By Sheila Benedict

Contributing Writer

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a wonderful time with family and friends. Just as stated last month, when giving gifts, sometimes the best ones might be knowing who you are and where you came from. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of family history books put together to tell the story of a particular family and the many surnames of relatives. Some of those books are wonderful, but others have a lot of misinformation that will steer you down the wrong path. Everything — and to repeat, everything — needs to be source-cited to prove what is being written. 

In the past, there has been a lot of information in the column about genealogical libraries and online sources but some lesser-known places, both in person and online, need to be featured. 

One major source of data is archives, public and private. The information they have is usually very different than in a library. For instance, a religious archive keeps sacramental records such as baptisms, marriages, burials and other events that are specific to family. Those are private records, but some churches do donate copies to libraries, especially the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Of course, there is often strings attached to their donations, especially when it comes to privacy and copyright laws.  

Other archives include those that are state-run such as the California State Archives in Sacramento. Their records may not have much family…