Iowa Research Guide Digital Download

You'll love this if..

• You're getting started tracing your ancestors in Iowa
• You want new ideas and resources to get past a Iowa brick wall
• Your genealogy search is focused mainly on Iowa —you don't need the full State Research Guides collection

Trace your Iowa ancestors with the advice and resources in our State Research Guide! This four-page download includes:

• a how-to article detailing Iowa's history and records, with helpful advice on tracking your family there
• the best websites, books and other resources for Iowa research, handpicked by our editors and experts
• listings of key libraries, archives and organizations that hold the records you need
• descriptions of the top historic sites for learning about your ancestors' lives and times, including visitor information
• timeline of key events in the state's history
• full-color map to put your research in geographical context

Here's a sampling of the helpful tips you'll get in the Iowa guide:

• Most settlers didn't start arriving until after the Black Hawk War ended in 1833. The Sauk and Fox had to move west of the Mississippi River, opening up the area for westward expansion.
• More-recent birth certificates may be available from your ancestor's county. A collection of delayed birth records (1848 and 1852-1916) is on file at SHSI, and its website has indexes to older county-level death records.
• Iowans turned out in droves to support the Union's Civil War effort—at least 75,000 enlisted. Find Civil War service records on microfilm at the FHL and NARA.

Plus, each guide contains active web links for one-click access to every recommended online resource. You can view this PDF on your computer and print pages for reference.