New Deal Accomplishment: Over 2,100 publications of historical record surveys and inventories

"Without doubt the most ambitious archival survey ever undertaken in the United States was the Historical Records Survey."

--The Society of American Archivists, The WPA Historical Records Survey: A Guide to the Unpublished Inventories, Indexes, and Transcripts, Chicago, 1980, p. 1.

Above: A worker in the WPA's Historical Records Survey (HRS) project, examining records in Baltimore, Maryland, between 1935 and 1942. "The work of [the HRS] consisted of locating, arranging, and cataloging historical records; of preparing and publishing inventories of these records for the use of historical and other students; and of transcribing, photographing, or otherwise preserving records of special historical value that were in danger of loss or destruction. These records were chiefly the archives of State, county, city, and town governments; but they also included church archives and other manuscript materials and early American imprints (books and newspapers)…" (Federal Works Agency, Final Report on the WPA Program, 1935-43, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1947, p. 67). Photo from the National Archives.

Above: Another worker on the Historical Records Survey project in Baltimore, Maryland. From this and the previous photo we can see what a challenging task these workers had. But it was well worth the effort: "As a result of the interest evoked by this survey, many States and communities provided new facilities for the care of historical records" (Federal Works Agency, Final Report on the WPA Program, 1935-43, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1947, p. 67). Photo from the National Archives.

Above: A large part of the Historical Records Survey was the inventorying of government records. The volume above covers a multitude of records, including those related to the mayor's office, marriages, civil court cases, criminal justice, public school administration, parks, and public utilities. Image scanned from a personal copy.

Above: Some of the publications of Historical Records Survey have bright and creative covers. Image scanned from a personal copy.

Above: The American Imprints Inventory project of the Historical Records Survey was an amazingly ambitious effort to record early "books, pamphlets, and broadsides ["broadsides" were public announcements and news, typically on a single posted sheet] published in the United States ... All published materials in the libraries and public collections of the country prior to specified dates will be listed by workers of the survey. The inventory is described as an attempt to locate for interested parties, especially political, economic, religious, scientific, industrial, and commerical historians early and generally unavailable source materials, and it will constitute an American historical bibliography on a large scale" ("Records Survey Project Started," Evening Herald (Provo, Utah), August 19, 1938). The University of Michigan Library explains how it worked: "The date limit for works to be inventoried varied initially from region to region, but was later revised to include all works printed before the end of 1876... The inventory was prepared by sending researchers to libraries, where they copied catalog records for all books, serials, and broadsides printed before the cutoff date... Inventory slips were sent by the state offices to the American Imprints Inventory office in Chicago, where a number of state and city bibliographies were edited and published." The Library of Congress reports that "Approximately fifteen million typed slips had been accumulated by March 1942 when work ceased..." Image scanned from a personal copy.

Above: The Historical Records Survey also inventoried manuscript collections. In the above publication, for example, we learn that the Tennessee State library had (as of 1940) Civil War letters; correspondence between U.S. Army General Edmund P. Gaines (1777-1849) and Tennessee governors regarding Indian and frontier issues; 34 volumes containing records of Confederate soldiers and World War I veterans; and much more. Image scanned from a personal copy.

Above: The description for this photograph, taken by George Goodman, Kentucky's WPA director, between 1935 and 1942, reads: "WPA worker typing old historical records." Kentucky was a great beneficiary of the Historical Records Survey, with 88 total publications being produced for the state, second only to Louisiana's 174. But who exactly were these WPA workers, and how did they go about their work? Genealogist Paula Stuart-Warren explains that "Between 1936 and 1943, unemployed teachers, writers, librarians, archivists and clerks earned on average $73 a month with HRS. They visited courthouses, archives, historical societies and libraries to analyze and compile inventories of state and county records, manuscript collections, newspapers and church archives. They got dirty in cemeteries, talked to older citizens and met with archivists and librarians" (Family Tree Magazine, April 2005). Photo from the University of Kentucky's Special Collections Research Center.

Above: The Historical Records Survey inventoried many church records which, of course, assists historians and family history researchers. In the publication above, for example, St. Margaret's Church in Anne Arundel County, Maryland is listed, with a description of its history (established ca. 1696) and a listing of its records--such as births, marriages, and burials--and the record locations. The church is still active today (see "History & Archives," St. Margaret's Church). Image scanned from a personal copy.

Above: An important contribution to the history of African American churches by the WPA's Historical Records Survey. You can find the completed directory, volumes 1 and 2, here. The newspaper excerpt above is from The New York Age (New York City), October 4, 1941, p. 12. Image from newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: WPA workers in the Historical Records Survey also recorded "Bible, Family, and Tombstone Records." Here we see a reproduction / compilation of some of that work, by Byron Sistler and Associates, Inc. (2004), reprinted by Janaway Publishing, Inc. (2012). There are many interesting and touching entries, for example, at the Bethpage Cemetery (Bethpage, Tennessee), a WPA worker recorded: "Lucinda, wife of Rev. L.M. Woodson, born Dec. 7, 1803, died May 8, 1872. She was a kind and affectionate Mother, her smiles cast their rays of Cheerfulness through our household, she has gone to her reward to live with God, forever" (p. 88). If you go to Lucinda Hanna Woodson's Find a Grave page, you will see that some of the inscription appears to be faded away from her tombstone, highlighting the value of the WPA's work. Image scanned from a personal copy.

Above: Here are two excerpts from the HRS publication Cemetery Readings in West Virginia (Lincoln and Paw Paw Magisterial Districts of Marion County), September 1939, pp. 10 and 51. These excerpts show historical information about--and tombstone information from--the Davis Ridge Cemetery in Monongah, West Virginia. Note the Civil War veteran, "Shroyer, A.M." Today, you can find even more information about Andrew Milton Shroyer on Find A Grave, a wonderful database that relies mainly on volunteers who visit, record, and enter information from cemeteries. Image courtesy of the University of Michigan and Hathitrust.

Above: This is part of the cover, and part of the foreword, to a 1988 transcription of WPA records, carried out by the Beaufort County Genealogical Society (BCGS), North Carolina. BCGS tells us that some of the cemeteries surveyed by WPA workers are no longer extant (cemeteries can "disappear" through a combination of inadequate maintenance and cultural apathy - headstones falling over, inscriptions fading away, and the overgrowth of vegetation). Thus, we can see how WPA cemetery readings still have great information to offer - information that is hard or even impossible to find elsewhere. Image scanned from a personal copy, and used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

The large product and impact of the WPA's Historical Records Survey

In the report, The WPA Historical Records Survey: A Guide to the Unpublished Inventories, Indexes, and Transcripts, the Society of American Archivists notes over 2,100 Historical Records Survey (HRS) publications, of the type you see in the images above. The report also details an enormous volume of unpublished materials held in various repositories, and correctly points out that historical surveys were occurring before the WPA's HRS, via the New Deal's Civil Works Administration and Federal Emergency Relief Administration.

Perhaps the greatest benefits derived from all this New Deal (and mostly WPA) history work is (a) the preservation of our family histories and (b) the wide-scale interest in family history itself.

Consider:

-- "The Historical Records Survey hired thousands of people to fan out across the country, scour public archives, and create an inventory of federal, state, and municipal records... Many of the most useful WPA records were compiled by the Historical Records Survey, which indexed public records held in places like churches, county clerks' offices, or courthouses." ("Works Progress Administration (WPA)," Ancestry.com)

-- "... many Americans saw value in continuing these [history] efforts beyond simple economic recovery. When the WPA project was terminated in 1943, many state historical societies and archives picked up where the government left off... The WPA Historical Records Survey produced a large amount of information about records that may have otherwise been lost. Family historians continue to benefit from the diligence and work of those employed during the recovery from a dark period of U.S. history." ("The WPA and Its Impact on Family History," LegacyTree Genealogists) 

-- "The WPA was more than just a jobs program. It was a massive effort to document and preserve American history. As genealogists, we benefit today from the records created by WPA workers decades ago. Whether you are searching for vital records, cemetery transcriptions, or local histories, the WPA’s work may hold the key to your family’s past. Take the time to explore these valuable resources." ("Finding Unexpected Genealogy Value In WPA Records," Gray Stabley Genealogy Services)

-- "While critics might argue that federal money was wasted on unnecessary projects, it is clear that the work of the WPA fostered a greater appreciation for the arts and humanities... the projects of the HRS created interest in the research of history and genealogy, which subsequently spurned the restoration of old cemeteries, erection of monuments, and establishment of societies and clubs.  Interest in genealogy would not be at the level it is now if not for the WPA." ("WPA Historical Records Survey," Interment.com: Cemetery Records Online)

-- "For genealogists, one aspect of the WPA has been especially important. The Historical Records Survey under the WPA created many inventories and records which have benefited the entire genealogical research community... Besides compiling indexes, they also transcribed some of the records they found. The impact on genealogical research in today’s era has been profound." ("Works Progress Administration (WPA) Historical Records Survey," Compiled by Bryan L. Mulcahy, Reference Librarian, Fort Myers-Lee County Library, March 14, 2011)