Always Read that Introductory Information

Introductions matter.

The microfilmer of the St. Joseph County, Michigan, Deed Index (Volume 1) indicated that he took three images of each page.

If I had just jumped into the index without seeing this page I might have been very confused and wasted an inordinate amount of time.

Always look for prefatory material. Even if it’s record type with which you are very familiar.

Sometimes being familiar causes us to omit certain basic steps–like reading a preface or at least looking for one.