Help Needed With Town Information:
Outline for Volunteers
for the
NW Iowa On-line Directory of
Genealogical Resources
Volunteers: In a new Word document, write a short paragraph on each category listed below as it applies to your town. Smaller towns won’t have every category. Include as much or as little information as you wish--this outline is only a guide. Don’t list individual’s names or emails on-line without permission. Feel free to update your own or others’ work as time goes on.
Attach and email to Linda Ziemann lin.ziemann@verizon.net (webmaster for this part of our website) and cc (carbon copy) to Linda Mohning lkmohning@gmail.com Directory Coordinator. Thank you!
Outline
Name of Your Town ____________________ County ___________________
Your Name ___________________________ Today’s Date _______________
A. General Information:
1. Location (may include GPS):
2. How did this town get its name?
3. Is this a lost town (ghost town)?
4. Name changes:
5. Earliest settlers in town and surrounding rural area
6. Nationalities of settlers:
7. Date of incorporation:
8. Date of first post office.
9. Notable events
10. Notable geographic features
11. Town slogan(s):
12. Annual celebrations:
13. This town is known far and wide for:
14: Website:
15. Local
Historians (with permission)
B. Historical Publications
1. County and state
books containing information on this town
2. Town history
books
3. Town cookbooks
4. Special-edition
newspaper articles on town history
5. Videos –
TV programs, etc.
6. Websites
containing history on this town
7. Fiction books
with this town as its setting
8. Other
C. Chamber of Commerce
1. Name:
2. Address:
3. Phone:
4. Email:
5. Website:
6. Resources
D. City Hall
1. Name:
2. Location:
3. Phone:
4. Hours:
5. Website and/or email:
6. Brief history
7. Genealogical Resources:
E. County Courthouse
– County Seats
1. Name
2. Location:
3. Phone:
4. Website:
5. Hours:
6. Brief history of courthouse
7. Rules and availability and location of records
8. Costs for copying, etc.
9. Genealogical resources and where located
F. Libraries
1. Name:
2. Location:
3. Phone:
4. Website:
5. Hours:
6. Brief history
7. Equipment and Technology: microfilm reader and/or printer, computers, wireless connection, fax, internet access, etc.
8. Costs - for copying, etc.
9. Genealogical resources:
G. Museums
1. Name:
2. Location:
3. Phone:
4. Website:
5. Hours:
6. Brief history
7. Genealogical Resources:
H. Genealogical and
Historical Societies
1. Name
2. Year organized:
3. Mailing address:
4. Website:
5. Brief History
6. Contact person (with permission)
7. Genealogical Resources:
I. Newspapers - Past
and Present
1. Name:
2. Location of office:
3. Website:
4. Phone:
5. Years published:
6. Brief history, mergers, etc:
7. Availability on microfilm? Where? Indexed?
8. Digitized?
9. Available on www.newspaperarchive.com ?
10. Was this newspaper published in another language originally? Translated?
J. Abstract Offices –
Past and Present
1. Name:
2. Location.
3. Phone:
4. Website:
5. Hours:
6. Genealogical Resources:
K. Cemeteries –
Past and Present (including rural
cemeteries)
1. Name:
2. Location of cemetery
3. Name of cemetery association:
4. Address:
5. Phone:
5. Website or email:
6. Date of incorporation:
7, Were there burials before the incorporation?
8. Brief history:
9. Location of plot/lot sale records and maps:
10. Has cemetery been walked and documented? Year? Location of info.
11..Have gravestones been photographed? Location of photos.
12. Have obituaries been linked to graves? Location of obits.
13. Is there a physical structure containing a directory at the cemetery?
14. Has a computerized map been made for the cemetery? Contact?
15. Is this cemetery still accepting burials?
16. Contact persons (sexton, caretaker, assoc. president) (with permission)
17. WPA grave listings?
L. Funeral Homes
and/or Morticians –past and present
1. Name:
2. Location:
3. Website:
4. Phone:
5. Brief history including mergers:
6. Location of records?
7. Other items of interest:
M. Churches - Past and Present (including rural churches)
1. Name:
2. Location:
3. Phone:
4. Website:
5. Year of Incorporation:
6. Brief history
7. Printed church histories, cookbooks, etc: or videos, etc.
8. Location of church records
9. Are early church records in English or another language? Translated?
10. Has this church closed? What year? Contact person (with permission)
11. Other items of interest:
N. Schools and Colleges - Past and Present
1. Name:
2. Location:
3. Website:
4. Phone:
5. Date of incorporation or organization.
6. School colors and mascot:
7. Changed names? Merged? .
8. If closed, what year?
9. Brief history
10. Is there an alumni association?
11. Location of school records?
12. Printed histories?
13. Rural country schools in the area around this town
O. Your Town’s Other
Genealogical Resources such as:
1. GenWeb sites
2. Local family history web sites
3. Blogs
4. Facebook
5. Other