As professional genealogists one question we are consistently asked by our clients is, “how did you find all of that information?” To answer that question, I reviewed some recent genealogy projects and tabulated the genealogical records we used during our genealogy research. Here is a typical list of the sources we use in professional genealogy: client, US census; cemetery; state archives; birth record, notice, certificate; baptism, christening; death and burial notice; death certificate; obituary; marriage record, notice, certificate; divorce; town, city, state vital records; index compilations such as Ricker, Torrey, or Barbour; US IRS tax assessement lists; town and county histories; biographies; genealogy reference books; social security death index; military such as WWI and WWI draft registration cards and enlistment; US passport applications; immigration and naturalization records; passenger lists; libraries; National Archives; Family History Library; land records; tax lists; court records…etc. Once we have collected the genealogy source information we bring historical context into the report and bring the family to life from probate records, town or county histories and biographies. These records combined provide a tremendous amount of genealogical information that our clients truly appreciate!
