You need to determine what the customer needs as they may already have tons of information already and are looking for a specific fact that has eluded them or, they may be just beginning and do not even know where to start. Likely they are somewhere in-between.
Begin by asking these three questions:
- Where have you already looked? This is important not only so that you do not duplicate where they have already searched, but it will give you some idea of how far along they are with their work.
- How far back have you traced your family? That is, chronologically. If someone has traced their ancestors back to the Revolutionary War you don’t want to give them something that only goes back to World War II.
- What part of the state does the family come from? Really what you are getting at here is what County or area did they live? Many resources for family history in Maryland are specific to a town or county. Some counties have tons written about their families (e.g., Frederick), other very little (Cecil). Frequently local sources will not only have information on the family they are seeking, but can also identify other relatives living nearby.
If you want to direct a customer to a database, remember everyone with a valid Maryland library card can access HeritageQuest through Sailor. You may also subscribe to Ancestry Library Edition in your library. These two databases form a foundation for relevant genealogy information like census records, city directories and passenger arrivals.
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