NYTN Field Guide
The Research Roadmap
A decision tree for navigating records, breaking brick walls, and finding the ancestors who didn't want to be found
Click each step to expand it. Use the branch buttons to jump to the next relevant section.
2
Census Records
Start with the census closest to when they were alive.
- Work backwards — start with the most recent census where they appear
- Check EVERY column: occupation, birthplace, parents' birthplaces
- Note the neighbors — extended family often lived nearby
- Compare household across decades — children's ages verify accuracy
- Race may change between censuses. This is significant, not an error.
- 1870 is the first census where formerly enslaved people appear by name
⚠️ Warning: Don't trust indexes blindly. Names were misspelled, ages were wrong, enumerators had biases. When in doubt, browse the original images.
3
Vital Records
Birth, marriage, and death certificates add crucial details.
- Birth certificates: Parents' names, birthplaces, occupations, ages
- Marriage records: Parents' names for BOTH parties — instant four-family connection
- Death certificates: Parents' names, birthplace, informant (who knew them?)
- Delayed birth certificates (filed years later) often contain witness testimony
- Marriage records sometimes required racial designation — watch for changes
💡 Pro tip: Death certificates are often completed by someone who didn't know the deceased well. Check the informant field — that person may have better information if you track them down.
4
Military Records
Draft cards, service records, and pension files are goldmines.
- Draft registrations: Exact location on a specific date — tracks migration
- Service records: Physical description, birthplace, next of kin
- Pension files: GOLDMINE — testimony, family details, sometimes photos
- USCT (Colored Troops): Often include former enslaver's name and plantation
- Widow's pension applications contain marriage proof and children's names
⚠️ Migration clue: Compare WWI draft cards (1917-18) to WWII draft cards (1940-42). If the address changed, you've found a migration window.
5
Church Records
Often predate civil records — baptisms, marriages, burials.
- Baptisms: Parents' names, godparents (often relatives), sometimes grandparents
- Marriages: Both sets of parents, witnesses, previous marriages noted
- Burials: Age, birthplace, surviving family, cause of death
- Catholic records often include racial classifications in colonial periods
- Church transfer letters document migration between congregations
💡 Hidden connections: Godparents weren't random — they were usually relatives or people of influence. Track godparent patterns across siblings to find family connections others miss.
6
Land & Property Records
Deeds, tax records, and homestead files reveal family networks.
- Deeds: Often mention family relationships ("to my son..."), neighbors
- Tax records: Annual — shows when someone arrived or left an area
- Homestead files: Testimony from witnesses, family details, citizenship info
- Property transfers at death list all heirs — instant family tree
- Free people of color who owned property are documented in deed records
💡 Disappearance clue: When an ancestor "vanishes," check if they sold land. The buyer's location might reveal where your ancestor went.
7
Newspapers
Obituaries, marriage notices, legal ads, and social columns.
- Obituaries: Family relationships, birthplace, migration story, survivors
- Marriage announcements: Parents' names, where parties "from"
- Social columns: "Visiting relatives," "arrived from," "returned to"
- Legal notices: Estate settlements, divorce proceedings, name changes
- Black newspapers (Chicago Defender, Pittsburgh Courier) covered communities others ignored
💡 Search both ends: Check newspapers in BOTH the origin AND destination. Someone who moved Mississippi to Chicago might be mentioned in both places.
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Enslaved Ancestors (Pre-1870)
Different sources and strategies required.
- Start in 1870: Note location, neighbors, and any unusual details
- Identify the likely enslaver: Often same surname, or nearby white family with that name
- Freedmen's Bureau (1865-1872): Labor contracts, marriage records, ration lists
- Slave schedules (1850, 1860): No names, but age/sex/color under enslaver
- Enslaver's records: Wills, estate inventories, bills of sale
- USCT files: Colored Troops records often name former enslavers
- Manumission records: If freed before 1865, court records document this
Key resources: FamilySearch Freedmen's Bureau records, Last Seen Project (lastseenproject.org), Slave Voyages Database (slavevoyages.org)
9
Colonial & Foreign Records
Pre-US records require language skills and different archives.
Louisiana (French/Spanish)
Sacramental Records of Louisiana, Natchitoches Parish records, Spanish colonial documents at LSU
Languages: French, Spanish
Texas (Spanish/Mexican)
Catholic Archives of Texas, Bexar County Spanish Archives, General Land Office
Language: Spanish
Eastern Seaboard (British)
Colonial court records, vestry books, early church records
Language: English (archaic)
💡 Hidden detail: Spanish colonial records are extraordinarily detailed. They often include racial classifications (español, mestizo, mulato, negro libre) that help trace mixed-heritage lines.
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Breaking Brick Walls
Standard sources exhausted. Now what?
Cluster research (FAN club)
Research everyone around your ancestor: neighbors, witnesses, godparents. Friends, Associates, Neighbors — they migrated together, witnessed documents, and their records may have your answers.
DNA triangulation
Identify your closest unknown matches, build their trees, find where they intersect — that's your common ancestor.
Newspaper deep dive
Obituaries, legal notices, social columns mention family connections. Search both origin and destination papers.
Court records
Lawsuits, guardianships, estate settlements, and racial determination cases reveal family details no other record captures.
Original documents
Indexes have errors. Browse original microfilm or manuscript pages — the answer may be there, just misindexed.
Remember: The absence of records IS information. If your ancestor is missing from expected records, ask why. Were they passing? Enslaved? Transient? Deliberately avoiding documentation? The gaps tell a story too.
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Name Only Starting Point
Build context before searching.
- Interview living relatives — even fragments help
- Check family bibles, old photos, documents in attics and closets
- Search obituaries of known family members for additional names
- DNA test to identify potential cousin matches who have pieces you're missing
- Start with the most recent known generation and work backward — don't jump
12
Decoding Family Stories
Stories contain coded truths. Click each to decode.
"We have Cherokee / Native American ancestry"
Click to decode
What this often means
Sometimes true — verify with tribal rolls and DNA. But also a common cover for African ancestry during Jim Crow, when claiming Native heritage was safer than acknowledging Black heritage. Check census racial designations across years. Compare with DNA results.
"We're Black Dutch / Black Irish"
Click to decode
What this often means
These aren't actual ethnic groups — they're euphemisms. Often indicated mixed heritage that couldn't be openly acknowledged. Check census racial designations across years for the same person. DNA testing clarifies actual ancestry.
"Grandma was adopted"
Click to decode
What this often means
Sometimes literally true. But "adoption" stories also explained children born outside marriage, children taken in by relatives after a parent's death, or children whose parentage crossed racial lines. Informal adoptions were common — no legal paperwork.
"We came from [specific place]"
Click to decode
What this often means
Usually reliable — families remembered origins. Even if the exact town is wrong, the region is typically accurate. Start searching there. The story might refer to a migration several generations back.
"There was a family split / we don't talk to that side"
Click to decode
What this often means
Often indicates some family members "passed" into white society while others didn't or couldn't. The split protected both sides. Research both branches separately. DNA may reconnect lines deliberately separated.
"Grandma spoke French / Spanish / 'the old language'"
Click to decode
What this often means
Language memory is usually accurate and reveals ethnic heritage — Louisiana Creole, Cajun, Tejano, or immigrant origins. "The old language" nobody can identify might be a creole or suppressed language. This tells you WHERE to search.
The golden rule: Don't dismiss stories — decode them. The family was protecting itself. The truth is in there, wrapped in a story that was safe to tell.