Historical Records Survey
Encyclopedia
The Historical Records Survey (HRS) was a project of the Works Progress Administration
New Deal
program in the United States
. Originally part of the Federal Writers' Project
, it was devoted to surveying and indexing historically significant records in state, county and local archive
s. The official mission statement was the "discovery, preservation, and listing of basic materials for research in the history of the United States."
Organized on November 16, 1935 under the direction of Luther H. Evans
, it became an independent division of Federal One
in October 1936, and in 1939 became part of the Work Projects Administration Research and Records Program, Professional and Service Division. The program was shut down February 1, 1943.
In 1939 the federal government handed off the program's activities to willing state governments. 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.
The HRC, headquartered in Washington, D.C.
, was organized into subdivisions (regional, state, district) and much of the work was done at the behest of the National Archives and Records Administration
or state archive agencies. The HRS sometimes cooperated with the Daughters of the American Revolution
and other volunteer groups with an interest in local history and genealogy.
Among their accomplishments were the soundex
indexes for the several of the states for several of the late 19th-century U.S. Censuses (1880, 1900, 1910, 1920), indexes of vital statistics, book indexes, bibliographies, cemetery indexes and newspaper indexes, the American Imprints Inventory, the Atlas of Congressional Roll Calls Project, a historical index of American musicians, surveys of portraits in public buildings, maritime records, a history of grazing, a food history project called America Eats, and a necessary survey of the federal Archives—NARA itself had been established only in 1934.
The HRS was generally considered the most efficient and inexpensive of the Federal One projects.
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
program in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Originally part of the Federal Writers' Project
Federal Writers' Project
The Federal Writers' Project was a United States federal government project to fund written work and support writers during the Great Depression. It was part of the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal program...
, it was devoted to surveying and indexing historically significant records in state, county and local archive
Archive
An archive is a collection of historical records, or the physical place they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of an organization...
s. The official mission statement was the "discovery, preservation, and listing of basic materials for research in the history of the United States."
Organized on November 16, 1935 under the direction of Luther H. Evans
Luther H. Evans
Luther Harris Evans was an American political scientist who served as the tenth Librarian of the United States Congress.-Biography:...
, it became an independent division of Federal One
Federal One
Federal Project Number One was the collective name for a group of projects under the Work Projects Administration, a New Deal program in the United States. The five elements of the program were:*Mathematical Tables Project*Harry Hopkins-External links:...
in October 1936, and in 1939 became part of the Work Projects Administration Research and Records Program, Professional and Service Division. The program was shut down February 1, 1943.
In 1939 the federal government handed off the program's activities to willing state governments. 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.
The HRC, headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, was organized into subdivisions (regional, state, district) and much of the work was done at the behest of the National Archives and Records Administration
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
or state archive agencies. The HRS sometimes cooperated with the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
and other volunteer groups with an interest in local history and genealogy.
Among their accomplishments were the soundex
Soundex
Soundex is a phonetic algorithm for indexing names by sound, as pronounced in English. The goal is for homophones to be encoded to the same representation so that they can be matched despite minor differences in spelling. The algorithm mainly encodes consonants; a vowel will not be encoded unless...
indexes for the several of the states for several of the late 19th-century U.S. Censuses (1880, 1900, 1910, 1920), indexes of vital statistics, book indexes, bibliographies, cemetery indexes and newspaper indexes, the American Imprints Inventory, the Atlas of Congressional Roll Calls Project, a historical index of American musicians, surveys of portraits in public buildings, maritime records, a history of grazing, a food history project called America Eats, and a necessary survey of the federal Archives—NARA itself had been established only in 1934.
The HRS was generally considered the most efficient and inexpensive of the Federal One projects.
Further reading
- Hefner, Loretta, The WPA Historical Records Survey: a guide to the unpublished inventories, indexes, and transcripts, Society of American Archivists. ISBN 0-931828-25-2
- Child, Sargent B., Check List of Historical Records Survey Publications, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1969.