[contributed to RenovateDSM by Jennifer Irsfeld James, MAHP]

Researching houses in Des Moines is often a treasure hunt for clues. Juicy tidbits about a home’s history reside in resources such as city directories, county deeds, and old newspaper clippings.

In the course of working on restoration projects, National Register nominations, and graduate school coursework, I discovered the tremendous wealth of information available to those interested in finding out more about the history of their homes. This talk is intended to give you an overview of the tools you need to make your own discoveries.

Here are some overall tips, followed by a list of my favorite resources.

Start Slowly

Start slowly and don’t feel like you have to do it all at one time.

Look for Original Records

When possible, look for the original source. It’s not always possible – many times early handwritten documents have been disposed of.

Make Copies

Make copies of everything you find rather than taking notes, because you may find something and not understand the significance. If you have the original, you can go back over it with a practiced eye later in your research.

When a photocopy is not possible, try taking a digital photograph. Otherwise, when handwriting notes, be sure to write down the name of the book, the page number, and all details.

Expect Conflicting Info and Errors

Keep in mind that you’ll probably collect conflicting pieces of information – and part of the treasure hunt is evaluating all facts.

Street names and numbers can change, family names can be misspelled, people can get divorced and/or remarried

Ask For Help

Librarians, genealogists, other researchers, etc. - that’s how I learned.

Share Your Findings

The end result can be as simple as a vintage photograph of a house or as complex as a formal nomination to place the property on the National Register of Historic Places. In either case, pass on your findings to the next owners and donate copies to the historical society or library.