Here is something I found on the Montgomery list which I know will be of interest to all regarding use of LDS FHC's. They can be of great help to the researcher. Pat Hansen -----Original Message----- From: Juli Claussen & Tim Damian [mailto:timjuli@earthlink.net] Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2000 7:00 AM To: ILMONTGO-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [ILMONTGO] Using LDS Family HIstory Center Dear Friends, I know many are not familiar with how to use the LDS Family History Centers, and the LDS Family Search web pages have changed it all a great deal. I just got the hang of it about a year ago, and it has helped me tremendously with my genealogical research. Here is my system. Find out where the nearest branch of the LDS Family History Center is located. It is best just to call up a local LDS church and ask, because when I checked for it on the web site the nearest one listed was 1 1/2 hrs away, while there was actually one right here in my town. Find out the hours too, because they are staffed by volunteers. Mine is only open 1 day/week. Go to www.familysearch.org , which is the LDS site. Go to "search catalog". If you have an unusual surname, you may wish to check out the "surname search" option. I usually go straight to "locality search". You can enter "Montgomery" and "Illinois", and it will show you a list of materials available for the county, such as census records, vital records, cemeteries, etc. When you look at the description of the items available, it will tell you at the top right if film notes are available. If not, it means this is a book that remains at the Salt Lake City library and does not circulate. However, most have film notes. Look at the film notes, and it will tell you if it is on microfilm and/or microfiche. Just make a note of the film/fiche title you want and it's number. I always just print out the description page and take it with me. Go to the local branch FHC, and order what you want there. It costs $3.25 to rent a microfilm for 4-6 weeks, and less than a dollar a page to get fiche, which then remain in that branch and don't have to be returned. The volunteer will call you when your order comes in, usually about 2 weeks here, and I go in on the day they are open and view it there on the microfilm readers. If you find something you want a copy of, they have a machine that can copy from the microfilm like a xerox machine. By using this resource, I am able to view records that I would only be otherwise able to see by going to the distant courthouses. I hope this is helpful! Juli Claussen ==== ILMONTGO Mailing List ==== The RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative is supported by its users: RootsWeb would cease to exist if not for the support of folks like you. By becoming a Member, Sponsor, or Donor, you help RootsWeb provide Web and FTP space on thousands of genealogical topics, mailing lists for thousands of groups of genealogists with shared interests, and search engines to make huge amounts of genealogical data freely available to Internet genealogists.Become A Rootsweb Sponser Today! http://www.rootsweb.com/ ============================== Ancestry.com Genealogical Databases http://www.ancestry.com/search Search over 2500 databases with one easy query!