WPA Historical Records Survey
by Steve Paul Johnson, 28-Jul-1999
As part of the
Historical Records Survey, WPA staff created indexes of historical records
across the country, fostering today's interest in genealogy and history.
If you have
surfed the Internet for genealogical records, chances are you have run across
a site or two that published "WPA Cemetery Indexes". The WPA is now long gone,
but their legacy lives on in the genealogical community. What was the WPA,
what did they do, and what happened to them?
When the Great
Depression hit the United States in 1929, the American economy hit rock
bottom. The value of the dollar became nearly worthless and millions of
Americans lost their jobs. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
introduced "The New Deal", a series of new programs designed to pick America
back up on to its feet and get the economy moving again.
The Works
Progress Administration (WPA) was one of those programs. Initially designed
to fund the building and improvement America's infrastructure, it also funded
the arts, history, and culture of America. In short, the WPA employed
out-of-work Americans who were certified by local agencies as meeting certain
qualifications.
The WPA was
born in 1935 with an initial appropriation of $4.88 billion dollars from the
Emergency Relief Fund. Over the years, the WPA would employ some 8.5 million
Americans, and spent a total of $11 billion dollars. Interestingly, half of
those workers were employed in New York City alone!. Typical WPA workers were
paid $15 to $90 dollars a month. It remains today as the most vigorous
attempt in history to stimulate the U.S. economy. In 1939, the WPA was
renamed to the Works Projects Administration. The WPA lived for only
eight years.
The WPA was
responsible for building structures, such as airports, seaports, and bridges.
It paved 651,000 miles of road, built 78,000 bridges, 8,000 parks, and 800
airports. The WPA also funded some programs in the humanities, including the
Federal Arts Project, Federal Writers Project, Federal Theatre Project,
National Health Survey, and the Historical Records Survey (HRS).
Originally
organized in 1935 as part of the Federal Writers Project, the HRS documented
resources for research into American History. It later became a unit of the
Research and Records Program in 1939. The HRS was responsible for creating
the Soundex indexes of the federal census which genealogists today have come
to rely so heavily on. The HRS also compiled indexes of vital statistics,
cemetery interments, school records, military records, maps, newspapers, and
the list went on and on. Microfilms of these indexes were later made by other
organizations.
The WPA was
organized into regional, state, and local divisions. Much of the work
conducted by the HRS was done for the National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA), as well as state archives agencies, and state
historical societies, which these entities are still in possession of. One
can access the microfilms by paying a visit to these organizations.
As the years
went by, government officials became highly critical of the WPA, arguing that
money was being spent to fund projects that people did not need, such as tap
dancing lessons, and murals painted in post offices. Roosevelt claimed the
high morale of the workers was well worth the money. However, federal funding
for the WPA decreased over the years, and certain projects were terminated.
WPA staff began waging labor strikes, which only fueled arguments against the
WPA.
When the
United States entered World War II in 1941, Americans went to work building
war machines. Hundreds of defense contractors earned orders, which spurned
the growth of yet thousands of more companies. By 1943, it was clear that the
WPA had run its course. Roosevelt signed the order terminating the WPA, which
ended on June 30, 1943.
After the WPA
was dissolved, the records, now in the hands of state archives and historical
societies, were microfilmed, indexed, and made available for use. However,
many other records were placed into boxes and stored away. Fewer yet had been
destroyed, and in some cases, destroyed purposely.
With the
emergence of the Internet, WPA records have found their way into mass
distribution. Genealogists, who have long relied on microfilms of WPA
records, are now finding the same records online. The most prominent example
is the USGenWeb Census Project, where volunteers are migrating the census
index microfilms to the Internet.
Many WPA
cemetery recordings are also finding their way online. While no single WPA
based project currently exists, hundreds of people across the United States
have visited their local historical societies, copied some records, and
published them to the Internet on their own personal websites.
While critics
might argue that federal money was wasted on unnecessary projects, it is clear
that the work of the WPA fostered a greater appreciation for the arts and
humanities. The thousands of publicly accessible paintings, writings, plays,
and music, stimulated the people's appreciation of the arts. The thousands of
parks and recreational facilities built by the WPA, is the reason why we have
become used to having so many parks and facilities nearby. Likewise, the
projects of the HRS created interest in the research of history and genealogy,
which subsequently spurned the restoration of old cemeteries, erection of
monuments, and establishment of societies and clubs. Interest in genealogy
would not be at the level it is now if not for the WPA.
The manuscript
records of counties, cities, churches and similar organizations are recognized
as the most valuable sources for students of social and economic history.
Despite their value these records have usually been more inaccessibly and
carelessly stored than almost any other class of material. The reasons are
obvious; public offices are subject to ever increasing pressure from the
accumulation of papers; the county records are often far from the centers
where students can conveniently work; the records of churches and other
organizations are usually scattered, and in the keeping of individuals who
have no fireproof facilities in their homes.
Various efforts have, from time to time, been made to meet this situation.
For years the University Library made copies of valuable manuscripts whenever
it was practicable. In 1934 the Daughters of the American Revolution
sponsored a CWA and ERA statewide project through which copies of South
Carolina wills were placed in the University Library and in Continental Hall,
Washington, D. C.
In 1935 the Carolina Committee of the University of South Carolina proposed to
the state officials of the WPA a much more comprehensive plan for reservation
of records and for making them readily accessible to students. On October 1,
1935 the Statewide Historical Project, sponsored by the University, with Dr.
Anne King Gregorie, supervisor, and fifty copyists, was authorized to make
copies of the older and more valuable records; and, in addition, to compile a
comprehensive list of state and local records. The task of preliminary
planning and organization was done by Miss Gregorie. On March 1, 1936 the
Historical Records Survey, a federal project, undertook the task of listing
public records on a national scale, and Miss Gregorie was given charge of the
work in South Carolina. Seven months later the Survey was housed by the
University, and was thereafter carried on in close cooperation with the
Statewide Historical Project supervised by Miss Gregorie's successor, Miss
Flora Belle Surles. The work of these two projects, thanks primarily to the
indefatigable and resourceful supervisors, constitutes an outstanding
achievement. The copyists, without preliminary training to fit them for the
task, have with great patience and, in many cases, with fine devotion and real
skill, deciphered the dim and crabbed writing of crumbling pages that
otherwise would be a permanent loss. These projects have been under the
administrative direction of Mrs. Margaret D. Davies, State Director of Women's
and Professional Projects; without her appreciation of the value of the work
and her capable support the results would have fallen far short of the actual
achievement. The University has also been fortunate in obtaining copies made
by local projects in Charleston, through agreements with the College of
Charleston and with Mr. E. P. Grice, Jr., of the WPA; and local projects in
Chester and Edgefield have contributed some copies.
The thanks of all persons interested in the history of our state are due to
these officials and workers, to the public officers who at great inconvenience
to themselves have given working space and aid, and to custodians of other
records who have been equally generous with their time and help.
R. L. Meriwether, Professor of History, University of S. C., Chairman,
Caroliniana Committee
DAR
Library:
The DAR Library owns about
1,000 volumes of the publications of the Historical Records Survey of the
Works Progress Administration (later the Work Projects Administration).
Because of the DAR's involvement at the local level in supporting the work of
the W.P.A. during its lifetime from 1935 to 1942, the W.P.A. donated many of
its publications to the DAR Library because of the work of DAR members in
supporting the activities of the W.P.A.
The majority of the
published volumes is in the series "Inventory of the County Archives." These
inventories of county records list local records found in courthouses in the
states at the time the survey was completed. Not all counties in every state
have a published inventory. Even if a county of interest is not available,
researchers may wish to review an inventory for another county as a
representative example of the types of records which should be in any county
in that state. Many of the publications have useful introductions and
discussions of records and record-keeping practices.
Portions of other W.P.A
series are available in the Library's special "W.P.A. Collection." These
include inventories of federal records in the states, calendars of manuscript
collections, guides to the records of religious bodies, and indices to a few
newspapers. All are of potential value to genealogists and should not be
overlooked.
Separate from the special
collection of W.P.A materials, researchers will also encounter many
transcriptions of records at the county level prepared by the W.P.A.'s
Historical Records Survey. Several state sections, particularly Michigan,
Tennessee, and West Virginia, include numerous such volumes. Once again,
because of the DAR's local support for W.P.A projects, the DAR Library
received many of these transcriptions which are very similar to the DAR's own
Genealogical Records Committee reports.
References:
-
Jim Couch, "The Works Progress Administration" Eh.Net Encyclopedia
(2004)
-
Ginzberg, Eli. "The unemployed". New Brunswick: Transaction
Publishers, 2004
-
Hopkins, June. "The Road Not Taken: Harry Hopkins and New Deal Work
Relief" Presidential Studies Quarterly Vol. 29, (1999)
-
Howard; Donald S. The WPA and Federal Relief Policy (1943),
detailed analysis of all major WPA programs.
-
Leighninger, Robert D., Jr. Long-Range Public Investment: the
Forgotten Legacy of the New Deal. Columbia, S.C.: University of
South Carolina Press (2007), providing a context for American public
works programs, and detailing major agencies of the New Deal: CCC, PWA,
CWA, WPA, and TVA.
-
Lindley, Betty Grimes & Lindley, Ernest K. A New Deal for Youth:
the Story of the National Youth Administration (1938)
-
McJimsey George T. Harry Hopkins: Ally of the Poor and Defender of
Democracy (1987)
-
Meriam; Lewis. Relief and Social Security. 900 pp. Washington,
DC: The Brookings Institution, 1946. Highly detailed analysis and
statistical summary of all New Deal relief programs
-
Millett; John D. & Gladys Ogden. Administration of Federal Work
Relief 1941.
-
Rose, Nancy. The WPA and Public Employment in the Great Depression
(2009)
-
Singleton, Jeff. The American Dole: Unemployment Relief and the
Welfare State in the Great Depression (2000)
-
Smith, Jason Scott. Building New Deal Liberalism: the Political
Economy of Public Works, 1933-1956 (2005)
-
Taylor, David A. Soul of a People: The WPA Writers' Project
Uncovers Depression America. New York: Wiley & Sons, 2009
-
Taylor, Nick. American-Made: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA: When
FDR Put the Nation to Work (2008)
-
United States Senate. "Report of investigation of public relief in the
District of Columbia". Washington D.C.: 1938
-
Williams, Edward Ainsworth. Federal Aid for Relief. New York,
N.Y.: Columbia University Press, 1939. (Ph.D. thesis)
-
Wood, Margeret Mary. "Paths of loneliness: the individual isolated in
modern society". New York, N.Y.: Columbia University Press, 1953
-
Young, William H., & Nancy K. The Great Depression in America: a
Cultural Encyclopedia. 2 vols. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press,
2007
The
WPA Library Project In South Carolina
Cemetery Tombstone Inscription
Records:
Works Progress Administration
Historical Records Survey for SC Cemetery Tombstone Inscriptions: This
information represents cemetery surveys that were taken by the WPA during
1935-1943. Surveys Available For: Abbeville, Aikin, Allendale,
Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Cherokee,
Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Florence,
Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens,
Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg,
Pickens, Richland, Saluda,
Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg & York
Counties. (The
A#'s are simply reference numbers for A.C.C. use.)
.
.
.
.
.
Church Archive Accession Records:
Works Progress
Administration Historical Records Survey for SC Church Accession Archives: This
information
represents surveys that were taken by the WPA in 1936. Survey Form
Questions: County, City or Town, Name of Church, Street Address,
Denomination, Date Organized, Date of lapse if Now Defunct, Information as to
Previous Buildings, Date Present Building Dedicated, Rebuilt, Architecture
(bells, inscriptions, special features of building), First Settled Clergyman,
Tenure, Educational Background, Minute Book Location, Register Book (baptisms,
confirmations, marriages, members, deaths) Location, Record Book (Sunday
School or other organization) Location, Financial Record Location, Unpublished
Historical Sketches, Published Histories (sketches & directories), Other
Record ( miscellaneous manuscripts) Location, Condition of records, Other
Information (origins, history & previous names of church). Some surveys also
contain additional church history information.
.
.
.
.
.
Cemetery Tombstone Inscription
Records:
Works Progress Administration
Historical Records Survey for SC Cemetery Tombstone Inscriptions: This
information represents cemetery surveys that were taken by the WPA during
1935-1943. Surveys Available For: Abbeville, Aikin, Allendale,
Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Cherokee,
Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Florence,
Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens,
Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg,
Pickens, Richland, Saluda,
Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg & York
Counties. (The
A#'s are simply reference numbers for A.C.C. use.)
-
A009 Barker's Creek Baptist, 3m W of
Honea Path
-
A013 Bennett Family, Anderson
-
A014 Bethany Baptist, 7m S of Belton
-
A025 Big Creek Baptist, 1m SE of
Williamston
-
A031 Byrum Family, 2m W of Anderson
-
A036 Cedar Grove Baptist, 3m S of
Williamston
-
A042 Concord Baptist, 3m N of Anderson
-
A043 Concord Presbyterian, Anderson
-
A054 Dorchester Baptist, 2m NW of Belton
-
A061 Ebenezer Baptist, RFD 5, Anderson
-
A069 Eureka Baptist, 3m E of Anderson
-
A079 Flat Rock Baptist, 5m S of Anderson
-
A122 Hopewell Baptist, 8m NE of Anderson
-
A145 Long Branch Baptist, 5m S of Belton
-
A169 Midway Presbyterian, 4m NE of
Anderson
-
A176 Mount Bethel Baptist, 7m SW of Honea
Path.
-
A186 Mount Zion Presbyterian, 4m S of
Pendleton
-
A194 Neal's Creek Baptist, 5m E of
Anderson
-
A143 Lewis Family, Sandy Springs
-
A222 Pendleton First Baptist, Pendleton
-
A223 Pendleton United Methodist,
Pendleton
-
A224 Pendleton Presbyterian, Pendleton
-
A237 Rice Family, 5m S of Belton
-
A123 Saint Paul's Episcopal, .2m E of
Pendleton
-
A252 Sandy Springs Methodist, Sandy
Springs
-
A269 Smith-Whitaker Family, 3m SE Sandy
Springs
-
A286 Trinity Methodist, 6m N of Anderson
-
A290 Union Grove Methodist, 5m NW of
Belton
-
A297 Welcome Baptist, 7m NW of Anderson
-
A206 David Watkins Family, 5m NE of
Pendleton
-
A302 Whitefield Baptist, 5m SW of Belton
Church Archive Accession Records:
Works Progress
Administration Historical Records Survey for SC Church Accession Archives: This
information
represents surveys that were taken by the WPA in 1936. Survey Form
Questions: County, City or Town, Name of Church, Street Address,
Denomination, Date Organized, Date of lapse if Now Defunct, Information as to
Previous Buildings, Date Present Building Dedicated, Rebuilt, Architecture
(bells, inscriptions, special features of building), First Settled Clergyman,
Tenure, Educational Background, Minute Book Location, Register Book (baptisms,
confirmations, marriages, members, deaths) Location, Record Book (Sunday
School or other organization) Location, Financial Record Location, Unpublished
Historical Sketches, Published Histories (sketches & directories), Other
Record ( miscellaneous manuscripts) Location, Condition of records, Other
Information (origins, history & previous names of church). Some surveys also
contain additional church history information.