South Bay Cities Genealogical Society

Promoting Genealogical Education and Research in Southern California's South Bay

Beginner's Basics

Location, Location, Location

by Connie Moretti

The familiar phrase for real estate holds just as true for genealogy. We cannot find the records of our ancestors if we don't know where to look for them. Most of the records that are useful in our research are held at the county level, for example birth, marriage, death, land, tax and probate records. An old address book may provide specific locations, but if you are not sure of the county where the address is found, you can Google the phrase "(town) is in * county (state)".

Knowing the precise location where a family lived will help you locate the closest churches, cemeteries, schools, and newspapers, as well as other relatives. The most recent censuses list street names in the far left margin, with the house numbers just before the dwelling number. With this information you can use a mapping service such as www.mapquest.com to get a map of the exact location. Using a variety of tools will give you information on the surroundings. One of the best sources for county-wide information is www.linkpendium.com which has all sorts of links for every United States county.

If your family includes pioneers, especially in the vast mid-western areas, you may want to look for them in the government land records at www.glorecords.blm.gov where the documents for first purchasers are being made available. Armed with the exact township, range and section location, you can then visit www.earthpoint.us and find Township and Range in the left-hand sidebar. This service works in conjunction with Google Earth to pinpoint precise properties. You can also use Google Earth with a street address to find a map or photograph of the location. Use the same techniques for locating churches and cemeteries that may contain useful information about your family.

Be aware of a distinction between legal and social locations. The legal location is where vital records are kept, schools are provided, property is transferred and taxes are paid. The social location includes the voluntary associations of churches & cemeteries, clubs & organizations, and local newspapers. Depending on the precise location where your ancestors lived, these social locations may be in an adjacent county or even across state lines. When your family resided near a county or state line, it is important to look in the nearby area for their social records.

Pinpointing the exact location of an ancestral family will allow you to broaden the scope of your research and help to make sure important information is not overlooked.

[First appeared in The Beacon, March/April 2009.]