Hi, For starters, you might try going to familysearch.org. Just type in the surname you are researching. If it doesn't come up immediately, be creative with the spelling and something might still come up. Unless you are interested in the genealogy products, you can ignore their ads. They are very helpful it you write them. Also, be sure to check under Bibliography and then Research Sources to see if any books have been written about those with your surnames. Also, there are many surname look-up books, some no doubt in the library. You also might try that. I wouldn't take any of them as the last word, though. Often individual family lines seem to pop up in other places and if you go back further you may find they were only at the locations indicated during certain periods, that the names had changed or been altered for political or religious reasons etc. Cheers, Victoria Bennett Researching Tucker Munro Phillips, circa 1900, La Clede County, Missouri