Hi, Debbie, I'm sorry that you are having trouble getting census records at the FHC. I researched at the large FHC in Salt Lake City , Utah for nearly 2 years, 12 hours a day, and my focus was Arkansas. That is where the whole family on my Husbands' line finally converged together. Everyone was intermarried and stayed in the same place for generations. Up there, they have one floor that has NOTHING except films and readers, immigration and census records. Arkansas has ALL census records up to and including 1920. However, where I am now, only has 1790 census indexes in most states. The reason being that funds and space are not available to handle ALL the census records...you can't believe how much room they take!! however, they do have a way in these branch libraries to ORDER the Census records that you need, for temporary or permanent use in their library. It is much cheaper than a trip to SL, or Provo, Utah, where they also have the complete facility, including the indexes in Books. There are also films from the courthouses that can be ordered on the same basis, usually $2 or $3, a film. In fact, some counties take it upon themselves to go through their own records, and then type up their census records for the convenience of researchers. Many, Many counties send bus loads of researchers from their locality to stay a full week in SL, and do nothing but research, and take records back to, or add to the library there. They have dozens of books on counties, organized not only by county, but as you stand and study the books in your county, the surrounding counties are right next to yours..Pope County, during the civil war, when their courthouse was in danger of ravage by rebels, and by tornados, even, took their records out of the courthouse, hid them in a cave until the war was over, and then brought them out and built a new courthouse. That is why they have an abundance of records..Perry Co, on the other hand has had their courthouse burn down 3 times, and destroy all their records, and when I was researching there a couple of years ago, gathering marriage records, the tobacco smoke was so thick that I had to open a window and sit right by it to keep from asphixiation!!! I can see it burning for the fourth time, shortly!! I can't believe they allow that to happen, in a wooden building, no less!!! It is really sad, because that was the heart of our family...Some moved over into Faulkner, and so that is where the base was later...But, nothing can replace the Perry co., records..The Yell county organizations have done a WONDERFUL job of typing all their census records, and I can zerox them, and put them in a binder and have them to refer to often, as I continue to discover more and more intermarried lines as I go along...Thank goodness for far-seeing people!!! I have many records that I copied in that 2 years at the library, and if I know exactly what you want, and when, I am within 2 hours of that library now, and can possibly look for your names the next time I go there...I would be happy to help!! Also, on the FHC computer, is a program called the Card Catalog, that tells everything in the library that is on film or in the book section or on microfiche...(That is a dream because they only cost abt. 15 cents to order, and are usually retained in the library on a permanent basis)...and most of that info. can be ordered on a rental basis. I KNOW that there is nothing more frustrating than knowing WHAT you want and need, and NOT having it available. The FHC here that I work at now, is just such a facility. A man from Connecticut came in awhile back, and showed me a few names and asked for assistance...Having been in the SL library, I could just picture EXACTLY what to do, and where to go to take him back AT LEAST 4 generations!!! But, our library is one of those that is just TOO SMALL to hold much, and I felt like crying, because I could have helped him if I had had the facilities...All I could do was to look up film #'s for him, and tell him to look up a FHC in Connecticut and order those films... I have quite a few records here on Cemetery, land, marriage, census, history, etc. of Arkansas counties, that I can do some lookups for you if that would help. I have dabbled in Scott county, but have mostly, YELL, JOHNSON, FRANKLIN, PERRY, FAULKNER, MONTGOMERY, HOTSPRINGS, WHITE, INDEPENDENCE, PULASKI, POPE, & WASHINGTON Counties....I have some in others, searching for our families...I would be happy to share any information that I can to help you.....These are the names I am gathering info. on there...HEFFINGTON, SPRADLIN, STARR, BATTENFIELD, HARDIN, HOGAN, HARKEY, WILLIAMS, MORRIS, REED, DAVIDSON, TURNER, NOONER, NUNER, BRYAN, MCMINN, DAILEY, AND MANY MANY MORE INTERRELATED FAMILIES.....CHANCE, HILL, BAKER, ANTHONY, INGRAMS, AND OTHERS... Please, don't be discouraged!!! I have gone into homes of Don's relatives and had them open up their bibles and we would copy 2-3 generations, and many of them had generations of family, dates etc. right in their heads...I couldn't believe it, but they wouldn't open up until they saw Don, and because they KNEW him and his family, they would tell me their information...and then they would say...(because I would put in right onto my lap top computer, and then run them off a copy on by portable bubble jet printer) "you know, our children are not and DO NOT know the stuff that is in my head...I know it, but when I am gone, they are not going to know this information..." and they would, almost without exception, take the sheets of paper and hug them to their hearts, and cry!! One man said, "This is what I've wanted to have, all my life." It is wonderful to see their joy...But, they sure are close mouthed when they don't know you... Let me know what I can do to assist you, ok? LaRee Nooner dnooner@sisna.com (ps. I hope you won't feel badly if I send this on to the ARSCOTT rootsweb, but I would like all those who need my infor. to please ask...The more of us researching Arkansas and finding records...the better...we can all help each other,...and really put Arkansas on the map....where it belongs...!!!!) ---------- > > Hi all!, > > I know you are probably all tired of seeing my postings, but I am really > stuck. I just spent all day at my FHC (again). I think they think Arkansas > isn't really a state :-(( > > They have no CD's, no Census Indexes past 1860 .... and very few land > records. I am trying to find the 1870 listing for the HISAW families in AR. > I think they are in Scott County by that time. I do know that when my g > grandmother and father started having kids in 1882, they were all born in > waldron, AR. > > I need help finding birth records and some sort of marriage record on the > parents: Thomas L. Rainwater(s) and Sarah Elizabeth Hisaw (Lizzy or > Elizabeth). > > Any ideas??? I considered buying the census index CD's, but as I have found > out, they are not complete. HELP! > > Thanks for any assistance and your patience in my reposting! > Debbie Rainwater Anderson > dkrainh20a@aol.com > >