Some records are not indexed so you may have to take a chance on what you may find, and it is just as likely there will be nothing of us. But there may be a gem that can unlock what happened to your ancestor and may contain their name and all sorts of information. Some of the documents can be very fragile and you need to take care.
Searching in an archive can be time consuming, sometimes fruitless, but you have to rule certain documents out to continue your search. When you have what I call a “Eureka moment” when you do discover the record you were hoping to find, it can be amazing.
Preparation is the key to visiting an archive. Find out what the opening days and hours are and do check whether you need to book before you go. Some archives only allow you to look at certain documents on certain days so make sure you check before you leave. If you are travelling a long way you don’t want to be turned away.
Before you leave for an archive or record office each one asks for different identification to be provided in order for you to be able to access the records so you will need to check. Do you need to have an archives card or do they use their own system.
Always check the archive catalogue to make sure they hold the item you are looking for. This may be quite tricky and difficult to navigate, always you should always ask the archive or record office for help as they are very knowledgeable or you could considering employing a professional genealogist like me who has experience of researching in archives and is familiar with the catalogue and can help.
