American Slave: a Composite Autobiography
(R306.362/A512)
This 41 volume set edited by George P. Rawick is a significant source for anyone researching the ancestry of slaves or slave owners. Included are interviews of approximately 3,500 former slaves. Slave narratives were originally conducted during the 1930's as part of the Works Projects Administration and they are rich in genealogical value. Information such as the former slave's date of birth, names of parents, names of siblings, names of plantations and slave owners, description of life on the plantation, and any memories of other family members can be found. This series does not include information from all the original slave narratives. It is indexed by name, state and subject.
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American State Papers: Public Land Series
(R333.1/A512A)
The American State Papers: Public Land Series provides clues and information about migration and settlement in the 1789-1837 time period. It is estimated that over 80,000 names are contained in this series making it a significant source for researchers with ancestors in this time period. The first eight volumes deal with public lands for the time period 1789-1837; volume nine is about claims for the time period 1790-1823, including ones from the Revolutionary War; Grassroots, an every name index to all nine volumes of the set, is bound as a tenth volume.
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Card Records of Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, ca. 1879 - ca. 1903
(22 Rolls of Microfilm)
Card records were kept of headstone (gravestone) contracts provided for deceased Union veterans of the Civil War. This microfilm set contains in alphabetical order more than 166,000 of these cards. Also included are some cards for dependents and some for War of 1812 veterans.

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(Click on image to see example #1 of  a card record for a deceased Civil War veteran.)	(Click on image to see example #2 of  a card record for a deceased Civil War veteran.)	(Click on image to see example #3 of  a card record for a deceased Civil War veteran.)

Catholic Parish Jubilee Histories
Copies of these microfilmed parish histories have been obtained through the courtesy of Fr. John Miller at the Central Bureau of the C.C.U.A.

These histories are, except for one, about Missouri parishes mainly in the eastern part of the state. The contents of each roll of film are printed, item by item, on the side of the film box. Some of the publications are in German, one is in Polish, and one is in Czech. Many of these jubilee histories are listed in the finding aid, Guide to St. Louis Catholic Archdiocesan Parish Records (R 977.86 /H893G). A copy of the Guide is available in Special Collections, or your own copy of the book can be purchased.

There are also three different finding aids for the jubilee histories in the blue "Microfilm Finding Aids" binder on the table across from microfilm cabinets. They are:

• White pages - alphabetical list by parish name or title of history
• Blue pages - alphabetical list by location of parish
• Yellow pages - numerical sort by microfilm reel number, then by item number

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Cherokee by Blood: Records of Eastern Cherokee Ancestry in the US Court of Claims, 1906-1910
(R970.3/J82C)
In 1904 the Eastern Cherokee Indians won a multi-million dollar suit against the government for violations of the 1835, 1836, and 1845 treaties. In the same year Guion Miller was appointed Special Commissioner to determine who was eligible to participate. Over 46,000 applications were filed and subsequently published as the "Report of Guion Miller, Special Commissioner to the U.S. Court of Claims, 1906-1910." This nine volume set, by Jerry Wright Jordan, is a detailed abstract of names from that report. Arranged in order by the application number, each volume has a name index. A typical entry includes the applicant's name, residence, and place of birth. Other genealogical data on the spouse, children, and siblings are also included. Many of the abstracts are linked with other applications, providing excellent genealogical clues.
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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
(R975.6/N864S)
Considered the most important North Carolina source from first settlement through 1790, this set includes records pertaining to North Carolina from public and private collections in the U.S. and from the Record Office of Great Britain. Actually made up of two parts,  Colonial Records 1662-1776 and  State Records, 1777-1790, the set comprises 30 volumes in 28 books with an every name index in the last two volumes.
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Confederate Military History
(R973.742/C748)
This 17 volume set contains biographical sketches and regimental histories.  The first volume is a history of the Confederacy written by distinguished men from the South. There is an index at the back of the book.
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Confederate State Roster
(R973.742/C748)
This set is a listing of Confederate soldiers by states and units. Friends and relatives from the same geographic location often enlisted in the same unit, making the unit listing especially significant.
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Confederate Veteran
(R973.742/C748)
This journal, a 40 volume set, was published between Jan. 1893 - Dec. 1932 about the "...Confederate Soldier, the South, and postwar southern patriotic organizations." A three volume index makes this set easy to use. Of special interest is a "Battle Synonyms" section on pages xxix-xxxix in volume one of the index. This section is a list of battles and engagements with cross references to names for the same battle or to names for another fray that was part of or leading up to another battle.
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DAR Magazine Index
(R369.135/D213)
This 3 volume index to the DAR Magazine covers a date range of 1892 through 1997. The General Subject Index contains entries from illustrations, advertisements, and chapter/state meetings. In addition there is a name index that includes names found in queries, necrologies and advertisements.
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Electronic Reference Center
(CDs must be signed out at the Reference Desk)
The Electronic Reference Center includes over 200 CD-ROMs, many of which are Family Tree Maker or World Family Tree CDs. These CDs must be used on Special Collections' PCs only as the License agreement prohibits use on personal computers. Lists of all the CDs in the Electronic Reference Center are available by Title and CD number. 

Following the Paper Trail: A Multilingual Translation Guide
(R929.1072/S539F)
This source helps researchers translate documents from the following languages; German, Swedish, French, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Czech, Polish, Russian, Hungarian and Lithuanian. Each language has a list of commonly used words, phrases and a personal name list. Also included are examples and explanations of various documents.
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History of Pennsylvania Volunteers
(R973.7448/B329H)
This source is a roster of Pennsylvania volunteers who fought in the Civil War.  It also contains regimental histories and an every name index.
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Both the Illinois 1870 Census Index (five volumes) and the Chicago, IL (including Cook Co.) 1870 Census Index (one volume) are shelved on the index table beside the stairs in the Special Collections Department. Information provided includes name, age, sex, race, birthplace, county, locale, series, roll, and page number.
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Medical and Surgical History of the Civil War
(R973.775/M489)
A resource listing the names, ranks, and service units of soldiers for both the Union and Confederacy.  A typical entry will also list where and when the soldier was wounded, the nature of the wounds and whether the soldier died.  Statistical data by region makes this an excellent historical as well as a genealogical source.  It is indexed by state and unit, name and subject.
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Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
(R973.4/M644)
This 60 volume set gives biographical sketches and first hand accounts of experiences in the Union Army.  Many articles include portraits, maps, and other illustrations.   The index is by name and subject.
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Missouri Confederate Pension & Home Applications
(12 Rolls of Microfilm)
Included in this set are applications for Confederate pensions and/or admission to the Confederate Home at Higginsville, Mo. Only Missouri applicants are included, but the applicants could have served in the Confederacy from ANY state, not just Missouri. The original records reproduced in this set are located at the Missouri State Archives. The files were microfilmed in alphabetical order (sometimes they are slightly out of order), but checking Missouri Confederate Pension and Confederate Home Applications Index by Peggy Barnes Fox (R977.8/F793M) is a quick way to  confirm whether this resource contains information for an ancestor before working with the microfilm.

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(Click on image to see example of  Confederate Pension Application   to the state of Missouri.)	(Click on image to see example of  Application to the Confederate Home of  Missouri.)	(Click on image to see example of other information found on these films.)

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North Carolina Regiments 1861-'65
(R973.74/H673)
Begun in 1894, when many Civil War veterans were still alive, this set contains histories of each North Carolina regiment and organization that served in the Confederate Army. The photos are of special interest because only photos taken during or shortly after the war were used and there was no restriction of rank regarding photos. There are also maps, illustrations throughout the five volumes, and an every name index at the end of volume five.
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Research in Missouri
R929.1/P847R
Written by St. Louis Genealogical Society members Pamela Boyer Porter and Ann Carter Fleming, this source is a basic guide for researching Missouri ancestors. It contains information about various research facilities, and major genealogical societies. Included are summaries of records available to the Missouri researcher as well as finding aids. A brief history helps place events into proper context.
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Register of Vessels Arriving at the Port of New York from Foreign Ports 1789-1919
(27 Rolls of Microfilm)
This set of 27 rolls records information about vessels arriving at the port of New York from foreign ports for the years 1789 –1919. This set does NOT provide names of ancestors. Rather, for a specific time period, it provides :

• the name of each vessel arriving in New York harbor from a foreign port
• its arrival date
• the foreign port from which it came

Researchers use this set to help plan strategy when an ancestor's name is not found in a passenger arrival index, or an ancestor arrived in New York harbor's unindexed years, 1846 – 1897, and they want to narrow the field of which vessels should be checked, page by page. For more extensive information about this microfilm set and digitized examples of documents, see the finding aid in the blue 3-ring binder on the "Finding Aids" table next to the microfilm cabinet or view the finding aid on this website.
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Roster of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865
(R973.741/R839)
The Roster of Union Soldiers 1861-1865 can be found in Range 7A in the Special Collections Department. This set will eventually include 33 volumes and each new volume will be acquired as soon as it is published. The sources of information for these volumes are National Archive microfilms entitled "Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From...." The title page of each volume lists the specific National Archives microfilm series and roll numbers from which the information was taken.

The volumes currently in the collection cover the following:
v. 1 - Maine & New Hampshire
v. 2 - Vermont & Massachusetts
v. 3 - Massachusetts
v. 4 & 5 - United States Colored Troops
v. 6 - Rhode Island & Connecticut
v. 7, 8, 9, 10, & 11 - New York
v. 12 - New Jersey & Delaware
v. 13, 14, & 15 - Pennsylvania
v. 16 - Pennsylvania, Maryland & District of Columbia
v. 17 - Kentucky & Tennessee
v. 18, 19, & 20 - Illinois
v. 22 - Missouri
v. 23 - Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi
v. 24, 25 & 26 - Ohio
v. 27 - Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia
v. 28 - Indiana
v. 29 - Minnesota & Iowa
v. 30 - Michigan
[Note: The volumes are being published out of numerical order.]
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Salzburger Expulsion List
(R943.64/S186)
In 1731 nearly 22,000 Protestants were expelled from Salzburg.  This work is a listing of those people.  Names are arranged in alphabetical order.  A typical entry lists the full names of husbands, sons and wives with the woman's maiden name included.  Also listed is the village of origin, and where the surnames differ, the family relationship. 
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Search for Missing Friends: Irish Immigrant Advertisements Placed in the Boston Pilot
(R974.461/S439)
Immigrants often arrived on American shores in the hopes of connecting with family members. The Boston Pilot, a major Irish newspaper, ran advertisements attempting to connect Irish immigrants with missing family members. The Search for Missing Friends is a compilation of those advertisements. Ranging from 1831 through 1920, this 8 volume series contains information that is rich in genealogical value. A typical entry lists the name of the person seeking missing relatives, and the name of the person being sought. For the missing relative, information such as the townland, parish, county of birth, last known address or destination is given. In some instances, an immigration history, (year of immigration, port of entry, and vessel) is also included. Each volume is indexed by person as well as by place.
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Southwest Louisiana Records: Church and Civil Records
(R976.3/H446S)
This 41 volume set is a compilation of church and civil records for Southwest Louisiana. The majority of the set contains abstracts of marriages, birth and death records. Names are arranged alphabetically by surname, with each entry listing a date, location of the record and a reference to the original document. SWLR also includes features such as period maps that show the development of civil parishes. Migration maps, parish histories, pictures of courthouses, maps of landowners, and tombstone inscriptions are but a few features which make this an outstanding reference work. A select sampling of African American listings are included in volume 33. In addition many churches did not segregate their church registers. Where registers were segregated priests often did not take the time to record names in the proper registers. Either way, this source can be valuable for researching African American ancestry.
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St. Louis Archdiocesan Parish Records
(242 rolls)
These records, dating from 1766-1993, include Catholic baptisms (baptismal records since about 1920 are usually closed), marriages, first communions, confirmations, and burials. The St. Louis Archdiocese includes the following counties/independent cities of Missouri:

• Franklin County
• Jefferson County
• Lincoln County
• Perry County
• St. Charles County
• St. Francois County
• St. Louis City (an independent city after 1876)
• St. Louis County 
• Ste. Genevieve County
• Warren County

• Washington County

The finding aid that covers this microfilm set is entitled Guide to St. Louis Catholic Archdiocesan Parish Records (R977.86/H893G). A copy of the Guide is in Special Collections, and copies are also available for purchase.
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St. Louis City Coroner's Records
(40 Rolls of Microfilm)
This newly filmed set contains 22,420 St. Louis City Coroner's Records from 1846 through 30 Mar 1900. On the Finding Aids table are two binders marked St. Louis City Coroner's Records that contain an index of the name (when known) of every deceased person for whom there was an inquest. Be sure to copy down the box number, file number, and date of death from the index page as that information is needed to find the full inquest record. A master chart in the front of each binder shows the range of box numbers contained on each reel of film. Compare the box number to this list to determine which reel to search. A searchable index for this resource is now available online from the Mo. State Archives.

A limited number of coroner's records for the pre-1846 time period are on reel #40. A listing of the names of the deceased (when known) are listed on yellow sheets at the back of the second binder.
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Union Army
(R973.741/U58)
This nine volume set contains unit histories, biographical sketches of all major and brigadier generals in the Union Army, a Cyclopedia of Battles, and an index.
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War of 1812 - Missouri Soldiers
(3 Rolls of Microfilm)
While this is a Missouri based record set, NOT all men listed fought from Mo. This set contains three types of records regarding service in the War of 1812:

1. Muster roll information extracted from two large ledgers - original documents are housed in the National Archives War Department Records, Washington, D.C. (These soldiers served from Missouri.)
2. Military Bounty Lands Forms (Soldiers could have served from any state.)
3. Records of Soldiers of the War of 1812 buried in Mo.   (Soldiers could have served from any state.)

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(Click on image to see example of muster roll information form.)	(Click on image to see example of military bounty land information form.)	(Click on image to see example of information form for a War of 1812 soldier buried in Missouri.)

World War I Army Discharge - Missouri
(96 Rolls of Microfilm)
These World War I Army discharge cards for Missouri military personnel are organized in alphabetical order by the service person's name, although sometimes not perfectly so. Each card records the person's  residence, place of birth, age or date of birth, military organizations served in, and dates of assignment during the war. Of possibly even more significance is the listing of the individual's Army serial number. The serial number is an unique means of identification, so it can be helpful to include it when sending the required form 180 to the Military Personnel Records Center in St. Louis to check for an ancestor's World War I records . The 1973 fire at that facility destroyed 80% of the records for Army personnel discharged between 1 Nov 1912 and 1 Jan 1960, so providing the army serial number to the Military Personnel Records Center can be pivotal in their being able to successfully find a surviving record.

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(Click on image to see example of World War I Army discharge card.)

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World War I Draft Registration Cards
(Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, & Missouri-)
The World War I Draft Registration Cards are an excellent source for genealogists researching a family living  in 1917-1918 that included a male born between 1872-1900. Finding aids, in a blue binder marked "WWI" located on the Finding Aids table, will help researchers use this set. Click here for links to web based variations of these finding materials on this web site. Two maps showing the boundaries of the 16 Kansas City, Missouri, draft registration boards are available in map cabinet #2, drawer #1. 
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World War I National Guard - Missouri (Service Cards)
(7 Rolls of Microfilm)
The National Guard service cards for the World War I time period are in alphabetical order and the descriptive frame for this set shows the inclusive dates as 1917-1921. However, one of the films checked contained cards for men enlisting as early as 1901 and as late as 1924. The contents of the cards differ according to time period (the 1901-1905 have minimal information) those from the 1917-1921 time period include name, birthplace, age, physical description, and the company in which the individual served. The originals contained in this microfilm set are located at the Missouri State Archives.

(78 Kb)

(Click on image to see example of World War I Missouri National Guard service card.)

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World War I Navy Discharge - Missouri
(7 Rolls of Microfilm)
The World War I Navy discharge cards for Missouri military personnel are in alphabetical order. Each card tells the individual's name, date of enlistment, age at entrance, home address, service number, and locations and dates of service.

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(Click on image to see example of World War I Navy Discharge card - Missouri.)

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