Your Family and Town's History Starts at Your Delaware Library
Discovering the history of where you grew up is an exciting journey. With so many paths that history can take and the endless amounts of facts, stories, statistics, etc., knowing where to start is not always easy.
What is great is that libraries are full of resources to help you with your research. Libraries of all kinds hold a wealth of information and have endless records they can help you browse through. From state libraries and archives to university libraries and local public libraries, you will realize there is plenty of knowledge and knowledgeable people who are able to guide you through the process of discovering your roots!
Delaware Public Archives
The Delaware Public Archives is one of the many places to start looking and can be a great jumping point into research on genealogy and history. The mission of the Public Archives is to collect and preserve records as well as to ensure access for generations to come and to educate on how to keep it all going.
There are quite a number of resources you can expect to find at the Public Archives. They preserve the records of state governments, local governments, genealogical records, photograph and audiovisual collections, microfilm, manuscripts, and vital statistics. All of these resources make up over 95,000 cubic feet of historical documents, collections, and official records at the Delaware Public Archives.
You can browse for what you might need using the Public Archives website. Digital Archive Collections and online exhibits house stories of the First State in the forms of photographs, maps, legislation, etc. There is information on Delaware's role in the Civil War, the first naturalized Hispanic settlers, and African American Houses of Worship.
Public Finding Aids is another resource on the site that lists links to research favorites and guides for beginning researchers. There is an overall guide to the collections as well as specific guides to each type of record that the public might be interested in. For example, people who need help looking through just the census records or only state legislation will have the tools needed for how to approach their research.
Of course, sometimes in-person research is what is needed to get the job done. The Mabel Lloyd Ridgely Research Room is available for those wishing to have items pulled for them to examine in person or those looking to conduct their searches onsite. There are more than 400,000 records across 19 collections in the Collection Gateway that patrons can request for use in the Research Room.
University Library Resources
University libraries are also another option to use when it comes to history searches. Many academic institutions preserve extensive collections about the state, the city, and other local news and records. The University of Delaware is just one of the universities that dedicates time towards this. There are dozens of collections of materials to look through for genealogical inquiry.
Those just getting started can go to Beginners & Basics which is a resource that offers starting points for research. The guide provides strategies and concepts for members of the community to use and tips for researchers to keep in mind to prevent problems down the line. It touches on major players or organizations and sites to reference and teaches the beginner how to organize the information and execute their searches.
Beyond the starter guide, the university also offers related library research guides on topics related to Delaware. This includes biographies, local histories, historic structures, lifestyles, and a number of newspaper research guides. There are even interesting articles and guides on passenger lists, court documents, medical history, and names. Each one goes into detail on sources that can be used, how to best approach them, and questions to keep in mind while going through the research.
There are research strategies included in each guide that help tackle problems that may emerge while researching. Under the section of Names: Women, for example, it mentions the difficulties that may appear when trying to find women ancestors due to obscurity in birth/maiden names. Some strategies the university library offers is to learn about the time period and the laws in place which can give the researcher an indication of where they might find a woman’s name. Women in Wyoming were able to vote starting in the 1870s, which would mean that names can be found on voter lists. Additional tips include checking heads of households, being aware of naming patterns, and consulting other sources like military enlistment papers.
Local Public Libraries & History
The public library may be one of the most accessible places to do genealogy and history research. With so many locations across the state and plenty of resources and staff on hand to help, the local public library is a great place to visit whether your interest in this type of research is new or you are a seasoned genealogist. Delaware Public Libraries offer a wealth of information to assist in the search for family records. The website begins with three main resources to start with and then continues to list additional resources either specifically related to Delaware, genealogy, or other records like immigration through Ellis Island.
Those who visit a public library can get free access to specific subscription services like Ancestry.com which has records of births starting from 1908, marriages and deaths from back to 1933, naturalization records from 1796-1850, land records from 1677-1947, and wills from 1683-1947. Using a public computer terminal, patrons can access the digital Ancestry site to do in-depth research into their family trees.
Additional resources include Find My Past and World Vital Records. Each of these services hold endless information that can be useful in a genealogy search. Find My Past includes 1.7 billion international family history records from Western countries on its site dating back to 1200. World Vital Records also holds billions of records in its database with over 4 billion names recorded.
Useful Research Resources for Delawareans
Libraries are the ideal places to be when doing any sort of research and learning. There are materials and records beyond imagination available to anyone with a curious soul. Those looking to get started on their information search or excited about expanding their knowledge will be happy to find that there are plenty of resources online to research from home and even more information and help in-person for those willing to make a short trip to the library. State, university, and public libraries have been working with preserving and researching this information for years, making them the best places to find something new and interesting about your family and Delaware.