If you want this . . . look here - Sister Manja Midgley

“I’ve found my family in the 1920 census, but not in the 1930 census. They never moved away from Baltimore. Is there anywhere I can get more information?”

Using City Directories
Where can I find City Directories?
What is contained in them?
How often are they published?
How easy is the information to use?
What are the challenges to using a city directory?

Let’s explore some case studies.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“My family has stories about our ancestors building schooners in Toms River, New Jersey. Where can I find more authoritative information about this our ancestral home?”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Using United States Gazetteers
What if the town or village you are searching for is not on a map?
Do gazetteers to help you locate places where your ancestors may have lived?
What about discovering the former names of places?
Where are the locations and information on local parishes/churches, schools and civic offices where you can further research and locate records?
How could topographical information about the area your ancestor lived help understand ancestor’s lives better?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I have ancestors from Poland who came to the United States in the early 1900’s. I want to go back further, but have no idea how to even begin. HELP!”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Using Eastern European gazetteers
How does a person select which gazetteer to use?
What helps are available to make using a foreign language gazetteer easier to understand?
Once a village is found, what’s next? How does one use the information?