Try searching familysearch. org. Family Search lets you browse by location or by time period. When you use this site, click on the “search” button at the top of the page. You will then be allowed to search for personal records based on name, location, relationships, and life events. Your results will include a person’s name, events (e. g. , where they live and when they were born), and relationships (e. g. , who their relatives are). All of this information is provided for free. [2] X Research source If the individual you’re looking for immigrated from a foreign country, he may have changed his name after arriving in his new country. Depending on the website you use, you may not get results for the name that individual’s “Americanized” name, for example, and you may have better luck using the person’s birth name.
If you’re looking for a relative, be sure to know the person’s full name. It may be helpful to know the individual’s date of birth as well. If you don’t know the exact year of death, you may at least need to know the range of the individual’s year of death. This can help narrow your search, and ensure that you get accurate results. To conduct a search, all you need to do is type in an individual’s name and a range of years within which you think they died. If a record matches your search, you can click on it and you will be given a reference number, the name, the date of death, the county of death, and the gender of the individual. [3] X Research source
Many states in the United States manage marriage and divorce records online through the Department of Health. [4] X Research source In the State of Ohio, for example, the Department of Health oversees the Office of Vital Statistics. This office maintains an index of marriages and divorces, but for actual copies of a marriage license or a divorce decree you would need to contact the county probate court or the county clerk of courts, respectively. While obtaining individualized marriage and divorce records will probably cost money, you can usually look at yearly marriage and divorce rates, along with other general statistical data, for free. To do this in Ohio, for example, you can visit the Ohio Department of Health website website and search for records by year. Once you choose a year, you will be shown statistics regarding the total number of marriages, whether a marriage was a first marriage for the bride or groom, the total number of divorces, and the number of minor children affected.
Many states in the United States manage marriage and divorce records online through the Department of Health. [4] X Research source In the State of Ohio, for example, the Department of Health oversees the Office of Vital Statistics. This office maintains an index of marriages and divorces, but for actual copies of a marriage license or a divorce decree you would need to contact the county probate court or the county clerk of courts, respectively. While obtaining individualized marriage and divorce records will probably cost money, you can usually look at yearly marriage and divorce rates, along with other general statistical data, for free. To do this in Ohio, for example, you can visit the Ohio Department of Health website website and search for records by year. Once you choose a year, you will be shown statistics regarding the total number of marriages, whether a marriage was a first marriage for the bride or groom, the total number of divorces, and the number of minor children affected.
Records remain confidential for 72 years from the date of the census. For example, records from the 1950 Census will be available to the public in 2022. Once records become public, they are transferred from the Census Bureau to the National Archives. Therefore, if you want to search public census records, you will usually do it through the National Archives website. [6] X Research source
Civil cases are usually private disputes between individuals or organizations, while criminal cases involve someone who has broken the law or is otherwise considered harmful to society. A person or organization with more than one conviction may have records in multiple jurisdictions.
Search for records using the appellate’s name, defendant’s name or the case number. Some county court websites require you to know the court case number, and may not let you search by name or date without that information. [7] X Research source
Most state court websites, you can search for cases by first and last name, business name, or case number.
To use PACER, you will need to set up an account. While there is no registration fee, there is a charge for every document viewed, downloaded, or printed. However, fees can and will be waived if you spend less than $15. 00 in any given quarter. Therefore, it is possible to search for public records for free on PACER so long as you do not use the resource too much. To search for documents on PACER, log in and use the search function. If you know what you are looking for, go to the “court links” page and search for your case that way. If you do not know what you are looking for, you can use the “case locator” function. [10] X Research source
The National Archives website has a vast amount of information and searching it can be complex. However, the website does offer tools to help you get started. For example, you can search the National Archives website’s catalog, microfilm catalog, and archival databases. Each of these functions is performed in a different manner. Visit the website to learn more. [12] X Research source
Click on the “Passenger Search” button and enter the person’s first and last name. The website will tell you the year that person entered through Ellis Island and what ship they rode across the Atlantic Ocean on. [13] X Research source
The more information you know about an individual, the easier it will be to search for their records. Click on “Search” and type in as much information as possible, including the individual’s name, country of last residence, ship, port of departure, and date range. [15] X Research source
To search the archive, use the search form provided on the website and type in as much information as you have. The search form is provided by Google and once you type a search, you will receive possible hits. Click on the links that you find most relevant. [16] X Research source
Search online for business and professional licenses in your state to determine which government office is responsible for managing this information. Most state sites let you search by the license owner’s name, the license number, the type of license in question, or the city or county in which the license was issued. [20] X Research source At the state-level Secretary of State website, you should be able to search by corporation name, limited liability company name, or entity number to find a business. Many cities, especially large cities like Chicago, provide online databases of businesses licensed in the city. [21] X Research source
Search your state’s Secretary of State website to learn more about the publicly-traded corporations in your state of residence.
To find these businesses, search for “alcohol license” or “tobacco license” on these websites. [23] X Research source
Some of the most tracked federal spending are housing assistance, research and development contracts, and construction contracts. To search the website, go to the main page and type in your search words in the search box located on the top right corner of the page. You will receive a list of relevant results and you will be able to click on any results you want. [25] X Research source
State transparency agencies can typically be used to search for information on a specific state employee, vendor, or agency. [26] X Research source You might also try searching on your state’s department of finance website, which keeps track of government spending at the state level. Type in your state’s name with “department of finance” into a search engine to find your state’s information.
Search the database by looking for a particular politician, interest group, lobbyist, or PAC (political action committee). Do this by typing your search terms into the search box located in the top right corner of the homepage.
Use THOMAS to search by word, phrase or bill number. You can then locate text from hearings and policy debates. You can also search the Congressional Record for information on congressional activities. The Congressional Record is the official record of all proceedings, legislation, and debates that take place in the US Congress.
Many recent military records are not available online due to privacy policies. You can still request paper copies of these to be sent to you, however, by visiting the VetsRec System website. [29] X Research source
These archives contain many types of records. For instance, the WWII records include enlistment records, prisoner of war records, records about Japanese internment, and personnel records. [31] X Research source If you can’t find the actual service records online, you can request copies to be sent to you. These requests are restricted to veterans and immediate next of kin only. You will need to provide information such as the veteran’s name, date and place of birth, social security number, service number, branch of service, and other information. [32] X Research source
Each state’s archives will vary, both in terms of the information available and the time periods that have been archived. You may need to visit these locations in person if the documents you’re looking for have not yet been digitized.
To locate information on your community, type your county name and “property tax” or “property records” in a search engine. Depending on your county, you may be able to view property photos as well as appraisal information.
Click on “Search Records” and search by title, name, keyword or registration number. [34] X Trustworthy Source United States Copyright Office Part of the Library of Congress, responsible for maintaining copyright records Go to source
Type your state and “board of elections” or “voter registration records” into a search engine to find this information online.
