Searching for your roots is easier than ever when using AncestryLibrary. From the comfort of your local library you have access to all sorts of information. Some people may feel it's an inconvenience to have to come to the library to use AncestryLibrary, but it's easier to come to the library than to have to travel to distant cities and/or states to obtain information!
I did find myself listed in the U. S. Phone and Address Directories 1993 - 2002. The neighbors were listed as well! In a way, it's a little scary that all this information about a person is so accessible. Makes me feel like I'm living in a glass house with no curtains!
On the other hand, it was sort of fun to look up my parents and grandparents. I found them all listed in the 1930 Census. I wasn't sure how to spell my maternal grandfather's name, so I used the ? feature (Thornd?ke), which resulted in records for both Thorndike and Thorndyke. I will need to do more research, but I think I found his baptismal record, his name on the passenger list on a ship from England, Census Records from 1900, 1910, and 1920, and his Word War I draft registration! Who knew all this was available?!
One thing I did discover is that spellings and dates are inconsistent. Both his and his mother's names were spelled differently on the various records, and his birth year was listed as 1887, 1888, and 1889, depending on where you looked. The month and day were the same on all the records. So I can't say for sure that I found him, or maybe someone else?
The Picture search for South Dakota yielded over 3,000,000 records! I'm assuming that the terms were searched separately, as some of the photos were from South Carolina, North Dakota, or even elsewhere. Using Quotation marks ("south dakota") resulted in 412,442 records, which is still a lot to look through if you are looking for something specific. Adding more details could help narrow the search further.
It was interesting to look at the various photos of South Dakota towns from the 1930s and 40s. Some looked pretty bleak.
I don't usually encounter library patrons doing genealogical research in my area of the library. But if someone does ask me, now I know where to point them!
Great finds, Miss Nancy! AncestryLibrary may be 1 reason a non-library user becomes a library user. Let's hope he/she finds other things of interest while they are in the building. It can take some sifting to find exactly the right person. There may also be some variance in dates due to the way the date was recorded, filed, or transcribed. Yes, you can point your patrons in this direction and continue making your own discoveries!
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