August 28, 2026
Some of my favorite genealogical memories include visits to county courthouses. I’ve written about some of those trips in prior posts. There’s nothing like digging through boxes of actual probate packets where each packet is folded into a neat package and tied with a thin black ribbon. Climbing on to a rickety ladder to reach giant deed books is another fond memory.
If you are able, I’d recommend a courthouse trip to any new genealogist. Once you’ve scanned through an old ledger written in Palmer-style cursive, you’ll feel like you’re a “real” genealogist. You won’t even mind the grime that an afternoon digging through old records will leave on your clothes and hands.
Pouring through records that no one has touched for a century is a thrill. You can imagine your ancestors standing nearby as their names were written in a marriage ledger or the births of their children were recorded in a birth ledger. It’s a feeling that no digital copy will ever match.
However, sometimes it just isn’t feasible to visit the courthouse where an ancestor’s records are kept. Budgets are tight nowadays, and it’s hard to justify a visit to an out-of-the-way courthouse in Illinois when the rest of the family wants to visit Disneyland.
Luckily, many courthouse records can be accessed from home, even if they’re not digitized. Over the years, I’ve gotten probate packages, deeds, marriage licenses and divorce papers without a trip to the courthouse. It used to require a polite letter requesting a copy of the record. Nowadays, email is quicker. Sometimes the courthouse will even scan the records you need and send them back in another email.
Telephone calls also work, although you may have to play phone tag with the person you need to speak with. Whether you email or call, there will usually be a charge associated with getting the copies you want. Prices vary enormously. Sometimes, the copies are free. Most times the price per copy will be a dollar or so.
Another way to get copies of courthouse records is through Family Search. Family Search has a huge collection of courthouse records from every state in the country. You can find them in the Family Search catalog. The catalog is available online and is searchable by place names.
Under the place names, you will find a listing of various types of records such as vital records, land records, church records and censuses. Many of the records are viewable online with the click of a button. Others may require a visit to a FamilySearch Center to access them. FamilySearch Centers are in most communities in local churches and other public facilities such as public libraries. You can google them by city or region.
Visiting a courthouse in person is an experience that most genealogists will remember long after they get home. However, when you can’t visit in person, there are other ways to access the records. It won’t be quite as much fun, but your hands and clothes will be cleaner.
Carol Stetser
Researcher
Larimer County Genealogical Society