Today’s three-ring binder re-do project (sorting, scanning, printing, recycling, future research planning) is focused on a binder labelled “Peder Mysse Tønnesson aka Peter Thompson 03 Jun 1857 – 10 Apr 1938”.

Peter is my 2nd great-grandfather. I’ve been piecing his life story together for decades,. While going through the papers in his binder today I came across a form I’d mailed in 2002 to the Cook County Clerk at Cook County Vital Statistics in Chicago Illinois.

Ah, the good old days!

Have you been researching this long too? Do you remember requesting (what are now common) records by snail-mail, and then waiting for the mail carrier to deliver an envelope filled with news of your ancestors?

Way back when I started doing family history research, this was the only way. I’m actually glad I had this experience. I think it gave me a greater appreciation of the technological advances that make it possible to see new records available online all the time.

A search of the records at the Cook County Clerk’s office in 2002 cost seven dollars. I’d found likely candidates for my second-great-grandparents in a microfilm index.

I mailed my request August 26, 2002 and received the marriage certificate September 7th of the same year. I say “of the same year” because it didn’t always work this way.

The certificate I received was stamped in big red letters that said GENEALOGY PURPOSES ONLY. One such stamp on the front and two of them on the back.

I have a new copy now, minus the red letters, compliments of FamilySearch, but I think I should scan and save this form don’t you? Just so I don’t forget those good old days.