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When you begin diving into personal papers, family records, old documents, and original manuscripts in archives from around the world, you're no longer a beginning genealogist. The gateway into these underutilized collections is the free website ArchiveGrid.
Think of ArchiveGrid as a way to find offline records that may contain essential genealogical clues to deepen your understanding of your ancestors or help you bust that persistent genealogy brick wall.
1. Search for Your Ancestors on ArchiveGrid
You may discover biographical material, correspondence, speeches, scrapbooks, journals, appointment books, ledgers, photographs, audio records, and more.
If you strike it lucky, you can find an entire collection pertaining to your ancestor, such as this one from Robert Kerr, in the University of British Columbia Archives.
You might also find a letter written by your ancestor to a colleague within their collection, such as what Robert Victor Zumstein wrote to Raymong Thayer Birge in a Californian archive.
How are you going to find these entries?
You search the rather daunting website known as ArchiveGrid.
But how do I search ArchiveGrid?
Start typing in a person, place, or event in the search box. This is a great time to do surname-only research on uncommon last names.
For example, I typed the surname Zumstien in the search box.
Sadly, ArchiveGrid returned no results.
Thus, I need to try spelling variations. I could try Zumpstein, Zumpstien, Zumpstine, Zumstine, and Zumstein.
When I used the surname Zumstein, ArchiveGrid found 18 possibilities.
My favorite results have a green button that says, "View the Finding Aid." These are particularly helpful when the collection title doesn't seem obvious as a possible item to investigate further.
The William Francis Gray Swann Papers 1900-1961 collection doesn't initially seem promising, but the description indicates that he was a physicist. My Great-Grandfather was a Physics professor, so I know where this collection will lead.
The ArchiveGird entry links to the American Philosophical Society entry for the Swam Papers. An assisted search (Crtl+F or Command +F) for Zumstein rewarded me with an entry for "Zumstein, R. V. in 1927." This was likely a letter Mr. Swann received from my grandfather.
I can now request a copy of the letter if I can not visit the society in person to do research. Then, I'll be able to view my great-grandfather's handwriting and discover his letter language style. Hopefully, I won't be confused about the physics discussion that may appear in the correspondence.
Use First Names
You may have an ancestor with a more common surname. I searched for Emery Barrus, hoping to find a man who joined the LDS church before the pioneers moved west.
I discovered entries for his likely grandson, Emery F Barrus, including a mission diary and correspondence.
Another entry relates to biographical sketches in the Mrs. Paul Barrus collections. That Emery Barrus is the one I'm looking for. Now, I can reach out to the Utah State Historical Society to consult about obtaining a copy of this biographical sketch.
Use Filters
Archive Grid has a few ways to help you narrow down your searches. Two of the easiest to utilize are:
Put quotes around phrases you want to find precisely in order, such as "Luther Titus" or "Titus Luther."
Use NOT to exclude entries Emery Barrus, NOT Vannoy.
To view additional filters, read this help file.
Another way to filter results involves the Summary View. For the Zumstein surname, I could filter the topic to Physics or the location to Cincinnati, Ohio.
2. Search for Locations
Not every item in an archive is categorized by a person's name. Not everything you need to know in genealogy research relates to a specific person.
Thus, do location research on ArchiveGrid to find information about where your ancestors lived.
I want to learn more about Sabinoso, New Mexico.
I can key in Sabinoso, New Mexico, and two entries appear.
One documents the cattle brands in New Mexico.
The other is intriguing. What was a place for people to live in the early 1900s is now a federal wilderness area. I want to learn about the archaeological reports of Sabinoso because they might have clues as to the people who lived there recently and anciently.
Do Not Limit Your Research to a Specific Town or Village.
Expand your investigation to the county or state level.
When expanding to San Miguel County records, I can review over 1000 possibilities. The Pecos Pueblo Grant and the Maxwell Land Grant Company have caught my eye.
Look for Record Collections in a Location.
Be more methodical in your search by looking for a place and a record type. For instance, try something like Essex County New Jersey Tax, and you'll find an entry for "Essex County, New Jersey Tax Office Account Book."
When I clicked "View the Finding Aid," I opened the New Jersey Historical Society catalog. The finding aid had numerous details.
But then, I could search this website for Elizabethtown and find more resources I hadn't known before. Particularly manuscript collections for families that lived in Elizabethtown.
Use Search Filters
Archive Grid has a few ways to help you narrow down your searches. Two of the easiest to utilize are:
Put quotes around phrases you want to find exactly in order, such as "Luther Titus" or "Titus Luther."
Use NOT to exclude entries Emery Barrus NOT Vannoy
To view additional filters, read this help file.
Another way to filter results involves the Summary View. For the Zumstein surname, I could filter the topic to Physics or the location to Cincinnati, Ohio.
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3. Search for Archives to Donate Your Family History
At some point, you might need to conduct research for places where you can donate your research rather than find your research in archives.
ArchiveGrid can help you discover unfamiliar repositories that might accept your collection. Remember, this collection can contain anything from documents to books to correspondence to artifacts and photos.
Start with the map tool on the home page.
Click and hold your cursor on the map to move it around.
Use the plus (+) or minus (-) tools to zoom in or out.
Click on pins in an area to discover the museums, universities, and other repositories located there.
This is how I found the New Mexico State Library in Santa Fe.
You can also use the text links to discover museums by name and location. This is how I learned about the National Hispanic Cultural Center.
You can then search their collections or access their contact information. If you can not find a donation page on their website, see the institution's phone number or email. Request information about making physical donations of documents and artifacts.
If you leverage this tool now, you can find the best future home for your family archive.