Councilon directory · states

State Record Guides

State guides help you decide whether the next step belongs with a federal repository, state agency, county office, city archive, library, or historical society.

Browse 50 guides
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INDEX
Illustration · An invented archival scene

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Filter the directory by a place, record, or research technique. Every result is a guide—not a private-person profile.

01 · Field route

Alabama

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02 · Field route

Alaska

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03 · Field route

Arizona

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04 · Field route

Arkansas

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05 · Field route

California

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06 · Field route

Colorado

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07 · Field route

Connecticut

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08 · Field route

Delaware

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09 · Field route

Florida

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10 · Field route

Georgia

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11 · Field route

Hawaii

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12 · Field route

Idaho

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13 · Field route

Illinois

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14 · Field route

Indiana

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15 · Field route

Iowa

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16 · Field route

Kansas

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17 · Field route

Kentucky

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18 · Field route

Louisiana

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19 · Field route

Maine

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20 · Field route

Maryland

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21 · Field route

Massachusetts

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22 · Field route

Michigan

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23 · Field route

Minnesota

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24 · Field route

Mississippi

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25 · Field route

Missouri

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26 · Field route

Montana

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27 · Field route

Nebraska

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28 · Field route

Nevada

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29 · Field route

New Hampshire

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30 · Field route

New Jersey

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31 · Field route

New Mexico

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32 · Field route

New York

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33 · Field route

North Carolina

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34 · Field route

North Dakota

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35 · Field route

Ohio

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36 · Field route

Oklahoma

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37 · Field route

Oregon

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38 · Field route

Pennsylvania

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39 · Field route

Rhode Island

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40 · Field route

South Carolina

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41 · Field route

South Dakota

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42 · Field route

Tennessee

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43 · Field route

Texas

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44 · Field route

Utah

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45 · Field route

Vermont

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46 · Field route

Virginia

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47 · Field route

Washington

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48 · Field route

West Virginia

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49 · Field route

Wisconsin

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50 · Field route

Wyoming

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How to choose

Follow the custodian, not the shortcut.

If two guides seem plausible, pick the one closest to the event that created the record. A birth record starts with a civil or religious custodian; an address story may start with a directory or deed.

Keep a negative-search log. Record the archive, collection, date range, spelling and filters you tried. “Not found” is useful only when another researcher can see where you looked.
Illustration of a historic reading room with fictional ledgers, manifests and newspaper pages
Illustration · Visual context, never proof of a record

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.

01 · Field route

Councilon

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02 · Field route

Start With What You Know

Turn known facts into a focused research question

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03 · Field route

Responsible People Search

Use people-search methods for legitimate, non-harmful research

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