While your ancestor may not have left such a powerful group of letters,
manuscripts - letters, diaries and other papers - may help you learn about the
daily lives of your relatives. Have you ever wondered if your ancestors left any
written record? Some of you may own small groups of letters, or even a diary,
but there may be more material sitting in archives and libraries of which you
are unaware. Now is the time to search for those missing documents. At one
point, looking for manuscripts involved hours of checking indexes, but online
offerings have streamlined the process. Before you start looking it helps to
understand the basic vocabulary used by archivists and librarians.
Terminology
- Inventory: Historical background on the subject of the papers,
significant material in the collection, list of folder titles and sometimes
related collections in the same repository. This information can be several
pages long or only a short paragraph.
- Provenance: Information on past owners
- Record Group: A group of related records based on provenance. Some
archives keep manuscripts and photographs in a record group, but that is not the
case in all repositories.
Now you're ready to search. The basic rules of searching online are simple -
try everything you can think of and keep good records. While you might think I'm
being glib, I'm not. Before you sit down to search for material, make a list of
what you want to look for, with subcategories. If you're searching for a single
person, in addition to looking specifically for him or her, input general search
terms as well. In seeking material on Sullivan Ballou and his cousins, I would
include the name of his Civil War Regiment, his wife's name (and the names of
her parents) and where he lived. I would also try to locate the papers of his
commanding officers. Since Ballou died in battle, he might be mentioned in one
of their documents.
Your goal is to attempt to find everything associated with your ancestors -
diaries, letters, family papers and even artifacts. Every piece of paper
provides additional details of their lives. It's helpful to remember that
whether or not you find material depends, in part, on their level of literacy
and their gender. Men generally left more written evidence behind. You might not
find letters written by your great-great-grandmother but you could be surprised
by what may be discovered about her in manuscripts written by other relatives.
Even if you don't succeed in the beginning, keep looking.
Now that you understand archival terminology and basic search techniques,
there are several ways to use online resources to help you find those "missing"
documents.
Online search engines
Try entering your ancestor's name into a search engine like Google and see what turns up. I
began by looking for "Sullivan Ballou" and discovered an amazing number of sites
that contain the text of his famous letter to his wife Sarah, as well as
pictures and contact information on other researchers. I also tried more general
terms such as "Ballou Family" and discovered the papers for Hosea Ballou and the
Ballou family (1838-1939) in the Andover-Harvard Theological Library at Harvard
University's Divinity School. By looking for material on the second Rhode Island
Volunteers, I once again found links to historical data as well as a reenactment
group.
A more general search in Google for "family manuscripts" found collections,
single letters, and instructions on editing manuscripts. Who knows? After
locating papers you might want to transcribe them, and that advice will be
handy. Your success or failure can depend on the terms you use to search. For
instance, while "Ballou family manuscripts" found no hits, using "Ballou family
papers" led me to the Hosea Ballou collection.
In the online record for the Hosea Ballou papers is an inventory broken down
by members of the family, record types or general headings such as "Ballou
Family Association" or "newspaper clippings." Once you uncover a lead, contact
the institution either by looking at their linked home page and sending an email
or writing a letter requesting information on their usage policies.
Online inventories
Even if you own some of your ancestor's personal documents, try using the Library of Congress
National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC) website or in
printed volumes. On their site you'll find a directory of manuscript archives in
the United States. This list is of organizations that submit information to
NUCMC. According to their website, the printed volumes one through twenty-nine
(1959-1993) contain descriptions of more than 72,000 collections in close to
1,500 repositories indexed by subject, family, and corporate and geographic
names. If you can't locate a volume at a library near you, it is possible to
order microfilm copies ($35/reel) from the Library of Congress, Photoduplication
Service (101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. 20540-5230).
If your public library system participates in publisher Chadwyck-Healey's
online Archives USA, then you have easy access to NUCMC cataloging from
1959 to the present. Chadwyck-Healey also published an Index to Personal
Names in the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections, 1959-1984 (2
vols., 1988), and an Index to Subjects and Corporate Names in the National
Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections, 1959-1984 (3 vols., 1994).
Archives USA is a directory of over five thousand archives in the United
States. Each repository listing provides complete contact information,
collecting policies and URLs.
A keyword search for Ballou provided forty-five records relating to the
Ballou family in repositories as scattered as the Archives and Manuscript
Department of the University of Alaska Anchorage Consortium Library; the
Genealogy Collection at the Vigo County Historical Society in Terre Haute,
Indiana; the Huntington Library in San Marino California; and the Library of
Congress. Each of those collections contained some material relating to the
Ballou family. In a few instances the connection was unclear, since the title of
the collection lacked the Ballou surname. In every instance, it is worth reading
through the whole description in the database and contacting the institution to
see if it has what you seek. The repository might have related collections that
do not appear in the database.
Auctions
If you haven't tried participating in an online auction, don't hesitate.
There is a tremendous amount of material for sale. If you decide to use eBay there are plenty of
user-friendly features such as automatic bidding (you set the limit). You can
even take online tutorials on buying, selling and how eBay works. There are
plenty of search options - select a specific category such as "Antiques" or try
all of the listings at one time. I found a couple of books by Hosea Ballou and a
Ballou genealogy available, and friends report purchasing memorabilia for family
businesses and manuscripts for individuals and towns. In the online marketplace,
you never know what you will find.
Message boards
Not all manuscripts get donated; many remain in private collections, so using
message boards is still one of the best ways to broadcast a family search. Post
a message on a surname or geographic board and see if anyone in the network has
manuscripts on your ancestor. If you own papers, then you might want to add that
to your posting and offer to share material. Try the boards on GenForum or on RootsWeb to begin. Whether you
are seeking manuscripts for a specific person or are willing to share what you
have, make sure your posting is easy to read and contains simple information.
Don't forget to check if any genealogical organizations you belong to maintain
discussion forums or queries - visit the New England Historic Genealogical
Society discussion forums at NewEnglandAncestors.org. National Genealogical
Society members should also check the NGS website
Reunion sites
Just as there are sites to reunite people with missing photographs, there are
a couple that include manuscripts. To keep up-to-date, check Cyndi's List under the
categories "Diaries and Letters" and "Family Bibles."
Past Connect offers a
database of items - letters, diplomas, marriage certificates, etc. - found at
"auctions, estate sales, flea markets, yard sales and from other sources."
Another website to try is Ford & Nagle. They've posted family bibles, documents, and
photographs that they have found and want to reunite with family members.
Historical societies and private collections
Don't worry if your online searching is unsuccessful. It just means it is
time to write a letter or email the local historical societies in the area your
ancestor lived about searching their collections for appropriate material. They
might charge search fees, but if they find something it will be worth the
investment. You can try calling first or check their home pages to find out
about research policies. See "Historical Societies - A Guide to Online Research"
(NEW ENGLAND ANCESTORS, winter 2001) for a list of the state historical
societies that accept email queries and have websites.
So, why should you take the time to look for manuscripts? Because you never
know what you are going to locate or where. The missing document you uncover can
be full of answers to family mysteries or, like Sullivan Ballou, reveal a
poignant love story. So start investigating the options listed above and see
what you can find.