News of the Family History Library 35 North West Temple Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 Vol. 2, No. 2 March/April 1990 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. Not available by subscription. 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 This issue highlights our collections of vital records from New York City; immigration records for the port of Hamburg, Germany; several new genealogical word lists; and a cross-section of compiled genealogical collections. Researchers recognize the value of searching compiled sources to learn what others may have already discovered about their ancestors. The Family History Library has many compiled sources that researchers are invited to use, either at the library or at one of our family history centers. In this issue of our News, we introduce some of the new sources that are available on microfilm. As always, we wish you success in your research! --David M. Mayfield Acquisitions Update: Civil Vital Records fS!h'ew ^^k Cah\ The most frequently used sets of New York City vital records are listed in the locality section of the Family History Library Catalog. For each collection described below, we have added the number of microfilms in parentheses. A plus (+) sign indicates that records are still being acquired and processed by the library. Few vital records exist before 1850 for New York City. Some of the earliest documents were recorded in Manhattan and are cataloged under New York County. Pre-1898 town vital records and card indexes are usually listed in the Family History Library Catalog under the heading "New York, [county], [village or town] - Vital Records." New York, Bronx - Vital Records Bronx death certificates, 1898-1919 (91) New York, Kings - Vital Records Brooklyn marriage certificates and returns, 1866-1924+ (410+ films) Brooklyn death certificates, 1898-1920 (341 films) New York, Kings, Brooklyn - Vital Records Brooklyn birth certificates, 1866-97 (94) Brooklyn death certificates, 1862-97 (339 films) Brooklyn coroner's reports of deaths, 1898-1914 (9) Brooklyn coroner's journal record of deaths, 1897-1914 (16) New York, Kings, Brooklyn - Vital Records - Indexes Brooklyn card index to birth returns, 1866-97 (34) Brooklyn card index to death ledger, 1848-66 (7) Brooklyn card index to death certificates, 1862-98 (78) New York, New York - Vital Records Manhattan birth certificates and index, 1866-1897 (543 films) Manhattan death registers, 1798, 1801-04, 1808, 1811-65 (19) Manhattan death certificates, 1866-1919 (1,038 films) Manhattan card index to deaths, 1868-90 (104 films) New York, New York (City) - Vital Records Manhattan birth registers and index, 1847-48, 1853-73 (28) Manhattan groom index to proofs of marriage, 1866-1910 (15) Manhattan bride index to proofs of marriage, 1866-1937 (59) All borough, groom indexes to proofs of marriage, 1910-37 (8) Manhattan, marriage certificates, 1866-1916+ (790+ films) New York City coroner's inquisitions, 1823-98 (101) New York, New York (City) - Vital Records - Indexes All borough, birth certificate index, 1881-1965 (30) All borough, death certificate index, 1888-1965 (20) New York, Queens - Vital Records Queens death certificates, 1898-1919 (89) Queens indexes to births in towns and villages, 1847-1897 (7) New York, Richmond - Vital Records Staten Island death certificates, 1898-1920 (23) Volunteers are currently indexing Manhattan and Brooklyn birth records through 1885 and marriage records through 1895. Names from these records will be listed in future editions of the International Genealogical Index(TM). Future acquisitions by the Family History Library will include additional marriage records and indexes for New York City. Indexing of U.S. Passenger and Ship Arrival Records Genealogical newsletters occasionally report that passenger arrival records for Ellis Island are being indexed. Proposals have been made to index the records of the port of New York for the years 1892 to 1924. At this time, however, no indexing of these records is being done by the Family History Library, Ellis Island Foundation, Ellis Island Commission, or by any commercial enterprise. The Balch Institute at Temple University has indexed earlier passenger lists, including many for the port of New York. Although there is no public access to the index database, immigrant names from the Balch Institute project have been published in: Glazier, Ira, ed. Famine Immigrants: Lists of Irish Immigrants Arriving at the Port of New York, 1846-1851. 7 vols. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1983-86 Glazier, Ira, and Filby, P. William, eds. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports, 1850-1855. 9 vols. Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources, Inc. The National Archives and the Family History Library have 27 microfilms that list ships (not passengers) arriving at New York harbor between 1789 and 1919. A volunteer project to index the names of ships arriving at New York from 1820 to 1897 is being coordinated by Precision Indexing (Box 303, Bountiful, UT 84010). In the future the project may index the names of passengers arriving between 1847 and 1891. Hamburg Passenger Lists Almost one out of three central and eastern European emigrants is found on the Hamburg passenger lists. Most who departed through Hamburg went to the United States, but some emigrated to Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and other places. (Many Europeans, however, embarked from Bremen, LeHavre, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, or Antwerp because those ports were easier to reach. The records of these other ports no longer exist or are not available for research.) The Hamburg lists are one of the finest single sources of information for locating an immigrant ancestor's place of origin in central or eastern Europe. The lists include such information as the passenger's name, home town (or last town of residence), age, other family members, and occupation. The lists and indexes for Hamburg have been preserved and are available for research as detailed below. The original Hamburg passenger records are stored in the State Archives at Hamburg. In 1984, the Museum for Hamburg History opened an Historic Emigration Office. They will search microfilm copies of the passenger lists for you for a fee of approximately $30.00 per year searched. The address is Hamburg- Information GmbH, Museum fur Hamburgische Geschichte Holstenwall 24, D-2000 Hamburg 36, Federal Republic of Germany. In 1964 and 1975, the Family History Library obtained copies of the same lists and indexes. You can personally search for your ancestor in the Hamburg passenger lists and indexes using microfilmed records at the Family History Library or at any of its family history centers. These records are listed in the Family History Library Catalog(TM) under the heading "Germany, Hamburg, Hamburg - Emigration and Immigration." The library's collection consists of the following: 1.Direct Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934 (256 Films) Most of those who embarked at Hamburg sailed directly to New York City or other ports of final destination. For 1850 to 1854 these lists are alphabetical by the first letter of the surname. For 1855 to 1934 the lists are arranged chronologically by ship. Separate indexes are available for 1855 to 1934 (126 films). Each index covers a year or part of a year. Surnames of heads of households are alphabetized by first letter only. 2.Fifteen-Year Index, Direct Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1856-1871 (10 Films) This index, prepared by members of the LDS Church in Hamburg, includes the names of passengers sailing from Hamburg from 1856 to 1871 in one alphabetical card index. It is convenient to use, but is not complete. 3.Indirect Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1854-1910 (81 Films) Some emigrants did not sail directly to their destination, but chose a less expensive, indirect route. Many emigrants departed Hamburg for England, where they traveled overland to a British port, such as Liverpool, Southhampton, or Glasgow. Other indirect routes took emigrants through LeHavre and Antwerp. For June to December 1854 these lists are alphabetical by the first letter of the surname. For 1855 to 1910 the lists are arranged chronologically by ship. Separate indexes are available for 1855 to 1910 (12 films). Each index covers a period of one to several years, and surnames of heads of households are alphabetized by first letter only. Hamburg Police Records The city of Hamburg has a resident registration office [Einwohnermeldeamt] under the jurisdiction of the police department. It is responsible for recording the arrivals, departures, and residences of the people in the city. The resident registration office also issues passports. The original records are stored in the State Archives at Hamburg. The Family History Library has 941 films that list individuals who were not citizens of Hamburg from 1834 to 1929. These films can help you trace the birthplace of many emigrants who temporarily resided in Hamburg before their departure. The information in these records varies slightly, yet includes much of the following: Registration number Full name Date of birth or age Place of birth Occupation or status Former residence Place of employment Verification of identity by a sponsor Physical description The records available at the Family History Library include: Passport Records for Citizens of Hamburg and Nonresidents, 1852-1929 These are applications for passports to America and other locations. They are indexed at the end of each volume for 1851 to 1897 and include a cumulative index for 1897 to 1929. These records are listed in the catalog under "Germany, Hamburg - Emigration and Immigration." Registers of Non-Citizen Workers, 1834-1890 Many non-citizens working in Hamburg were registered under the year they arrived in Hamburg. Each time a non-citizen moved, his registration entry was updated with the new address. These updates continued until the person left the city, became a citizen, or died. There are several sets of these registers covering various time periods. There are some separate registers of males and females. Each set of registers is indexed. Cumulative indexes are available for some, while others have yearly indexes. Microfilm numbers for these records can be found in the catalog under "Germany, Hamburg, Hamburg - Occupations." Genealogical Word Lists The Family History Library has begun publishing a new series of genealogical word lists. The Dutch list was the first to be completed. We now have completed the Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian lists. These lists: Give words in the designated language with their English translations. List approximately 900 words that you are likely to find in genealogical sources in that language, including general words, numbers, dates, and times. Describe the characteristics of the language and suggest sources for further help. Will be available in family history centers. German, Latin, Spanish, French, and Portuguese word lists will be available later in 1990. Genealogical Collections: Statewide and Provincial Most state and provincial archives, historical societies, and genealogical societies have special collections and indexes of genealogical value. These must usually be searched in person. Many collections have been microfilmed, however, and are available at the library or through family history centers. The following are examples of some of the newer collections of statewide or provincial interest. Genealogical File, Beaton Institute of Cape Breton College, Nova Scotia (9 Films) An example of a valuable but perhaps unknown genealogical collection is this collection housed in Nova Scotia. The files are alphabetically arranged and contain mostly pedigree and family group record forms. This collection is described in the Family History Library Catalog under "Nova Scotia - Genealogy." Ontario Biographical and Genealogical Card Index (13 Films) This index on 43,000 cards covers the years 1780-1869. It was recently microfilmed at the Archives of Ontario, in Toronto, and consists of personal names extracted from baptismal records, biographical sketches, cemetery records, land records, family histories, funeral notices, marriages, wills, and other sources. The index is listed in the catalog under "Ontario - Genealogy - Indexes." Master Name Index, Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation (60 Films) This index has about 500,000 names extracted from the following types of documents for the 1700s to the 1900s: census returns, marriages, inquest records, land records, church records, passenger lists, newspapers, atlases, funeral home records, personal records, business records, school registers, and lodge records. This collection is listed in the library catalog under "Prince Edward Island - Genealogy - Sources - Indexes." Applications for Illinois Prairie Pioneer Certificates (23 Films) Two sets of these microfilms were made of the original applications at the Illinois State Genealogical Society. The applications include ancestral family forms and lineage charts. Several generations may be mentioned on one form. The collections are listed in the catalog under "Illinois - Genealogy." Papers for Iowa Pioneer Certificates (11 Films) About 4,000 Pioneer Certificates have been issued to descendants who furnished proof that their ancestor arrived in Iowa prior to 1857. The materials in this collection include pedigrees, family charts, wills, marriage records, land records, and family histories. Alphabetically arranged, the original files are at the Iowa Genealogical Society in Des Moines. This new acquisition will be listed in the catalog under "Iowa - Genealogy." Iowa Genealogical Society: Surname Collection (31 Films) An extensive collection of family data is on 3-by-5-inch cards at the Iowa Genealogical Society. It is similar to a research exchange file. Members of the society filled out cards for their ancestors. This new acquisition will be listed in the catalog under "Iowa - Genealogy." Michigan Genealogical Council: Centennial Family Certificate Applications (81 Films) Ten thousand applications were filed by descendants of ancestors living in Michigan before 1876. The applications, alphabetically arranged by the ancestor's surname, include lineage charts and source references. The originals are at the Library of Michigan. This collection is listed in the catalog under "Michigan - Genealogy" along with other similarly valuable collections. Manuscript Collections from Individual Researchers Family data and notes compiled by experienced researchers can save you time and may provide a missing link in your pedigree. Because these manuscript collections are secondary sources of information, however, they must be carefully evaluated for accuracy. The Family History Library has over 3,000 microfilms of compiled research notes and genealogies for families or regions in the United States. The following are examples of collections listed in the catalog under "United States - Genealogy." The Appleby-Eardeley Collection (14 films) Frank T. Calef Collection (41 films) Gilbert Cope Collection of Family Data (75 films) Archibald Delos Gardner Genealogical Collection (48 films) Family Records of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania (53 films) May Atherton Leach Collection (40 films) Anne Lea Nicholson Collection (22 films) Elizabeth S. Payne Collection (14 films) Sophie Seldon Rodgers Collection (45 films) Emery Hall Shaver Collection (15 films) Charles Edwin Shelby Collection (14 films) George Frederick Tudor Sherwood Collection (453 films) International Genealogical Index and Family History Library Catalog are trademarks of Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.