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Researching a person often leads to surprising and exciting revelations.
You can use the same techniques and sources of information that we use on History Detectives to carry out your investigation.
Firstly, find out the basics about your person. For example, what is their name, when were they born and where? If you do not have access to this sort of information you can try a birth or death records search, which should give you more details that you can use a springboard for your investigation. You can find these records in your local municipality’s holdings, or use an online resource such as ancestry.com. Think outside the box as sometimes the person you are looking for is listed under another name, or the surname is spelled differently.
We recommend using the internet to see what records are available before you visit in person, especially in large cities where huge quantities of records are kept and information is hard to get on the phone. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has an interesting section on their website that explains how to find birth/death records for all 50 states.
Your next port of call should be public records; these are very helpful if you are looking at a person who died more than 50 years ago. This is because records older than 50 years are now part of the public domain, whereas you will need your subject’s approval if you are researching records or documents younger than 50 years.
Census records are another useful source if you know, or can guess, where your person lived. It is very convenient that the United States is the only country that maintains in it’s constitution that a census of the population be taken every ten years. These records are kept in government archives around the country and online and they date all the way back to 1790!
You should now have a pretty good idea about the basic background of your person. It’s now time to try and re-create your person’s life by using local historical and genealogical societies, or local historians. Even if you can’t find out the exact details of your person’s life, you can learn more about life in that town and period and begin to form a story about life at that time. Historical societies keep tons of information in their archives, including photos and deeds. You may be able to find photos of your person or perhaps you can find their name on a deed or in tax records.
Have you investigated a person? Do you have any tips? We would like to know. Let us know in the form below.
Find Out More:
Detective Techniques: Tracking People
Case file: Marriage Of Convenience
Take a Closer Look
Skeletons in the Closet
Be A House Detective
Know the Rogue's Gallery+
Locating an expert
Ballistics: Aiming to Find Out
Searching for the Patently Obvious
Digging Deep: How to find what you're looking for
Get involved with History Detectives!
See all posts »
Appraising
Researching People
Building Background
Photo Analysis
Finding experts
Ballistics
Patent Research
Historical Research
Welcome to DIY Investigations
The National Archives
SearchSystems.net
Genealogy.com
Ancestry.com
US Patent Office
Smithsonian
I love your show and if I could have any job in the world this would be the one!
The item I have is a wooden box that I was told was to copy negatives with. It has a glass plate in it and also opens and has 3 light bulbs inside. I would like to find out more about it but there is nothing written on the box any where. Help!!!!! Thank you so much for your show!
I lived at this lady's house in Santa Rosa, Ca in the mid 80's who told me stories about movie stars who came to her parties in Hollywood back in the 60's and that she always took pictures. She told me about a dancer boyfriend who she had to 'get rid of' because of his drug use and how she tore his bathroom vanity off the wall. Then she told me Jimi Hendrix lived at her mansion for a few weeks and ran up a nice bill on music gear telling her he was going to be in her production of the musical 'Nut Rocker Suite'. (Her way of reaching the youth and saving them from drugs!). She kicked him out of her house for his uncontrollable drinking problem. Well.....I found many photographs of movie stars and musicians at her wild Hollywood parties just like she said, and I also found the vanity with odd powder drugs, like mescaline in it out in her garage. Then I found a box containing guitar effects and some have been modified. In the box were items such as hankerchiefs and hats which also followed her description of Jimi's stay at her place. I often have wondered if there's any way to find out if Jimi actually used these items!?! Who knows? She was kind enough to give me the box of stuff (Before she kicked ME out too!) but I will keep her name a mystery and give those in 'the know' a hint. Her father was a VERY wealthy concrete contractor who made some very noteful damns and a very instrumental waterway commisioned by Aristotle Onassis!!!
A technique I've found handy is to investigate a subject's closest relatives if the trail on the subject goes cold. Sometimes by following around the relatives records, you'll find new intersections with the subject you're investigating
Bought a violin in arizona, second hand store, employees said there was no known maker, no label they said, i bought it, took it home, with a q tip I uncovered a label, andreas guarnerius, the label is bug eaten yet still visible, could this be one of Stradivarius' rivals, a first piece of Andreas many attempts so rare are Guarnerius violas, perhaps this would make a great show! Now for comments, YOUR SHOW ROCKS, ITS SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO WORK ON, AS. EMAIL ME...THANKS AND PBS.....IS THE MY PB AND J........
In 1971, or so, my neighbor was excavating his back acre. When walking through his yard I found a brass or bronze button. On the button is imprinted a scene of people from early America, possibly George Washington era. I was about 15 years old and the only source for looking up this item was to look at old pictures of people in military dress in the library. I remember seeing an outfit that had a button similar to the one I have. Since that time I have forgotten where I got the information and I have tried looking up information on the internet to no avail. I found the button in Aiken, SC. I currently live in Cusseta, GA. Could you help me find out what I own? I can send a photograph if needed.
Thank you
Hi, I just love the show and wish it could be on everyday. How does a person find out about an item. I have looked everywhere I can possibly think of. I have an antique wooden store display box with a little african/american boy on the front and it say Johnstons throat lozenges. Any idea on where to look for info? Thank you so much