Hardin County 1931 Map Snippet

My goodness it has been awhile! I promise you all I haven’t forgotten about my genealogy community, I’ve just been busy with two things: parenting a teen (argh), and tackling my goal to write up almost 30 years of research. I have tons of topics to blog about, but only so many hours in the day.

My first order of business is that I am finally making time to do another webinar on June 20 EST on using deed records. If this topic is new to you or you’d like to learn some new strategies, you can find the link to sign up on the right hand side of this post under Upcoming Webinars, or just click here. The fee is $10.

Finding Aids

One of the joys of writing is that you often stumble across new information. When things are written, it prompts new questions. Even when we can’t get to an archives or library in person, there are always options. The first thing I do is look for and scour any Finding Aids, and then send an email to the archivist or librarian. Finding Aids are typically available on the website, or you may be able to ask the archivist if any relevant Aids exist.

The map above is currently available on the Tennessee State Archives TEVA website because many years ago, I found a description of it in their database. I emailed the archivist about getting a copy, and she (or he) digitized it and just put it up the website fo r me! It’s a critical map for me, since it shows the home community for my 2nd great grandfather John W. Holt. The community of Holtsville shown in the map is named for him.

Wonders Await 

Are you taking the time to read through catalogs and finding aids that are online at historical archives and libraries? These dedicated archivists are heroes to me. So many through the years have gone the extra mile to fulfill a request.

Another example is from the National Archives. About a decade or so ago, I was in the deed records office of the Hardin County, Tennessee courthouse just poking around. I found and copied this map:

Map from Courthouse

As you can see, it shows the land parcels and who owned them in that year, 1942. My yellow marker highlighted my people of interest and I wanted to know if there were more maps available. The map included this title:

Map Title

This told me the map was created by the Tennessee Valley Authority, at the federal level, as a result of Roosevelt’s New Deal. So, I searched for the NARA Finding Aid for the TVA and found this:

TVA Finding Aid snippet

You know what I did next, right?

Yep, I emailed the archivist. The maps I wanted were in Atlanta. I selected about 5 more maps, paid a $25 fee, and archivist digitized the files and sent them to me. Another WIN!!!!!

Southern Christian Institute

I think one more example will suffice. I’m writing an article about a collateral ancestor named Samuel Holt. He was a member of the Christian Church, which was run by the Disciples of Christ. He attended a college called the Southern Christian Institute in the years 1916-1919. Here’s a postcard of the college, which was located in Edwards, Mississippi:

From Allison Hall, Southern Christian Institute, Edwards, Miss. Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History

As fortune would have it, the Disciples of Christ has a historical society. And, after emailing the archivist, she sent me a detailed finding aid for the college’s records. Here’s a snippet:

Finding Aid Cover

This was a 16 page and very detailed PDF. I studied it closely for what specific records might cover the years Samuel and his siblings and cousins attended. I paid for one hour of research, for $50, and I provided the exact files & folders I thought might contain information.

You already know where this is going.

After a a few weeks, the archivist sent me copies of digitized student list names. I asked her to include all people surnamed Holt. Here’s just one of the lists I received:

Their parent or guardians information was also included. Whats amazing about this school is that students came from all over the South, including as faraway as Liberia and Jamaica:

Parents Information

From this list, I also discovered other students from the community who I did not know attended the school.

Even better, the archivist checked the photo albums and found several pictures of the Holt family! Here’s one:

Student Work boys 1916-1917

Just WOW.

I recognized another cousin, Harvey Doran, who I didn’t know attended the school. There’s another familiar face in this picture who I recognize as well, but I haven’t yet discovered his name.

Conclusion

Using the Finding Aids that are available in many cases online has changed the game in genealogy. The prudent and dogged researcher can advance their research from home, if we are willing to take the time to study the aids and catalogs, and simply reach out. You’d be amazed at what many archivists will provide for free, or for a nominal fee.

My friend, genealogist Debbie Abbott is famous for calling everybody by phone, old school and also highly effective. She also specializes in the use of private manuscripts which is the topic this technique really falls under. If you can catch her teaching that lecture, I highly recommend it.

My hope is that this post encourages you to dive a little deeper in researching the possibilities of Using Finding Aids from Afar. If you already have stories about your finds, I’d love to hear about them.

 

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