Appendix C

Record Selection Table

Use this table to determine which records would be useful in finding information about your ancestors. The first column lists important types of information about your ancestor and events in your ancestor’s life. The second and third columns show groups or organizations that may have created records about your ancestor. Check for records listed in the second column before checking for records listed in the third column.

Event	Look for These Records First	Then Look for These Records
Birth	Government: Vital records Family: Bible records Church: Parish records, membership records Other: Cemeteries	Government: Census, military, taxation Newspaper: Obituaries
Birth, foreign	Government: Census, emigration, immigration, naturalization, citizenship Family or library: Bible, biography, genealogy	Church: Parish records, membership records Newspaper: Obituaries Library: Histories, maps, gazetteers
Death	Government: Death, probate Newspaper: Obituaries Church: Parish records, membership records Other: Cemeteries, funeral homes, hospitals	Newspaper: Articles Government: Military, court, land and property
Marriage and maiden name	Government: Vital records Church: Parish records, membership records Newspaper: Announcements, obituaries Family: Bible records	Government: Military, probate, land and property, nobility Family or library: Biography, genealogy Other: Cemeteries
Divorce	Government: Court records, divorce records	Newspaper: Articles Government: Vital records
Immigration, emigration	Government: Immigration, emigration, naturalization, citizenship Family or library: Genealogy	Government: Census Library: Biography Newspaper: Articles Church: Membership records
Family members	Government: Vital records, census, probate Church: Parish records, membership records Newspaper: Obituaries	Family: Bible Government: Immigration, emigration, land and property
Place of residence	Government: Census, land and property, military, vital records Family or library: History, genealogy Church: Parish records, membership records Other: Directories	Government: Taxation Newspaper: Obituaries
Religion	Church: Parish records, membership records Library: History, biography Government: Civil registration	Family or library: Bible records, genealogy Newspaper: Obituaries Other: Cemeteries