from another list . . . if you know of helpful sites, let us know. kemis From: gaclarke-bounces@rootsweb.com > [mailto:gaclarke-bounces@rootsweb.com]On Behalf Of Don Summers > > > I believe that it is best to obtain copies of original records from the > archives that house them. Regardless of the type of record. Records > pertaining to service in the Civil War for instance are retained in the > National Archives and in various state archives. Florida Sate Archives > has > a searchable index of CW pension applications that can be viewed and > printed > on - line. Texas has a very good searchable index and you can request > copies in various ways including e -mail. The cost is quite reasonable > ($0.10 per page plus postage) and the service is usually very responsive. > When you receive your documents the archives provides you with an invoice. > > The link for Florida is: > http://www.floridamemory.com/Collections/PensionFiles/ The link for Texas > is: http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/arc/pensions/index.html > > Alabama has a similar search engine and request procedures. When dealing > with Alabama you can request a search for all records in four groups for > an > individual. The wait is somewhat longer than Texas but worth the effort. > Costs are also reasonable. The Alabama archives link is: > http://www.archives.state.al.us/civilwar/index.cfm. > > Many other databases are now available, some are free and some modestly > priced. http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=0 is the > link for Family Search's prototype search engine. It is free and can be > searched in several ways. This link is for new databases being added, a > lot > with original images. Arizona death certificates and Texas death > certificate images are available. > > I believe these are the types of links that can help others look for data > about family members without crossing into the commercial realm. > Commercial > databases have their place in research for sure, but should not be the > first > place to look. > > Don Summers