Planning an Archive or Courthouse Research Trip
Most records still aren't online. How to find out what an archive or courthouse holds, prepare before you go, follow reading-room rules, and come home with everything you need.
For all the records online, most of America's historical records have never been digitized. County deed books, court minutes, loose probate papers, tax rolls and manuscript collections sit in courthouses, state archives and historical societies. Sooner or later, the answer you need will be in one of them. A little preparation turns a trip from a frustrating day into a productive one.
Step 1: Find out who holds the records
Records don't always stay where they were created. Old county records may have been moved to the state archives, a regional repository, or a university library, while some courthouses still hold everything back to their founding.
- Check the FamilySearch Research Wiki page for the county, which often says where records are held.
- Check the state archives' website for a list of county records in its custody.
- Search the FamilySearch catalog to see what was microfilmed and whether images are online. See Mastering the FamilySearch Catalog.
- Call or email the clerk's office or archive to confirm.
Step 2: Use finding aids
Archives describe their collections in finding aids: guides that list what's in each collection, box by box or folder by folder. Many are online. Read them before you go and note the collection names, box numbers and folder titles you want. Some collections are stored offsite and must be requested days or weeks ahead, so ask.
Step 3: Prepare your list
Write down each specific question and the records that might answer it. For example:
- Grantor and grantee deed indexes for the surname, 1790–1850
- Will of John Miller, about 1834, and the full probate packet
- Court order books for the year after his death, for guardianships of his minor children
- Tax lists for 1820–1840 (see Tax Lists)
Bring a summary of what you already know, a research log and copies of key documents, not your original papers.
Step 4: Know the rules
Archives protect irreplaceable originals, so their reading rooms have rules. Typical ones:
- Registration with a photo ID, sometimes a researcher card
- No bags, coats or food; lockers are usually provided
- Pencils only, no pens
- One folder or box at a time, keeping papers in their original order
- Request slips ("pull slips") for staff to retrieve materials, often only at certain times of day
- Photography rules: many archives allow phones or cameras without flash; some charge a fee or require permission
- Gloves only when staff ask (usually for photographs)
Read the rules on the website before you go so nothing surprises you.
Courthouses are different
Courthouse clerks' offices are working government offices, not research libraries. Records may be in a vault, a basement or an annex. Some tips:
- Call ahead to ask about hours for researchers, where old records are kept, and whether you can photograph them.
- Avoid busy times, like the first and last days of the month, and arrive early.
- Be courteous and patient. Staff are serving the public's current business first, and a friendly researcher gets more help.
- Start with the indexes: the general grantor and grantee indexes for deeds, and the probate index. Then pull the books and files they point to.
- Ask about "loose papers." Probate packets, court case files and marriage bonds may be stored separately from the bound books.
- Expect fees for certified copies; plain photocopies or photographs are often cheaper.
While you're there
- Photograph everything relevant, including the book's spine or cover and the page number, so you can cite it later.
- Copy whole documents, not just the part with your ancestor's name. Witnesses and neighbors matter.
- Search beyond your direct ancestor: siblings, in-laws and neighbors. See The FAN Club.
- Log every search, including the ones that find nothing.
- Ask the staff what else they have. They know about indexes, card files and collections that aren't in any catalog.
After the trip
Rename and back up your photos the same day, with descriptive file names. Transcribe or abstract key documents within a week, while you still remember the context. Then update your tree, cite your new sources, and plan the questions for your next visit.
When you can't go
If a trip isn't possible, many courthouses and archives will search for and copy a specific document by mail or email for a fee. Be specific: a name, approximate date and record type. Archives and genealogical societies also keep lists of local researchers you can hire.