but there is a way to make sure your trip is as productive as possible. Make sure that you are aware of the procedures and “tricks” used to avoid being uninvited. In addition, make sure you have a plan going in. Your time will be limited so you need to be focused and on task during the time you are there. Follow these simple tips and no matter what the experts say, your trip to the courthouse will be productive and exciting.

Related posts:

1. Four Important Pieces of Information Vital Statistics Can Provide
2. Your Pediatrician Can Be A Great Resource for Information about Learning Disabilities
3. How to Locate Maiden Names for your Genealogy Search

First of all, consider doing some networking. Though message boards, email lists, and newsletters are likely already a part of your genealogical search, you should lean on them even more in the case that you have hit a dead end. The worst thing you can do when you run into some sort of obstacle is to isolate yourself from others who may be able to help. By using the message boards and email lists, you are adding more brains to the problem solving process, which certainly cannot be a bad thing, can it? If you do not already belong to message boards or email lists, then you really should. They can help you with your research, act as added support in tough times, and can even offer you advice on strategies for finding more information.

Another strategy for overcoming your genealogical dead end is to go back over everything you have already done. Always make sure you have covered all of your bases. Otherwise you will be very upset when you realize that you spent months working on a problem you could have solved in the first five minutes. Many websites and books on genealogy offer checklists for just this particular issue. They will help you to make sure you have done all of the obvious things you can to solve the problem you are experiencing. Review some of your how-to genealogy books or pamphlets to make sure you didn’t get careless and skip over a step that could get you out of the predicament you have landed in.

As a last resort and this really should be your last resort, you can hire a professional genealogist. Despite what others who do this for fun might tell you, there are times when you should consider hiring a professional. However, if you do find yourself considering a professional, check out some of the genealogy websites that will tell you when you should and should not consider hiring a professional. After you read all of the information and you still think hiring a professional is the right thing to do, then make sure you do serious research on who to hire and how to hire them. There is even published information on how to do this. Then, at least you will know whether or not it is a good idea to hire a professional and how to do it. With all of the supposed professional genealogists out there, you should always make sure that you are getting a legitimate one that will actually help you overcome your obstacles.

Lastly, you can always just shelve the problem for a while. It may sound a little odd, but sometimes you just need to get disconnected a bit from a problem before you can really tackle it again. Work on another part of your family tree or another portion of your genealogy project for a while and just forget about your dead end. Then, after a few days, or maybe even weeks, get it back out and look at the problem with fresh eyes. You may surprise yourself with how quick of a solution you can come up with after a break.

Genealogy can be a lot of fun and a great hobby. However, when you hit those inevitable dead ends, it can be immensely frustrating as well. If you find that you have hit a dead end, then you need to know how to handle it. By following the advice outlined here, you will be able to overcome the majority of these dead ends. However, there are times that a dead end is a dead end, so just follow these tips and do the best you can, and good luck.

Related posts:

1. How to Let Go of Those Dead End Leads in Genealogy Research
2. How Computer Software Can Streamline Your Genealogy Research
3. Fact or Fiction: How to Know When You Have a True Lead in your Family Research

Census records are available online and have truly aided the search of the genealogist, whether amateur or professional, since their introduction.  Using the combined power of the internet, high speed computers, and the extensive research of the federal government, all at your fingertips can make research a breeze.

When searching census records, there are several things to remember.  First, have a good idea of alternative spellings of your family name.  Many family names had the spelling changed to make the names seem more American, and help the individuals blend into American society without standing out, with what seemed like foreign sounding names.  Other names were changed because the immigration officials made typographical errors, or could not spell or pronounce the names involved.  And many names simply had multiple spellings that were all considered correct at the time, especially since so many people didn’t read or write at the time.  Also, trying to decipher other people’s handwriting can cause anyone problems.  A person may make an r that looks like an n or any one of dozens of other mistakes from bad handwriting.   With that in mind, know all of the alternative spellings.

Next, make a list of all of the family names you are looking for, and all of the information you have relevant to the ancestors you want to learn about.  Keep this information in a notebook handy, or in an online data base.  And be prepared to write in the notebook or add to the data base as you acquire more information.  When making a list of names, remember that Smith for instance is sometimes written at Smithe, or Smythe.  Johnson can be Johnston or Jonson.  Madux can be Maddux or Maddox.  Know the combinations and alternatives and you will aid your search.

After that, know what states your ancestors were probably living in.  If your ancestor lived in New Jersey that is the census you want to check out, not New York.  And know the geography.  If you can’t find your ancestor in New Jersey, but believe he was in the area at the time, then New York as an adjourning state is the next place to check, followed by Pennsylvania and all of the other states in the area where the ancestor could have lived.

Know something about the spouses and the spousal families.  If you can’t find your great, great, great grandfather, but you know whom he married, then you can check out the spouse’s family and perhaps find some information there.  The more information you have to start with in your research, the better for you, the more extensive the research will be, and the less time it will take.

Then have a good idea of the time period in which the ancestor lived.  If your ancestor lived in New York in 1900, then that is the first census to check.  Then checking the 1890 and 1910 census records will help determine when he moved there and when he left.  But, there is no need to check the 1920 census or the 1880 census if the time periods don’t match.

There has never been a better time in history to do genealogical research for many reasons, one of the main ones being census records availability online.  Other things that help the genealogical researcher these days include the popularity of the hobby, the abundance of good software to help in the research, and the Internet itself.  With the Internet it is possible to find online chat rooms, groups, message forums and other places to meet like minded people researching their own families.  And as these things go, many people start their research on one branch of their own family and then tie into other branches, tying into other people’s research, and helping everyone along the way.

Related posts:

1. Five Important Things You Can Learn from Researching Death Records
2. How to Locate Maiden Names for your Genealogy Search
3. Four Important Pieces of Information Vital Statistics Can Provide

First and foremost, always keep track of all of your resources. When you get new information, write down where you got it. If it was a book, get the title, the author, publisher, and even the ISBN or ISSN number so that you will know where you got the information and where to get more if you find yourself in need of more information down the road from the same resource. If you get information from a relative, write down from whom you got it and when you conducted the interview. Information is a big part of this hobby so make sure you know where you are getting yours.

Second, along those same lines, keep yourself organized. When you are organized you are less likely to mix up information and get yourself off track. Put together some sort of filing system, both for print and for your computer documents. That way, when you need a birth certificate you are sure you have, you will know where to look for it. Also, if you want to review information you have previously recorded, you will know exactly where it is on your computer or in y our files.

Third, double check everything. That is, make sure that things make sense before you just assume they are right. For example, if your great, great grandmother was born in 1810, she probably did not get married in 1815 and was likely not a mother in 1820. The same goes for any other chronology of dates or events. Just always make sure things are making sense before you keep going down a wrong path.

The fourth thing you should do to keep things straight is to be very careful about scams. There are a lot of scams out there that are designed to take advantage of those who are into genealogy. For instance, you may get the mail order brochure that offers to get you all the information you need on whatever family you are researching. Do not fall for this, since most of these are not researched and use only phone listings and other unreliable information to come up with what is supposed to be a family history. You are always better off doing your own research. In addition, remember that anything you hear about that sounds too easy, is probably a scam.

Fifth, make sure you are very specific when you make notes and share information. Date formats vary from country to country so make sure you are clear about month, date, and year. Also, be very clear with your writing and with which names are surnames and which ones are given names. That way, when it comes time to ask others for help, everything is clear.

Sixth, to keep things accurate make sure you are not assuming things about families and relationships. In earlier times, a step child was sometimes called a son in law or a relative that was not a sister or brother was called a cousin no matter what the actual relationship was.

Seventh, in order to avoid following down paths you are not sure about, make sure you review and verify conclusions you have come to. There is often a lot of conflicting information within families as you do your research, especially if it from farther back. By taking time to verify, you may actually save yourself more time down the road.

Finally, give yourself the opportunity to succeed by advertising the surnames for which you are searching. Post them online with genealogy websites and get the information to any genealogical societies to which you belong. If you do not belong to any, it is something you might consider since they often have resources you may not be able to get on your own.

Genealogy is fun, but it can also be frustrating. To avoid the frustration of chasing bad information or the wrong family, follow these eight tips. You will enjoy genealogy much more when you know you are looking at correct information.

Related posts:

1. Give the Gift of Genealogy – Five Gifts that Reflect the Family Tree
2. Fact or Fiction: How to Know When You Have a True Lead in your Family Research
3. Bring to Life Those Dead Ends in your Genealogy Research

The first thing that will help you recognize whether your family research is true is by noticing the type of evidence that is being used in your information.  Direct evidence is recorded information that does not need any interpretation or further research.  This is the best way to know that you have a family lead.  If you have direct evidence, it will clearly fit into other evidence that you have found.  It will also not need any interpretation with the date that it was recorded and with the people or events that were occurring.  Indirect evidence, however, is usually information found from circumstances.  This is second hand information and does not lead directly to your family history and will require more effort and search. 

Finding the basic facts for your genealogy not only includes finding primary sources and knowing which ones are valid, but also documenting accurate facts.  When comparing information, always look into records that you know will be applicable to your search.  Marriage records, baptisms, burials, minutes, military pensions, etc. are all types of accurate information that can be used as primary sources.  These will help you to build a foundation when documenting your genealogical history.  From here, you will be able to link other sources from magazines and newspapers to your genealogy. 

Another thing to look at when deciphering between true or false information with your family is the sources that you are using.  Every source, whether it is on a website or from a newspaper, should have certain sightings attached to it in order to ensure that it is the right quality.  The first type of sources that you should use are recorded when the event of your ancestor has taken place.  These are the best ways to find leads with your family research.  You will recognize certain dates and people in these types of sources that can help lead to the right conclusions.  Secondary sources, on the other hand, are records that were put down after a significant amount of time passed with the history.  While these can help fill in some holes or gaps with your research, they will also require more time and effort to find more substantial facts. 

The information that is received from the sources should always have information attached to the sources that proves that the evidence is not being generated falsely.  This means that you should be able to document all of the information that you find from the genealogy source that you are using.  Names, dates, websites, etc. should all have complete documentation.  If they don’t, then they are probably not direct links to your lineage.   

After you have discovered a certain amount of evidence and decided on whether the information is accurate or not, then you can begin interpreting the data.  With everything that you have found, there are gaps and holes that can be filled in.  This will lead to more accurate and consistent information about your family history.  It will also allow you to find contradictory information that you may have thought was direct or secondary evidence before.  When you find leads, it is important to decide what the gaps are that need to be filled in, which allows you to validate the information about your ancestry.

By doing thorough investigations of genealogy information, you will be more likely to find the accurate information needed.  Documenting sources, comparing information, filling in gaps of information, and finding primary sources will all help to ensure that you are finding factual information about your genealogy.  By not investigating and looking into the details of your family history, you may run into false information or sources that will move you in the wrong direction when discovering your genealogy. 

Related posts:

1. How to Let Go of Those Dead End Leads in Genealogy Research
2. Bring to Life Those Dead Ends in your Genealogy Research
3. Eight Ways to Avoid Barking Up the Wrong Family Tree

Another good place to look is old photo albums.  Many people label the backs of pictures or the bottom of Polaroid pictures.  Most are not labeled and you will have to ask your parents, grandparents and other family members about the pictures.  Pictures are the best thing to stir forgotten memories and help older people remember other people and events.  You can learn about family members, family friends, family and non family events.  You can usually find wedding pictures, birthday pictures, anniversary pictures, and a lot of other pictures that may prove useful. 

Some people, especially those of a war generation save letters.  If your parents or grandparents saved any of these letters, ask if they can see them.  They usually will give them to you, and if you read them together, they will probably have stories to share about that time.  It will serve two purposes: It will give you the information you need, as well as allow them to reminisce.  You will both enjoy the time spent together.   Reading through the letters should give you some information about family, events, places, names, and many other leads you can follow up on.

Talk to as many family members as possible, someone may have birth certificates and/or death certificates of family members.  These will usually have parents and spouse information on it that can help guide you.  These can usually be found at family churches, census bureau, older family members, etc

Gifts and jewelry passed down is also a good thing to check.  Many things are engraved or have certificates of Authenticity.  You can ask around your family, someone is bound to know about the ring you got from your mother or the watch you got from your grandfather.  It never hurts to ask. Sometimes if you bring jewelry to a reputable jeweler, they can do some research and find the original owners and maybe a bit of history about the piece. 

Sometimes your family will keep newspaper clipping of things that your family has accomplished or events that have happened in the past.  Asking family members about these is another good way of stirring memories that can lead you to other family members.  Just like photos, these can be a very powerful tool in getting the older family members to talk about the past.

The many resources of a family can almost always deliver a wide collection of old photographs (sometimes unlabelled, but sometimes you can be lucky), newspaper cuttings, birth, marriage, and death certificates, and other mementoes. These help to stimulate interest and are useful things to take when talking to older people whose memories are not as good as they used to be and can often stirred by such memorable things.

Write everything down, remain skeptical about stories that the family is descended from King Charles, the Duke of Something, Baron Somebody, the guy that discovered this and that and is famous for this, or all of these people, and follow the leads that promise to point the way back to the unknown. Do not start with some famous person who had the same surname as yours back in the 15th century. The golden rule is to work backwards from the known to the unknown. The records of civil registration, the census returns of the 19th century, and church parish registers are the basic sources for the beginner. You may very well find that you are a direct descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte, but you can’t just take Grandma’s word for it. 

Related posts:

1. Family Religion – Tracing Genealogy through Church Records
2. How Creating a Timeline for your Family’s History Assists your Search
3. Create your Own Traditions with Family to Help Future Genealogists

The most well known church records for genealogy research are those of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Mormons.  The LDS church maintains extensive records and several web sites, and you don’t have to be a member of their church to access the records as they consider genealogy records to be part of the mission of their church.  They have a free genealogy search engine, as well as links to many other sites that can assist in research.  Links include US, British and Canadian census records online.  The LDS church also offers a free workbook for researchers and other tools either free or at a very low cost that can prove helpful.

Many other churches also keep records of membership, marriages, births, confirmation, baptism, death, anniversaries and other important events in the lives of their members.  If your church is part of a large denomination there may be a central record center where this information is kept.  If you or your family belonged to a smaller church, you may have to visit the church or write to the pastor to gain this information.    Many times the logs or journals of pastors will be passed down from one to another.  If logs or journals are not available, church records will generally show attendance and that can help tremendously in determining if your family members were at this particular church during the specified time period.

In the country many churches have adjoining cemeteries and extensive burial records.  One family researcher has been known to hang out at cemeteries reading the inscriptions on grave stones looking for long lost relatives, and has had very good results.  Other researchers have had good luck with the records of church affiliated organizations.  As an example, the Knights of Columbus is a Catholic organization for men that has been around for a very long time and keeps records of membership.  This is a group formed to provide men of the parish with a meeting place for fellowship and an organizational structure for doing good works for the community. 

The various rites of the Masonic Lodge has a similar goal and has had affiliation with many Protestant churches and one genealogic researcher discovered that most of her male ancestors were members of a particular lodge, which led her to visit that lodge and ask for help in finding records of her ancestors.  The lodge members were quite helpful.  It turned out that in the small community where the lodge was located most of the members were also members of the same area churches, and many of the records coincided.  As fortune would have it, one of the churches also had a nearby cemetery and she was able to find the graves of many ancestors by visiting there, as well as photographs of two grandfathers and two great grandfathers who had been Lodge Masters during the years.  This was a rare find, and proved the value of checking with churches, cemeteries and fraternal orders.

Family bibles often have indispensable information, and while most families keep possession of the family bible, some donate them to churches.  If this is the case, checking out the family bibles of other families in the area can give clues to what may have been going on with your own family around that time.

Of course, if your family is from a rural area there may be less organization than would be found in a larger or older city.  Boston for instance is filled with churches and graveyards, and most of them keep very good records.  On the other hand, a small town in Arizona may not have been settled that long ago in the grand scheme of things and may not have records that are as extensive.  But, you never know until you check it out, and part of family tree research is following leads to see where they go.  While one lead may dry out, it also may split off and lead you in a different and more productive direction.

Related posts:

1. How Family Heirlooms Provide Hints of Your Genealogy
2. Give the Gift of Genealogy – Five Gifts that Reflect the Family Tree
3. Eight Important How-to Tips in Searching Census Records