News of the Family History Library 35 North West Temple Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 Vol. 1, No. 2 September/October 1989 News of the Family History Library is published six times yearly by the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ISSN applied for. General information about the hours and services of the Family History Library is available at 801-240-2331. Comments are welcome. Please address them to Editor, News of the Family History Library 35 North West Temple Street Salt Lake City, UT 84150. From the Director Welcome to this second issue of News of the Family History Library. I hope the entire genealogical community will be encouraged by learning about some of our new research tools, recent acquisitions, and activities. I recently attended the National Genealogical Society's annual conference in St. Paul, Minnesota. The excitement and commitment of the participants, particularly in the area of computers and genealogy, was contagious. This news bulletin is for those who cannot attend such seminars or visit us in Salt Lake City. With the constant growth of our research collections in mind, I am especially pleased to announce the publication of a new series of genealogical research outlines for the United States. Our desire has been to export the expertise of the Family History Library to our family history centers. These outlines are one of the finest advancements in genealogical reference aids since the many textbooks were published during the "Roots" era. David M. Mayfield The United States Research Outlines The Family History Library has published a series of genealogical research outlines for the United States. The series includes outlines for the United States, the District of Columbia, and 48 states (outlines for New York and New Jersey are not yet completed). Produced by a team of reference specialists, the 550 pages of the outlines contain dates, addresses, source titles, call numbers, and other key facts and strategies for research in the United States. Fast Facts If you need information quickly, the outlines offer answers to these kinds of questions: Does the Family History Library have the 1925 census of Iowa? Where can I get early Wisconsin birth records? Is there a statewide index? What years of the New York passenger arrival lists are indexed? To whom do I write for Quaker records in Pennsylvania? Are they in the Family History Library? Easy-to-Use Format The standard format used in each outline helps experts and non-experts to quickly locate similar information for each state. For example, whether you want to find marriage records of Alabama, Missouri, or Wyoming, you can quickly learn: 1. What marriage records exist. 2. Who has the original records. 3. If there is a statewide index. 4. How to find out whether the records are listed in the Family History Library Catalog. Subjects Included The U.S. research outlines describe 24 major types of records in alphabetical order. These are the same subjects used to describe the records in the Family History Library Catalog: Current Information These outlines were prepared from 1985 to 1988 and therefore include many new sources and facts not available in handbooks and sources published prior to that time. For example, of the nearly 120 published sources listed in the basic U.S. outline, 70 percent were published after 1980. Each outline gives full bibliographic information for the books cited. The outlines also describe important new microfilm and microfiche collections now at the Family History Library. The outlines will be updated as needed to include new information and records. Useful Addresses and Information Although the outlines emphasize the records available at the Family History Library (and through loan to over 1,300 family history centers), they also include information about records at other repositories. They list several hundred addresses the researcher can use for additional help. The information in the outlines was obtained from published guides and inventories, not from personal visits to other libraries and archives. Basic United States Outline The United States Research Outline is a 52-page introduction to U.S. records and research. It discusses the basic terminology, contents, and uses of the records. This outline emphasizes federal records such as census, immigration, land, and military records. It also lists important genealogical archives and national genealogy magazines. One of the useful items in the U.S. outline is a one-page record selection table. This table recommends types of records to use for specific research goals. State Research Outlines The state research outlines are 8 to 22 pages in length. Each state outline focuses on the specific records of that state. Because the state outlines do not duplicate the information in the U.S. outline, it is best to study the U.S. outline first. The state outlines were designed to be used with the U.S. outline. Audience These outlines are not intended for the novice. Neither are they an encyclopedic catalog of all available records. They do not include illustrations or samples of actual records. They do give the researcher and librarian a convenient guide to key sources for United States research. Researchers may notice a similarity between our United States outlines and a non-library publication, The Library: A Guide to the LDS Family History Library (Salt Lake City: Ancestry Publishing, 1988). The United States outlines describe records both at the Family History Library and at other repositories and contain more up-to-date information. The Library covers records from many nations found at the Family History Library. As a result, it is not as detailed as the outlines. We appreciate your cooperation in sharing the "how to" of family history research. Please send additions or corrections to the outlines to the Publications Coordinator at the address listed on page 1. Ordering Copies of the Outlines A set of the outlines is available at each family history center for your use. At some family history centers, you can purchase your own copies. Or you can purchase single copies from the Family History Library at the following prices. Prepayment is required; quantities are limited. $ .25 Each state outline (maximum of four different state outlines per order) $ .75 One United States Research Outline $10.00 One set of outlines: all states (except New York and New Jersey), the District of Columbia, and the United States Research Outline Send requests to the Correspondence Unit, Family History Library, at the address listed on page 1. Making Copies of the Outlines The Family History Library desires to share the information in these outlines. Those who would like to reprint the outlines in newsletters or similar publications, or would like to make multiple copies of the outlines for seminars, may send a request for permission to make copies to: Family History Copyrights Coordinator 50 East North Temple Street, 3T Salt Lake City, UT 84150 Permission will generally be given for legitimate, nonprofit uses. Indexing Update The Family Record Extraction Program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is now operating in 700 project areas. It has expanded much faster than expected. In this program, volunteers (ranging in age from eleven to ninety) systematically index information in their homes from church and census records. The information will eventually become a computer data base for researchers. Once the program is fully operational, we estimate that we will add about 50 million names per year to the data base. The Family Record Extraction Program complements the current programs that index civil and church vital records. In 1988 these extraction programs added more than 10 million names to the data bases indexed by the International Genealogical Index. Personal Ancestral File After being out of stock for several months, Personal Ancestral File for Apple II computers (Apple DOS 3.3 operating systems) is once again available. This is release 2.0 (stock number PBGS1187); release 2.0P (for PRO-DOS operating systems) is still not available. The requirements for using this note-keeping and research package include a computer with two 5 1/4" disk drives. The software does not provide access to any of the computer files in the Family History Library. To purchase the software, send $35 to: Distribution Center 1999 West 1700 South Salt Lake City, UT 84104 New U.S. Acquisitions Records of Soldiers' Homes The library has acquired valuable records of the National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, dating from 1866 to 1937. The records exist for institutions in twelve different states. These homes were forerunners of the Veterans Administration's hospitals. The original documents are in the National Archives. On these 282 microfilms you will find information on injured veterans from the Civil War through World War I. There are an estimated 350,000 veterans mentioned in the files. The registers of the homes are in four sections. For example, the domestic history section may give the person's marriage information, religion, next of kin, military service, and pension number. These records are in the 1989 Family History Library Catalog under the heading UNITED STATES - MILITARY. Passport Applications Voluminous U.S. passport files are now available on more than 1,100 microfilms. Passport applications usually provide the name, age, residence, personal description, and name of witness for individuals and families intending to travel outside the United States. Especially after the Civil War era, many of the applications include exact dates and places of birth, dates and places of arrival in the U.S., and naturalization data. Passports were required only after World War I. The library currently has applications dated 1795 to 1919 and a variety of indexes through 1925. Applications before 1906 were acquired from the National Archives. Those from 1906 to 1930 are being microfilmed at the National Records Center in Suitland, Maryland. To find the 800,000 applications currently available, look in the library catalog under the heading UNITED STATES - EMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATION. Federal Court Naturalizations The library is acquiring applications for U.S. citizenship filed in the federal courts. After aliens applied to district or circuit courts, the documents of the naturalization process were often gathered into files and maintained by the regional field branches of the National Archives. For each immigrant these files include: Certificate of Arrival Declaration of Intention Affidavits of Witnesses Petition for Citizenship In these files you will find original and Anglicized names; exact birth dates and birthplaces for the applicant and his family; last foreign residence; date, place, and means of arrival; and physical description and photograph (after 1929). Not all aliens applied for citizenship, of course, and many who did apply never completed the process. These files generally date from 1906 to 1941, with some indexes available through 1957. To locate these records, look in the Family History Library Catalog under the name of the state and then the heading NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP. A few of these files are also in the United States general section of the locality catalog. The library has federal naturalization records for courts in the states covered by the National Archive branches in California, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington. Other New Additions The 1989 edition of the Family History Library Catalog describes many other new and significant collections, such as-- 675 microfilms of the Surname Vertical File of the Alabama Department of Archives and History. 190 microfilms of 225,000 passenger arrivals in 1920 at New York City (Ellis Island). 1,269 microfilms of the Name and Subject Index, Correspondence of the Adjutant General's Office, 1890-1917 (U.S. Army). 469 microfilms of the Returns of the Regular Army: Artillery (1821- 1901), Calvary (1833-1916), and Infantry (1821-1916). 73 microfilms of 14,000 case files from former confederates seeking presidential pardons ("Amnesty Papers"), 1865-67. 1265 microfilms of General Land Office records. These include 1582 tract books and various field notes, patent records, and case files. They relate to 30 public domain states. 93 microfilms of enrollment and census cards for the five civilized tribes, 1898-1914 (Cherokee, Choctaw, Chicknaw, Creek, Seminole). 276 microfilms of Confederate pension applications from veterans residing in Alabama, 1880s-1930s. From the Alabama Department of Archives and History. 63 microfilms of Idaho Department of Health and Welfare death certificates (1911-1937) and index (1911-1932). 23 microfilms of applications for Illinois Prairie Pioneer certificates. Originals at the Illinois State Genealogical Society. 950 microfilms of the 1905 and 1925 state censuses of Iowa. Originals at the Iowa State Historical Department in Des Moines. The 1915 census is in process. Passenger Arrival Records The Family History Library has an extensive collection of immigration records for the United States. The "ship lists" or passenger arrival records can help you determine when an ancestor arrived and the ports of departure and arrival. They can also be used to identify family and community members who arrived together and the country they came from. The records after 1890 are more detailed. Pre-1820 Passenger Arrival Records To find passenger arrival records for immigrants arriving before 1820, you must rely on printed sources. These include published lists of immigrants' names taken from naturalization oaths, indenture lists, headright grants, and other records. An excellent index of 1,650,000 names found in more than 1,100 published sources is P. William Filby, Passenger and Immigraton Lists Index, 11 vols. (Detroit: Gale Research, 1981- ). These volumes do not index the actual passenger records, which are available on microfilm. The Family History Library has virtually all of the indexed sources and many sources not yet indexed by this valuable tool. Passenger Arrival Records Beginning in 1820 If your ancestor arrived after 1819, he or she may be listed on a customs passenger list or an immigration passenger list kept by U.S. officials. These passenger lists are in chronological order by the date of arrival, and the lists for one year may be on as many as twenty microfilms. There are indexes to many of these lists. The Family History Library has copies of over 9,900 microfilms of immigration records from the National Archives. The following is a list of the major ports and years for which records are available. The approximate number of immigrants admitted from 1820 to 1920 is in parentheses, after the name of the city. The film numbers of these records are found in the Family History Library Catalog under UNITED STATES - EMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATION. New York City (23,960,000) Indexes . .1820-1846, 1897-1902, 1902-1943 Lists . . .1820-1920 Boston (2,050,000) Indexes . .1848-1891, 1902-1920 Lists . . .1820- 1874, 1883-1935 Baltimore (1,460,000) Indexes . .1820s-1952, 1833-1866 Lists . . .1820- 1920 Philadelphia (1,240,000) Indexes . .1800-1906, 1883-1948 Lists . . .1800-1921 New Orleans (710,000) Indexes . .1820-1850, 1853-1952 Lists . . .1820- 1921 Other Ports (4,000,000). Lists and indexes for Charleston, Galveston, Key West, New Bedford, Passamaquoddy, Portland, Providence, San Francisco, Seattle, and other ports are also at the Family History Library and the National Archives. Many of the lists for these ports no longer exist. A collection of the lists and an index for arrivals at over 60 smaller ports are available for parts of the years of 1820 to 1874. This collection also indexes some lists for New Orleans, Baltimore, Boston, and Philadelphia. Editor's Note At this time, the News of the Family History Library is distributed to selected organizations with genealogical interests. These include nationwide societies and publishers, as well as family history centers of the LDS Church. Individuals and other interested parties are invited to copy the text in full or in part at these centers. This news release is not available by subscription. Note International Genealogical Index, Family History Library Catalog, and Personal Ancestral File are trademarks of Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.