Everything Librarians Need to

Know about Helping

Genealogists…

But Were Afraid to Ask!

Presented by Nicole Wedemeyer Miller, Adjunct Lecturer

This presentation is based on the book Fostering

Family History Services: A Guide for

Librarians, Archivists, and Volunteers, co-

written with Rhonda L. Clark, and published by

Libraries Unlimited.

Why are librarians afraid of genealogists?

• Their questions go on all day, if you can

even find their question.

• They are attempting complex research,

but often know nothing about how to

research.

• If you answer one question for them, then

they ask 100 more.

• In short, they are needy.

Another small detail…

“I don’t know anything about genealogy!”

Overcoming the fear factor

• Get a basic overview of what genealogists

are trying to do

• Start thinking outside the collection box

• Learn about the basic sources they use

• Understand how to negotiate the

genealogical reference question

• Get programming ideas

Why is it popular?

• Interest in American history

• The internet

• Television shows

• Celebrity angle

• Growing number of retirees

I. Defining Genealogy and Family History

Genealogy

It’s the study of the vital events in a family

that establish the family’s pedigree; or

linkages between generations. It’s the who,

what, and where.

Family history

It’s a more in-depth expression of genealogy. It interweaves information from a number of different fields into our ancestors’ life stories…It attempts to explain the how and why of our ancestors’ lives.“Joseph "Horace" Ryburn was the second oldest of five brothers and attended University High School in Bloomington, Illinois. In 1892 he purchased 170 acres for $17,000 from Mr. Stewart, with a $5000 mortgage at four percent interest. He and his wife Estella moved to this property after they were married in 1895, and always called it "The Home Place." Horace and Estella's first two children were born there, Florence in 1898 and Madeline in 1900. In about 1902 the family moved to 1213 E. Washington in Bloomington, because Horace had heart problems and so gave up farming. He bought this house for $5000 and then made improvements such as installing French doors for the parlor, and hardwood floors upstairs. The home had gas lighting, but electricity was installed later. There was a water tank in the attic that used a hand pump from the basement to operate it. In the winter, the water went through the furnace to supply hot water. In summer, hot water was heated on the stove.”

Linear vs. Cluster

Pelagia Saitta

|

Dorothy Rita McAvin

|

George A. Wedemeyer IV

|

Nicole Alaine Wedemeyer

Cluster Approach

Best Practice

• Work backwards.

• Don’t skip generations.

• Write down what you discover.

• Seek information in sources, as many as

possible.

• Any source can be flawed—be skeptical.

What to help them with:

• Finding information

• Understanding what they find—evaluating,

analyzing, translating, etc.

• Recording their conclusions

What’s a source?

Documents

• Vital records = BMD

• Census records

• Tax lists, voting records

• City directories

• Newspaper articles

• yearbooks

Asking relatives

Oral history interviews—try to prove the

information.

Recording & Organization

Traditional methods = printed forms

family group sheet

Pedigree chart

Source Checklist

Research Logs

Two basic systems

binders

file folders

Digital Systems

Genealogical software programs

Online trees

Evernote.com

Old system for notes

Photo sharing & digital history sites

Much info on how to organize

• Organize Your Genealogy: Strategies

and Solutions for Every Researcher by

Drew Smith

• YouTube

• Genealogy blogs

Questions?

II. Thinking Outside the

Collection Box

• Patrons need to research in many, many

locations and collections.

• Patrons have some information at home.

• Patrons can find some information online.

• Most patrons need to know “How do I

start?”

In addition to finding info…

• They need to analyze what they have.

• They need to organize what they have.

• They need to record and share what they

have.

Getting started strategies

Find out where they are in the research

process.

Just beginning, somewhere in the middle, or

in deep.

What to do with beginners

• Give/sell FGS and pedigree charts.

• Find them a basic how-to genealogy book.

• Give them a list of genealogy links or show

how to access online.

• Refer to the Family History Center and

other area research facilities.

What does the LDS Church have to do

with genealogy???

Click “Get Help” & “Contact us”

What to do with intermediate folks

• Show them the website which rates

genealogical software programs.

• Find them a how-to organize my research

book, website, etc.

Show them the genealogy style manual.

• Help them figure out how/where to find

research assistance in other localities.

Suggest information on evaluating and

analyzing sources.

o Look for free videos online, such as Family

Search’s “Learning Center.”

o Look at intermediate titles in appendix.

o Articles in genealogical periodicals

Veteran folks

• Archive Grid/DPLA & other new internet

bells and whistles

• Association of Professional Genealogists

• Call their attention to hot new genealogy

titles.

• Rootstech

What else can you use besides the

internet?

• History

o Encyclopedias, even old ones

o American Heritage

o 973s, but also lurking in the travel books,

910s

o Federal Writers’ Project American Guide

Series

Biographical Sources

• BGMI

o Who’s Who in the…series

o Professional directories

o Specialized encyclopedias, such as those

covering athletes, science, etc.

o Full-length biographies, autobiographies,

memoirs

Business & General Sources

• Corporate directories

• City directories

• Phone books

• Vertical files

• School yearbooks

Questions?

Take five!

III. Understanding Basic Sources

Government records and documents

o Federal

o State

o County

o Township/borough

o Municipal

Non-governmental records

• Religious institutions

• Businesses

• Social and fraternal organizations

• Educational institutions

• Commercially published books and

periodicals

What do they typically look for first?

• Vital records—birth, marriage, death,

divorce, and adoption

• Generated at the state, county, or

municipal level

• Could be found amongst home sources.

Ancestry Red Book, 3rd ed.

Accessible full text online on free part of

Ancestry.com:

http://www.ancestrylibrary.com/wiki/index.ph

p?title=Red_Book:_American_State,_Count

y,_and_Town_Sources

Always check Red Book information online.

Vital records only go back so far

• Available dates vary by state, and by

location within states

• Some didn’t begin until the early twentieth

century.

How to find available dates?

Go to familysearch.com wiki. Search under

the name of the locality. Look at summary

table.

U.S. Record Selection Table

Census Records

• Federal level

o Taken every ten years

o 1790-1940

o Available several places online including

Ancestry.com, Heritage Quest,

Familysearch.org, Mooseroots,etc.

Sample

Census Challenges

• Gaps—some are missing, especially 1890

• Incorrect information recorded

• Problems with the indexing

• Illegible handwriting

• U.S. Censuses before 1850 only list the

name of the head of the household

Obituaries/death notices

Times-Democrat, 1899 May 25, Pg. 2 col. 7

Obit challenges

• Obits from the mid-twentieth century can

be hard to find.

• Obits indexes may not exist for their

locality.

• OCR technology still not good enough.

City directories

Directory challenges

• Only some are online, and some online

ones are behind a paywall.

• Missing years

• They may be owned by an institution in a

far-away locality.

• Directories did not cover 100% of the

residents

Online

• Not everything is online.

• Over 90 percent is still offline.

Major categories of websites

• Subscription databases

o Ancestry

o Find my Past

o My Heritage

There are many more…

• Free websites--Institutional

o FamilySearch

o DAR

o Newberry

o Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne

• Free websites—Volunteer & User-Input

o Rootsweb

o U.S. Genweb

o Genealogy Trails

• Free websites—by individuals

o Joe Beine’s Death Records & Obit Index

Listings

o Tom Tryzinski’s Digitized newspapers

o Stephen Morse’s One Step Indexes

Best way to find websites?

• Cyndi’s List

What else is there?

• Federal Records

o Immigration & naturalization

o Military

o Land patents

Where are they kept?

• NARA, Washington D.C.

• And several regional NARA archives

What else?

• Religious records

• Maps & atlases

• Wills & probate records

• Archival records—letters, diaries,

pamphlets, ephemera

• photographs

Try

• WorldCat/Archive Grid

• Digital Public Library

• Websites of universities, local public

libraries & historical societies

• Telephone

Questions?

Take five!

IV. Negotiating genealogical

reference questions

• Mindset

• Facts about genealogists

• Breaking down the reference interview

• Referrals

Mindset

• “It’s exciting to watch history come alive

for researchers.”

• “Enjoy the process…”

• “Learn as well as teach.”

• “I do not have to be an expert genealogist

to provide good service.”

About Genealogists

• All ages, all genders, but skew towards 60

and over females.

• Most are hobbyists.

• They have a variety of research goals.

• They have a wide range of educational

levels and research abilities.

• They have a wide range of computer skills.

What they like

• They like a person to guide them, not

signage/written instructions.

• They like to find information by looking for

a name, but lots of information is arranged

by geographic location or record group.

Barriers to Service

• The library is only open during the day.

• None of the genealogical/local history materials circulate.

• None of the staff have any family history training.

• There is no service desk in the genealogy/local history room, & no materials are provided to guide independent usage of this collection.

More barriers

• The collection is full of uncataloged

materials and Byzantine finding aids.

• The library website does not mention the

“g” word anywhere.

• fees

Reference Interview

• The greeting

o Non-verbal cues/attitude

o “Hello, what may I help you find today?”

Establishing the Contexts

• Geographical context: where they lived

• Chronological context: when they lived

• Socioeconomic context: their status in the

community

Questions to ask…

• What was your grandfather’s full name?

• Do you know the name of the town? Was it

Belleville, or just near Belleville?

• What did they do for a living?

• Where did they go to church?

• Do you know their ethnic background?

Dates can be elusive

• Try to nail down to at least a decade when

a family lived in a given location.

• If the patron doesn’t know, maybe he can

remember how old he was when a family

event occurred.

• Did any historical event occur when the

family was there?

To fill in contexts…

• Consult online trees, census records, and

local histories to try to verify/expand facts.

• Refer patron to home sources.

• Tap the oral traditions.

Narrow the focus

Try to head in the direction of a specific

question. This can be challenging for many

reasons.

Types of patrons

• The Newbie—doesn’t know where to start

o “One Quarter Rule”

o Find genealogical classes, both online and

live

o Refer to local genealogical or lineage

group

• The Gusher—talks non-stop

o Fill out pedigree chart during the

monologue

o Have him fill out a reference form

• The Confused—can’t articulate his

question

o Check on this patron often

o At least stroll nearby and make eye

contact

• The Optimist—is sure that someone else

has already written up his family

o Check WorldCat, GB, Internet Archive

o Check online trees

o Check PERSI

o Explain searching vs. research

• The Disorganized—has a bunch of stuff

which he can’t make head or tail of

o Remind this patron about organization

systems, software, & research logs.

o Offer information on how to analyze

sources.

• The Wounded—is motivated to do the

research because of an emotional issue.

o Offer privacy, discretion, reassurance.

o Make absolutely sure that referrals will be

helpful.

o Offer to correspond via email.

• The Monopolizer—asks constant, never-

ending questions. Will not work

independently.

o Can’t answer any more verbal questions

now, but you can leave another in writing.

o Schedule a one-on-one session.

o I can’t work with you more today, but you

could come in…

Identify Sources to Meet the Goal

• FHL 1-866-406-1830

• Genealib

• Local historical/genealogical society

• Town historians in NY or CT

• Eastman’s Encyclopedia of Genealogy

• Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness

• Reddit, Stack Exchange

Last step: referrals

• Never guess; make it good.

• Verify via website or phone call.

• Provide contact information.

• Suggest materials to ILL.

Sensei

• Specific research skills like using online

catalogs, focusing a Google search, &

even locating a book on a shelf by call

number.

• what a source may contain

• Citing information

• Locating expert assistance

Questions?

V. Programming Ideas

Importance

• It attracts attention to your genealogical

reference service.

• It is an efficient way to instruct several

patrons at once—uber reference.

• It gets patrons in the door.

• It can be low cost and low fuss.

“How to Grow Your Family Tree”

• A basic how-to overview

o Define genealogy & family history

o Work backwards

o Linear vs. cluster

o Define a source

o Discuss home sources

o Recommend how-to titles and websites

o Tell them about local & regional places to

research

Presented by: a staff member, or a volunteer

from the genealogical society, DAR, or FHL.

The “Spotlight On” Program

• Pick a resource: reference tool, archival

collection, or online website/database

o Teach how it’s best used

o Present examples

o Save 10-15 minutes for questions

o Keep it at about an hour

“The Story of My Life”

• A children’s program

o Create a template that kids fill in with

information about themselves and their

families

o Use Dr. Seuss’ My Book about Me as

inspiration.

“Ask Granny”

• The materials for this program are free

and will be emailed to you.

o It can be held at the library, or at a senior

center or nursing home.

o If you encourage the participants to bring

grandchildren, it’s an intergenerational

event.

Ask Granny flyer

Email to request materials.

Reaching Out to Ethnic Groups

• Identify an ethnic group in your area, and design a program to help them to do their family history.

o Identify where they can find information locally, and elsewhere in the U.S., such as an ethnic genealogical society.

o Recruit someone to give an overview of this group in your area—religious officiant or a college instructor.

o Sponsor with another local group.

o Could lead to a fabulous oral history

project.

o Serve treats from ethnic restaurant/bakery.

Lagniappe

• Genealib listserv

• Dick Eastman’s blog

• Adventures in Genealogy Education blog

• Genealogy for Librarians Pre-conference

Questions?