“If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be research.”
-Albert Einstein

You are sitting on the floor, sifting through memorabilia that you have found in a family trunk. There are photographs, faded with age, and documents so brittle that they threaten to disintegrate when you touch them. Rummaging deeper into the trunk, you find family heirlooms, a watch perhaps or a quilt. You know that these artifacts speak to a person’s life. “But how do I make sense of all of this?,” you ask.

If you are conducting your own research, check out how these sources (archives, museums, libraries, historical and genealogical societies) may help you.

The archives listed here may also be able to help you find a good home for any old photos, correspondence or other documents, etc. that you want to donate for posterity’s sake.