Now that we have have our Starting Point and Documentation covered, it's time to go over Sources of Materials for you. Sources of Materials There are many ways to obtain materials to aid you in your research. Books are a wonderful source of information. There are books for say Civil War Soldiers, State Marriages, Early Settlers, and even your Family Surname. A word of caution though, when ordering a book of your Family Surname by mail, make sure the publisher is a reputable one, or you may just get a book with names taken from say credit reports or phone books.
Cemeteries are great.
Finding an ancestor in a cemetery can aid you greatly as far as dates go, especially if there are other family members buried along side. But there you must be cautious as well, for the dates given for the headstones may be from a relative that was not quite sure of the correct dates. Remember, it is always a traumatic time for the person left behind, and they may not have been thinking clearly at that time. But it is a good starting point for you. Census Records are great tools.