Mention the Midwestern part of the United States, and most people immediately think of corn fields, cows, pigs, lakes and flat land. But the Midwestern states also include major cities, leading universities, Fortune 500 companies, scenic valleys, ski slopes, operas, symphonies, museums, five-star hotels, historic sites and, best of all for family historians, a wealth of genealogical resources. The Midwest is home to America's auto industry and to that staple of genealogical research, the 3M Post-it Note. Here you can find the halls of fame for rock 'n' roll, polka, pro foot hall and US hockey.

Exactly what states are we talking about? You could get a different answer to “What'?s the Midwest?” from every person you ask. Here we?re including all the states stretching from the former Northwest Territory until you hit the Plains states of the Dakotas, Nebraska and Kansas (which many people also think of as the Midwest — I warned you this was confusing!). That is, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin.