Genealogy: Unexpected places often yield genealogical records

College libraries often contain a veritable treasure trove of genealogical records, but you've got to be able to talk the talk and walk the walk if you want to get your hands on the documents they've got squirreled away.

The key to success is knowing the lingo. No college library admits to having a genealogy section. You must ask the gatekeeper where the special collections, or government documents or books on local history are located.

The library at the University of South Florida's main campus in Tampa, for example, houses all of Hillsborough County's original marriage license certificates from 1846-1988, a collection of funeral home records from 1923-1991 and microfilm of various passenger ship lists in the special collections area on the fourth floor. Looking for historical reference books and city directories? Check out the third floor. Census records and government documents are stashed in the basement. Some records can be accessed online at www.lib.usf.edu/spccoll. Across the border, Valdosta State owns a small but interesting collection of materials. Georgia required civil marriage licenses in 1803 and allowed divorces in 1798 and you'll find many of those records in the university's library.

One of ancestry's more salacious guides -- The Georgia Black Book: Morbid, Macabre and Sometimes Disgusting Records of Genealogical Value by Robert Scott Davis -- grabs readers' attention. Nearly banned by the establishment, the book focuses on "'inconvenient" ancestors like liars and convicts. One chapter is titled "Horse Thieves and Other Charming People."

Many colleges maintain archives of local newspapers. Some date back 100 years or more. Although only students may check out books, libraries at state institutions are open to the public. Here are a few other resources to consider:

PASSPORT APPLICATIONS: Did your ancestor return to his homeland before 1925? If you know the approximate date of travel, you might discover a passport application on file with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). NARA keeps passport applications from 1795 to March 1925. Applications are indexed.

HOLOCAUST RESEARCH: The Red Cross Holocaust and War Victims Tracing and Information Center in Baltimore helps Americans determine what became of loved ones missing since the Holocaust. The service is free. The center has assisted more than 7,000 people. Call your local Red Cross chapter for details.

CALCULATING BIRTH DATES FROM TOMBSTONES: For the mathematically challenged, calculating a birth date using a tombstone inscription like "John Smith died on March 15, 1880, at age 79 years, 3 months and 2 days" boggles the mind. Let your computer help at http://searchforancestors.com/

utility/birthday.html (note there is no www). Plug in the death date data and the person's birthday pops up.

COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENTS: County health departments in some states keep copies of birth and death certificates for selected years. In Hillsborough County, you can get birth records from 1930-39 and from 1950 to the present. Death records date to 1991. (Call (813) 307-8002 for details.) Pinellas County records begin in the early 1900s. (Call (727) 893-2209.) Charges range from $7-14. Expect to pay a search fee if you don't know the date. Prices and available records vary by county.

FOREIGN MILITARY RECORDS: Did your ancestor serve in the military in Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France or Germany? Learn what records you can get at www.rootsweb.com/rwguide/lesson13.htm. WORLD WAR I DRAFT CARDS: All World War I draft cards are stored in NARA's Southeast Regional Archives in Atlanta. These are the originals. Copies are $10 each. You can e-mail your request to center@atlanta.nara.gov.

CANADIAN CENSUS INFORMATION: Want to know more about Canadian census returns? Visit the Web at www.archives.ca/02/

02020205_e.html. You'll find out which returns you can obtain for each of the provinces through 1901, the last year for which returns were made public. Microfilmed records may be borrowed through the Mormon Church's Family History Centers. Post-1901 returns are under wraps indefinitely due to strict privacy laws.

-- Donna Murray Allen welcomes your questions about genealogy and will respond to those of general interest in future columns. Sorry, she can't take phone calls, but you can write to her c/o Floridian, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail her at rootscolumn@aol.com. You can read her column online at www.sptimes.com. Type "Donna Murray Allen" in the search box.

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