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How the Local Courthouse Can Be a Wealth of Information.

As a genealogist you have probably heard that a trip to any courthouse should be a last resort. This advice is passed along as a result of a bad experience or multiple bad experiences in visiting the courthouse. However, that is just not true; a trip to the local courthouse can result in a great deal of information that may be valuable to your genealogical searches. The idea is to know what you are getting into when starting your genealogy search and what you should do when you get to the courthouse. Once you have this lined up, you will see that a trip to the courthouse really can be a valuable and profitable trip. All it takes is some preparation and discipline to make it worth your time.

A courthouse can be a wealth of genealogical information. It is home to records going back as far as the courthouse itself in many instances including property records, wills, birth certificates, death certificates and the like. However, you have to know what you are doing when you go into the courthouse, in order to make your trip worthwhile. Here are a couple of tips.

First of all, consider this: you will be going into the record books at the court house. They are very large and heavy most of the time, weighing as much as 20 pounds each. If you are going to make copies, the pages will generally cover the entire glass top of the copy machine. Also, you will find them in racks that are metal and have pockets sized to hold each large record book. Each of these pockets is generally equipped with rollers that allow you to slide them in and out. They can also be located as high as 6 feet up and as low as the floor. In other words, proceed with caution if you have trouble with your back or knees. Another thing to consider is that many home and real estate closings happen at the end of the month. During that time, the records room will be filled with lawyers and their clerks. Consider making your trip to the courthouse during the middle two weeks of the month if you plan to check out the records.

In order to avoid wasting your time, when you first arrive at the courthouse you should ask if the records you are seeking are still there. The reason this is important is that many courthouses have moved many of their older records to the state archives. There is a chance you will be told that records aren’t there simply because not every courthouse clerk is receptive to genealogists. They figure if they tell you the records aren’t there that you will go away. Feel free to do a quick search anyway. If you are told they are at the state archives, you will want to make a follow up phone call just to be sure.

To make your trip to the courthouse as productive as possible, you should make sure that you are organized going into the visit. You should prioritize what you want to find on your trip. You may feel that it is hard to prioritize, but perhaps use the method of putting items you have been seeking the longest, nearest the top of your priority list. In order to keep yourself focused once you are in the room, write out your priorities and take them with you. Index cards, a written note, or a typed page will all work just fine. Just make sure that you keep yourself focused so that you get as much done as possible in the time you are there. Remember, productivity is the key to this trip.

Genealogy can be a fantastically exciting hobby, but there is so much you want to find out that you find yourself stuck. Many times experts will tell you to avoid that trip to the courthouse like the plague. You may be told that you are not welcomed there, that the trip will be unproductive, and that you will deal with rude attorneys all day. That all may be true, but there is a way to make sure your trip is as productive as possible. Make sure that you are aware of the procedures and “tricks” used to avoid being uninvited. In addition, make sure you have a plan going in. Your time will be limited so you need to be focused and on task during the time you are there. Follow these simple tips and no matter what the experts say, your trip to the courthouse will be productive and exciting.

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