Resources for the Olden Times

In the Midwest, "olden times" are before statehood. In the October-December 2008 NGS Magazine, Dian VanSkiver Gagel, immediate past president of the Ohio Genealogical Society, describes colonial and territorial records for the Midwest and elsewhere. (I had never thought about the research implications of the fact that Minnesota was under at least seven different jurisdictions prior to 1857!)

Gagel also mentions what sounds like a useful resource if you're working in this time period: Michal Chiorazzi and Marguerite Most, eds., Prestatehood Legal Materials: A Fifty-State Research Guide, including New York City and the District of Columbia, 2 volumes (New York: The Haworth Information Press, 2005). Worldcat shows it mostly in law-school libraries, although among more accessible Midwestern libraries, it's also available at the Library of Michigan, Allen County Public Library (Fort Wayne), Milwaukee County, and Grand Rapids.

More Third Coast genealogy

In the April-June issue of NGS Newsmagazine, Debra Mieszala, CG, of Lake County, Illinois, describes records of the Coast Guard predecessor United States Life-Saving Service (USLSS), begun in the 1870s. If you have a research target involved, these records are a treat -- everything from logbooks to correspondence to "articles of engagement." And check out the list of articles for further study.