Here are key stops for your family history vacation, and how to get the most out of your visit at each:
• Courthouses: Keep in mind that helping traveling genealogists is not the primary duty of courthouse clerks. "Never tell clerks you're there for genealogical purposes," advises Christine Rose, co-author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Genealogy (MacMillan, $17.95). "They're busy, and as soon as a genealogist comes in the door they may become antagonistic, thinking they're going to encounter some long-winded story."
Start by asking for the indexes to the records for the period you're researching. Be pleasant and professional and respect the clerk's time. "Sometimes later on the clerk gets curious and comes to ask me what I'm doing," says Rose. Then you might make an ally. If so, come armed with self-addressed stamped envelopes (SASEs) to leave behind, in case a clerk comes across something useful to you after you've gone home.
Don't limit your courthouse search to deeds and wills. The person you're seeking might be named in old civil case records, perhaps suing (or being sued by) someone. Witnesses on real-estate transactions often included other family members—scour these records for names.
• Local genealogical societies and libraries with genealogy collections: The USGenWeb site is a good starting point for finding these; you can also try asking at the courthouse. Many libraries have searchable online catalogs, so you can arrive prepared with a list of books and documents you want to see. At the library, go beyond obvious genealogical archives: City directories, for example, can be an essential tool for finding your relatives.
• Cemeteries and funeral homes: You may have to find the right cemetery with other research such as death records in the courthouse or obituaries in old newspapers. Once you do, don't just eye the old tombstones—visit the cemetery office, if there is one. There and at the funeral home, investigate who bought the burial plot and paid for the funeral; chances are, they're your relatives, too.
• Churches: Before you visit the old family church, find out if that's where records are kept—what you need may be stored instead at a denominational office or in a diocesan archive. Besides baptismal, marriage and funeral records, check old church newsletters, Sunday school rosters, even church committee minutes.
• Newspapers: Preparation is a must here—don't assume you can stroll in and help yourself to a newspaper's "morgue." These files are primarily for the paper's staff, after all; policies on public access vary, so call first. The old newspapers you need may not even be archived at the newspaper any more, but may be at local libraries or historical societies. Again, go beyond the obvious births and obits and also look for your ancestors' names in news stories, business updates and (especially in small-town papers) chatty reports of trips taken and parties hosted.
But these resources are only the beginning of what you can tap on a research trip. Try school records and college alumni files (as much as privacy regulations allow), local veterans' and service clubs and places your ancestors may have worked. Think of yourself as a detective out solving a case—the mystery of your past.