Researching in Nebraska

As vehicles whiz through Nebraska, passengers proclaiming there is nothing to see, the trail travelers had all the time in the world to view their surroundings.  Some left diaries or journals and the accounts differed, probably according to the weather or the personality of the writer.  Eventually people began staying in Nebraska, paving the way for the great state it is today.

From one end of the state to the other, and north and south, there are great repositories of records.  Nebraska became a state in 1867 and while not like the early 1600s records of New England, records of the 1860s do exist.

The Homestead Act brought a huge influx of people to the state, particularly after the Civil War.  Records and complete files of land secured by this act can now be found online at Fold3.

For more than a glimpse of how to do research in Nebraska, I have written the book Genealogical Research in Nebraska, revised edition.  It contains 537 pages, thousands of URLs and genealogical plus historical information.  The chapters are ...

Nebraska Settlement and Statehood
Trails, Roads and Forts
Settlements
Ethnic Groups and Settlements
Native Americans
Courts and Records
Land Laws and Records
Nebraska's Large Repositories
Census Records
Religious Records
Newspapers
Cemeteries
Steamboats and Railroads
Orphan Trains
Wars and Military Records
Schools
Institutions
Organizations
Farming, Ranching and Records
Federal Records of Nebraska
Addresses
Nebraska Counties
Nebraska Publications and Histories
Family History Centers
Maps, Atlases, Directories and Gazetteers

The book sells for $32.95 plus $5.00 postage and handling.   It is spiral bound and the most up to date compilation about doing research in Nebraska.  It can be ordered online at Genealogy Works.