|
| |
Beginning
Genealogy Lesson #7
Public & Private Library Sources
DearREADERS,
You have written inquiring about library resources, and
oddly enough that is this week's scheduled topic for the Beginning
Genealogy Lesson. Of course since the size and scope of collections vary
from one library to another, you'll just have to review the library catalogs
(hopefully online) to investigate the holdings of libraries in your region of
country.
Find your local library's online
catalog by going to: www.libdex.com.
As the federal government's
goal of having every local public library "online" reaches farther into
the hidden corners of our country, we're finding that library catalogs
are easier to locate in advance of a research trip. Print out the items
you know you'll want to review once you arrive. I'd recommend making
handwritten notations right on that library catalog printout, about the
name of the ancestor you expect to find when you look at the book in
question.
Typically public libraries with some interest in genealogy will have
something on these topics:
- passenger list indexes
- census indexes
- military records indexes
- printed family histories
- local histories
- local newspaper perhaps on microfilm
- local cemetery listings
- how-to books on genealogy & preservation
- genealogy periodicals from commercial
entities or genealogical societies
- phone books and/or phone fiche (though
"People Search" at www.yahoo.com is
probably just as good.)
- old city directories (before telephones
list individuals by name, address, occupation, employer or as "widow
of")
- microfiche/microfilm
- internet access
- genealogy CD-ROMs
- videos & tapes from local and regional genealogy seminars
- meeting times and contact information of local
genealogy & historical societies
- vertical files or manuscripts collection (file folders by surname,
topic or locality)
Be sure to look in the reference section, not just the genealogy
department.
Our small library in Bradenton, Florida has the complete 1850 US
Federal census on microfilm because the local genealogy society
purchased it for the collection. The Orlando Public Library has ALL US
Federal census microfilms, many census index books, but none of the
Soundex microfilms because they take up more space than the census
microfilms and there simply wasn't room!
You Never Know What
You'll Find!
I have been quite fortunate as I've traveled with Audrey and
Barbara to small southern libraries. Bartow, FL and Jonesborough, GA come to
mind. Oddly enough, I've found things on my New York and Pennsylvania
ancestors! I guess someone donated the books to the library? Or perhaps
a group of transplanted northerners showed an interest in researching
those states?
|
Case in Point
- Florida Library has North Carolina & Baltimore, Maryland Info
A friend was just beginning to look at original documents to prove the
family relationships his mother has collected and entered into PAF
Personal Ancestral File (genealogy program). Despite being in a
Florida county library, we found information on his ancestors who are from:
Florida: Manatee, Sarasota, Hillsborough & Leon counties
Louisiana
North Carolina - Caswell County
Maryland - early Baltimore County
We found that the reference librarian of the Eaton Florida Room of
the Manatee Central Public Library had copied all Manatee County US
Federal Census pages from microfilm, and placed them in binders on the
shelf. We also found a typescript of local cemetery inscriptions, along
with extensive details for the location and description of each
cemetery. My friend now has about 23 previously unknown grave sites to visit and
photograph to add to the family history.
We were delighted to find 2 index books for North Carolina wills,
with several entries for his known ancestors, as well as others with the same
unusual last name FOY. We photocopied all likely index entries, as well as
the title page of the book for proper bibliographic citation. To
learn more about the family relationships of the NC
"possible" ancestors, we plan to order the microfilm of the
original North Carolinawills thru the local LDS Family History Center.
At this Florida library we found "Baltimore County
Families 1659-1759" by Robert W. Barnes. (Genealogical
Publishing Company) had information on the POTEET/POTEE/POTEET family,
including a man whose daughter was listed in his will as listed as
Rebecca FOVY or FOYY. Now the researcher's surname was FOY and
that sounded pretty interesting. We have family bible info about the wife of
our Thomas FOY who married a Rebecca PUTTEE who died in Trenton, Jones
County,
North Carolina in 1785, and was reputed to have been born in Baltimore
circa 1705. This is a strong lead, owing to the unusual surnames, and
the typical migration patterns we had discovered. Experienced
researchers realize that spelling of names can vary, and these two are
close enough to warrant further research!
FOY - FOVY or FOYY
PUTTEE - POTEET/POTEE/POTEET
|
Local Societies Can Play
a Big Role
Most local genealogy societies have a team of members
who act as volunteers at their local public library. The society may publish a
special catalog of genealogy holdings, maintain an obit index for the
local newspaper at the library, volunteer to resheve books or assist
patrons in the genealogy section of the library, etc. Well-organized
reference librarians will provide a map and handout describing the scope
of the genealogy materials available. Society members will tend to know which
libraries in the county or adjoining counties will have additional
resources of interest to family historians.
Additionally, a
public library may elect to belong to:
Locating books by title is merely a
matter of using something called OCLC.
www.OCLC.com The OCLC is a computer database that
assists you in finding books on genealogy, regimental histories and
manuscripts through First Search, using the World Catalog of all
participating libraries. This is
often available at local public library, and through LUIS terminals at
university libraries.
Our public library has library cards with
bar codes. Because of that, our library has provided an online
gateway, using that bar code, for access to OCLC. You can determine where a book on a desired topic is
held, and and then discover if that library will loan you the book through interlibrary
loan. You copy the information, and ask the reference librarian at
your public library to process your interlibrary loan request. If your
library doesn't provide OCLC access, use this link at the Library of
Congress:
http://www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc/oclcsearch.html
 Small
Private Libraries
During one research trip to Pennsylvania with Audrey & Barb, we
visited the small private Mennonite Historical Library and Archives
located at 565 Yoder
Road, Harleysville,
PA. Phone (215) 256-3020. Fax (215) 256-3023
info@mhep.org
You can find out more by going to the website:
http://www.mhep.org/library.html .
Since we were not members of the Mennonite
Historical Society, we paid a few
dollars each to use the library facilities. As always we took the time
to take the orientation tour, and discovered to our delight a number of
cemeteries had been "walked." That means that the tombstone transcriptions
had been typed up, and filed in those .39
cent report covers like the kind we used in elementary school for our
book reports. There were shelf after shelf of these little hand-typed
report booklets, one for each cemetery in the county. It was a goldmine!
Vertical Files
When I go to a library, I make a point to check the vertical files first,
since these folders contain unique letters, flyers, and photocopies of
items not readily found elsewhere. These folders are housed in file
cabinets by surname, locality or topic. These are things that aren't
bound books, and are therefore not cataloged in the library's catalog of
shelf holdings.
For instance, at the State Library of
Pennsylvania, I found handwritten letters dating to the 1930s where
individuals wrote detailing three or four generations back beyond their
US Civil War ancestor. The author had asked that these letters would be
included in the library's holdings. These are priceless first-hand
reports of family relationships -- names, dates, localities. They simply
would not have been available to me if I hadn't checked those vertical
files. Just dive in and investigate!
 There is a method for
determining in advance what collections you'd expect to find a
larger library's vertical files. You'll need to look at NUCMC - National
Union Catalog of Manuscript Collection.
http://lcweb.loc.gov/coll/nucmc/
"A free-of-charge cooperative cataloging program operated by the
Library of Congress, the National Union Catalog of Manuscript
Collections (NUCMC) creates online records in the
RLG Union Catalog
on behalf of eligible archival repositories throughout the United
States." Participating libraries merely catalog by author,
title, description and notes (as short as 1 paragraph, or as long as
three pages) each manuscript in their collection.
As a genealogist, you'd look for ancestors
by name or by the place where the ancestors once lived. Using NUCMC
you're likely to find something that is unbound, meaning not printed as
a book on the topic you desire. NUCMC is an index that tells you which
library in the US has the manuscript. Without this manuscript collection
catalog, you'd never know about these one-of-a-kind items which would
otherwise remain closeted away in file cabinet drawers or acid-free
vaults. Imagine all that information lost to future generations.
Author:
Gist, Christopher, d. 1759.
Title: A journal :
manuscript, 1750-1751.
Description: 1 v. (87 leaves).
Notes: Manuscript
copy of Gist's account of his journey
that "began from Col. Cresap's, at the old town on Potomack
river, Maryland, October 31, 1750, continued down the Ohio,
within 15 miles of the Falls thereof; and from thence to
Roanoak River in North Carolina, where he arrived May 19,
1751; undertaken on the account of the Ohio company, and by
the instruction of their committee."
Subjects: Gist, Christopher, d.
1759.
Frontier and pioneer life -- Ohio River Valley.
Indians of North America -- Ohio River Valley.
Ohio River Valley -- Description and travel --
Early works to 1800
Other authors: University
of Chicago. Library. Manuscript.
Durrett Codex 76
Reuben T. Durrett Collection on Kentucky and the
Ohio River Valley (University of Chicago. Library)
Location: ICU SpCl Mss DurrettCdx 76
Control No.: ILCGHZ4025567-A |
From this we see that the University
of Chicago Library has this in its manuscript collection. I'd need
to go there to obtain a copy or hire a Chicago researcher to do the
job for me.
" Please Note:
The NUCMC cooperative cataloging project began in 1959.
From 1959 to
1993, the NUCMC catalog was produced as printed volumes. In 1986,
NUCMC staff began using the RLG Union Catalog to produce its published
catalog -- from 1986 - 1993, NUCMC records are available both online
through RLG and in the printed volumes. Beginning in 1993, records
created by NUCMC catalogers are only available in the RLG Union Catalog
-- some are also available via OCLC."
For Further Reading:
FEverton, Lee. The Handybook for Genealogists
10th Edition.
http://www.everton.com
Logan, Utah: 2002, Lists major libraries in each state. For the state of
Kentucky there are three pages of small print listing the societies and
repositories with addresses, phone numbers and web pages where
available.
- KY Department of Libraries &
Archives,
Public Records Division
300 Coffee Tree Road
PO Box 537
Frankfort, Kentucky 40602-0537
- Filson Club
1310 South Third Street
Louisville, Kentucky 40533-8113
http://www.filsonhistorical.org/
FMorgan, George G. "Care & Feeding of Genealogy
Librarians." Along Those Lines... Genealogy Column.
Originally published in the Genealogy Forum on AOL. http://www.ancestry.com/columns/george/01-23-98.htm
FMorgan, George G. "Using Interlibrary Loan for Genealogical
Research." Along Those Lines... Genealogy Column.
Originally published in the Genealogy Forum on AOL. http://www.ancestry.com/columns/george/08-21-98.htm
"Every genealogist knows that not every library can have everything. Not even the venerable Library of Congress has a copy of every item we'd like to access for our family research. Fortunately, however, there's something called Interlibrary Loan. Through reciprocal agreements, libraries lend materials to one another, usually at the request of patrons.
"
FSzucs, Loretto Dennis & Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. The
Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Revised Edition.
Salt Lake City: Ancestry Incorporated. 1997. See index p. 801 for
numerous entries such as: Family History Library, genealogical
societies, historical societies, Library of Congress, Newberry Library,
other specific libraries and topics including: business directories,
catalogs, census records, church records, city directories, city land
records, court minutes and reports, credit reports, ethnic &
religious group research, family record collection, foreign-language
newspaper collections, guides for research, immigration records, land
records, local urban research, map collections, Native American records,
newspapers, research addresses, state university, church affiliated
libraries, etc.
Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
DearMYRTLE,
Your friend in genealogy
|
