Getting Research Done *There* from *Here*

A fact of doing research for genealogical or historical writing purposes, or both, is that a good amount of the very best research material may be far flung from your immediate area: the National Archives or Library of Congress in Washington, DC; states' archives around the country; newspaper holdings or microfilm in other libraries or institutions, etc., may not be convenient to you and/or require investments in time, travel, and lodging that make them unaffordable.

However, there are a number of services - either "pay-as-you-go" or by subscription - that make that research easier and more timely.

I have used and still use regularly a number of these services in my own research and writing and they have proved to be invaluable.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I am going to give some reviews of these various services, including:

CivilWarDocs.com - an excellent source for Union and Confederate military service records and pension files

newspaperarchive.com - the world's largest online newspaper archive

Footnote.com - unique partnerships with the National Archives, Library of Congress, and other institutions provides access to nearly 70 million pages of historical documents using a terrific patented digitization process

D-Day Militaria - A service that specializes in documents relating to decorations (medals, etc). For example, I have used them to get Silver Star citations for WWII soldiers. They offer dozens of books that compile the General Orders (often specifying names and decorations) for the various infantry divisions in WWII.

Look for a review and interview with the Mr. Jay Odom, the proprietor of CivilWarDocs.com later this week!