Six Genealogy Secrets Found in the Library's Vertical File

The secret to uncovering your roots may be awaiting you in the vertical file at the local library where your ancestor lived. Many local history rooms in county, parish and university libraries keep a smorgasbord of loose papers, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and photos that can tell you a lot about the history of the area and maybe your family too.

This is a great way to discover basic information if you are just beginning your genealogy research. Six types of resources that you may discover are:

Biographical information

Miscellaneous papers, newspaper clippings, or other articles contained in folders about specific people provide a brief sketch of a person’s life, and you may discover a family member among these files. Some items have been donated, and sometimes staff or volunteers have just gathered information about people of interest that lived in the area. Look for an ancestor or someone with the same surname among the file folders. They will be organized alphabetically.

Businesses

Did your ancestors work in the local mill? Wouldn’t it be nice to find firsthand accounts from people who were engaged in the same type of employment? Whole villages grew up around mills.

Many endured extremely low pay and long hours. For example, see this video about mill villagers of Tupelo, Mississippi in 1937. Perhaps you will find the history of the mill or other businesses where your family worked or owned.

Cemetery and funeral home records

Looking for the family cemetery? Sometimes older cemeteries no longer exist or are in places that have not been documented. The next place to try would be the funeral home. Do you need a clue there too? Well, check for information on cemeteries and funeral homes in the vertical file.

Church history

If you research back far enough, you will reach a time period where birth, marriage and death records do not exist. If you are lucky, you might find the history of the church where your ancestor attended. If you are really lucky, you may learn that church records were kept and still exist. Browse the vertical file for clues.

Local history

A perfect place to get a quick snapshot of important people, historical sites and events in local history is to take a look at the resources in the vertical file. This will help you gain further insight about what life was like for your ancestor, and you may even find more ideas to direct you in your search.

Military history

Discover the names of people who served their country and earned the praise of local citizens. Newspaper clippings in the vertical file tell the stories of those who returned home and those who were not so fortunate. 

Some vertical file collections are so extensive that libraries have developed finding aids to help patrons researching their genealogy. Check out this finding aid at Murray State University in Kentucky. 

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Discover Your Ancestor's Military History

What if you do not know which of your family members served in the military? You will learn some tips and resources to help you get started in this article.

Which wars might my ancestor have fought in?

You will need to know which wars occurred and how long they lasted. You will also need to know if your family member was around the typical age of other servicemen. That sounds pretty overwhelming, right? Well, it does not need to be because of the chart, Ages of Servicemen in Wars on the FamilySearch Wiki. This chart lists 20 American wars in chronological order. It lists the duration of each war and the typical ages and years of birth for those who may have served. You can use this chart to identify wars that your family member lived through or possibly fought in.

Identify what a military record might help you learn

If you thought identifying which war your ancestor fought in was a huge task, how do you know what records to search for that will help you learn something about your ancestor? Another table on the FamilySearch Wiki will help you determine which records will be of most use to you. It is called the U. S. Military Selection Table.

In the first column of the table choose, the detail that you would like to learn about your ancestor. Make a list of the record types with a square in the box. These records may help you learn the information you want to learn. Make a list of those records that you will need to locate.

Where do I find access to military records?

That is a loaded question. Many records can be found online and offline. It will not take you long to get overwhelmed by all the databases online that you will need to learn how to use. Just to keep things simple, start with online records first at FamilySearch.org (free),Ancestry.com, and Fold3.com. The last two subscription sites are available at many family history centers. Focus on the most recent events in your ancestor's life. For example, a cemetery record or a headstone application may be a lot easier to locate than the service record.

Assume your ancestor was born in 1920, according to the Ages of Servicemen in Wars chart, which wars may he have been drafted or served? The answers would be:

• World War II
• Korean War
• Vietnam War

With the Ages of Servicemen chart you can determine which wars would be a possibility without any prior knowledge of military service. Next, you would go to the U. S. Military Selection Table to determine what detail you wanted to learn.

Suppose you did not have a death date. The cemetery record may be the easiest way to document the death. What if you did not know the name of the cemetery where the military veteran was buried? You would not be able to simply check the grave for signs of military service, but you could go to Ancestry.com in hopes that someone applied for a military headstone.

The U. S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963 would be an important place to begin. U. S., Headstones and Interment Records for U. S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942-1949 would also be useful if you knew your ancestor was killed in action outside of the U. S. The first database was particularly helpful in identifying military veterans buried in Fairview Cemetery. A search of all headstone applications received from Greenwood County, South Carolina revealed burials that were not even known to exist.

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