Iowa Record Finder

This table can help you decide which records to search. It is most helpful for research from 1800 to the present. Step 1. Choose an ancestor you would like to know more about. Decide what new information you would like to learn about that person. This new information is your research goal. Step 2. In column 1 of this table, find the goal you selected. Step 3. In column 2 of this table, find the types of records most likely to have the information you need; then read the sections in this outline about those types of records. Step 4. Look in the Family History Library Catalog and choose a specific record to search. Step 5. Look at the record. Step 6. If you do not find the information you need, go to column 3 and search those record types. Note: Records of previous research (Genealogy, Locality Search, History, Periodicals, and Societies) are useful for most goals, but they are not listed unless they are especially helpful.