Carole, I am a professional genealogy researcher and have the good fortune of living very close to Washington, DC. The National Archives, The National Archives II (in Adelphi, MD), The Library of Congress and the DAR are the cornerstones of research here. Be prepared for some frustration because there is a lot to learn, but the more you learn prior to you visit the more profitable you visit will be. Washington DC is the mecca of U.S. cities for research. If you are on a tight schedule it would be important to know exactly what you wanted to find prior to your visit. Be realistic, Census and Ships passenger lists are easier than Military and Military pension records and land records are a bit more time consuming. When you need to see records not on film there will be at least a two (2) hour wait (Military and Pension Applications). For some records you will need to make and have an appointment with one of the specialist who will have to approve your request to see the records. This is not a one day venture if you are seeking more than census, military records, military pension applications or ships passenger lists. This is not going to be easy. You should make yourself fully aware of what each repository has to offer prior to your visit. Start with the National Archives. *************** The National Archives. This is a large site so spend lot of time surfing it. http://www.nara.gov/ ******** http://www.nara.gov/nara/bookstore/books.html GUIDE TO GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH IN THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES (this book is Softcover: #W200001 $25) ********* These books and finding aids are on line and for sale through the NARA. They are about $3.50 each. http://www.nara.gov/publications/bookstore/microcat.html The 1790-1890 Federal Population Censuses The 1900 Federal Population Census The 1910 Federal Population Census The 1920 Federal Population Census Immigrant & Passenger Arrivals Genealogical & Biographical Research Military Service Records Black Studies American Indians Diplomatic Records National Archives Microfilm Resources for Research A Comprehensive Catalog (This is a complete listing with indexes of what you will find on film at the NARA.--$5) ********* this is a National Archives gopher site with a (almost) complete inventory. gopher://gopher.nara.gov/11/inform/guide ****** The Library of Congress has a web site and portions of their collection are searchable on line. You will be interested in Local and Family History Room. They have a massive collection of family histories. http://www.loc.gov/catalog/ ********* The DAR also has the most beautiful library in town with a truly impressive collection of family histories and some local histories of interest. I don't think they have a web site but their phone is 202-628-1776, the DAR Library is 202-879-3229. Good Luck, Ralph Komives PO Box 742 Bowie, MD 20718-0742 RalphK@aol.com http://members.aol.com/RalphK/DocumentSearch.html Document Searches in Washington, D.C. Area and Annapolis, MD. Problem searches and common names a specialty. Research at: DAR Library, National Archives, Library of Congress, MD State Archives