" ... provides updated county and town listings within the same overall state-by-state organization ... information on records and holdings for every county in the United States, as well as excellent maps from renowned mapmaker William Dollarhide ... The availability of census records such as federal, state, and territorial census reports is covered in detail ... Vital records are also discussed, including when and where they were kept and how"--Publisher decription.

Tells how to obtain civil, felony, and misdeameanor records from across the U.S.

Section describes examples of searches using computer databases, federal court records, indexes, justice of the peace records, and law library research, including how to search for people of color. The appendices list contact information for state and federal courts and other sources. Rapaport is a former trial lawyer and writes the column "Tales from the Courthouse" for New England Ancestors magazine. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).