Research > Guides > Your Family History > Local information
Local information
Where is information found?
Janet read genealogy guidebooks and talked to family members. She filled out genealogy forms and compared information with the data other family members had.
As she compiled her information she wondered where she would find documentation to support it.
She found out that some resources were available through state and federal agencies – but sometimes it was difficult to find a name she thought should be listed. Then she discovered “local information”.
Local information is much more than published histories and maps to add texture to a family history. Unique indexes and information can be found locally that aren't widely available.
When large collections of data (census and military records, local newspaper articles, vital statistics, and land and probate records) become available, a local organization (such as a library, a historical society, or a genealogy society) MAY develop a finding aid to help their members. Janet needed to do research to find these organizations.
Related resources
Books
The library has an several books to help you locate libraries, genealogical societies, and historical societies:
- American library directory; a classified list of libraries in the United States and Canada, with personnel and statistical data
- The ancestry family historian's address book: a comprehensive list of local, state, and federal agencies and institutions and ethnic and genealogical organizations by Juliana Szucs Smith
- Directory of family associations by Elizabeth Petty Bentley, & Deborah Ann Carl
- Gale's guide to genealogical & historical research: a Gale ready reference handbook, Dawn Conzett DesJardins, editor
Related Web sites
- Cyndi's List - U.S. State Level Records Repositories
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http://www.cyndislist.com/lib-state.htmCyndi Howell provides information on the location of state records, arranged by state.
- Libraries in the Yahoo Directory
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http://dir.yahoo.com/reference/libraries/Links to many public and private libraries as well as links by type of library collection.