Where should you start?
Start with what you know. Write down names, places and approximate dates from your own memory, then talk to the oldest relatives while you still can. Ask open questions and record the answers, with permission. Stories often contain clues about a move, a marriage or a lost farm.
Gather the documents already in the house: Bibles, letters, photographs, funeral cards, military papers and farm account books. Label what you find with names and dates before anything gets mixed up.
Take photographs of everything before you move or sort it, and keep a simple list of what each item is. It helps if other relatives join later and wonder where something came from.
Which records help most?
For farm families, land records are especially rich. Deeds, mortgages, wills and tax lists show where and when a family held property. Church, school and cemetery records add births, marriages and deaths. Census records list households at set times.
Access rules and fees for records vary by state and county. Ask the county recorder, the clerk of courts, the state archives or the county library which records are open to the public and how to request them.
- County deeds, mortgages and wills
- Church registers and cemetery records
- Census and tax lists
- Newspaper notices and obituaries
- Farm account books and letters
How do you handle conflicting information?
Records often disagree. Names are spelled differently, ages are rounded, and families reused first names. Do not treat a single source as final. Compare at least two sources before recording a fact.
Keep a simple log of where each fact came from. If something is uncertain, mark it as uncertain. A careful family history is more valuable than a tidy but wrong one.
Place names change, counties split and boundaries move. A record filed in one county may now belong to another. Ask the library or archive how local boundaries have shifted.
How do you research the land itself?
Deeds trace ownership backward, owner to owner. Maps, plat books and aerial photographs show boundaries and buildings. Your county recorder or assessor can show how the property is described, and a licensed surveyor or attorney can explain boundaries or title questions.
Do not treat research as legal advice. If you need to resolve ownership or inheritance, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.
Old surveys sometimes use landmarks, such as a stump or a creek, that no longer exist. A surveyor familiar with local records can help interpret them.
What about DNA tests and online databases?
Online family tree sites and DNA tests can open new leads, but they also carry privacy considerations. Results can reveal information about relatives who did not agree to be part of your research. Read the privacy terms, and think about how living relatives might feel.
Never give out personal data you are not comfortable sharing. Be especially careful with children's information and with anyone who contacts you offering to sell records or services you did not request.
If a relative asks you not to share certain family details, respect that. Not every story belongs in a public tree, and some belong only to those who lived them.
How should you organize and store your findings?
Make a simple folder system by family line, with scans of each document and a written source note. Keep an additional copy off site or in a secure cloud, and use acid-free folders for paper originals. Avoid taping or laminating old documents.
Ask your state archives, historical society or library about handling fragile items. Many offer advice or workshops.
Choose file names that include a surname, year and type of document, so you can find items quickly even after hundreds have piled up.
- Scan documents and label them
- Record the source of every fact
- Keep a second copy elsewhere
- Store paper in acid-free materials
How can you share it with the family?
Write the story in plain language, with photographs and names. A short family book or a shared digital album is enough. Invite relatives to correct errors and add memories.
Give a copy to the county library or historical society so the research stays in the community and does not disappear with one person.
Hold a family gathering around the project if you can. Seeing photographs together tends to bring out names and stories that no record would hold.
Key takeaways
- Start with living relatives and documents already in your home.
- Land, church and cemetery records are especially useful for farm families.
- Verify facts with more than one source and note any uncertainty.
- Be careful with privacy, especially with DNA tests and online databases, and consult a licensed attorney about ownership questions.
Sources and further reading
Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Rural Farm Life Editorial Team. See our editorial policy.