Here is the type of letter NOT to write, if you are requesting free
information from a genealogical society.
(Names fictitional)
____________________________________________
Dear Sir:
Throught the Freedom of Information Act I request a genealogical search on
the family of John Doe. and his wife of ___ county. I have know that John
Doe married Jane Lamb had the following children, Margaret, Fannie, Louise
and John, Jr.. Probate records show that John Doe died around 1837
before the youngest child reached legal age. I am interested in seeing if
there
would be any newspaper regarding his death, or any information including
all of the
fore mentioned family members.
In reference to John, Jr. I have been able to determin that he married
Louise Smith on Dec 21, 1846. They had the following children: Stephen,
James, Mary, and Lucille. Would be interested in what information you may
have on them including birth, death, cemetery location and obituary.
Enclosed is (small check) to cover the cost of search and records found in
your search. Your cooperation is appreciated in this matter.
(End of letter)
_______________________________________________
First, The Freedom of Information Act does NOT mean that information MUST
be provided to you. Mainly, it means that if the information is accessible
it
MAY be searched for.
Second, very few early newspapers are indexed, and most of them contained
very little local information. An obituary may have been printed, if the
person was known person or if someone paid for the obituary. They are very
rare in the
early days.
Third, there were amost no birth records before 1911, although there were
SOME. In Floyd County you may find them as early as the 1880's, although
they are hit and miss.
Fourth: There is information in census records, other than how many
persons
of each age group reside in the household, before the 1850 Census. Up
until then, only the head of household was listed. From the 1850 Census
you
should find each person listed by name as well as the birthplace and
occupation.
Remember that a person is under no obligation to do your research for free.
We don't mind answering small requests, but don't be too demanding and make
too many requests.
If your request is small, be sure to include an SASE and payment for the
copies.
If asking for a copy of a marriage record or an obituary it would be best to
provide the date if known. As I
said before, most of the older newspapers are not indexed, but if you have
a
date, or even a month and a year, the obituary can probably be located
easily, if someone is willing to do it for you. Genealogical societies are
non-profit organizations, so be sure to make a
generous donataion to the society.
Note: There is no index to the 1930 Census of Indians, although it is now
available if you wish to search it.