This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/IKB.2ACE/1787 Message Board Post: Dear fellow researchers: First, this is not spam or advertising, honest, I will give you my home telephone number if you want to contact me. I am a genealogist just like you are. I have just figured out a way to get records that you can do from home that actually will get you somewhere! In my every day professional work I use the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) to acquire records from all areas. While you cannot just send in a generic "find this" request, using the proper request the proper forms and properly worded legal letter you will result in the getting documentation you are seeking. You have to send some starting info for them to search for, but I received 84 pages the first time and two weeks later received an additional 124 pages of documentation. These records went back to 1838. It was a godsend! I will spell this out exactly to anyone who wishes direction and send you the form, the request letter, what you need to send them in terms of specifics, if! you have them, or if not, where and how to find them. This is what the Freedom of Information Act is for! But you have to know how and where to use it. The FOIA is available for use in any state for any public record. It does not, not replace the researcher, but for those of us who have been unable to physically get to an out of town location or to contact an active researcher it's great. As a result of my request I have my gggrandfather's entire household inventory down to every single knife and fork, I have his entire office contents down to the list of law books and furniture he owned, I have the guardianship papers for all of my ggrand uncles and aunts, I have a (long) list of people that owed him money for mortgages he held and how much, when they were due - it was like a treasure chest. I know how much he paid for a loaf of bread, how much of an allowance the Estate had my gggrandmother on for the next 5 years! And all because I knew how to ask the right way. Ag! ain, this is just one tool. I am preparing a "package" to email those who are interested. My email is genealogyprincess2000@yahoo.com. The response has been rather large, it's going to take me a few days, possible until the weekend. I will be glad to help anyone with any additional information or reformatting the forms for other states, other data requests, etc. This is just taking me a LOT of time. I will email all the details with the forms, etc. In the meantime, start searching for as many specifics as you can get. This is not "send me the death certificate of...." This is "I searched the probate database for (county) and found that my ggrandfather's estate is in your records. It is between the years XXXX and XXXX." Then there is more legal lingo, etc. etc.. Anyway, I am sorry this post is so long, I will be sending this out to all interested sometime this week or weekend. Also, please advise anyone else you think may be interested in this information in o! ther lists. Thanks! Kathy