They will have old newspapers, city directories and county histories. Library staff and society members will be able to assist researchers and answer questions. Each state maintains a vital records office and a state archives. Vital records usually consist of birth and death records. Check with the state office for dates when registration of the certificates began.
State archives maintain documents that cover state history and events.
Examples of state documents include military records, historical documents, state newspapers, state land records, etc. Some state archives may contain photograph collections and oral history interviews. A number of state archives maintain a Web page listing their holdings, research policies and other useful information. The largest collection of records exists on the federal level. These records, created by federal agencies are popular with researchers.