Stop searching
the same place.
Your ancestor’s story didn’t end at a search box.
Find the records—and the repositories—that can move your research forward.
Where is your research stuck?
Choose the gap in your story.
We’ll point you toward a place to look.
“Their name isn’t there.”
Look beyond indexed records.
Start with the FamilySearch Catalog.
“Who were their people?”
Follow heirs, guardians and witnesses.
Open probate records.
“Where did they go?”
Trace a place and its neighbors.
Follow land and property records.
“What was their life like?”
Find the story between the milestones.
Read the local newspapers.
A different door into the past.
The FamilySearch Catalog
No name match? Search for the place, then browse the records an index may have missed.
The county courthouse
Follow the paper trail where land, estates and local legal business were recorded.
The state archives
Find the government records and overlooked collections beyond the county line.
A brick wall is a reason
to change direction.
Go from a promising idea to a practical research session. Every protocol gives you a place to look, steps to take and a way to record what you find.
- 01Ask a smaller question.
Name the person, place, time and missing fact. - 02Find who kept the record.
Think about the office, institution or community. - 03Follow—and document—the evidence.
Keep the source, the context and your next question.