Planning to Plan: What to do Before Going to the Courthouse, Family History Center, or other Ancestral Location

The courthouse in Washington County, Iowa.  I hope a future visit here will help me gain a better understanding of my Taylor ancestors, but I'd better plan well so the trip is worth it!  By Farragutful (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

I'm putting this together for my own use, but I figured others could use these free tips as well:

Planning and Implementing a Research Trip (Video: Presenter: Tim Bingaman, AG) at FamilySearch:

Don’t be surprised on your next research trip. Learn how to prepare and what to take and do on your next trip.

U.S. Courthouse Research (Video: Presenter: Christine Rose, CG, CGL, FASG) at FamilySearch:

Courthouses are places where you can find answers to genealogical problems. They are a rich source of written records created as a result of the laws, the time period, and personal activities of your ancestors. The steps delineated throughout this course will assist you to be more effective as you visit courthouses in your search for genealogical information.∗∗∗Note: To view this video please use Internet Explorer or Firefox as your web browser.

And a two-part blog post from Linda Stufflebean ("12 Tips: Preparing for the Family History Library and Rootstech 2018.  There is an emphasis on Rootstech in Salt Lake City but really these are great tips any time you venture out of your house into a family history library:
Part 1
Part 2


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