Beginning Research Using HeritageQuest and Ancestry Library Edition (and a few other on-line resources, too) A presentation about resources available through Hannibal’s Virtual Library, June 2013

What Is HeritageQuest? Collection of genealogical and historical sources & index to other resources Coverage from the 1700’s Compliments Ancestry Library Edition, Family Search, Missouri Digital Heritage, and other genealogical databases Compact & easy to use

Finding HeritageQuest HeritageQuest is provided by State tax dollars, beginning July 2013, and available at  Log-in ID is your Library barcode  Use anywhere you have access to the Internet

10-digit barcode, numbers only, no spaces or dashes

What Is the U.S. Federal Census?  The U.S. Constitution mandates a Census every ten years to allocate Congressional seats  Collected data is used in aggregate for statistical purposes  Release of personal information is prohibited for the person’s lifetime, defined as 72 years. (92 Stat. 915, Public Law , enacted on October 5, 1978)

Why Are Census Records Important to Genealogists?  Census Records provide a snapshot view of the community once every ten years  Many names were recorded as the enumerator walked up and down streets, so neighbors are placed side by side  In Censuses taken in 1850 and later, an attempt was made to record every resident of the household  Names, relationships, and other information was enumerated. These provide valuable genealogical clues

Are There Problems with Census Records?  Census Records were recorded by enumerators from information conveyed by the respondent  The respondent may have hidden the truth or not known the information  The respondent may have been a child or a neighbor  In rural areas, particularly, the enumerator may not have known about a family or found their household  The enumerator may not have recorded the proper spelling of a name, etc.  The enumerator provided four copies each page, and inaccuracies between extant copies have been found  Handwriting may be difficult to read

Federal Population Census Schedules  Enumeration Schedules from 1790 to 1940 are available for public use  Because of the 72-year rule, the 1950 Enumeration Schedule will be available in 2022

MO, Marion Co., Mason Twp., City of Hannibal, 1930 HeritageQuest indexing and scan

On-Line Indexing  Interactive indexing available at:  HeritageQuest (available through Hannibal’s Virtual Library,  Ancestry Library Edition (available at Hannibal Free Public Library only on our computers)  Ancestry.com (subscription needed to see the records, but searching is free)  FamilySearch (free)  Cyndislist.com ( ) If you don’t find your ancestor in one index, try one or more of the other indexes.

HeritageQuest’s Search Books 7 million digitized page images from 28,000 family histories, local histories, and other books Titles digitized from HeritageQuest’s microform collections and from the American Antiquarian Society’s collection

Periodical Source Index (PERSI) Index of genealogy and local history periodicals (Inter-Library Loan actual articles) Contains more than 2 million records covering titles published around the world since 1800 Compiled and published by the Allen County Public Library

Freedman’s Bank Records 480,000 names of bank applicants, their dependents, and heirs from 1865–1874 Use information about African American ancestors prior to and immediately after the Civil War

Revolutionary War Records Original images from pension and bounty land warrant application files 80,000 American Army, Navy, and Marine officers and enlisted men from the Revolutionary War era

U.S. Serial Set Memorials, petitions, private relief actions made to the U.S. Congress from ,000 pages of information You probably will not use the U.S. Serial Set as a beginning genealogist. It will become more interesting when you start working on ancestors who lived in the 18 th and early 19 th century.

Hatched, Matched & Dispatched Birth Records Marriage Records Death Records These are the primary source documents used in genealogical research. Census enumerations are great tools, as are newspaper obituaries, but your family research must focus on legal records. In addition to the vital records listed above, you also will want eventually to research land and court records. Use vital records to prove information on family trees and support this proof with obituaries, census data, diaries, photos, etc.

Vital Records Ancestry Library Edition or Ancestry.com Cyndi’s List Family Search Each State’s Historical Website National Archives

Ancestry Library Edition U.S. collections deliver hundreds of millions of names from sources such as federal and U.S. censuses; birth, death, and marriage records including the Social Security Death Index; and U.S. border crossing and trans-ocean ship records. Canadian collections provide nearly 60 million records from the Census of Canada; and key vital records, such as the Drouin Collection ( ), which includes nearly 30 million baptism, marriage, and burial records from Quebec. U.K. collections offer censuses for England, Wales, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, and Scotland, with nearly 200 million records; Births and Baptisms ( ), Marriage Licenses ( ), Deaths and Burials ( ), and Poor Law Records ( ) in London; and more. Other international collections continue to grow with more than 46 million records from German census, vital records, emigration indexes, ship lists, phone directories, and more; Chinese surnames in the large and growing Jiapu Collection of Chinese lineage books; Jewish family history records from Eastern Europe and Russia; and more. Military collections deliver over 150 million records containing information often not found elsewhere; and includes records from the colonial to the Vietnam era. Multimedia collections deliver millions of files ranging from family and gravestone photos to postcards and newsreels.

Family Search FamilySearch, historically known as the Genealogical Society of Utah, which was founded in 1894, is dedicated to preserving the records of the family of mankind The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the primary benefactor for FamilySearch services

Cyndi’s List Began as a project for her local genealogical society in order to help our members find resources online She wants to make it easy for all researchers to find online resources for their genealogical research

Missouri Digital Heritage Collaborative effort of the Missouri State Archives Missouri State Library The State Historical Society of Missouri and institutions across the state. Formally called Virtual Missouri

Browse Collections by Topic

Genealogy Topics Include  Missouri Birth & Death Records Database Pre-1910  Missouri Coroner's Inquest Database ( )  Missouri County Histories  Missouri County Plat Books  Missouri Death Certificates  Missouri Fire Insurance Maps (Sanborn and Whipple maps)  Missouri Judicial Records  Missouri Naturalization Records Database, (abstracts)  Missouri Soldier's Database: War of WWI (service cards)

Hallie Yundt Silver, Library Director Hannibal Free Public Library 200 South Fifth Street Hannibal, MO