This Week's Tip
Materials from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City are not loaned to public libraries. Check and see if there is a branch Family History Center near you-look up "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" in your phone book.

February 2, 2004
When writing for copies of records, always request a copy of the original record. Abstracts are not always created for genealogical purposes and may not include all the genealogically-relevant information.

January 26, 2004
Pension records of step-ancestors may answer genealogical questions. The Civil War pension record of a step-ancestor provided the maiden name of his wife, the ancestor. Marriage information was also included with enough detail to lead to the marriage record itself.

January 19, 2004
Never assume something is irrelevant. A relative's place of elopement was originally considered to be unimportant. Later research turned out that a "unknown" aunt actually lived in that town at the time the relative got married.

January 12, 2004
In obtaining information from relatives, remember that sometimes the older children in the family may know more family details than the younger children. Be sure to ask all family members what they know. The members of one family may know more than the rest.

January 5, 2004
Remember that the county is the most important jurisdiction to consider in locating marriage records, with the exception of towns in New England. Many counties and towns have marriage records beginning with their formation. However, there are exceptions. For pre-1900 records, see if the Family History Library Catalog contains marriage records for the county of interest.