Friday, April 20, 2007

Searching for Cornelia's Family - Part 2 - Traditional Resources

I posted last month about my online search for the parents of my newly identified ancestor Cornelia BRESEE (and variants like Brazee, Brazie, Bressey, Brisee, Brusee, Bries, Brees, Breese, etc) here. And I posted my progress in tracking down information in online resources here. If nothing else, these posts serve as a research log for my work. Perhaps other researchers can use the to-do list, and the web sites searched, and tailor it to their own needs.

During this online search effort, I input as much data as I could find into a FamilyTreeMaker database so that I could organize and sort the information I have.

Unfortunately, a clear set of parents was not identified from the online search effort. However, a set of perhaps 10 potential families were identified, but, at this time, there is no guarantee that any of them are her parents.

The second major step in my search for Cornelia's parents is to search for traditional resources - books, periodicals, manuscripts, other researchers, etc.

This search will take a longer time than the online search because of the difficulty of accessing the records from the San Diego area. I will try to post about my findings as I gather them.

My To-Do list for traditional resources include:

1) Search the LDS Family History Library Catalog online for books and manuscripts for the Bresee (and variants) surname. Order microfilms as needed at the FHC and review them.

2) Search the LDS Family History Library Catalog online for books and manuscripts for Rensselaer and Columbia Counties, New York. Concentrate on church, town, tax, land and probate records. Order microfilms as needed at the FHC and review them.

3) Search the OCLC WorldCat online (www.worldcat.org) for books and manuscripts for the Bresee (and variants) surname. Order potentially helpful books via InterLibrary Loan if possible.

4) Search the OCLC WorldCat online (www.worldcat.org) for books and manuscripts for Rensselaer and Columbia Counties, New York. Order potentially helpful books via InterLibrary Loan if possible.

5) Search the PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) online for periodical articles that might contain information on the Bresee surname and records in the Hudson River area of New York. Try to find the periodicals in the San Diego area, or order the articles via snail mail from Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne.

6) Contact via email or snail mail the people who have submitted queries on the surname and locality message boards and mailing lists. Determine if they have information about my Cornelia Bresee. Even though I have had few responses to my posted queries, it is probable that some of these researchers don't read the boards and lists regularly.

7) Contact via email or snail mail the genealogical and historical societies in Rensselaer and Columbia Counties NY to determine if they hold Bresee surname resources or unique county resources available nowhere else.

8) If necessary, take a research trip to Salt Lake City to view manuscripts and books there that are not available on microfilm or microfiche.

9) If necessary, take a research trip to the Hudson River valley to view manuscripts and books there that are not available online, via ILL or by mail.

My best guess is that, if I am going to solve this research problem, it is going to be by finding primary records in original sources - probably church, cemetery, probate and land records in the Hudson River counties.

I am sure that there are many more things I can do in Traditional Resources - please make suggestions and help me out here. I will appreciate it! I will add to this list when I get suggestions or think of additions as time goes on.

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