One of the really exciting things about genealogy research is coming across an ancient document pertaining to your ancestor, especially if it is one that no one else appears to have discovered. There are plenty of places across the country that keep original documents dating back two and three hundred years (and sometimes more!). You can often access these documents directly, or see copies of them on microfilm or
microfische, depending on the repository you’re using, their policies, and the condition of the documents. Sometimes, you will come across scans of these documents online. Unless they have been transcribed by others, and a transcription is available, you will need to read them yourself. With some ancient documents, this is easier said than done...
