*HI ALL: For those who may not be familiar with the FHC ...Family History Cntr, you can look up names by SURNAMES, and see alot of family info on them, whatever people have submitted. This would be on the IGI & ANCESTRAL FILE. (All you oldtime Genealogy people already know all this, so don't bother reading this, it's just for newbies!) So go to the FHC and ask them to show you how to look up your Surnames you are working on - on the IGI and ANCESTRAL FILE. You can also order CENSUS RECORDS, MILITARY RECORDS, ETC, on the FHLC - search by SUBJECT, NAME, LOCALITY. Oh yes, this can also be done (much of it) online now at www.familysearch.org They are putting the info online, and much of it is there now....but not all. But still worth checking, because there are MILLIONS of names online now! I would suggest when you go to this site, click on the upper right hand corner you will see the words "CUSTOM SEARCH", start with that...then just type in your name in the box, and you're on your way! Besides IGI & ANCESTRAL FILE, you will want to look up your area of the country/state/county, using the FHLC (Family Hist. Lib.Catalog). You can narrow it down to city, county and/orstate.....But if you don't find much of anything doing it that way (city or county), go back and do it by STATE, and you may find something that way on the longer listing, for the county of interest. Be sure to ask if they have a card catalog or list of FILMS & FICHE they are keeping at the FHC (listed by State)---you may find they have some already there that will be of help to you, then you won't have to pay for them! If you see a film in the FHC that someone else ordered and is due to go back soon, YOU CAN 'REORDER' it under your name, and it will stay there! I realize most of you on this list are old hands at this; but if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask me....or others on the list. I'm sure there are MANY here who are as knowledgeable abt genealogy and the FHC as I am! I work in the FHC every Thurs. nite, so I've had alot of time to get familiar with it (years!) --- BTW, if I was going to do a LOOKUP for you at the FHC and haven't, pls. forgive me. I was sick for a while with bronchitis and felt horrible and didn't go to FHC; but I'm back! Will try to catch up on LOOKUPS asap. Have fun! *TINA/CA* List Mgr.