Genealogy: Finding and Accessing Undiscovered Sources to Help Advance your Research

When researching our family genealogy, we will all reach a point where we feel we have exhausted the records that are available to us. . . and maybe we have. But when we reach this point in our research we should not yet throw in the towel, but rather start to think outside of the box. You see, chances are, even if you feel like you’ve reached the end of the road, it is still likely that some records exist somewhere which name your ancestor that you have never considered or maybe have considered too inconvenient to pursue. Additionally, there may be resources out there which may not directly name your ancestor but could help to give a much fuller picture of their life and times. So how do you learn what records are out there, and perhaps more importantly, if you are geographically separated from those records, how do you go about accessing them? Here are a few tips I’ve learned over my years as a genealogist.

1.       Start with your Topic or Locality Research. The idea here is not to rely too heavily on hints and repetitive searches on your favorite genealogy subscription site, but rather to take the time to find what records exist or don’t exist for the topic at hand, whether that topic is a locality, ethnicity or religion. This could take the form of reading through a book or consulting a Wiki. Consider this step as a broad overview that will allow for efficient research.

2.       Let known information lead you to records. For example, does a census record name your ancestor’s occupation or employer? Have you considered looking for company records, company newsletters or union membership rolls? Do records show that your ancestors worshiped at a particular church? Is it possible that member directories, meeting minutes or even church cookbooks have survived? Yes! Very Possible!

3.       Let social history research lead you to clues. A few years ago, I worked a client project in which I researched my client’s ancestors and presented my findings in a report she planned to gift to her parents. At the outset, I ascertained that my client’s ancestors earned their livelihood through dairy farming in Wisconsin during the early years of the 20th century, including during the years of the Great Depression. I knew that small family farms particularly struggled during the Depression, so I wanted to learn more about what life might have been like for the family. This line of inquiry led to include in the report the history of the 1933 Wisconsin Milk Strike. You see, the price of milk dropped so low in the early 1930s that dairy farmers faced a dire economic situation. Thousands of farmers organized, joining either the Wisconsin Farm Holiday Association or the Wisconsin Co-operative Milk Pool, in an effort to negotiate for a higher milk price. Tensions came to a violent head in 1933 when farmers refused to sell their milk for anything other than a previously agreed upon price.[1]

Ascertaining whether my client’s ancestors belonged to either Milk Strike group fell outside the scope of that particular project, but in the “Future Research Suggestions” section of that report, I detailed how the Wisconsin Historical Society holds records for the Cooperative Milk Pool including a collection in box 1 folder 11, labeled as “Members of the Pool, 1933-1940.”[2] Pretty cool research possibility, isn’t it?

Historic Photo from the Wisconsin Milk Strikes

Historical Insights, "The Wisconsin Milk Strike," c.1935, Ancestry (Ancestry.com: accessed 7 June 2021); citing American Stock Archive/Archive Photos/Getty Images.

4.       Consider ALL levels of repositories – worldwide, national, regional, state and local. What do I mean by this? Consider the scope of the database in which you are searching. For example, a search engine, such as Google, combs the WORLD WIDE Web to find website “hits” that are relevant to your search terms. Perhaps that’s even how you came across this blog post. Since we all have experience with search engines, we probably understand how powerful they can be.

WorldCat represents another “worldwide” database. WorldCat boasts being the world’s largest database which details the holdings of libraries around the world.[3] I think sometimes we assume that all the available resources that pertain to a specific geographic location will be held in or close to that geographic location, but this is not always the case. Case and point: a client recently reached out to me regarding 18th and 19th century Caribbean newspapers -- ironic, considering I live in Central Illinois. But you see, I live in a university town, and the local-to-me University of Illinois Library holds a large collection of Caribbean newspapers which I was able to access on behalf of the client.

When you use a database like WorldCat, you can search for a particular book or publication and find out which libraries have that source.

Tip: When you find a library resource that looks promising for your research, be sure to consult any finding aids which might be available. Finding Aids will further describe the library holdings and how they can be accessed.

You might think that if you are searching a “world-wide” database that there is no need to search at lower-level databases. However, keep in mind that the larger the database, the more results there are to sift through. Algorithms can easily miss (or bury in a long list) valuable results. Algorithms can also misunderstand exactly for what you are searching.

National level repositories would include repositories such as the National Archives or the Library of Congress in the United States. The collections in National-level repositories are often vast, but sometimes overlooked by genealogists. In fact, Judy Russell, a well-known genealogist and lecturer gives a presentation titled, “NARA Mythbusters: Your Family IS in the National Archives.”[4] So if you haven’t taken the time to learn about NARA’s records, you might be missing some VALUABLE genealogical records.

Similarly, regional repositories can be extremely valuable to your research. Several years ago, I wrote to the State Archive in Sicily’s Agrigento Region to request my great-grandfather’s military draft record, the “Lista di Leva.” These lists won’t be found digitized online. The regional repository responded to my email several weeks later with the requested document attached in the email.

State repositories should not be overlooked when considering where you might find out more information about your ancestors. I once completed a client research project in which court records played a huge role in making progress with that report’s research question. The research resources at the Tennessee State Library and Archives proved invaluable, as did that library’s “chat with a librarian” feature.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to reach out to librarians. They are there to help!

Finally, local repositories can be genealogical gold mines. Local repositories include places like county courthouses (and the neighboring county courthouse), local libraries or historical societies. Sometimes these places will make available records and resources on their websites, but most of the time some or all of their holdings can only be accessed in person. An email or phone call goes a long way to find out what they have and how it might benefit your research. In my experience, people at the local level are usually more than happy to help you in your research, although sometimes it may take a while to receive a reply to an email. Be patient, but if you don’t hear back in a matter of weeks, feel free to politely follow up.

5.       Consider genealogy-specific libraries such as the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, or The Genealogy Center at the Alan County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Both hold vast research collections specifically pertaining to genealogy.[5] Alan County is also home to the Periodical Source Index which will be discussed in further detail below.

6.       Consider Topic or Ethnicity Specific libraries. Places such as the Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago hold collections specific to the history of that region’s Irish population. Do you have veteran ancestors?  You may know about the fire which destroyed so many personnel records at the National Archives in St. Louis, but did you know that the various military branches also have archives?[6] Many years ago, while living near Montgomery, Alabama, I was able to research more about my grandfather’s Army Air Corp unit in World War II at the Air Force Historical Research Agency at Maxwell Air Force Base.

7.       Finally, read journals and articles that pertain to or share similarities with your research topic. Read the footnotes or bibliographies to learn what primary sources were consulted by other researchers.

One great way to see how other genealogists have solved cases similar to yours is to read peer reviewed journal articles such as those found in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. Perhaps the easiest way to search for these types of articles is through the Periodical Source Index which is maintained by the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center. PERSI boasts being “the premier subject index for genealogy and local history periodicals.”[7]

JSTOR represents another database which contains “journal articles, books, images, and primary sources in 75 disciplines.”[8] I personally have found many helpful and well-researched articles that pertain to my specific genealogy research topics through JSTOR.

Ok, so the above list should be enough to get your wheels spinning about where else to look for records. But just knowing some potentially relevant collection or record exists in a library somewhere is not always enough. How do you access those records or collections? My thoughts:

1.       Don’t assume the materials aren’t digitized. If your search leads you to an interesting book or article, check a copy at digital libraries such as Google Books, Hathi Trust and Internet Archive

2.       Check Ebay, Abebooks and other ecommerce sites which sell out of print books.

3.       Look into interlibrary loan. If you see something of interest on Worldcat for example, but are not local to the library which holds that item, consider that your local library may be able to request the item via interlibrary loan.

4.       Ask the repository directly how you can access specific materials. For example, certain records in the National Archives can be ordered and mailed to you. Other collections are available only to on-site researchers. If in doubt, ask.

5.       You may have access to articles from databases like JSTOR through your local library.

6.       In the case of PERSI, you can order articles using this form from the Alan County Public Library.

7.       Contact the publisher. For example, if you find an article published by a genealogical society, don’t be afraid to reach out to the society and ask how you might obtain a copy of the article.

8.       Make a research trip. I don’t know about you, but I frequently dream of hitting the open road with my research notes and laptop ready to make discoveries at a distant courthouse or library. General life responsibilities make research trips rare occurrences, but those I have taken embarked on have been such memorable experiences.

Tip: Manage your expectation regarding how much you will be able to get done in the time you are at the repository. Know exactly for what you are searching and print out your notes ahead of time (just in case – you may run into reception, battery or policy rules that will not allow you to use your electronic device). Call ahead of time to let the repository know you are coming and what materials in which you are interested. Also, research trips are not the time to be shy. If in doubt, ask. Introduce yourself to librarians and clerks and tell them the purpose of your trip.

9.       Hire a researcher. The Association of Professional Genealogists member directory lists the names of professional researchers like me around the world. Do your homework on any potential researcher and make sure that expectations, product, payment and deadline details are clearly communicated.

[1] Herbert Jacobs, “The Wisconsin Milk Strikes,” The Wisconsin Magazine of History 35, no. 1 (1951): 30-35; JSTOR (http://www.jstor.org/stable/4632334: accessed 2 June 2021). Also, A William Hoglund, "Wisconsin Dairy Farmers on Strike," Agricultural History 35, no. 1 (1961), p. 24-34; JSTOR (jstor.org : accessed 3 June 2021). Also, Andrew Keene, "Dairy Farming in Wisconsin During the Depression: The Milk Strikes of 1933," University of Wisconsin (Eau Claire : 2018), pp. 1-3; MindsatUW (minds.wicsonsin.edu : accessed 7 June 2021).

[2] Wisconsin Co-operative Milk Pool Records, 1928-1943, Archival Resources in Wisconsin: Descriptive Finding Aids, Wisconsin Historical Society (https://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=wiarchives;cc=wiarchives;rgn=main;view=text;didno=uw-whs-mss00026 : accessed 1 August 2023).

[3] WorldCat (WorldCat.org : accessed 1 August 2023), home.

[4] Judy Russell, “NARA Mythbusters: Your Family IS in the National Archives,” 2016; Rootstech lecture and handout RT9331.

[5] FamilySearch (FamilySearch.org/en/about : accessed 1 August 2023), Home > About. Also, ACPL Genealogy Center (https://acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy : accessed 1 August 2023), Home.

[6] For fire, see, The 1973 Fire, National Personnel Records Center, National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/fire-1973 : accessed 1 August 2023), Home > National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) > The 1973 Fire, National Personnel Records Center.

[7] ACPL Genealogy Center (https://acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy : accessed 1 August 2023), Home > Free Databases > PERSI.

[8] JSTOR (jstor.org : accessed 16 August 2023), Home > About JSTOR.