Visitors to the Westchester County Archives can now turn to a new annotated pamphlet that spells out all the resources available to help them with their personal genealogical research. For the first time, the brochure organizes on one sheet all the governmental records at the County Archives and the private records stored in the Westchester County Historical Societys library, housed in the same Elmsford building.

The pamphlet will guide and inform researchers who do "one-stop shopping" as they explore both collections for information about relatives who lived, studied, worked and died in Westchester County.

"Not only will research time be trimmed, but the patrons will also receive clues from this brochure about collections they might not have envisioned when doing family research," said Patty Dohrenwend, director of the Archives and Records Center, which is part of the countys Department of Information Technology.

She added that when seeking ones family roots, the obvious sources are vital records birth, death and marriage. Interestingly, in most cases these documents are found in the local communities where the event occurred (births and deaths) or where the license was issued (marriages).

A visitor to the County Archives would normally ask to see wills, deeds, and census and naturalization records. But, how many would know to peruse "city directories," telephone books from a bygone era that often indicated the persons occupation as well as address and phone number? How many would know that the Westchester County Historical Society has a large collection of local newspapers that contain marriage and death notices? Even fewer would probably know that there are reports dating back to 1828 at the Archives from local school districts that include student names and faculty lists.

Looking for your family members connection to an American military engagement prior to World War II? During the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration created index cards for individual veterans of wars, 1775-1918, who are buried in Westchester. Over 8,000 soldiers and nurses have had their military and burial information noted on these cards, which were then matched to cemetery maps also drawn by WPA workers. Veterans discharges have also been filed with the County Clerk for generations.

For the student of social history, there are special resources detailing names, ages and living conditions in Westchesters orphanages and the county Almshouse. Church records, incorporation papers, court records, voter enrollments and maps can be reviewed to complete the family tree.

Cindy Sauer, assistant archivist and director of volunteers, compiled the guide to improve the research process. For years, the Westchester County Archives has placed certain indexes -- such as its marriage records, veterans cemetery records, incorporation and naturalization records -- on its website at www.westchesterarchives.com.

According to Sauer, when the websites new version is launched this summer, elements from this brochure will serve as an important online finding tool for those conducting their research by mail.

"Many of our visitors spend beneficial time here researching their familys unique history. In the past our staff and volunteers have focused much of their work on describing the various records collections to the researchers. We are pleased that more of that time can now be spent locating the documents and, for the patrons, reviewing these rich primary source materials," Sauer said.

"The Guide to Doing Genealogical Research at the Westchester County Archives and Records Center" has been distributed to local municipal clerks, public libraries, historical societies, the Westchester Genealogical Society and various county and state offices. To obtain a copy, call (914) 231-1500 or visit the Westchester County Archives during public hours, on Tues. or Wed., 9 a.m.4 p.m., at 2199 Saw Mill River Road, Elmsford.