01 · Field route
Councilon
Plan a responsible search for a person, address, or historical public record
Open the guideResearch by era
1900–1919
Census schedules, directories, immigration and naturalization files, newspapers, vital records and early twentieth-century maps often overlap.
Build the period checklist
TIMECHANGES
SOURCES
Record ladder
Search the period, not today’s interface.
1
Place and jurisdiction
Locate the boundary, county, parish, ward, district or institution that existed then.
2
Household and community
Use censuses, tax lists, directories or neighbors when the period supports them.
3
Event record
Target the record created by the event: land, probate, court, church, vital, military or immigration.
4
Context and cross-check
Use maps, newspapers and a second independent record to test identity.
Period worksheet
Carry these five fields into every catalog.
| Field | Question |
|---|---|
| Person | What spelling and relationship clues are known? |
| Place | What was the jurisdiction at the time? |
| Period | What date window is supported by evidence? |
| Event | What action might have created a record? |
| Gap | Which missing source requires a substitute? |
Official starting points
Check the collection scope.
Continue the trail
Keep the evidence moving.
Move to the next guide only when it answers a different question. That keeps the research plan focused and retraceable.
02 · Field route
Research by Era
Choose records and repositories by historical period
Open the guide03 · Field route
Start With What You Know
Turn known facts into a focused research question
Open the guide04 · Field route
Responsible People Search
Use people-search methods for legitimate, non-harmful research
Open the guide