Begin with a question small enough to answer: a person at a particular address, a business in a specific year, or the date a building changed use. Record what you already know and what remains a hypothesis.
A useful research sequence
- Search the History Center and Historical Society resources for collections and local leads.
- Compare contemporary newspapers and dated maps with later recollections.
- Use land and court records through their official custodians when the question concerns ownership or legal events.
- Record repository, collection, date, page and image identifier for every source.
- Keep uncertain identifications separate from documented conclusions.
Research starting points
Historical Society research resources · DigitalNC · North Carolina historical newspapers · Stanly NCGenWeb · State Archives of North Carolina
Before you reproduce an image
Public access does not necessarily mean permission to republish. Check the item’s rights statement, credit the collection and obtain permission where required. Preserve an unedited copy and keep transcription separate from interpretation.
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