Ancestry.com - Custodians of Our Past Maureen A. TaylorI love research trips--the musty smell of old books and manuscripts, the whir of microfilm machines and the chats with fellow researchers.
Leaving my computer for a day, a week or even a few hours revitalizes me. So, when’s the last time you visited a historical society, library, or archive for genealogical gold?
The number of family historians using online sources of information continues to increase while some “brick and mortar” institutions are reporting a decline in users.
I’ve made plenty of new discoveries searching online databases, but that doesn’t make the collections located in public and private repositories obsolete. Let’s get a few things straight. Online databases have changed the nature of genealogical searching by making more resources available with a mouse click, but historical societies, archives and libraries aren’t defunct. They still play a very valuable role. These organizations are caretakers, custodians, and guardians of the past. While lots of material is added to the web everyday, it will be a long time (or possibly never) before all the unpublished manuscripts and photographs end up online.
I’m lucky enough to live in a state with two of the oldest historical entities in the United States--the
Massachusetts Historical Society (founded 1791), the first historical society in the United States and the New
England Historic Genealogical Society (established 1845), the first genealogical research organization. While both places have expanded their online holdings, their in-house collections have also grown thanks to generous individuals willing to donate collections and funds. Without these repositories and others like them, our past would be lost.
If you haven’t stopped by a facility that owns unpublished original documents relating to your ancestors, make use of the waning days of summer to pay them a visit. All of these research repositories share a common purpose--to preserve, provide and protect materials for their users. You can find a library, archive, or historical society either on the state, county or town level in places your ancestors resided or near your home by using one of these resources.
Directory of Historical Organizations in the United States and Canada (American Association of State and Local History and Altamira Press, 2002)
Ancestry Family Historian’s Address Book, Revised Second Edition. (Ancestry, 2003)
Cyndislist.com category of “Libraries, Archives and Museums Index”
It’s so easy to sit at my computer and click through links or hits related to my family, but it’s also a cinch to find new information at an archive or library. My love affair with searching in the stacks began as a child and continued as an adult. I spent years working for a variety of non-profits and learned to spot a successful researcher. They had a sense of purpose and well-organized notes. They asked simple direct questions and made it a point to prepare ahead of a visit. Whether it’s your first time using a research library or your hundredth, there are things you can do to help staff assist you.
Contact them in advance of your visit to find out their hours and fees.
Ask about the type of material in their collection and access to it. If they don’t have information related to your topic of inquiry, they might know of another agency in the area that does.
Organize your research. Neat print-outs, lists of questions and clear pedigree charts will go a long way to make your research visit productive.
Their staff can help you in the search for new data.
They know their collections, how to use them, and what’s not in the card or online catalog. They probably even know of other nearby collections because of networking with colleagues.
Just keep in mind that most organizations are short-staffed and have a lot of patrons that need their attention.
I have a nightmare that genealogists will forget the reason for visiting a real research library, forsaking the thrill of books for the ease of a mouse click.Let’s not let these valuable organizations fade from view through disuse.
Here’s how you can help:
Use research libraries. Boost their statistics by visiting as often as you can.
If you live near an archive, library or historical society and have few spare hours a month or might be available for special events, ask about volunteer opportunities.
They might need someone with your particular job skills or person to answer phones when it’s lunchtime.
When you make a discovery using the facilities at a privately supported organization, say thank you by making a small donation.
Thank the staff for their assistance.
Donate your family papers to an appropriate institution and ask staff for their assistance with this process.
Online research has a place in genealogy, but so does old fashioned searching through unpublished and non-digitized collections.
Perhaps I’m a romantic. There is something about an old document or photograph that makes all the people on my family tree real.
I’ll use the web resources when I can, but I’ll never give up searching through boxes looking for ancestral pen scratches.
Maureen is the author of
Uncovering Your Ancestry Through Family Photographs (Family Tree Books, 2005)
and Preserving Your Family Photographs
(Betterway, 2001).
