Knowledge (XXG)

Historical Records Survey

Source ๐Ÿ“

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According to regional historian Clifton Dale Foster, "In most states, several diverse projects were operating simultaneously. Its largest project was the Survey of County Records, which located, identified, arranged, and described massive amounts of public records found in county archives. The result
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As an example, the HRS documentation for Massachusetts included: "forty-five bundles of town inventories; ten bundles of county inventories; fourteen bundles relating to church records; four bundles of material gathered for a 'Guide to Manuscripts Relating to the Negro in Massachusetts'; ten bundles
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Each state operated independently and many produced interesting regional miscellany. The achievements of the extensive Wisconsin records survey, for one, included the usual indices as well as further: "a guide to the newspapers of one county, an index of governor's messages, a history of Galesville
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To bring together the records of the past and to house them in buildings where they will be preserved for the use of men living in the future, a nation must believe in three things. It must believe in the past. It must believe in the future. It must, above all, believe in the capacity of its people
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A great deal of HRS work-product went unpublished; for example the HRS inventoried the historical records of more than 3,000 of the 3,143 U.S. counties but only published reports for 628 of them. A study of HRS usage found that HRS materials were often confused with FWP work product, and that
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genealogists and archivists were the most frequent users of HRS materials. Archivists sometimes use them as evidence that certain county or town-level materials were extant circa the 1930s, in hopes of urging local record keepers to release materials they hardly knew they had.
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The HRS was generally considered the most efficient and inexpensive of the Federal One projects. However, because of the program's short lifespan, many of the indexes were not published and remain in only piecemeal form in local and state record repositories.
188:. Child served until 1942. In 1942, the HRS was reorganized under the Works Progress Administration Service Division War Service Section, which later discontinued "fact-finding, survey, records and clerical services" as superfluous to the 132: (equivalent to about $ 26,574,620 in 2023) twice over: one budget was for a survey of federal records located outside of Washington, D.C., and another budget in the same amount was for a survey of state and local historical records. 104:. The official mission statement was the "discovery, preservation, and listing of basic materials for research in the history of the United States". The creation of the Historical Records Survey was one of the signal events "in what 250:", a historical index of American musicians, surveys of portraits in public buildings, maritime records, and a necessary survey of the federal Archives—NARA itself had been established only in 1934. 139:
Research and Records Program, Professional and Service Division. Over the course of the program, HRS employed upwards of 10,000 American workers. Base pay for a month's work was between $ 50 and $ 60.
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In 1939 the federal government handed off the program's activities to willing state governments; each state had its own supervisor co-ordinating the Survey's activities.
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In 1939, with more artistic federal programs under attack from Congress, partly because they employed suspected Communists, the less controversial HRS was moved to the
840: 957: 150: 240:(1880, 1900, 1910, 1920), indexes of vital statistics, book indexes, bibliographies, lists of newspapers, cemetery indexes and newspaper indexes, the 258:
University, a style manual, a directory of U.S. government agencies in the state, and a checklist of statutory requirements for county records".
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was the publication of some 628 volumes of inventories. Other programs of major importance included the Survey of Federal Archives, directed by
952: 872: 802: 154: 313: 216: 28: 829: 717: 304: 348: 469: 881: 125: 86: 69: 136: 161:, "Survey workers were active in every county of every state, in every state capitol, and in thousands of town halls." 343: 916: 97: 268: 947: 890: 687: 185: 121: 662:"69.5.6 Records of the Historical Records Survey (HRS), Records of the Work Projects Administration [WPA]" 942: 865: 818:, ed. by William B. Hesseltine and Donald R. McNeil (Madison, Wis.: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1958). 149:, was organized into subdivisions (regional, state, district) and much of the work was done at the behest of the 120:, the Survey began life under the Federal Writers' Project and in October 1936, became an independent section of 373:"Review of The WPA Historical Records Survey: A Guide to the Unpublished Inventories, Indexes, and Transcripts" 338: 319: 911: 164: 157:
and other volunteer groups with an interest in local history and genealogy. As noted in Evans' obituary in
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Child, Sargent B. and Holmes, Dorothy P., WPA Technical Series, Research and Records Bibliography No. 7, "
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The WPA Historical Records Survey: a guide to the unpublished inventories, indexes, and transcripts
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technology, experimented with its use in archiving, and advanced on previously existing practices.
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Bibliography of Research Projects Reports - Check List of Historical Records Survey Publications
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so to learn from the past that they can gain in Judgment for the creation of the future.
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The Survey also innovated in archival practice. For example, it made use of new
237: 189: 105: 779: 736: 639: 585: 495: 446: 421:"Dumped from a Wharf into Casco Bay: The Historical Records Survey Revisited" 388: 262: 128:'s Women's and Professional Division. The project was granted a budget of 846:
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Historical Records Survey
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Heritage Documentation Programs ยง Historic American Buildings Survey
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indexes for several of the states for several of the turn-of-the-century
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Commercial reprint of above: Child, Sargent B. and Holmes, Dorothy P.,
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Publications from Missouri, Mississippi, Rhode Island, and New Jersey
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related to portraits, engravings, silhouettes; and more besides".
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became HRS director in March 1940 after Evans took a job with the
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HRS publications from Tennessee, Maine, Utah, and Washington, D.C.
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or state archive agencies. The HRS sometimes cooperated with the
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Works Progress Administration (WPA) Historical Records Survey
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Smiley, David L., "The W.P.A. Historical Records Survey", in
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Kentucky by Design: The Decorative Arts and American Culture
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The WPA: 60-Year-Old Investment Still Yields High Dividends
797:(Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2015). 816:
In Support of Clio: Essays in Memory of Herbert A. Kellar
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The Southern California historical records survey project
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South Dakota Historical Records Survey publication (1942)
614:"The Wisconsin Historical Records Survey, Then and Now" 323:"WPA worker typing old historical records" in Kentucky 116:
Organized on November 15, 1935 under the direction of
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Check List of Historical Records Survey Publications
65: 57: 42: 37: 568:Campbell, Ann Morgan; Barrese, Edward F. (1982). 272:HRS microfilming New Jersey public records (1937) 16:American New Deal work-relief project (1935โ€“1943) 768:Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 299:, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1969. 194: 108:called the 'archival awakening' of the 1930s". 788:The Historical Records Survey: an outside view 866: 8: 666:National Archives and Records Administration 151:National Archives and Records Administration 21: 968:1942 disestablishments in the United States 764:"The Historical Records Survey in Illinois" 686:Prechtel-Kluskens, Claire (April 1, 2002). 873: 859: 851: 809:Federal Relief Administration and the Arts 27: 629: 549: 485: 436: 242:Atlas of Congressional Roll Calls Project 963:1935 establishments in the United States 360: 308:, Society of American Archivists. 1980 20: 468:Evans, Luther H. (February 1, 1936). 247:Messages and Papers of the Presidents 7: 688:"The WPA Census Soundexing Projects" 607: 605: 603: 570:"The Society of American Archivists" 563: 561: 527: 525: 523: 521: 414: 412: 410: 408: 406: 366: 364: 155:Daughters of the American Revolution 958:Historiography of the United States 631:10.17723/aarc.37.2.n48v4748603g484k 551:10.17723/aarc.48.1.605415455010j71q 438:10.17723/aarc.37.2.n4n1819611538417 232:Other accomplishments included the 244:, "a continuation of Richardson's 14: 474:American Political Science Review 470:"The Historical Records Survey" 1: 953:Works Progress Administration 882:Works Progress Administration 836:WPA Historical Records Survey 186:Legislative Services Division 126:Works Progress Administration 87:Works Progress Administration 70:Works Progress Administration 137:Work Projects Administration 716:Adams, Patricia L. (1987). 344:Mathematical Tables Project 202:Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 984: 891:Federal Project Number One 786:Hogan, W. Ransom. (1939). 612:Bowie, Chester W. (1974). 145:The HRC, headquartered in 122:Federal Project Number One 922:Historical Records Survey 897: 888: 762:Field, Alston G. (1937). 705:– via archives.gov. 419:Rapport, Leonard (1974). 96:. Originally part of the 79:Historical Records Survey 26: 22:Historical Records Survey 917:Federal Writers' Project 725:The Midwestern Archivist 371:Barrese, Edward (1981). 339:Index of American Design 98:Federal Writers' Project 912:Federal Theatre Project 85:) was a project of the 618:The American Archivist 574:The American Archivist 425:The American Archivist 377:The American Archivist 324: 273: 221: 209: 169: 907:Federal Music Project 807:McDonald, William F. 532:Foster, C.D. (1985). 334:American Guide Series 322: 271: 219: 167: 834:Steve Paul Johnson, 902:Federal Art Project 182:Library of Congress 23: 828:Bryan L. Mulcahy, 538:American Archivist 325: 274: 222: 170: 159:American Archivist 948:New Deal agencies 930: 929: 803:978-0-8131-5567-8 668:. August 15, 2016 302:Hefner, Loretta, 75: 74: 975: 943:Archival science 875: 868: 861: 852: 783: 749: 748: 722: 713: 707: 706: 704: 703: 683: 677: 676: 674: 673: 658: 652: 651: 633: 609: 598: 597: 565: 556: 555: 553: 529: 516: 515: 489: 465: 459: 458: 440: 416: 401: 400: 368: 207: 178:Sargent B. Child 147:Washington, D.C. 131: 53: 51: 31: 24: 983: 982: 978: 977: 976: 974: 973: 972: 933: 932: 931: 926: 893: 884: 879: 825: 793:Kelly, Andrew, 761: 758: 756:Further reading 753: 752: 720: 715: 714: 710: 701: 699: 685: 684: 680: 671: 669: 660: 659: 655: 611: 610: 601: 567: 566: 559: 531: 530: 519: 487:10.2307/1948015 467: 466: 462: 418: 417: 404: 370: 369: 362: 357: 330: 283: 281:HRS directories 227:Philip M. Hamer 214: 208: 201: 129: 118:Luther H. Evans 114: 92:program in the 49: 47: 38:Agency overview 32: 17: 12: 11: 5: 981: 979: 971: 970: 965: 960: 955: 950: 945: 935: 934: 928: 927: 925: 924: 919: 914: 909: 904: 898: 895: 894: 889: 886: 885: 880: 878: 877: 870: 863: 855: 849: 848: 843: 838: 832: 824: 823:External links 821: 820: 819: 812: 805: 791: 784: 774:(2): 264โ€“269. 757: 754: 751: 750: 708: 678: 653: 624:(2): 247โ€“261. 599: 580:(4): 507โ€“515. 557: 517: 480:(1): 133โ€“135. 460: 431:(2): 201โ€“210. 402: 359: 358: 356: 353: 352: 351: 346: 341: 336: 329: 326: 317: 316: 300: 291: 282: 279: 213: 210: 206:, October 1941 199: 176:Evans' deputy 113: 110: 73: 72: 67: 63: 62: 59: 55: 54: 44: 40: 39: 35: 34: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 980: 969: 966: 964: 961: 959: 956: 954: 951: 949: 946: 944: 941: 940: 938: 923: 920: 918: 915: 913: 910: 908: 905: 903: 900: 899: 896: 892: 887: 883: 876: 871: 869: 864: 862: 857: 856: 853: 847: 844: 842: 839: 837: 833: 831: 827: 826: 822: 817: 813: 810: 806: 804: 800: 796: 792: 789: 785: 781: 777: 773: 769: 765: 760: 759: 755: 746: 742: 738: 734: 730: 726: 719: 712: 709: 697: 693: 689: 682: 679: 667: 663: 657: 654: 649: 645: 641: 637: 632: 627: 623: 619: 615: 608: 606: 604: 600: 595: 591: 587: 583: 579: 575: 571: 564: 562: 558: 552: 547: 543: 539: 535: 528: 526: 524: 522: 518: 513: 509: 505: 501: 497: 493: 488: 483: 479: 475: 471: 464: 461: 456: 452: 448: 444: 439: 434: 430: 426: 422: 415: 413: 411: 409: 407: 403: 398: 394: 390: 386: 382: 378: 374: 367: 365: 361: 354: 350: 347: 345: 342: 340: 337: 335: 332: 331: 327: 321: 315: 314:0-931828-25-2 311: 307: 306: 301: 298: 297: 292: 289: 285: 284: 280: 278: 270: 266: 264: 259: 255: 251: 249: 248: 243: 239: 238:U.S. Censuses 235: 230: 228: 218: 211: 205: 198: 193: 191: 187: 183: 179: 174: 166: 162: 160: 156: 152: 148: 143: 140: 138: 133: 130:US$ 1,195,800 127: 123: 119: 111: 109: 107: 103: 99: 95: 94:United States 91: 88: 84: 80: 71: 68: 66:Parent agency 64: 60: 56: 45: 41: 36: 30: 25: 19: 921: 815: 808: 794: 771: 767: 728: 724: 711: 700:. 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Index


Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
New Deal
United States
Federal Writers' Project
archives
Solon Buck
Luther H. Evans
Federal Project Number One
Works Progress Administration
Work Projects Administration
Washington, D.C.
National Archives and Records Administration
Daughters of the American Revolution

Sargent B. Child
Library of Congress
Legislative Services Division
war effort

Philip M. Hamer
Soundex
U.S. Censuses
Messages and Papers of the Presidents
microfilm

Bibliography of Research Projects Reports - Check List of Historical Records Survey Publications
Check List of Historical Records Survey Publications
The WPA Historical Records Survey: a guide to the unpublished inventories, indexes, and transcripts

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