Resources for Family History Project Historical Record Type St. Louis County Library-History & Genealogy Location/Place of Residence: Census City directories Immigration: Passenger lists Naturalization records Vital Events: (births, marriage, death) Vital records Civil registration Newspapers Occupation: Military records Pensions Artifacts Heirlooms Architecture Family History Research Project, Lesson 1/Activity No. 1 Tips: Access databases and online resources at https:// www.slcl.org/genealogy See the About page for each record type to learn more! For help on citing historical records see Citing Historical Sources: A Manual for Family Historians by Noeline Kyle (Call No. 929.1 K99C, circulating copy) Databases and Other Resources Census HeritageQuest Online About: Census Records 2 Military Records 2 Military Immigration: (Passenger Lists & Naturalizations) Vital Events Fold3 FamilySearch Ancestry-Library Edition FamilySearch.org Ancestry-Library Edition Vital Records 2 Artifacts 3 City Directories 3 Artifacts Book Recommendations See Bibliography Immigration Records 3 Newspapers Historical New York Times Historical St. Louis Post-Dispatch NewspaperARCHIVE Historical Newspapers 4-5
Page 2 Resources for Family History Project Census Records The US Federal Census is an important historical record for learning about the movement of individuals and groups of people throughout American history. Starting in 1790, the United States has taken a federal census every ten years. The 1940 census is the most recent census that the public has access to, and the 1950 census will be released to the public in 2022. While searching through the census for your ancestors it is important to view the actual census record, in addition to the indexed page. The actual census record will let you see additional information and the census taker s handwriting so that you can verify spellings and determine whether you agree or disagree with the indexed information. Be sure to check the page before and after the one on which your ancestor is listed. This may lead to clues about other family members and neighbors. These other names can be a great help with finding your ancestor in an earlier census. Work backwards! Once you have found your ancestor in one census year, try moving back in time and find them in the previous census year. *Note the age of your ancestor in each census year (this will help you identify them in other census records). Military Records Before you begin your search for military records it is helpful to find information about when and where your ancestor served and whether they were enlisted or an officer. Sources to check for clues about your veteran ancestors are newspapers, family stories, service medals & memorabilia, and photographs. Vital Records Make a timeline to help keep track of your ancestor s service recordsthis will help you determine what other records to search for! Types of military records are draft records, service records, pension records, bounty land records, claim records, and military histories. Fold3 is a great database for searching military records. You can search by war or time period, as well as browse the record collections. The Fold3 database can be accessed at https://www.slcl.org/ with a library card. Vital records note major events in a person s life, such as birth, marriage, and death. The dates found from vital records help genealogists and family historians identify ancestors and determine other links on a family tree. The availability of vital records depends on when a particular state began keeping a register. Consult Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources for vital record availability for a specific state. Call No. Q 929.1 R312, circulating copy 16 August 1909- start of state wide vital records registration in Missouri
Family History Research Project, Lesson 1/Activity No. 1 Page 3 Artifacts Helpful Online Resources for Artifact Research: Home Things Past: http:// www.homethingspast.com/ Old and Interesting: http:// www.oldandinteresting.com/ sitemap.htm Book Recommendations: Kyvig, David E. Nearby History: Exploring the Past Around You. Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1982. Call no.: 973 K99N Sturdevant, Katherine Scott. Bringing Your Family History to Life Through Social History. Cincinnati: Betterway Books, 2000. Call no.: R 929.1 S935B City Directories Locate your ancestors in a particular city and specific year with city directories. City directories are arranged alphabetically and give lists of names and addresses and are a great supplement to census records. Directories also can offer clues about an ancestor s occupation. Immigration Records You can also find St. Louis Directories, Gazetteers, Rosters, and Guides at Missouri Digital Heritagehttp://www.sos.mo.gov/mdh/ Where to Access City Directories: City Directories for St. Louis, Missouri are available on Fold3 for the years 1863-1923 City Directories for Kansas City, Missouri are available on Fold3 for the years 1865-1923 St. Louis City & County directories are also available in the History & Genealogy Department in print and on microfilm. An index is available on the department s website. Passenger Lists New York, Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island)-FamilySearch.org https://www.familysearch.org/search/ collection/1368704 Naturalizations Available on FamilySearch.org 1870 census column 18 check mark for foreign born citizens-naturalized by 1870 1900 census column 18, 1910 column 16, 1920 census column 14, 1930 census column 23 Census Years with Immigration Info 1900 census column 16 1910 census column 15 1920 census column 13 1930 census column 22
Page 4 Resources for Family History Project Historical Newspapers Several clues about family ancestors are found through research with historical newspapers. By searching newspapers you can find information that can help fill in the missing stories about your ancestor s life. In addition to the Newspaper microfilm that is held in the History & Genealogy Department at the Headquarters Branch of the St. Louis County Library, the library also has several newspaper databases that allow researchers to search, download, and print newspaper articles. The following are possible topics to research with Newspapers! Military service Letters from loved ones The latest fashions Sporting events Organization and society meetings Weather reports Land sales Military pensions Civil War Social History Historical New York Times [ProQuest] Full coverage of the New York Times from its inception on September 18, 1851 as the New York Daily Times. Current up to three years behind the current year of publication. This database along with the New York Times available through ProQuest Newsstand provides coverage of the entire run of the New York Times newspaper up to the present! Searchable full text, full page, and article-level images from the Historical Search Tips! Use quotation marks to search for exact phrases Separate terms with OR to find any of the words entered Historical St. Louis Post- Dispatch [ProQuest] Searchable full text and full image articles from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1874-2003. St. Louis Post-Dispatch [Newsbank] Full Text, comprehensive database with total access from 1988 to present, and partial access from 1981-1987.
Family History Research Project, Lesson 1/Activity No. 1 Page 5 NewspaperARCHIVE A database containing tens of millions of newspaper pages from 1759 to present, many from small towns. How to Access Newspaper Databases at SLCL Log on to the History & Genealogy Department home page at https://www.slcl.org/research. Select History & Genealogy On the History & Genealogy page click Online Research on the right side of the page. Proceed through the alphabetical list of online resources to find the databases by title Nineteenth-Century U.S. Newspapers Primary source 19th-century newspaper content from urban and rural regional newspapers throughout the U.S. African-American Newspapers: 19th Century Pt s 1,2, & 3 Primary source material providing insight into life, culture, and history during the first half of the 1800s through articles written by African- Americans for African-Americans. Includes biographies of people often overlooked in standard references.
St. Louis County Library- History & Genealogy 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63131-3598 Email: genealogy@slcl.org Phone: 314-994-3300, ext. 2070 Tours of the History & Genealogy Department Scheduled tours Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. Group tours Groups of 10 or more are welcome and can be accommodated with advance notice. To schedule a group tour, please contact the History & Genealogy Department at 314-994-3300, ext. 2070 or by email at genealogy@slcl.org Explore Tier 4 on the second Saturday and Sunday of each month Explore Tier 4 provides an opportunity to browse more than 13,000 family histories and other materials shelved in an area not normally open to the public. History & Genealogy Department Founded in 1998, the History and Genealogy Department is a major research destination offering access to a growing collection of 100,000 print items, 850 periodical titles, 40,000 microfilms, and a variety of electronic databases. History & Genealogy Department St. Louis County Library 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63131 genealogy@slcl.org 314-994-3300, ext. 2070