In order to familiarize yourself and become comfortable with the documents used to reconstruct the Seneca Village story, we suggest you read the Introduction to Primary and Secondary Sources (IPSS). This guide explains the types of historical documents used by researchers to reconstruct the history of Seneca Village (and histories in general). Don't fret if you find you're working with a limited amount of research materials from the list, for it is only the lucky and persistent researcher who can find an example of every type of document to help research their subject or topic.

Once you've checked out a few of the historical documents, go to the case study of Andrew Williams and begin to reconstruct his life. If you're eager to investigate more, and you've gotten the hang of doing this kind of research, you can use the case study of Andrew Williams as a model for researching other individuals, families, or institutions in the village.

When you examine the historical document(s) to research any subject or topic, consider the following:

• What does this document tell me?
• What was the source of the information? Who wrote it and why was it written?
• Who was the information written for?
• Is the information accurate? How can you tell?
• Is there anything unique about this document?
• What inferences (guesses about the subject of the document) can you make from it?
• Be sure to note the date, publishing information, page, and anything else included on the document that will help you cite it (show where it came from) in your research and writing.
• Keep a journal of your research. Make note of what you didn't know when you started, what you were hoping to find, and how you found (or didn't find) your answers or information. Write down the sources of your information and how you felt about the process. For example, were you frustrated because you couldn't find answers or information? Did it take longer to find the information than you thought? Were you happy with your search and with the results of your research? Were you shocked or surprised with any of your findings?