History Burgoo

Travelogue: Williamsburg

Hi! We are Deb Rose Van Horn, KHS Registrar, and Jennifer Donovan Spence, Churchill Weavers project assistant, and we just got back from a trip to speak at the Southeastern Museums Conference’s (SEMC) annual meeting and we’d like to share some of our adventures with you. The meeting was held in Colonial Williamsburg this year which made it a fun trip! While a lot of our time was spent in sessions to bring new information back to KHS we did get to explore the sights of Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown, too. Here are some photos and stories from our trip.

Day 1: Traveling from Louisville to Williamsburg

Jennifer: Today was a long day! We had an 8:40am flight out of Louisville which meant that Deb had to leave her house in Lexington around 6am.  We spent a lot of time in airports today but we arrived at the hotel in Colonial Williamsburg by 5:30pm. That gave us enough time to check in and relax before meeting friends of ours from other museums for dinner. We spent the evening catching up with our friends before we had to start attending sessions and presenting papers the next day. Deb’s daughter asked her to take one of her stuffed animals (Boots the Monkey) with her and take some photos of him in different spots on the trip. Since there are not many photos from today, here is a picture of Boots in the airport!

Day 2: The Conference Begins!

Deb: The SEMC annual meeting didn’t actually start until 1pm today so I spent the morning walking around Colonial Williamsburg with Kyle Bryner, the registrar at the Museum of Anthropology at Wake Forest University.
While I’d like to say we kept out of trouble, anyone that knows us will tell you that it is nearly impossible. Here is a photo of me and Kyle in the stocks at Williamsburg.

We also visited the print shop, the armory, the coffeehouse, and the capitol. The coffeehouse tour is fairly new but I’d highly recommend it. Not only do they interpret the building for the day you visit (they pick a year) but at the end they will offer you a refreshment. You have your choice of coffee, tea, or chocolate.

 

After a fun morning, we stopped for an early lunch and went back to get ready for the sessions. I was in two presentations that day. The first was called Just Ask and was put together by Mike Hudson of the Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville. That had three blind panelists and three museum professionals and we discussed what a good experience was for a blind individual in a museum and what a bad experience was. I got a lot of great ideas from this session and will definitely be sharing the ideas with the KHS staff when I get back.

The second session was one I put together called In the Aftermath of Putting Collections Online: True Stories of What Happens Next. I presented the KHS Objects catalog (http://www.history.ky.gov/objects) and spoke about some of the things we learned about promoting the database, compiling the database, etc. 

The other presenters included: Tommie Rodgers from the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art; Kyle Elizabeth Bryner from the Museum of Anthropology at Wake Forest University; and Betty Lyn Parker who is the Kentucky Online Arts Resource database coordinator for the Speed Art Museum. It was a great session and we had lots of good questions and feedback about the projects!

Jennifer: At 7:30 am, I met up with members of the Historic House Museum Affinity Group for their annual SEMC Hands-On Help Project. This year’s project was to paint doors, windows, and exterior trim on the Matthew Jones House at Fort Eustis. The weather turned too cold and damp to paint; instead, the archaeologists who manage the site gave us a detailed tour of the house and grounds. The house is stabilized and interpreted to show its architectural evolution. The main body of the Matthew Jones House dates to 1727 and is one of the oldest buildings owned by the Department of Defense.

I attended two sessions in the afternoon. The first was titled, Spotlight on Student Research in Museums: Technology.  Three students discussed the application of virtual reality in museum projects. I found graduate student Austin Bell’s talk fascinating about how the Florida Museum of Natural History used a program called Google SketchUp to plan collections storage for over 600 artifacts.

The second session I attended was titled, Conservation Made Manageable. The session was presented by art conservator Erin Kelly and textile conservator Kate Rehkopf. My job at KHS is to help preserve a collection of 20,000 textiles made by Churchill Weavers. It is very important that I am well informed and up-to-date on best practices in managing museum collections. I was especially thrilled that Kate was available to answer my many questions about textile care and preservation.

Deb & Jennifer: That night, we went to an evening event at Jamestown and visited the Jamestown settlement galleries and the Archaearium. The two sites tell the history of the Jamestown Settlement and the archaeology that has occurred at the site of the original settlement. The Archaearium was built right over the foundations of one of the original buildings and glass panels let you see the foundations right through the floor. It was real treat to see the discoveries made at Jamestown. 

Later that evening, we went to the Southeastern Registrars Association’s (SERA) annual respite. This year it was held at the Trellis restaurant. Deb currently serves on the board of SERA. As the vice-chair, this was a great opportunity for her to meet new and potential members and catch-up with our existing membership. We both agree it was a great event and the chocolate truffles they make at that place are well worth the trip!

Coming soon: Day 3!

KHS goes to Hollywood in “Lincoln”

In May I got a voicemail asking if the Kentucky Historical Society would be willing to allow recording of the ticking of Abraham Lincoln’s pocket watch for a film. We get a lot of research requests here but this was special – the caller was Academy Award-winning sound designer Ben Burtt and the film was “Lincoln” directed by Steven Spielberg starring Daniel Day-Lewis!

I returned the call and got to talk to Burtt, which was pretty much heaven for a “Star Wars” nerd like me. Ben created the sound of lightsabers in “Star Wars” (and pretty much all the sounds in all the “Star Wars” movies)! Ben is a legend in the movie industry and helped create the modern sound design we now take for granted in films.

Ben told me he was trying to make the sounds in “Lincoln” as authentic as possible. He traveled the country recording “sounds Lincoln may have heard.” He recorded the sound of bells from a church near Washington, D.C., the sound of Lincoln’s church pew and more. The last sound he needed for the film was the sound of one of Lincoln’s watches ticking. He knew KHS had a watch that Lincoln had once used, and wanted to know if we’d allow his team to record it and use it in the film.

Although I very much wanted to help, I was initially skeptical. Lincoln’s watch is an iconic artifact at KHS and is irreplaceable. (See it in the KHS Objects Catalog at http://bit.ly/Ulcy4y). I was concerned that winding it could cause damage and I wasn’t going to risk a signature artifact if it looked at all risky. I told Ben I’d call him back, and talked to Bill Bright, a curator at KHS and our resident watch expert. Bill pulled the watch off display, examined it carefully and consulted with other experts. He reported that the watch was mechanically in perfect working order and that he recommended a test. He wound the watch, and a perfectly regular ticking came forth.

Here Greg (wearing headphones), Bill (blue shirt) and I are discussing the best position for the microphone on the watch inside KHS’s vault.

We were in business! I had several conversations with Ben to discuss flying the watch out to Skywalker Ranch to record the sound in one of their sound rooms, but the expense and risk of flying such a valuable artifact to California was too high. Instead, Greg Smith, one of Ben Burtt’s sound team, came to Frankfort to record the watch.

We set up in the “vault” – the quietest and most secure room in the building – and began recording. Greg has worked on numerous films and had chosen his equipment carefully. I attached a small microphone to the watch while Bill positioned everything just right in a box to muffle ambient noise while Greg recorded. We recorded the watch open and closed in various ways until Greg pronounced that he had everything he needed.

We were then sworn to secrecy, and told not to promote KHS’s small role in the project until we were given the go-ahead. This became increasingly difficult as Steven Spielberg traveled the country doing advance screenings and interviews – he has frequently mentioned the fact that the film used the sound of Lincoln’s actual watch! (see Spielberg’s 60 Minutes interview and his comments at a screening).

In fact, if you listen carefully while watching the film’s trailer you’ll hear the sound of the watch ticking repeatedly throughout.

If you want to see (and hear) Lincoln’s watch in person you can visit us here in Frankfort at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History!

--Trevor Jones, KHS director of museum collections and exhibitions

Got Your Digital Preservation Plan in Hand? Want to?

 

There is no hiding from it. It pops up in your fat stuff (objects), your flat stuff (letters/photos/books) and your in-between stuff (my area, recording media). In preservation, you cannot escape the need to understand digital preservation and the ability to create a plan to address it. You might be saying, "hey, that thing is on paper, it will last forever. Why do I care whether a digital copy exists 5 years from now?" I wonder if you are the same person saying "why don't you have more available online?" And, if you have asked that question, you have probably gotten the answer "It takes a lot of man-hours and resources to digitize collections." And, if you have talked to me you will hear "it takes a lot of digital space to store those collections."

Okay, so now you know a little bit of the background that prompted me to apply for the Library of Congress Digital Preservation Outreach Education (DPOE) Train-the-Trainer event. Everyone has questions, but who is answering them and who has the best answers? In my direct field of interest, when you are dealing with the exclusive creation of born digital oral history interviews, this opens up a whole new need for immediate knowledge of standards and guidlines, not only for myself and KHS, but for the institutions we work with on oral history preservation planning. At it's core, a digital file is a digital file - whether a .tiff or a .wav or a .pdf - so what is the plan?

After attending the 4 day Midwest Region training in August (alongside 20 other midwest representatives) in Indianapolis, I may not have all of the answers, but I know the questions to ask, where to look for resources and the structure for building a digital preservation plan. [thanks to the awesome DPOE trainers: Mary Molinaro (UofK), Robin Dale (LYRASIS), and Jacob Nadal (Brooklyn Historical Society) -- who made this stuff look easy].

Like any complex question, there is no absolute answer, but a series of other questions to ask until you drill down to the best solution for your paritcular situation at a particular time. 

SO, how does it work? 

 The DPOE curriculum is structured by breaking the digital presevation process into 6 segments:

Identify . . . the types of digital content you have.
Select . . . what portion of your digital content will be preserved.
Store . . . your selected content for the long term.
Protect . . . your content from everyday threats and emergency contingencies.
Manage . . . and implement requirements for long term management.
Provide . . . access to digital content over time.

Is your institution (library, archive, history museum, local historical society) grappling with these same questions? Want a place to start building a plan?

I can now provide training in the decision making process for all of these modules. They can be presented individually, comprehensively or in clustered groups and we can start where you need it most (ie: at the beginning, in the middle...) Let me know what the needs are and we can start a conversation about solutions. Have presentation, will travel.

KHS has supported my training certification through DPOE and we hope this can be an extension of our outreach offerings. As the first DPOE train-the-trainer graduate in Kentucky, let me know how I can help you. We are thrilled to have many more Kentucky voices in the international discussion of the future of preservation. 

---Sarah Milligan (sarah.milligan@ky.gov)

 

 

Special Thanks to the Indiana State Library for hosting the DPOE trianing along with support from IMLS. 

 

images: top image- http://digitalbevaring.dk/ - with use under the creative commons license

group image: DPOE MIdwest Trainers Group - provided by LOC DPOE office

Students! Participate in the 2012 Vice Presidential debate with "Our Voice. Our Future."

Centre College in Danville, Ky., is making history (again!) as the host of the only 2012 vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan, an event the campus hosted in 2000 between Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman. This year, Centre is using technology and innovative social media strategies to give high school and post-secondary students from Kentucky and around the world a chance to experience the debate. 

The “Our Voice. Our Future.” event is a live, interactive webinar that gives teachers and students a front row seat to debate day activities and a forum to give reactions and discuss the general election. “Our Voice. Our Future.” will be broadcast live online in classrooms and on campuses across the country.

The event is made possible by the Global Center for Connected Campuses (GC3), a partnership between Centre College, Connected Nation and 10/20 Digital, which explores innovative and practical ways to use technology in the liberal arts college setting. “Our Voice. Our Future.” will be its first event, giving students access to powerful political thought leaders and a direct channel for communication among peers about the general election via online technology.

Former Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson (currently Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University) will serve as a moderator. “We all know how important the 2012 elections are to our nation’s future, especially to students and millennials who will become tomorrow’s leaders,” said Trey Grayson, director of Harvard’s Institute of Politics. “The ‘Our Voice Our Future’ project will help encourage students from across the country to engage in the political process this fall, and I am excited this effort will be initiated from my native state.” 

Kentucky’s current Secretary of State, Alison Lundergan Grimes and Kentucky Educational Television’s Renee Shaw will also moderate the event. “Kentucky is at its best when everyone is engaged,” says Grimes, “and having the vice presidential debate in Kentucky creates a unique opportunity to involve our young people in the election. The ‘Our Voice. Our Future.’ event capitalizes on that opportunity by using technology to bring the democratic process straight into the classroom.”

The 2012 debate will engage K-12 and post-secondary students from Kentucky and other states in technology-enabled debate focused activities. GC3 plans a student-populated round table discussion on the afternoon before the debate takes place, including students drawn from high schools, colleges and universities participating live and online. GC3 and its partners have also provided a wealth of free teaching resources online in advance of the debates.

How can you join the conversation? Register now at www.2012vpdebate.com. Participants are encouraged to submit questions by Oct. 5 to debate@connectednation.org, and follow @ConnectedNation, @CentreC and #CentreVPDebate on Twitter.

KHS Website Named One of the 101 Best for Genealogy!

For the second consecutive year, Family Tree Magazine has honored our main KHS website by naming it one of the 101 best sites for genealogy! This annual list has been a staple in the genealogy community for the past 13 years and recognizes websites based on various criteria. In 2011 our site was recognized on a statewide level, but 2012 has moved us into a regional recognition. Here is a link to the official announcement naming the entire 101 best sites: http://familytreemagazine.com/article/101-Best-Websites-2012 KHS is listed under the Midwestern region. For those of you who would like to have a print version of this list, just stop by your local bookstore to pick up the September issue. But hurry! This issue is only slated to be on newsstands until October 8th!

For those of you curious about our newest accolade, here is what they had to say about our site:

"Kentucky Historical Society, history.ky.gov: Bluegrass State researchers will stampede to this site for its cemetery records, Civil Rights archive and digital collections of everything from artifacts to old postcards. Click on the Kentuckiana Digital Library to also search more than 550,000 digital images including historic newspapers, photographs, Sanborn maps and historical issues of the Daily Racing Form."

Explore KY History Socially with Facebook and Our Upcoming App

The latest edition of the Kentucky Historical Society’s Chronicle is out and you may have noticed an article about upcoming digital elements. One of those is Explore KY History, a new mobile application due out in late summer with content centered around the historical markers you’ve seen along Kentucky’s roadways.

Explore KY History takes our historical markers and provides more content and context to make the story come alive. Each marker is tied to the others in a narrative tour that can be brought up right on your cell phone.

Before the app is released, there are still lots of things to get ready, and lots of ways for you to help us bring history to everyone in Kentucky, online and on the road!

Check In on Facebook

Help the Kentucky Historical Society connect socially with our historical markers. If you come across a historical marker, use your smart phone to create a check-in on Facebook so visitors can connect to each other from across the Commonwealth! Make sure to let us know that you’ve checked in by posting directly to our Facebook page.

Post Pictures

Post pictures of the marker and its historic location to your Facebook page and tag the Kentucky Historical Society. This will share your historical marker pictures with your friends and our fans at the same time. Make sure to let us know if we can reuse your photos in the new app! Soon, you’ll also be able to submit content and stories to be linked to the markers in the app itself. We're always looking for great content from Kentuckians and local historians to give the historic context more depth!

Get GPS Coordinates

The Kentucky Historical Marker Program was started in 1949, way before navigating with GPS in your car was even a consideration! Help us make our historical markers more accessible by grabbing the GPS coordinates the next time you visit a marker and then posting it to our Facebook page. You can get GPS coordinates by using your compass app on your iPhone, or another GPS navigator in your car or on your phone.

This week, Kentucky's State Parks have a lot of great opportunities for Fourth of July fun. While you're out and about enjoying the festivities, stop by and visit our historical markers. Check out this post for a full listing of parks events and the historic markers that you can find in the area. Post pictures, coordinates and great check-ins while enjoying the Fourth of July holiday!

Great! But How do you Create a Check-In?

Creating a check-in is simple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go to your Facebook app and search for the KY Historical Marker you're checking in at. If the search returns no results, click the "Add..." button to add the place as a spot to check in at.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After naming it as a KY Historical Marker, you need to select a category. Choose Community & Government > Public Places & Attractions > Historical Place

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then just click "Add" and the rest of Kentucky will have a new place to check in and share socially!

Visit a State Park and Explore KY History

This weekend, Kentucky State Parks has a lot of great opportunities for Fourth of July fun. While you're out and about enjoying the festivities, stop by and visit our historical markers, then post your pictures, coordinates and check-ins to Facebook! Don't know how to create a check-in? Read more about it on this History Burgoo post and stay tuned to learn more about the Kentucky Historical Society’s Explore KY History mobile app so you can take tours of historical markers no matter where you are or what adventure you're having online or on the road.

Below is just a sampling of some Independence Day history opportunities across the state! Don't see historical markers in your county? It doesn't mean they aren't there; we’ve just posted a few. Check out the full database of historical markers online and visit the Kentucky State Parks website for a complete listing of all their Fourth of July events!

Barren River Lake State Resort Park, Lucas

It’s a blast at Barren River Lake State Resort Park’s annual Fireworks Celebration on July 4, sponsored by The Friends of Barren River Lake and Park. The park will have plenty of patriotic fun crafts and games starting at 10 a.m., including the annual Float Your Boat contest at 7 p.m. The band Steel Country will perform at 5 p.m., followed by the fireworks display at dark. Call 1-800-325-0057.

Historical Markers in Barren County include:

• Bear Wallow, US 31-E at Hart Co. line, Bear Wallow
• Bell's Tavern, Public Park, KY 70, Cave City
• Cave City Raid, Public Park, KY 70, Cave City
• Diamond Caverns, 1900 Mammoth Cave Pkwy., Park City
• First Presbyterian Church, 200 E. Washington St., Glasgow

Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park, Buckhorn

The park will set up a tent and sell hamburgers, hot dogs, drinks and other items from 3-9:30 p.m. near the beach. Games will be available from 2-8:30 p.m. and musician Michael Dwayne will perform from 6-10 p.m. near the beach house. A spectacular show of fireworks will take place over the lake at dark. The park will also offer a special buffet July 4, from 5-9 p.m. (Adults $12.99 (plus beverage, tax and gratuity). Children 5 and under eat free.) Fireworks are sponsored by Hazard/Perry County Tourism and the city of Buckhorn. Call 1-800-325-0058.

Historical Markers in Perry County include:

• Founder of Hazard, Hazard, Courthouse lawn, KY 7, 15
• Mountain Missionary, N. Main St., Hazard, KY 7, 15
• Murdoch of Buckhorn, Buckhorn, KY 28
• Salt Works, 17 mi. S. of Hazard, KY 7

 

Fort Boonesborough State Resort Park, Richmond

Guests are invited to take part July 7 in a charitable event co-sponsored by the park and C.A.R.S. (Children Are Really Special). The Drive & Dive In Cruise will be 5-10 p.m. The park invites all classics – street rods, pro street, muscle cars, late model Camaros, Challengers, Corvettes, classic trucks, rat rods, modified and import vehicles! Bikes are also welcome! Enjoy the evening with live music, food, inflatable bounces for the kids, Levi Jackson pool will be open free to the C.A.R.S. spectators. Call 606-330-2130.

Historical Markers in Madison County include:

• Divine Elm, Ft. Boonesborough State Park near camping area, off KY 388
• Sycamore Hollow, Ft. Boonesborough State Park near picnic shelter, off KY 388
• Cassius Marcellus Clay, Entrance to Richmond Cemetery, US 25 & KY 52
• Civil War Field Hospital, Approx. 4 mi. S. of Richmond, US 421
• Daniel Boone's Trace, "Ft. Estill Hill" near 1526 Berea Rd., Richmond

 

Exploring Kentucky's history is a great way to celebrate the Fourth of July. Visit the Kentucky State Parks website to find festivities in your area, and search the Kentucky Historical Society's Historical Marker database to find history happening right where you live.

Have a happy and safe Independence Day!

 

Walk Through Shelbyville History Tour

Students from the Shelby Saddlebred chapter have made a unique history tour through the downtown area. The walking tour of the historic locations combines technology with the past by using QR codes or “Quick Read” codes, which resemble bar codes. When these QR codes are scanned with your smart phone, an audio file as well as an image file is available. The audio files are recordings prepared by Shelby County Public School students of all ages from all of the different schools. The students on the audio files are describing the historical background of the specific location scanned. The scripts read by the students were written and provided by Duanne Puckett. The image files are photographs taken by the Shelby Saddlebred Kentucky Junior Historical Society members. Upon completion of the project the chapter will have covered over 45 sites. The QR codes are displayed on the kiosk just outside the Shelby County Historical Society’s welcome center.

            The community project was unveiled at Science Hill during the annual membership meeting. A display board describing the project, in addition to a projection of the Shelbyville Historical Society’s website was presented to members wanting to know more about the plan. A demonstration on how to scan the QR codes took place and those with smart phones had the opportunity to try it out for themselves and listen to the audio file.

            Though still a work in progress partial tours are available. The tours are expected to be finished before summer break. When the project is completed there will be a total of three separate tours available.

 

By: Adrienne Holtzworth, 2012-2013 Kentucky Junior Historical Society President.

KHS's Center for Kentucky History to Have Special Hours from May 8th-12th in Conjunction with the #NGS2012 National Conference in Cincinnati

The second week of May will be a very important week for genealogists across the country. The National Genealogical Society’s annual conference will be held in Cincinnati Ohio. With the influx of national researchers traveling in this neck of the woods, the Kentucky Historical Society's Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History will adjust its regular hours to the following schedule: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday – 10 AM - 5 PM; Thursday – 10 AM - 8 PM. This change will affect the Center for Kentucky History only, while the Old State Capitol and Kentucky Military History Museum will remain on their regular schedules. Not only will visitors be able to conduct research at one of the region’s largest genealogy libraries, but on Tuesday all of our exhibitions will also be open and free to the public! So, spread the word! We will be here, ready to assist folks in their Kentucky-based Family History research! Reminder: Due to this conference, there will not be a 2nd Saturday Family History Workshop for May.

 
On a side note: For those of you already in the area, and who may be debating on whether or not to head north to attend the conference – take our advice and just go – you don’t want to miss this incredible opportunity right in our backyard! The NGS conference runs from Wednesday through Saturday, with several other local events going on in and around the city. There are sessions on technology, genealogy standards, research tips and regional history, just to mention a few. Some members of our own KHS staff will be joining the national genealogical elite as speakers at this year’s conference! Also, be sure to stop by our booth #624 and enter for your chance to win one of the prize packages we are giving away each day - which includes a year-long membership in each package! If you go - There are several attendance options: full conference, single day or just head up to tour the exhibit hall which is free and open to the public! For full conference information, please visit this web site:  http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conference_info

For ‘up to the minute’ information about the ‘goings on’ of the conference, be sure to follow their blog: http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/ and/or Twitter: (@ngsgenealogy) hashtag #NGS2012.

Still aren’t convinced? Here’s a video that might help!

 

The 1940 Census: Using the Enumeration District Numbers to Find Your Family!

Just like the draft board gentleman to the right, blindly digging out a name from a barrel, which member of your family will you pull out of the 1940 census on April 2^nd? This image is a great reminder of how blind we will all be when the images are released by the National Archives. With no searchable name index available, we must do a lot of extra homework to track down our ancestors!

So….what should you expect on April 2^nd?

All we know at this point, is that the images will be released to everyone at this special web site, at 9:00AM Eastern: http://1940census.archives.gov

Each state will be indexed to the enumeration level – which means you will be able to see batches of images lumped together by their Enumeration District number. A name index will NOT be available at this time. To learn more about the nationwide effort to help index the 1940 Census, please see this previous post.

How can you find an Enumeration District number for your ancestors?

Locate their address in 1940!

This is where true detective work is necessary to track down the elusive information. Follow some of these tips for finding their address:

1. Start a list or inventory of all of the family members/ancestors that would have been alive in 1940.
2. Look at personal mementos or letters/records already in your family’s possession that might list an address. Sometimes a greeting card will still be kept in an envelope that lists the address – & don’t forget about postcards!
3. City Directories: These are mainly for those family members who lived in larger urban areas. Unfortunately, you would need to consult real print versions of these, so get ready to track them down at local public libraries and other repositories. In the central Kentucky area, try your public library, UK, UofL, KDLA and of course, KHS. Here in the Library we have the following City Directories for 1940: Covington, Frankfort and Lexington (Other cities with directories from the 1930s or 40s: Ashland, Bowling Green, Danville, Georgetown, Hopkinsville, Louisville, Maysville, Middlesboro, Owensboro, Paducah, Paris).
4. Military records or draft cards.
5. Naturalization records.
6. Death certificates – I know we are trying to find the living in 1940, but any family member that died within a few years to a decade after the Census may have lived at the same address, and death certificates include an address.
7. 1930 Census. If you suspect the family was at the same residence in 1930, you will not be able to see the specific address, but you will be able to obtain two very important clues: previous Enumeration District number and neighbor groups that surrounded the family and who may still surround the family in 1940 (See the next section on how this number can help you in lieu of an actual address.)
8. Travel back in time: Well, not exactly, but in the area of your research. If you are not having much luck with 1940, go back to records that are between 5-10 years earlier if you suspect they lived in the same place. Or, travel forward if you suspect they moved just before the census was taken.

So….once you have the address or 1930 Enumeration District Number….then what?

1. Visit the NARA Online Public Access Portal to review the local Enumeration District maps of each county or large city. http://www.archives.gov/research/search Once here, simply type in the following search: 1940 Census maps + the county + the state (example: 1940 census maps + Franklin + Kentucky). The result will be a county and/or city-wide map of your requested area sectioned off and labeled with their Enumeration District numbers. Within the rural areas, the roads will not always be named – sometimes you will only see the old highway numbers within a circle – which means you may want to look at a modern map as a visual comparison. For the larger cities, the street names are included.
2. If you have the Enumeration District number from the 1930 Census, visit the same page as above and use the following search: 1940 Census Enumeration District descriptions + the county + the state. The result will be table descriptions, instead of maps, which lists the areas covered per Enumeration District, plus the 1940 number alongside the 1930 number.

Now that you have their 1940 Census Enumeration District number in hand, you will be able to pull up that Enumeration District at the NARA 1940 Census images web site listed at the beginning of this post.

And then…..browse the Census entries in this Enumeration District until you find your family unit. This is where viewing the 1930 list of family units in the area might prove to be helpful as a method of visually catching patterns when browsing through many pages of data.

For all other family units – repeat all of the steps above!

Need additional help with this process? Join KHS and KGS for the April 14^th Second Saturday workshop: The 1940 Census: Introduction, Instruction and Celebration. To reserve your free seat at this program, simply contact the KHS Reference Desk (khsrefdesk@ky.gov). If you would like to reserve a box lunch for the workshop ($6 payable upon arrival), be sure to have your reservation in to us by noon on April 13^th. **NOTE** This celebration will include cake, balloons, and door prizes – including three year-long memberships to Archives.com!

-- Cheri Daniels, Senior Librarian/Reference Specialist