Where does a person start? I know what dealership it sold from, but they are no longer in business. Any help here would be great.

I tried about 25 years ago without any luck. The guy I bought the car from had purchased it in '74. I assume that he was the second owner but I could be wrong. When I got the PHS I found that the selling dealer, not that far from here, was still in business though under a different name. I called them and was told that they had no records going back that far but, one of the leading salesmen from that time still stopped in from time to time. I gave my info and asked if they would pass a message along to him. It was late, 9:00 p.m., on a Saturday night a couple of months later when he called back. He told me that he was the main sales guy back then and asked about the car. When I said that it was a Carousel Red Firebird convertible he said "Boy, you think I would remember that but........" .
I bet we talked for over a half hour. He was a very interesting guy. We left the conversation with "well if you do happen to remember anything give me a call". Its been 25 years or so and I'm still waiting.

I never had to search for the original owner, the original owner was my sister, she ordered 1969 Firebird convertible from Shappe Pontiac in Madison Wi, I have all the original paperwork. She took possession on March 22 1969 and I purchased from her in Aug 1970. I still own the Firebird.

Best place to start is with the DMV. Send them a letter stating just that and add "for restoration purposes". In my case I got info from them dating back to the second owner in the 80's. If you're lucky they may have records in your state dating back to the original owner. I was pulling my hair out when I was trying to find the original owner, the dealership went out of business in 1973, so no luck there. There really is no way beyond the DMV. I read somewhere that if you knew a police officer, they may have a way to go back that far...good luck and let us know if you find any other ways.