Locate state and county for every event. A family may move through several jurisdictions.
Prepare your research
State, county, locality, dates and record type. Keep residential moves in a timeline to choose the correct court, local register or federal collection.
The method, step by step
- Federal censuses help track households. Compare years, neighbours and name variants before attaching a person.
- NARA guides cover immigration, naturalisation and military records. Check repository jurisdiction and collection dates.
- For vital records identify state or local services. Federal collections do not replace these steps; log requests and replies.
Choose the right repository
Vital records belong to state or local services. NARA holds federal collections; identify state, county and court separately.
Choose a route from the record you have
- First connect the person to a place and dated household. NARA lists censuses, immigration, naturalisation, land and military service: choose a collection matching a known event.
- Compare relatives and residences before choosing a same-name passenger. Keep arrival and naturalisation distinct and explain gaps between life events.
Find archives
National Archives and Records Administration →
The US National Archives offer guidance on federal censuses, immigration, naturalisation and military records. Choose the record category, then locate the collection and access conditions. Guides also help identify other repositories.
Birth, marriage and death records generally require state or local services, not one federal database.
Sources & references
- National Archives and Records Administration ↗ (Resource review date : )