Genealogy and Family History Research at UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries

• General Notes and Getting Started
• Internet Sources
• Genealogy Sources in the UNC-Chapel Hill Area
• Genealogy Sources at UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries

General Notes and Getting Started:

It is a basic rule in genealogical and family history research to start with the known and work toward the unknown. Researchers should begin whenever possible with family members and other "close at hand" sources to gather information about generations further back. This habit will help reduce the likelihood of errors generated by guessing or assuming links. Common sense, attention to detail, and the keeping of clear records will all help in family history research.

With regard to genealogical and family history materials available in the UNC-Chapel Hill library system, this guide is intended to serve only as an introduction. As such it is by definition incomplete. Researchers are welcome to bring further questions to the staff at the Reference Department desk in the Walter Royal Davis Library.

In addition to generic background sources relevant to all genealogical and family history research, UNC-Chapel Hill libraries may provide access to some "actual" information, e.g., birth, marriage, and death data on specific individuals and families. This more specific type of information tends, however, to be limited to that associated with southern states, with a particular emphasis on North Carolina.

Please realize that Reference staff cannot provide extensive hands-on assistance to patrons doing genealogy, especially to those who are just beginning and may have little idea how to approach such research. In such cases, the following suggestions may be of some help.

• UNC-Chapel Hill print resources for starting genealogical research:
   
  
  • The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Ancestry, 1997.
    Davis Reference desk CS49 .S65 1997
    

    This book is a general "how to" and it should be a first read for someone at the beginning stages of genealogical research. It provides information on the basics of doing genealogy, on the different types of records, on how to search for ancestors of specific ethnic origins, and so on. It includes bibliographies and useful addresses as well.

  • Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County & Town Sources. Ancestry, 1992.
    Davis Reference desk CS49 .A55 1992
    

    This book can be thought of as "step two," if The Source (see previous suggestion) had been "step one." In this volume there is more of the "referral" type of information given, e.g., what records may be found for Essex County, New Jersey. It may not be the final word on such records, but it is a good place to start. Given the publication date of this particular edition, it may be wise to check directly with the state, county, or town government or agency of interest before assuming anything about holdings or access.

  • Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records. Ancestry, 1998.
    Davis Reference desk CS9 .P75 1998
    

    This volume attempts to set out, to discuss, and to evaluate a variety of print sources that can provide genealogical information.

• A catalog search for the subject *genealogy* (note: in this and all following suggested catalog subject searches, the term or terms between * * should be entered into the catalog without the * *) will provide access to the library system's collection of books on the general topic of genealogy, including basic "how-to's."

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• RootsWeb is not affiliated with UNC-Chapel Hill libraries, but is a marvelous Internet source for a number of reasons, among them the "Where do I begin?" See the RootsWeb Help Desk and the Guide to Tracing Family Trees.

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• Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites, again not affiliated with UNC-Chapel Hill libraries, offers a "Beginners" site.

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• Finally, although it also has no connection to UNC-Chapel Hill libraries, there is the Family History Center system of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon). The local church and its Center are located in Chapel Hill at 1050 Airport Road. The staff of volunteers is willing and able to help those who need guidance in getting started in their searches. Non-Mormons are welcome.

Genealogy Sources at UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries:

Those who are researching family histories can start with the family names that interest them. It is possible to search the UNC-Chapel Hill libraries' catalogs by family names as subject, as well as keyword. Be sure to check the card catalog (located in the Davis Reference Department) as well as the online catalog. Please be aware that the vast majority of families, of course, will not have been the subject of histories or published studies. Furthermore, it is unlikely that a search for the *Smith family* -- even if the catalog shows that UNC-Chapel Hill owns something -- will provide a book about the correct "Smiths."

This general warning holds equally for those interested in their family's "crest" or "coat of arms." The great majority of families are not and never were "noble" and thus would not have claim to the various emblems of nobility. That said, it is possible to do research in this area as UNC-Chapel Hill libraries have collected relevant materials. *Heraldry* would be the most direct subject search in the catalog, and it can be qualified by a geographic subheading, e.g., *heraldry -- France*.

Other non-UNC-Chapel Hill libraries have major genealogical collections that include published family studies. The Library of Congress, for example, has many such studies, as does the Newberry Library in Chicago. The UNC-Chapel Hill collection may contain catalogs detailing the holdings of other collections like these. Such catalogs can be found searching under the subject *genealogy -- bibliography -- catalogs*. Again, be sure to check the card catalog, as well as the online catalog. It may also be worth seeing if these other libraries have an online catalog which can be searched (note: such online catalogs may only represent a part of a library holdings, so older, printed sources may still prove useful). It may be possible to gain access to such published family studies through the interlibrary borrowing system (ILB). Only UNC-Chapel Hill staff, faculty, and students can use the UNC-Chapel Hill ILB system, but others may use this system through local public libraries.

It is also possible to search for relevant materials in the catalog in other ways:

• By geographic region: *genealogy* can be appended as a subheading to a geographic subject entry in the catalog, e.g., *Germany -- genealogy*, *Alabama -- genealogy*, or *New York (city) -- genealogy*.
• By membership in a particular group or by residency in a particular area: *biography* can be appended as a subheading to a group subject entry or a geographic subject heading, e.g., *Quakers -- biography* or *France -- biography*.
• By type of record: a geographic qualifier can be appended to various subject headings, e.g., *obituaries -- Alabama*, *registers of births, etc. -- Germany*, or *wills -- England*.

Another, somewhat related subject search in the Library of Congress scheme of things is *names, personal*. This subject includes simple dictionaries of given (i.e., first) names, as well as works concerned with family names. Frequently, this subject term allows for a geographic, an ethnic or national, or a linguistic subheading: e.g., *names, personal -- Austria*, *names, personal -- Bengali*, or *names, personal -- Bantu languages*. These materials tend to be classified in the "CS..." call number range, although individual items, because of their focus, may be classified in other call number areas.

Researchers interested in North Carolina families can draw on the resources of the North Carolina Collection in Wilson Library. This collection offers a wealth of North Carolina-focused materials and patrons should not consider their search at UNC-Chapel Hill complete without having used these wonderful facilities. There are printed indexes to censuses, microfilmed newspapers, county histories, and so on. It is always wisest to check with the Collection and schedule ahead of time.

Those interested in families located in North Carolina as well as in other southern states may find valuable information within the sizable collection of papers housed in the Southern Historical Collection of the Manuscripts Department, also in Wilson Library. The Collection makes some of its finding aids available online, but the website provides contact information as well.

The UNC-Chapel Hill library system has acquired the population census schedules for the Federal decennial censuses (these schedules are what researchers think of when they are looking for the names of individuals "in the census"). The UNC-Chapel Hill collection is focused on southern states, although there may be some schedules from other locations. Because of privacy issues, there is a seventy-two year wait before these schedules can be released.

What the UNC-Chapel Hill library system has of these schedules is housed mostly in the Davis Library Microforms Collection with some North Carolina materials possibly at the North Carolina Collection. Patrons should stop at the Microforms Collection desk for the guides (marked with the same accession number as the actual film). The available guides and films are as follows:

• 1920 (microfilm 1-4456)
• 1910 (microfilm 1-2327)
• 1900 (microfilm 1-2327)
• 1790-1890 (microfilm 1-2327)

The Microforms supervisor has checked Davis Library holdings against the lists of films in these guides, so looking by state in these guides will provide a quick answer to any questions of what we do or do not have.

There is little available here at UNC-Chapel Hill to serve as indexing to these censuses. Unless such things as county, enumeration district, and page/sheet number are already known, even narrowing a search down to a "specific" location may still mean a page-by-page search through an entire microfilm reel, if indeed not through more than one. This is obviously a greater difficulty for those searching in heavily populated locations, e.g., New York City, than for those searching in less populated areas.

Some indexing is available elsewhere. See the RootsWeb page on "Census Records" or the "US -- Census" page at Cyndi's List for some useful background information. Some of this indexing is available locally at the State Library (see below under Genealogical Sources in the Area), with some North Carolina indexes at UNC-Chapel Hill in the North Carolina Collection. There is also indexing in microfilm format available from the National Archives Publications division (information only online). This may be obtained through the Family History Center (or through the interlibrary lending/borrowing system for those who are currently faculty, staff, or student at the University). Not every census has been indexed, and not every census that is indexed is done so completely. Check The Source (see above under "UNC-Chapel Hill Print Resources for Starting Genealogical Researching") for a discussion of the availability, the strengths, and the weaknesses of such indexing.

UNC-Chapel Hill libraries offers other aids to genealogists. See, for example, Robert Balay's Guide to Reference Works (Davis Reference desk Z1035.1 .S43 1996) for a list of items that can be searched in the catalog ("Genealogy" is a separate section in Balay's index). There is an annotated copy of this list along with a print version of this guide located at the Reference Desk in a three-ring binder of guides and bibliographies.

Keep in mind the following list as well:

• Genealogical Periodical Annual Index.
  Storage (Wilson Annex) CS42 .G467
  

  This annual indexes English-language genealogical magazines and journals and does so by name, locality, and topic. The libraries hold v.13-34 (1974-1995).

• City Directories of the United States, [pre-]1860-1901: A Guide to the Microfilm Collection. Research Publications, 1983, c1984.
  Davis Reference Z5771.2 .C58 1984
  

  City directories provide a means to find by name the address of people in a given town or city. This may help in later census research as the enumerator's manuscripts for more populated areas, such as cities, are arranged by enumeration districts that are geographically defined. These directories may also indicate the profession of the head of the household (the only one listed), but give little if any other information about people. Duke University has some part of the actual collection in the Perkins Microforms Collection. UNC-Chapel Hill libraries have some individual city directories in the collection. Search the catalog by subject, e.g., *Boston (Mass.) -- directories* or *Richmond (Va.) -- directories* or by keyword, e.g., *Boston and directories*.

• Fire Insurance Maps in the Library of Congress: Plans of North American Cities and Towns Produced by the Sanborn Map Company. Library of Congress, 1981.
  Davis Reference Z6026 .I7 U54 1981
  

  This is a checklist to a collection of maps done originally for insurance purposes, but which now provide a geographic perspective to any sort of (American) urban historical research. The maps are done in great detail, down to individual buildings on specific streets. As they were not done for genealogical reasons there is no linkage made between buildings and inhabitants, but if researchers want a sense of the physical layout of a city or town at a give time period, these maps offer a great deal of information. For North Carolina, patrons can check the Sanborn Maps of North Carolina Via NCLive

• Searchable electronic databases available through the "Electronic Indexes and Databases" section of the UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries website.
  
  
  • Biography & Genealogy Master Index
    

    This database serves as an index to Who's Who-type publications.

  • World Biographical Index
    

    This database is an index to a series of biographical archives in microfiche format. These archives are being bought partially by UNC-Chapel Hill and partially by Duke, so that the entire set will be owned between the two institutions.

Genealogy Sources in the Area:

The Family History Center at the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) is worth a second mention. It will be the single best suggestion for the vast majority of those looking to do genealogical research -- those more advanced as well as beginners. The Center is located in the church building at 1050 Airport Road in Chapel Hill. The Center's phone number is 967-0988, and it is always best to call ahead for hours or to make reservations for the Center's computers. It should be remembered that there is little information immediately on-hand, although some of the computer databases may be helpful. What is invaluable is the indexing to the collection held at the central library in Utah. This is possibly the world's finest collection of genealogical material.

The only real exception to this general rule would involve the case of those looking into families from North Carolina. After the North Carolina Collection and the Manuscripts Department here at UNC-Chapel Hill, researchers can try the North Carolina State Library (note: this is not the library at North Carolina State University), located in Raleigh at 109 East Jones Street, which has a genealogy section (phone: 733-7222). The website for the State Library is useful for such things as schedules, collection descriptions, and directions. The State Library may provide onsite access to North Carolina censuses, county histories, and the serials published by various genealogical and historical societies. It is quite likely that the State Library's collection will overlap a great deal with that of the North Carolina Collection when it comes to North Carolina materials.

Genealogy Internet Sources:

The Internet now offers an amazing wealth of options to genealogists, everything from current-day telephone and e-mail directories (for linking up with others who have the same family name) to library catalogs to the websites of archives and government depositories to individuals who have constructed family trees on their own personal websites.

Researchers should remember that no information, whether printed or made available on the world wide web, is more reliable than the work put into compiling it in the first place. In some cases the Internet has merely helped to spread bad information, and it has done so more broadly and more quickly than any printed source has done before. It may be best to consider all information received from others to be suggestive rather than authoritative until it can be verified in primary sources.

Keep in mind that not all "actual" information is available on the Internet. There are -- relatively speaking -- few censuses, church records, vital records, and the like accessible online, although the number is growing daily. Some of what is available may be found only at websites that charge for the privilege of searching for and retrieving relevant information. What will be found rather more frequently are sites of various sorts through which one genealogist can connect with others researching similar locations or lines. Given these reminders, here are a few useful -- and free-to-search -- suggestions:

• American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island
  

  This database offers access to information concerning the entry of immigrants to the United States through the Ellis Island processing center. Currently, the information covers the years 1892-1924.

• Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
  

  This website is as close to complete as anyone is likely to find. The work of one person, Cyndi's List is an amazing compilation of links to all sorts of genealogical resources. Her subject listing is alphabetically arranged, but the headings are sometimes rather nonstandard, so it might need some care when navigating, especially for the first time.

• FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service
  

  This is the search site offered by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon). Users can search for family names within two main indexes -- the Ancestral File (worked-out pedigrees) and the International Genealogical Index (individual records) -- of information contributed by volunteers. These online versions may not be as complete as other versions to be found at local Family History Centers.

• I Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild
  

  One of the offerings at RootsWeb, the ISTG presents the results of an ongoing effort to transcribe ship passengers lists.

• National Archives and Records Administration
  

  The National Archives is the home for many records produced over the years for various governmental purposes that now provide a wealth of information for family history researchers. These collections include passenger lists, military records, materials concerning native peoples, and so on. Some parts of these holdings may be accessible at regional centers as well as at the Washington, DC, central repository.

• North Carolina Genealogical Society

  NCGS is a membership organization dedicated to preserving and promoting genealogical studies in North Carolina.

• RootsWeb
  

  This website offers access to a wide range of webpages and mailing lists, the latter based upon both surname and location. Thus, it is possible to find if other genealogists are working on a family name or on a particular location, subscribe to the appropriate mailing list, and establish contact with others.

• USGenWeb Project
  

  These two projects are attempts to organize genealogy websites by location. USGenWeb works down to the county level in the United States, and WorldGenWeb works down to roughly equivalent levels of jurisdiction in other countries. The individual sites may then offer local information, family names that researchers are working on.

• Yahoo!'s "Genealogy"
  

  Yahoo! is one of the better-organized and better-known subject guides to the Internet. This page provides access to websites that Yahoo! personnel have searched out and judged worthwhile. There are sections on individual family names, on ethnic/regional resources, and guides for beginners. Yahoo! updates this page regularly.

For more Humanities Assistance,
Please contact Tommy Nixon, Humanities Librarian
tommy_nixon@unc.edu
(919) 962-1151

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