Getting Started
Getting Started in Local History & Genealogy
The journey into your family’s past often begins with simple steps: document what you already know, build outward from immediate relatives, and gradually work backward generation by generation. Local history research is especially powerful, because connecting family stories to the place where they lived gives context—why they moved, how the town developed, what local events may have influenced their lives. Tools like maps, newspapers, local archives, plats, directories, and vertical files help you anchor ancestors in time and place. As you work, stay organized, track sources carefully (so you can revisit or verify later), and don’t be afraid to ask librarians or local historians for guidance.
5 Tips to Aid Your Searching
Here are five tips drawn from our resources that can help you make the most of your research:
Start by writing down all the facts and stories your immediate family knows—names, dates, places, stories. Even informal family stories may contain clues (middle names, residences, migration hints) that will guide where to look next.
The library’s genealogical hub—the Baker Genealogy Center—provides computer labs and curated resources. Meanwhile, the Topeka Room houses local history collections (books, pamphlets, photographs, blueprints, etc.). Visiting those in person (or contacting staff) can unlock materials not available online.
TSCPL maintains an obituary index, which is “one of our most valuable genealogy research tools.” Their local history digital collections include full runs of major Topeka newspapers on microfilm from 1865 onward. Use these to find vital life events, family relationships, addresses, occupations, and more.
The library offers access to Ancestry Library Edition, which contains censuses, city directories, vital records, and more. The tip is: start with what you know, use the “quick links” (births, marriages, death records, city directories, etc.), and build your tree outward. Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library Also, organize your findings carefully as you go so you don’t lose track.
The libraries Local Collections include a “subject index” (A–Z), local history digital collections (photos, architectural drawings, oral histories, vertical files), and biography files. Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library Their Local History Digital Collections also house maps, blueprints, scrapbooks, and photographs. Don’t forget the vertical files and subject/biography files in the Topeka Room, which often hold newspaper clippings, ephemera, and local stories not indexed elsewhere.
