Genealogy Research Using Local Resources
Contact the library director at 286-8288 / spl@metrocast.net.
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Types of Primary Sources / Records
- Census materials
- Vital records
- Parish and other local registers
- Cemeteries / graveyards
- Court records
- Immigration records
- Land records
- Military records
- Historical maps
- Newspapers
- City, telephone, post office directories
- Colonial and state records
- Town and county records
- School, business, professional, organization records & directories
Local Resources
Sanbornton Public Library Holdings
Guides to Genealogical Research (929s)
Some highlights:
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The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy. 3d rev. ed. Szucs, Loretto Dennis & Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2006.
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Complete Idiot’s Guide to Genealogy. 2nd ed. Rose, Christine, & Kay Germain Ingalls. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2005.
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They Came In Ships: A Guide To Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor’s Arrival Record. 3rd ed. Colletta, John Philip. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 2002.
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Courthouse Research for Family Historians: Your Guide to Genealogical Treasures. Rose, Christine. San Jose, Calif.: CR Publications, 2004.
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Identifying Tartans: The New Compact Study Guide and Identifier. Urquhart, Blair. London: Apple, 1994.
New Hampshire Collection
Over 400 items including:
- Published family genealogies
- Unpublished family genealogies
- Cemeteries / gravestones
- Town reports
- Town & county histories
- Family papers, including diaries and letters
- Genealogical periodicals
- County atlases and land ownership maps
- Reference works, such as biographical dictionaries & bibliographies
Books We Don’t Own
The following are examples of sources that we don’t have at the library, but could be useful for your source.
Taylor, Maureen A. Uncovering Your Ancestry Through Family Photographs. 2d ed. Family Tree Books. 2005. 138p.
Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Present. Ancestry. 1994. 441p.
Books We Don’t Own / Publishers
The following are some examples of common publishers for genealogical resources.
- Higginson Books
- Ancestry
- Genealogical Publishing Company
- Heritage Books
Books We Don’t Own / Inter-library Loan
As long as an item is held by a New Hampshire library, there’s a good chance we can get a hold of it for you. The inter-library loan system is a cooperative service run by the State Library. The State Library van comes once a week (on Friday afternoons) with deliveries and returns, so try to submit your request early in the week for the quickest results.
Sanbornton Historical Society
Visit the Sanbornton Historical Society at its website, http://lanetavern.org/.
Additionally, Sanbornton burial ground information can be quickly accessed with this specific link:
http://lanetavern.org/shs-burial-ground.htm.
Our town historians as well as other locals with deep knowledge are also excellent resources. We recommend the following:
- Milly Shaw
- Evelyn Auger
Town Clerk’s Office / 286-4034
The town clerk’s office has several different inventories of available records from over the years:
· N.H. Historical Records Survey, 1941
· Sanbornton town records and maps located at the Town Clerk’s office and the Town Hall / compiled by Jean Nudd, 1978
· Sanbornton Historical Documents Foundation inventory, 2006
Note: some items described may no longer be available, or may be temporarily inaccessible.
Other Local Resources
Other public libraries in the area (Laconia, Franklin, New Hampton, etc.) are great resources!
The Laconia Courthouse’s Registry of Deeds and Registry of Probate is useful for wills, deeds and probate information.
In-State Resources
New Hampshire State Library
Official website: http://www.nh.gov/nhsl/
Genealogy Section – Zelda Moore
20 Park Street
Concord, NH 03301
271-6823
zmoore@library.state.nh.us
Online catalog: holdings from libraries around NH:
http://www.nhu-pac.library.state.nh.us/
- Town, county & family histories
- Town reports
- City & county directories
- NH newspapers on microfilm
- Genealogical journals, including columns from the “Boston Transcript”
- American Genealogical Index
- U.S. Census reports, 1790 to present
Early New Hampshire Town Records, 1640-1840 on microfilm, w/ surname index, including tax assessments:
· 18 towns excluded for reasons unknown: see Catalog of Ancient Towns, Parishes, and Other Divisions of the State as Recorded in the Office of the Secretary of State
· Minorities under-represented
· Index to vital records
NH Division of Archives and Records Management
71 South Fruit Street
Concord, N.H. 03301
271-2236
Official website: http://www.sos.nh.gov/archives/genealogy.html
NH Division of Vital Records Administration
71 South Fruit St.
Concord, NH 03301
271-4650
http://www.sos.nh.gov/vitalrecords/
State records dating back to 1640, as well as state archival records
Local genealogists volunteer their time to assist you in locating your family histories
Photo ID required to obtain certified copies of vital records ($12)
Unrestricted access to:
- Birth records, 1640 – 1901
- Death records, 1640 – 1948
- Marriage & divorce records, 1808 – 1948
Records for Sanbornton are incomplete
New Hampshire Historical Society
Official website: http://www.nhhistory.org/
30 Park Street
Concord, NH 03301
225-3381
Always call for hours & to lay the groundwork for your visit
Free parking at the Museum of New Hampshire History three blocks away
Library catalog — http://nhhistory.library.net
Print Collection
About 50,000 items:
- Over 5,000 genealogies, many unpublished, of New England families
- Over 4,000 biographical works
- About 3,000 volumes of periodicals on New England history and genealogy
- Over 200 volumes of manuscript church records
- Compilations, mostly unpublished, of cemetery records from over 100 New Hampshire towns
- Extracts from DAR wills (also at Laconia Public Library)
- Largest existing collection of New Hampshire newspapers from 1756 to 1900 (about 800,000 pages)
- Card index of about 30,000 “New Hampshire notables,” gathered from biographical dictionaries, local histories, & obituaries
Special Collections
- 3,000+ manuscripts
- 200,000+ images (photographs, stereographs, postcards, slides)
- 1,000+ maps
- Thousands of printed ephemera
Fees
$7 per day for nonmembers, plus photocopying charges
Free for Family Pass holders, members, full-time students, & volunteers
Research time billed at $30 per hour for members, $40 per hour for non-members
Memberships: Family $60 / Couple $50 / Individual $40
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Family History Center
91 Clinton St.
Concord, NH
225-2848
Open to the public
Free to use beyond standard photocopying costs
Call for hours & available resources
Town Historical Societies
Association of Historical Societies of New Hampshire website: http://www.historicalsocietiesnh.org/
Be sure to ask about official and unofficial Town Historians
Genealogical Societies
New Hampshire Society of Genealogists
P.O. Box 2316
Concord, NH 03302
New book: New Hampshire Families in 1790: a project to document all of the families living in New Hampshire at the time of the 1790 census ($48)
New Hampshire Genealogical Record (quarterly)
New Hampshire Society of Genealogists Newsletter (biannually)
Family Register database: $2 per search for members
Guide to member research & surname interests
American-Canadian Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 6478
Manchester, NH 03108
Merrimack Society of Genealogists
P.O. Box 1035
Concord, NH 03302
Rockingham County Society of Genealogists
28 Prentiss Way
Exeter, NH 03833
Strafford County Society of Genealogists
P.O. Box 322
Dover, NH 03821
Hereditary Societies
N.H. Sons of American Revolution
New Hampshire Society of Mayflower Descendants
New Hampshire Society Children of the American Revolution
N.H. Founders & Patriots
Donald M. Sumner, Governor
44 Durham Point Road
Durham, NH 03824-3126
N.H. Society of Colonial Wars
John Allen Lighthall, Governor
1311 Chestnut Street
Manchester, NH 03104
Piscataqua Pioneers
Descendants of settlers of southern New Hampshire & Maine
http://www.piscataquapioneers.org/
Out-of-State Resources
New England Historic Genealogical Society
Official website: http://www.newenglandancestors.org/
99 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
617-536-5740
info@nehgs.org
Oldest genealogical society in the country – founded 1845
Individual Membership: $75
Access to all areas of NewEnglandAncestors.org website
Unlimited use of Research Library, including rare books and manuscripts, in Boston
Access to premium databases like the Early American Newspapers
Subscriptions to New England Ancestors and The New England Historical and Genealogical Register
Discounts on research services and sales
American-French Genealogical Society
Official Website: http://www.afgs.org/
Genealogical & historical organization for French-Canadian research
78 Earle Street
Woonsocket, RI 02895
National Archives
Official website: http://archives.gov/genealogy/
Branches in Waltham & Pittsfield, MA
- Military service records, pension indexes
- Bounty land warrant application files for the Revolutionary War
- Naturalization petitions
- Passenger arrival lists
- Native American records
- Postmasters and post office reports, 1830s-1950
- Genealogy workshops
Sanbornton Public Library Databases
Ancestry Library Edition
In-library use only
Over 4,000 databases and two billion names, 1300 to present
Includes coverage of United Kingdom, Canada and other areas
Census, vital, church, court, and immigration records
U.S. Federal Census images, 1790 – 1930, w/ full name indexes
More than 1,000 historical maps
American Genealogical Biographical Index (over 200 volumes)
Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage (over 150 volumes)
Social Security Death Index (updated monthly)
WWI & WWII Draft Registration Cards
Heritage Quest Online
Official Website: http://www.heritagequestonline.com
Over 20,000 book titles, including:
- nearly 8,000 family histories & compiled genealogies
- more than 12,000 local histories
- more than 250 primary source documents such as tax lists, city directories, church and probate records
- Periodical Source Index (PERSI), a comprehensive subject index covering more than 6,300 genealogy and local history periodicals written in English and French (Canada) since 1800
- Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, identifying more than 80,000 Americans who served in the war
Other NHewLINK Databases
http://www.nh.gov/nhsl/nhewlink/libraries/databases.html
Full-text of magazine and newspaper articles online
Most databases available from home
Free, High Quality Internet Resources
Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites
Website: http://www.cyndislist.com/
263,000 total links (!), organized into categories for easy reference
FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service
Website: http://www.familysearch.org/
Sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
RootsWeb
Website: http://www.rootsweb.com/
Free, volunteer-run
Hosts thousands of surname discussion lists
Primary documents that have been transcribed / scanned by volunteers: obituaries, county histories, tax lists, cemetery lists, etc.
GenForum
Website: http://genforum.genealogy.com
Over 14,000 online forums devoted to general topics & specific surnames, US states, countries, etc.
Google for Genealogy!
Google Books
Website: http://books.google.com/
Genealogy Search on Google
Website: http://www.genealogy-search-help.com/index.html
Easy Google Genealogy Searcher
Website: http://www.searchforancestors.com/google/searcher.html
WorldCat Database
Official website: http://www.worldcat.org/
Holdings of 41,000 libraries in 82 countries and territories
> 88 million individual items in all formats
Town & County histories
Family histories & genealogies
Person as subject
Examples:
Town – history – sources
Historic buildings – state – town
State and Provincial Papers of New Hampshire
40 volume set, with broad range of records from the earliest days of New Hampshire (1623 – 1800)
Revolutionary Rolls, Town Papers, Town Charters, Probate Records, Court Records, etc.
Full-text is available and searchable online:
http://www.library.unh.edu/diglib/bookshelf/NHPapers/
http://www.sos.nh.gov/archives/nhstatepapers.html
also at New Hampton library by request
U.S. Genealogy Web Project
Website: http://www.usgenweb.com/
About.com Guide to Genealogy
Website: http://genealogy.about.com/