Obtain and Search the Records

[[Principles of Family History Research|Principles of Family History Researc] [[Image:Gotoarrow.pn] Step 4. Obtain and Search the Records

Step 4: Obtain and search the records. If you have effectively completed earlier steps, you are now ready for the most exciting and rewarding step of finding and searching the records. By the end of this step you should have: *(1) your research findings recorded in your research log and *(2) photocopies (or notes) of the records found. You may be able to obtain most records from several different repositories or online resources. Also, understanding different search tactics can help increase your choices of success.

Table of Contents for Step 4. Obtain and Search the Records
1 [[Obtain the Records|Obtain the Record]


 * 1.1 [[Obtain the Records#Internet_Resources|Internet Resource]
 * 1.2 [[Obtain the Records#Family_History_Library|Family History Librar]
 * 1.3 [[Obtain the Records#Family_History_Centers|Family History Center]
 * 1.4 [[Obtain the Records#Other_Research_Libraries|Other Research Librarie]
 * 1.5 [[Obtain the Records#Local_Libraries|Local Librarie]
 * 1.5.1 [[Obtain the Records#Interlibrary_Loan|Interlibrary Loa]
 * 1.6 [[Obtain the Records#Original_Record_Holder|Original Record Holde]
 * 1.6.1 [[Obtain the Records#Courthouses_and_Government_Offices|Courthouses and Government Office]
 * 1.7 [[Obtain the Records#Archives|Archive]
 * 1.8 [[Obtain the Records#Societies|Societie]
 * 1.9 [[Obtain the Records#Publishers_and_Booksellers|Publishers and Bookseller]
 * 1.10 [[Obtain the Records#Periodicals|Periodical]
 * 1.11 [[Obtain the Records#E-mail_and_Correspondence|E-mail and Correspondenc]

2 [[View the Records|View the Record]


 * 2.1 [[View the Records#Format_and_Equipment|Format and Equipmen]
 * 2.2 [[View the Records#Read_and_Interpret_the_Records|Read and Interpret the Record]
 * 2.2.1 [[View the Records#Formats_of_Records|Formats of Record]

3 [[Search the Records|Search the Record]


 * 3.1 [[Search the Records#Look_for_Indexes|Look for Indexe]
 * 3.2 [[Search the Records#Search_for_the_Whole_Family|Search for the Whole Famil]
 * 3.3 [[Search the Records#Surname_Searches|Surname Searche]
 * 3.4 [[Search the Records#Establish_Search_Ranges|Establish Search Range]
 * 3.5 [[Search the Records#Be_Thorough|Be Thoroug]
 * 3.6 [[Search the Records#Know_Limitations|Know Limitation]
 * 3.7 [[Search the Records#Multiple_Families|Multiple Familie]

4 [[Record the Results|Record the Result]


 * 4.1 [[Record the Results#If_the_Search_Result_Is_Negative|If the Search Result Is Negativ]
 * 4.2 [[Record the Results#If_the_Search_Result_Is_Positive|If the Search Result Is Positiv]

]