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From: "Cory S. Schick" <>
Subject: [IL-CENTRAL] Ancestry.com - What Do You Do When the Courthouse Burns?
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 11:30:31 -0600


This article came in an Ancestry.com newsleter. I thought some might find it
intersting...
What Do You Do When the Courthouse Burns? (by Kip Sperry)
If a county clerk informed you that all of the county's old records were
burned in a courthouse fire, what would you do? Would you know how to
proceed? In this article, let's talk about your possibilities when faced
with such a setback and explore alternative sources you could still check
for information.
First, it's unlikely that all the records were destroyed in a courthouse
fire. It's difficult to destroy large ledgers of court records, deeds,
wills, card indexes in file drawers, atlases, and so forth. In addition, the
records in the public library, local historical society, or local churches
probably haven't been destroyed. In some cases, the lost records may have
been reconstituted (this is especially true for land and probate records).
If there was a fire or flood in the courthouse, it's also possible that some
of the old records might have been in the county clerk's home or in the home
of another local official at the time. Perhaps the records were transcribed
or abstracted.
Whatever the circumstance, it's unlikely that all the records were lost. But
there are still other sources you could use to further your research.
Following are a few ideas.
Begin your research with family and home sources. Check family Bibles,
photographs, compiled genealogies, diaries and journals, correspondence,
scrapbooks, baby books, copies of vital records, military discharge papers,
family group records, computer databases, and so forth. This is the first
step in any genealogical research, and it often yields the best clues.
The Internet is another good place to search for local records. The USGenWeb
page <http://www.usgenweb.org>; for your county of interest probably contains
county and local records (most do). Local records for some areas are also
being indexed or digitized and placed on the Internet. Check genealogy
search sites like Ancestry.com for these.
Records in local public libraries will likely include the following:
compiled genealogies, local histories, atlases, typescript copies of vital
and other local records, biographical works with sketches of early pioneers,
city directories, gravestone inscriptions, newspapers and obituary files,
tax lists, funeral home records, census population schedules, agricultural
census schedules, church records, school records, and periodicals. All of
these can be excellent alternative sources for local research.
In addition, college and university libraries in the area will have
manuscript collections, newspapers, local histories, biographies,
periodicals, census records, city directories, maps and atlases, college and
alumni records, and much more. Some libraries also have compiled
genealogies, cemetery records, and other genealogical records in a variety
of formats, including microfilm, microfiche, and compact disc.
Church records may also be available. Check county and local histories to
determine what churches were in the county at the time when your ancestors
lived there. Church records begin early and may include baptisms, marriages,
burials, lists of members, and minutes of meetings. Many churches even have
histories with detailed sketches of early settlers.
Your county of interest probably has a county historical or genealogical
society. Most of these societies have a library with printed and manuscript
local histories, biographies, Bible records, cemetery records, newspapers,
compiled genealogies, and more. Most societies also publish a newsletter or
a quarterly journal that contains genealogies, biographies, queries, and
local history.
The local sexton should maintain cemetery and burial records that show the
person's name, date of death, age, next of kin, and other details, so
checking the sexton's records can be helpful. Also, gravestones may have
been copied by members of the Daughters of the American Revolution, local
genealogical society members, or by other organizations. Look for these
gravestone transcriptions at society headquarters and even online.
The state historical society, state archives, state library, and state vital
records office-all located in the state capital-are further good resources.
These repositories house a wide range of local records in varying formats
(microfilm copies of records, printed sources, compact discs, manuscripts,
etc.). These offices may have state and federal census schedules, vital
records, military service records, soldiers' homes records, court and
legislative records, appeals court records, land grants, newspapers, local
histories, genealogies, biographical sources, atlases, city directories, tax
records or tax duplicates, Bible records, church and cemetery records,
mortality schedules (1850-80), divorce records, prison records, fraternal
records, lineage society applications, business and employment records,
American State Papers, Territorial Papers of the United States, and much
more.
The National Archives and Records Administration <http://www.nara.gov>; in
Washington, DC has federal census schedules (1790-1920), passenger and
immigration records, passport applications, military service and pension
files, federal land records (such as homesteads and bounty land records),
naturalization records, federal court records, soldiers' homes records, and
other federal records. See NARA's published work, Guide to Genealogical
Research in the National Archives
<http://shops.ancestry.com/product.asp?productid=1692&shopid=126>;, for more
on specific collections and record types.
Many of the microfilmed National Archives records are available at NARA's
regional branches, the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, the Allen
County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and other large libraries.
Make use of the regional archive near your residence as well as the archive
near your ancestors' former residence. You should also use the large
collection of records at the Library of Congress and Daughters of the
American Revolution Library, both in Washington, DC.
Finally, countless county and local records are available on microfilm at
the Family History Library. See the Family History Library Catalog (FHLC)
for call numbers. Be sure to check neighboring counties, where you may find
church, land, probate, tax, and other records.
For Further Reference
Bentley, Elizabeth Petty. County Courthouse Book. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD:
Genealogical Publishing Co., 1998.
Bentley, Elizabeth Petty. The Genealogist's Address Book. 4th ed. Baltimore,
MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1998.
Eichholz, Alice. Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County, & Town Sources
<http://shops.ancestry.com/product.asp?productid=2113&shopid=126>;. Rev. ed.
Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry, 1992.
The Handy Book for Genealogists. 9th ed. Logan, UT: Everton Publishers,
1999.
Sankey, Michael L. and Carl R. Ernst, eds. Find Public Records Fast: The
Complete State, County, and Courthouse Locator <http://www.brbpub.com>;. 3rd
ed. Tempe, AZ: Facts on Demand Press, 2000.
Sankey, Michael L., et al., eds. Public Records Online. 3rd ed. Tempe, AZ:
Facts on Demand Press, 2000.
Sankey, Michael L., et al., eds. The Sourcebook to Public Record
Information. 2nd ed. Tempe, AZ: BRB Publications, 2000.
Smith, Juliana Szucs. The Ancestry Family Historian's Address Book
<http://shops.ancestry.com/product.asp?productid=2023&shopid=126>;. Salt Lake
City, UT: Ancestry, 1997.
Sperry, Kip. "Planning for a Successful Genealogy Research Trip."
</library/view/columns/tips/3337.asp> Kip's Tips, 6 February 2001.
Kip Sperry is an associate professor of family history at Brigham Young
University in Provo, Utah.

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