This book reviews and explains the principal public records statutes applicable to records held by North Carolina local governments and examines the public's right of access to those records. It expands the coverage of the first edition and its cumulative supplement and also includes developments in the law since 2004. Although the book focuses on records held by local governments, state government officials also will find it useful.

Birth, marriage and death records are an essential resource for family historians, and this handbook is an authoritative introduction to them. It explains the original motives for registering these milestones in individual lives, describes how these record-keeping systems evolved, and shows how they can be explored and interpreted. Authors David Annal and Audrey Collins guide researchers through the difficulties they may encounter in understanding the documentation. They recount the history of parish registers from their origin in Tudor times, they look at how civil registration was organized in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and explain how the system in England and Wales differs from those in Scotland and Ireland. The record-keeping practiced by nonconformist and foreign churches, in communities overseas and in the military is also explained, as are the systems of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Other useful sources of evidence for births, marriages and deaths are explored and, of course, the authors assess the online sites that researchers can turn to for help in this crucial area of family history research.

3 volumes plus index volume.

"In this book, you will discover hard-to-find public information through the advanced use of search engines and social networks; learn insider secrets for finding detailed information on people and businesses; access detailed state-by-state profiles to know which types of records can be found online and what they will reveal. 11,000+ sites examined; locate the best online vendors for your specific needs; also includes a chapter dedicated to the fundamentals of searching public records online; and replaces the 6th edition of Public Records Online."--BOOK JACKET.

The MASTER GUIDE to the world of government and private on-line sources of public records.