Genealogy Goulash
Visit the Local History Room
by Paula Stuart-Warren, CG

How often have you walked into a public library and seen scads of people using the computers? Have you noticed that some of these people are checking out genealogical sites? There are times when I want to walk over to them and tell them about another library section they are overlooking.

A source that is too often ignored for family history research is the local history room at the public library. You might even find a local history collection at a college or university library. In some of the county libraries in my home area these are not separate rooms, but many shelves of local books and periodicals. In some localities, the local history room might be in the city or county historical society building.

Today I'd like to share some reasons to visit the local history room if you find yourself in ancestral areas this holiday season--or any other time.

Treasures in the Local History Rooms
What do local history rooms have that might help in your research? The resources vary from one library to another, but you might find some of these gems:

• Card indexes to a local newspaper or two
• Neighborhood, town, city, and county histories
• Limited publication family histories
• Manuscript family histories
• Files of local genealogists
• Vertical files of miscellaneous items
• Collection of the local genealogical society
• Local business information
• County or city directories
• Yearbooks for area schools
• Local organizations records (both current and historical)
• Church records or abstracts of the records
• Lists of area residents who served in the military
• Cemetery records or transcriptions
• Scrapbooks
• Maps
• Photographs
• Local census records and indexes

Many of these items are one-of-a-kind resources and are not even microfilmed. I have found that lots of these rooms have the material and books on open shelves. If you are lucky, there might even be a copier in the room.

Where to Find Out About Such Rooms
To find local history rooms in your area of interest, read local genealogical societies' newsletters or quarterly publications for information. Don't overlook the older issues. Look online for the public library's website to see if there is a link to info about the room. An example of this is the Kalamazoo [MI] Public Library's Clarence Miller Family Local History Room.

Some other sites to salivate over:

• Kingston [MA] Public Library's local history room
• York County [SC] Library's local history room

Check online via your favorite search engine by using key words such as "Brown County Local History Room" or "Smithtown Local History Room." (I might add a state name if I were seeking the Brown County one, since there are many Brown Counties.) Check online lists of libraries or check the venerable "American Library Directory" which is in its 58th edition. The entries for each library usually detail the highlights of the library -- including local or special collections.

Into the 21st Century
Many of these local history collections have met this century head on with computerized indexes to records, newspaper indexes, and more. One library I have consulted used to have a card index to local newspapers. In the early 1990s the index appeared on the old green computer paper printed with a dot matrix printer, and today it is searchable online. Local volunteers may be compiling computer databases of local records.

Staffing the Room
Some rooms have a full-time staff person, others may be staffed part-time by local history buffs or volunteers from the area genealogical society. Most have very limited paid professional staff. If the local history collection is at a college library the staff may largely consist of students. I have visited local history rooms or areas in a library where there was no staff assigned to the room at all. I have visited local history rooms in libraries in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Arkansas, Georgia, Virginia, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arizona, New York, and some other states. These local history rooms are everywhere and are a real boon to research.

Being Prepared for the Visit
Not all the library staff will have extensive knowledge of the local history room. Many years ago I planned a visit to a small town library that had a newspaper index I had read about in a genealogical publication. As any good genealogist should do, I called ahead to verify hours and the existence of the index.

Within days I visited the library and at the reference desk I asked for the index. The librarian on duty replied that they had no such index. I was crestfallen and said I had called to verify that it existed. She decided to go check with another librarian who pointed me in the right direction.

Several years later, that library underwent extensive remodeling and I hoped the index had not disappeared. I called to verify this before my next visit. Yes, it was still there. Again, within days I visited the library and walked up to the reference desk and asked to see the index. You know that deja vu feeling? The librarian said she knew of no such index. I think a tear or two might have surfaced in my eyes. I asked her to check with other staff and sure enough someone else knew about it and pointed me to the new local history room.

Moral of the story - preparation helps, but so does polite tenacity.

If You Can't Go In Person
Some facilities offer research services or may have a list of area researchers you can hire. Those with no staff assigned most likely won't offer a full in-house research service. If you contact them about checking an index, don't forget to include a donation -- even if they don't ask for money.

Support the Local History Room
As mentioned in the preceding paragraph, donations are always welcome. If you put together a family history or family newsletter on your family that descends from that area, donate a copy to the local history room. Offer to index one of the local newspapers. Offer duplicate books and periodicals. These are things you can do even from a distance. If you live in the area, offer your volunteer services onsite or at home.

As our families' historians, we need to make sure these fabulous collections not only survive, but thrive.

Paula Stuart-Warren, CGRS, is a professional genealogist, consultant, writer, and lecturer. She has lectured all across the U.S. and coordinates the Intermediate Course, American Records & Research at the annual Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. She is co-author of Your Guide to the Family History Library and an author for genealogical periodicals including Ancestry Magazine. She is a resident of St. Paul, Minnesota and spends many weeks each year at the Family History Library, U.S. National Archives, and New England Historic Genealogical Society. Her roots include ancestors from seven different countries and researching them has given her broad experience and an occasional headache or two. Researching the families of the in-laws and out-laws her children and niece have added to the family has proven to be refreshing and exciting. Comments will reach her at PSWResearch@comcast.net Paula is unable to answer individual genealogical research inquiries due to the volume of requests received.

Upcoming Appearances by Paula Stuart-Warren

(I enjoy meeting fellow genealogists at these events, so please introduce yourself as an Ancestry Daily News reader.)

• January 9-13, 2006, Salt Lake City, Utah
  Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy
  Course I: American Records & Research, coordinator and instructor
  There is still some space available in several of the ten total courses!
  www.infouga.org
• Paula Stuart-Warren, CG
  National Publicity Chair
  2006 FGS/NEHGS Conference
  August 30 - September 2, 2006
  www.FGS.org
  www.FGSConference.blogspot.com

Certified Genealogist and CG are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists used under license by professionals who pass periodic evaluations by the Board.

Copyright 2005, MyFamily.com.

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Ancestry Quick Tip
Sharing Life Stories
Susan LeBlanc

In reading George Morgan's comments about gleaning at a family gathering, I thought I might add from our recent experience. My grandmother enjoyed good health at age 95, still living in her own home. Of her ten siblings, five are living, including her twin sister. Grandma joined us for Thanksgiving and we had a delightful time with her. Less than a week later she fell and broke her leg. On the sixth of December she passed away from the stress of the injury and surgery. We celebrated her life at a graveside service with a reading of her life story, which she shared with me as I did interviews for some of my class projects. Most of the family had no idea of many of the events in her life.

It was a great relief to me at the time that I had already written something and with a little editing we had a eulogy. After the service we had a family gathering at her home and I was sure to get each family group together for a picture. Some of my cousins I hardly know and this was a great time to create a connection. It is so important to record the stories of our families and gather together the artifacts that enhance the stories. My grandmother's collection of photographs was gathered and placed in albums during the time I spent with her. These were enjoyed at the gathering as people paused to learn more about her life.

The holidays are a great time to reflect on our ancestors and the heritage they have passed on to us.

Thanks to Susan for today's Quick Tip! If you have a tip you would like to share with researchers, you can send it to: ADNeditor@ancestry.com.

Quick Tips may be reprinted, with credit to the submitter, in other Ancestry publications, so if you do not want your tip included in a publication other than the Ancestry Daily News and Ancestry Weekly Digest, please state so clearly in your message.

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Clipping of the Day
Destructive Fire, Ho for Oregon
Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pa.), 22 December 1845, page 3:

Destructive Fire in Bridgeport.--A most disastrous fire broke out in Bridgeport, Ct. early on Thursday morning, which consumed before it was subdued, nearly forty stores and other buildings! The fire originated in Bank street, and progressed thence through State and Water streets, sweeping every thing in its course, several vessels being only saved by great exertions. There were twenty-nine stores and warehouses destroyed on Water street, seven on State street, and two on Bank street, ere the fire was arrested. The total loss cannot fall short of $150,000.

Ho for Oregon.--The N.Y. Globe says that there are at this time between two and three hundred enterprising, hardy and industrious young men, some belonging to this State, but most of them from New England, who are ready and desirous to emigrate to Oregon. Most of them are young, and have fine families; amongst them are several farmers, with abundance of implements of agriculture; and a large number of skillful mechanics, well supplied with tools to carry on their respective trades. They have not money sufficient to carry out their purpose, and the Globe calls upon Government to assist them.

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Fast Fact
Two Search Methods Available on Ancestry.com

You can search for records on Ancestry.com using two search methods: Exact Matches and Best (or Ranked) Matches.

• Exact Matches
  Exact match search returns only those results that exactly match the information you input. For example, if you input John Smith, you will receive search results only for John Smith and nothing for Jon Smith or John Smyth. When using the exact matches search, it is best to start with broad information, examine the returned results, and narrow your search by adding more criteria. For more information, see
  "Search Tips for Exact Match Search Method."
• Best Matches
  Best (or Ranked) Match searches take the information you input and return the most likely matches found in Ancestry.com collections, including those with similar names, dates, or location to what you input. For example, a search for John Smith could give results for Jon Smith and John Smyth. When using Best Matches, it is best to include as much information about an individual as possible. For more information, see "Search Tips for Ranked Search Method" and "Needles, Haystacks, and the New Search at Ancestry.com."

You can switch back and forth between these two methods as needed. At the top of each search box, there are two tabs: Best Matches (Ranked) and Exact Matches. Click on the appropriate tag to alternate between these two search types.

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Thought for Today
Hamilton Wright Mabie

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.