Some Pre-Computer Genealogical Research Tools

Many of the on-line genealogical researchers of today have no idea what it was like to do research in the pre-computer days.

Query & Letter Writing

Two of the major ways to solicit data in those days were:
1. Go through telephone books and write everyone with the surname you were interested in soliciting information on their kinfolk
2. Submission of queries to major newspaper and genealogical magazine requesting information.  One of those major genealogical publications of this era was ”The  Genealogical Helper” published by Everton Press out of Logan, Utah. 

http://www.geneamusings.com/2009/05/evertons-genealogical-helper-has-new.html

Courthouse Research
Just as today many hours were spent in Courthouses, Libraries, Archives and other places that housed historical records that may be related to your ancestor.

Family History Library
The family History Library (FHL) that you are familiar with today did not exist when I began my research back in 1976. The current FHL was open to the public on October 1985. ¹

Before the dedication of the current building the Library and office were located in the  East Wing of the Joseph Smith Building on 4 floors.

Back in those days the primary tools used was the Soundex, Census Books, Surname Books, Micro film reader, microfiche reader and many other tools.

Soundex
The Soundex was a phonetic algorithm for indexing names by sound, as pronounced in English.^{2 3}

You would take this little coding guide and convert your SURNAME to a code, i.e. the Davis Surname would convert to D120
D = D
A = Vowel - Strike through
V = 1
I – Vowel – strike through
S = 2
add a 0 to get the code of D120 = DAVIS

This is the soundex card of the 1900 Census (South Carolina) for my Ancestor – Thomas F. Davis



In this soundex image we see the D120 (DAVIS) written across the top left corner of the card.

The soundex card was the key to finding your ancestor in the census. Without the help of the Soundex it was take a look at every named entry to find your ancestor.

The Films of the census year (1900) were filed in cabinet by ED – Enumeration District. To select the proper rolls for finding your ancestor you would focus on the top right Corner of this card. 



For this Card, Thomas F. Davis can be found in ED 21, Sheet 24, Line 35 very much like today except you would take this ED Number and go to the cabinet and drawer that contained  the 1900 census and go through them (organized numerically by ED) until you found the film with ED 21 listed. In some cases there may have been numerous ED and thus would be listed 19-22, for example. 

Surname Books
Another way to find your Ancestor was through the use of the Census Surname Books. This page is from one of those surname books.



The Surname Book were books created from the Census and were printed in Alphabetical order by surname. The first listing in this 1840 Census Book for South Carolina is:
PRESCOTT, Benjamin J.  Sumt 039 No TWP L

So Benjamin J. Prescott can be bound in Sumt (Sumter) County on page 039, no township listed.

and here is the source from Ancestry

Source Citation

Year: 1840; Census Place: Sumter, South Carolina; Roll: 515; Page: 39; Image: 84; Family History Library Film:0022511

These Census Surname books were a “Blessing” back in the 1970’s and 1980’s.
Back in those days there were no microfilm copy machines.

You know how you brought that information home; you did it by copying the data to your notes.

Here’s another tool that was provided so that you, the researcher, could accurately copy the information need and bring it home for review.

1860 Census Form 

This is just a small snapshot of the genealogical research process from the past. Many of you can relate to those days; many of you cannot. I can assure you we all are grateful for the advances  that has been made over the past 20-30 years. The development of the GPS – Genealogical Proof Standard, to me, was a giant step in genealogy research.

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[1]http://www.utah.com/mormon/family_history.htm
[2] http://www.archives.gov/research/census/soundex.html
[3] https://www.google.com/search?q=soundex&oq=soundex&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.2368j0j1&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8