Great job! Cindy actually did both! First she made contact with a research historian from the Scottsville Museum, named Connie. Together Connie and Cindy began to unravel the mysteries behind this bottle through intense work with primary resources!

Connie, a very bright historian, took what she knew about the bottle: 1) it was from Scottsville, 2) it once contained some sort of oil, and 3) it was somehow related to the last name “Little.” She then began her search. Knowing that the bottle appeared in a town in Iowa dating from 1860-1890, it made good sense to check for any Little family members living in Scottsville some time before that date. What type of primary resources might best help Connie figure out who was living in Scottsville before 1860?

3) Should she check the old censuses (a census is just a record of the people living in an area at a certain time) from that time, and maybe some old newspapers too?

4) Should she check old diaries and letters?