If you know that your ancestor belonged to any family association such as the Ballou, Bradford, Chase, Dickinson, or Starr Family Association find out who was the secretary. Reason is that they may have left the notes and records to a local historical society. My great grandfather was one of the founders of the Ballou Family Assoc and the secretary for the Starr Family Association. His manuscript collection contains members handwritten Starr genealogy applications and some obituaries and even a few photos which he left to the New England Historical and Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in Boston. My clue to look at this manuscript collection came to me when I quizzed my mother on what she remembered about her grandfather. The thing that impressed her the most was that he use "to file every letter that came into the house in a box in the basement."