Researching local history at libraries and archives

Every town's history is scattered across half a dozen buildings. The deed to a house is at the county recorder, the newspaper on microfilm at the library, the photographs at the historical society, the old school records at the state archives, and the church registers in a diocesan archive two counties away. Local history research is mostly the craft of knowing which building to try.

This guide covers the usual keepers, how to work with them, and the sources that show up again and again in good local history.

Who keeps what

The public library

Start here. Many public libraries have a local history room or a librarian who looks after local collections: city directories, yearbooks, local histories published for town anniversaries, newspaper microfilm, clipping files, and photographs. Librarians also know what's held elsewhere in town, which can save you days.

County offices

The county is where most legal records of ordinary life were made. The recorder or register of deeds holds land records. The probate court holds wills and estate files. The county clerk often has marriage licenses and, in some states, older birth and death registers. Courts hold civil and criminal case files. Older records are sometimes moved to the state archives or a regional archive, so ask before you drive.

The state archives

State archives keep the records of state government and often older county records transferred for safekeeping: early vital records, state censuses, prison and institution records, land grants, military rosters and governors' papers. Most publish online catalogs and some have digitized collections.

Historical societies

County and town historical societies are often volunteer-run and open limited hours, but they hold things no one else has: family papers, business records, photographs, scrapbooks and oral history recordings. Call ahead, and be patient.

University special collections

University libraries collect regional history, papers of local businesses and organizations, maps and rare books. Most welcome visitors from the public, though you may need to register.

Religious archives

Church registers recorded baptisms, marriages and burials long before many states required civil registration. Records may still be at the parish or may have moved to a diocesan, synod or conference archive. Policies on access vary, and some restrict recent records.

The National Archives

Federal records with a local angle, such as federal court cases, land entry files, immigration and military records, are held by the National Archives in Washington and at its regional facilities around the country. The National Archives' locations page lists them.

Before you visit

Most archives aren't browseable like a library. Records are stored out of sight and brought to you in a reading room. A little preparation goes a long way:

• Search the online catalog. Look for "finding aids," which describe a collection box by box and folder by folder. They tell you exactly what to request.
• Email or call ahead. Ask whether the records you want are on site, whether you need an appointment, and whether they need to be pulled in advance.
• Check the rules. Many reading rooms allow pencils only, no bags, and photography only without flash. Some require ID to register.
• Bring your questions written down, with names, dates and places.

Archivists know their collections far better than any catalog does. Tell them what you're trying to find out rather than only what you want to see. "I'm trying to find when this house was built" gets better help than "Can I see the deed books?"

Sources that bring a place back

City directories

Before telephone books, publishers produced annual directories listing residents, addresses and often occupations, along with business listings and street guides. Following a family through successive directories fills the years between censuses and shows moves within town. Libraries hold runs of local directories, and many are digitized.

Fire insurance maps

Fire insurance maps, most famously those made by the Sanborn Map Company, show buildings lot by lot, with outlines, building materials, number of stories and use. They're excellent for dating a house or seeing what a block looked like in 1905. The Library of Congress has digitized a large collection, and many state libraries hold sets for their own towns.

Plat maps and county atlases

Rural landownership maps show who owned which parcel, often with names written on each farm. County atlases from the late nineteenth century sometimes include engravings of farms and short biographies of landowners.

Deeds and tax records

To trace a house or a piece of land, follow the deeds backward from the current owner, one sale at a time. Each deed names the buyer and seller and usually refers to the previous deed. Tax rolls show when an improvement, such as a new house, first raised a property's value.

Local histories and anniversary books

Towns and counties published histories for anniversaries and centennials, often with biographical sketches of residents who paid to be included. Use them for leads; they can be flattering and inaccurate.

Photographs and oral histories

Historical societies and libraries often hold photograph collections and recorded interviews with older residents. Some have been digitized into regional online collections.

Researching a house

House history is a popular kind of local history project, and it uses most of these sources together. A typical path: get the legal description and parcel number from the county's property records; follow deeds back; check fire insurance maps and city directories for the earliest years the house appears; search the census at that address to find who lived there; then look for those people in newspapers. Building permits, where they survive, can give an exact construction date.

Copying, citing and giving back

Ask about copying rules before you start photographing. Record the archive, the collection name, the box and folder for every item, so you or anyone else can find it again. Many archives ask you to credit them when you publish images.

Local history depends on people sharing what they've found. Consider giving a copy of your finished research to the library or historical society that helped. When you write about recent decades, remember that the people involved, or their children, may still live in town. Our guide to privacy and ethics covers that balance.