Tracing your family history is a continuous learning experience. In order to find our ancestors, we must learn about many record types—why they were kept, what they contain, and where to find them. Because many of these records are kept in different places and are not yet available online, it is helpful to access finding aids that can lead us to rich new records we have yet to explore.

The records of our ancestors are sometimes scattered in many different places. Research guides and finding aids survey the records available to use so that we can locate them easier.

Sample Images

Berlin in Meyers Konversations-Lexikon (historic encyclopedia of people and places, 1888-91)

Map of Tell City, Perry County, Indiana, from the U.S. Map Collection, 1513-1990

Search Tips

Because these records are so diverse, they are best searched on an individual basis. Use the Card Catalog to determine which collections best search your needs and then search them directly using the search form on that page.
Search for place names alone to locate collections that reference the place where your ancestor lived.

	Use default settings

	Restrict to this place exactly
Or restrict to just:
	county
	county/adjacent counties
	state
	state/adjacent states
	country