Paid databases are useful. They are also where people go to feel busy. This plan keeps you on free and low-cost sources for one focused week so you finish with a written next action—not twenty half-open tabs.

Before day 1

• Pick one research question (one person + one event + one decade).
• Open the county hub for the event year (or its parent).
• Print the starter checklist and cheatsheet bundle.

Day 1 — Jurisdiction

Confirm formation year on the hub. If your event is earlier, switch to the parent hub before you search indexes. Read the counties & formation guide. Write the courthouse name in your log.

Day 2 — Census FAN clubs

Extract every household appearance in the decade band. Abstract three neighboring households each time. Methods: census guide.

Day 3 — Land

Search deeds in the jurisdiction from Day 1 only. Capture grantors, grantees, witnesses, adjoining owners. Guide: land & property.

Day 4 — Probate

Wills, inventories, bonds, and sales. Bondsmen are relatives until proven otherwise. Guide: probate & estates.

Day 5 — Church / cemetery / place

Use the hub’s towns list. Identify one congregation or cemetery cluster. Do not skip rural places because the surname is “in town” later.

Day 6 — Newspapers & free digital

Legal notices, obituaries, land sales. Use DigitalNC and free newspaper portals after you know place names. Statewide stack: resources.

Day 7 — Archives + write the next action

Identify one State Archives or FamilySearch catalog series to request/view. End the week with a single sentence: Next I will… If stuck, open one neighbor only—see the hub neighbor panel—and stop.

When to open paid tools

After Days 1–6, if you still need an image or index only available behind a paywall, use partners on the shop page with a specific film/image target—not a fishing expedition. Free guides stay free; optional paid packs support the hubs.

Deep county examples: Wake, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Craven. Master narrative: Master NC research guide.