When searching for records many are on the various paid and free databases online. However, a lot more can be found by searching state archives. Go to your browser and put in the state archives and then see what you get. For instance a search for Illinois state archives will bring up more than one site but one has in its description "online databases" so obviously that is the one you would chose first. Clicking on that site will bring you databases of deaths and marriages in Illinois. A good many of these state archive databases are not on the ordinary sites such as Ancestry, etc. If the page you bring up with records covers more than your screen, be sure to set your printer on landscape when you print it out or you will lose part of the page in printing. Since the part you lose is usually the county or city you definitely do not want to miss that information. Do not search only something that specifically says "online databases". Also, search the library if it is available and look for history links, county and city links. You may also find links to schools, churches, etc. These may not have searchable online databases for everything but it will give you addresses to write for various other records. And the library may have an online catalog. Sometimes you can have research done for you in the state archives library. Sometimes you pay a fee and sometimes it is free. Usually you can buy copies of records and also microfilms. I don't own a microfilm reader but when I ordered microfilms from the state archives library, the public library let me use theirs and their printer to read and copy records from the microfilms. In addition, I found frequently the historical society libraries will have microfilm readers and will let you use them. The Family History Centers of the LDS will too. I usually give the FHC or library the microfilm after I am finished with it as a return gift for the use of the reader and copier. Along the same line are the university libraries. Frequently, their catalogs are online. Sometimes you can borrow books and microfilms on interlibrary loan but not all libraries do interlibrary loans. All state residents can use the state university library though. I was shocked to find several family histories for New England families in the University of Arizona library. Also, microfilms of the abolitionist newspaper one of my ancestors published for several years before Arizona even belonged to the US. You never know what is there until you look. Bette