Lesson 9--History and Genealogy Resources-AncestryLibrary, Heritage Quest and Sanborn Maps

Available only inside a library or school, AncestryLibrary includes U.S. Federal Census records from 1790 through 1930, has over 4000 searchable indexes and databases, immigration records, military records, Social Security Death Index, family histories, historical maps and yearbooks. AncestryLibrary continuously updates indexes and mades additions. AncestryLibrary is the largest online collection of genealogical records of family history and local history.

1. In searching for my name, I checked the exact match box and searched for Merrill Fisk Ackerman. No Results. I unchecked the exact match box and a Merrill A. Ackerman, spouse James W. Flume came up. Nope. Not me. Then I typed in my maiden name and came up with a residence in Danbury, Connecticut, 1955. Nope. Not me.
I refined the search and typed in Merrill M. Ackerman, South Dakota, 1945. Results: Merrill M. Ackerman. Residence 1992, Eureka, S.D.
I moused over U.S. Public Records Index Vol.I [Provo UT. original data: Voter Registration, Public Record filings, Historical Residential Records, Other household Database listings 1950-1993]
and the Preview Popup showed Merrill M. Ackerman, PO Box 71, Eureka,SD 57437-0071 (1992). Yes. There I am, and still am. But for 1995, PO Box 1, Eureka, SD 57437-0001 (1995) is erroneous information.

2. AncestryLibrary's search for a grandparent or great grandparent produced results on the first hit. Alfred Cornelius Musson USA New Jersey returned results of the 1900 United States Federal Census. His name was spelled Alford Musson with brackets [Alfred Musson], Westwood, Bergen, New Jersey, age 11, b. Oct 1888, New York, who was the son of James, born in England. Alfred C. was one of 8 children, 3 brothers and 4 sisters ranging 2 to 3 years apart. In the 1910, Alfred C., age 21, was still in his father's household in Woodcliff, Bergen, New Jersey. By 1930, Alfred C. was head of his own household with 3 children and his wife's aunt living with them in Norwalk, Fairfield, Connecticut. On his World War II Draft Registration card, it showed his birth date to be 5 Oct 1886 and residing in Bronx, New York. His Draft Registration card in his own handwriting was such a find: his handwriting resembles my father's and my own large, bold, scrawling handwriting with some upper case letters and lower case letters.
I am so very pleased to find the 1900 census listing my great grandfather's children and their ages. This is the first time I am able to see how those 8 children line up with their names, birth dates and ages. Now, I can figure out their wives/husbands and children. I have to see the family tree drawn out to make sense of genealogy. My sister just keeps it all in her head, as did my mother and father, and is like a talking encyclopedia explaining who is/was who!
I want to go back and spend more time searching my great grandfather, James, and the Immigration & Emigration link, and the passenger lists to compare those online results with the records my father has in his book, written before online genealogical collections were available.
But, school is now in full force here, it is super crunch time with library automation in full swing, and more teaching duties have been added: DDN Art and individual student tutoring, until further notice. My sister will be so pleased when I tell her about these databases. She is coming to SD from TN and I will let her search!

3. The AncestryLibrary search under the "Photos and Maps" tab with "South Dakota" as keyword resulted in 2 catagories: Pictures. Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers.
Pictures= 174,662 U.S. School Yearbook Index. 929 Library of Congress Photo Collection, 1840-2000. 810 U.S. School Yearbooks. 10 U.S. Family Photo Collection, c.1850-2000.
Maps, Atlases, & Gazetteers= 85 Lippincott's Gazetteeer of the World, 1913.
I chose U.S. School Yearbook Index.
Sioux Falls College, Sioux Falls, SD, 1933.
South Dakota State College, Brookings, SD. 1939.
University of SD, Vermillion,SD 1942, 1949
Yankton HS, 1955, 1956.
University of SD, Vermillion, SD 1961, 1966, 1967.
and more, but no Eureka HS.
I did not explore the other indexes at this time.

Available from home and in libraries and schools, HeritageQuest also includes the U.S. Federal Census records from 1790 through 1930, and has over 25,000 family history and local history books. It contains PERSI, a periodical index of over 2 million genealogical and local history articles, a Revolutionary War Collection, Freedman's Bank Records (1865-1874) founded to serve African Americans, and Memorials, Petitions, and Private Relief Actionsof the U.S. Congress in the LexisNexis U.S. Serial Set.
Thank you for the HeritageQuest Online and AncestryLibrary Edition Comparison Chart!

4. Searching Books in HeritageQuest, I checked Places and entered Ridgewood, New Jersey with 61 results. Scanning the list of books, I selected #54, Staten Island and its People: A History, 1609-1929. I scrolled down the table of contents and clicked on Vol. II Chapter XXVI Old Families and their Homes. I found pictures of homes, Dutch Architecture, 1913, a Dutch Oven house, North Shore houses, 1922, but I did not find any families I recognized. Vol. II Index lists Censuses of 1698, 1702, 1706, 1731, 1737, 1771, 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860. There were 12 pages of Episcopal Churches, which I did not search. No Musson families in this book.
Places for New Jersey, Ridgewood, Cemeteries. No results. We're going to have a good time searching later.

Digital Sanborn Maps are historical fire maps for 82 South Dakota communities. The Sanford Map Company, established in 1867, provided fire insurance maps for almost 100 years.

5. South Dakota. Eureka [McPherson Co.] June 1921-June1939.
On this map, streets and avenues all have names. To date, only Main Avenue has retained it's original name. Post 1939, avenues are now lettered, A, B, C, etc. and all streets are numbered.
Buildings on this map that are still in use today are the following:
Sheet 1, Eureka Community Hospital. Steel joists, wood roof, tile brick. Map shows a coal bin attached to the front of the hospital, and the Nurses Home across the street, which today, is a private residence.
Sheet 3 shows the Zion American Lutheran Church.
Sheet 4 shows the bank location which is the same, but I do not know if the building is the same.

Sheet 1 gives water facilities and describes an artesian well, how deep (cannot read). Average daily consumption, 50,000 galllons. Fire Dept. 1 chief, 1 assistant chief, & 16 men volunteer., and more details Public lights electric. No fire resistive roofing ordinance.

My goodness! What a massive amount of information we have at the tip of our fingers!