Updated version of 2008 presentation. More screenshots as well as focus on some of the other features of HQ, including Revolutionary War Record & U.S. Serial Set.

1. Digging for Your Roots
May P. Chan
Prairie History Room
Regina Public Library
October 27, 2012
©2008, updated 2012

2. Outline
 HeritageQuest Online
 What is it?
 How does it differ from Ancestry Library Edition
(ALE)?
 What resources are available in the database?
 How do I log in?
 6 major collections
 Search strategies
 Additional Resources
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3. What is HeritageQuest?
Heritage Quest (HQ) is an online
searchable database of unique American
genealogical resources, including U.S.
federal census records, colonial records
and digitized local history and genealogy
books.
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4. How does this database
compare with ALE?
Ancestry Library Edition
HeritageQuest (HQ) (ALE)
 Offers 6 main data  Offers 8000+ data
sets sets
 Records are  Records from the US,
predominantly from Canada, UK, Australia
the United States and New Zealand
 Date range for records  Date range for records
is from 1700s to is from 1300s to
present day present day
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5. Main Resources Found in HQ
 U.S. Census records, 1790-1940 (select)
 Local & Family Histories collection, ca. 1800s to
1920
 PERSI (PERiodical Source Index) which is an
index of 6,500 local history & genealogy
periodicals, 1800s to present day
 Revolutionary War pension & bounty-land
warrant, 1783 onwards
 Freedman’s Bank Records, 1865-1874
 U.S. Serial set, 1789-1969
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6. Accessibility
 HeritageQuest (HQ) is now available at
all Regina Public Library branch terminals
(both public internet and CatPlus).
 The database can also be accessed
remotely with a valid RPL library card and
PIN.
 All of the library’s computer terminals
allow you to print, save and email files
from this database.
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7. Logging into HQ from
a Library Computer Terminal
1. Log in to any public internet terminal at
any computer terminal with your Regina
Public Library card and PIN number (4
digits).
2. Click on either the Internet Explorer or
Firefox icon on the desktop or within the
“Internet folder” under “All Programs”
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8. Logging into HQ from
a Library Computer Terminal
3. Type in the url for the “Databases by Subject”
page www.reginalibrary.ca/reference/central/
(note: this page is the home page for on the
computers in the Prairie History Room) and click
on the Genealogy category.
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9. Logging into HQ from
Your Home Computer
1. Go to the website: www.reginalibrary.ca
2. Click on the tab for E-Library Services
3. Scroll down to and click on the category
Genealogy
4. When you click on HQ link, you will be
prompted to sign in with your library
card number and PIN.
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10. Home Page for HQ Online
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11. Helpful Tips to Remember
 Same search rules don’t apply to all 6
collections (e.g. some allow for wildcard
search, others don’t, etc.)
 Records are predominantly U.S.
focused; Revolutionary War set and
PERSI do have some Canadian content
 When used with other online resources
such as ALE, this database is actually
quite complimentary
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12. U.S. Federal Census Records
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13. U.S. Census Information
 HQ contains digitized images of
each decennial census from 1790-
1940 (*NOTE: 1930 census
records is only partially indexed
while 1940 census records are
only partially uploaded).
 Does not contain any of the state
census records
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14. However…This is Really
Important to Know!
 HQ Online contains name indexes for only 12
of the decennial censuses
 Of these nominal indexes, only ½ of them are
“Every Name” while the rest are only the
“Heads of the Household”
 To locate information in census years that
haven’t been indexed, you have to use
browse functionality
 To locate which census returns have a
nominal index, check out this PDF file:
http://tinyurl.com/8bl5cbh
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15. Head of the Household
 Person who was responsible for the care of
the home and/or family. This could be a
husband, widow with children, person living
alone, etc.
 Exceptions included:
 Persons residing within the household
who had a different surname (e.g., a
mother-in-law, boarder, servant, niece).
 All individuals living in institutions
(schools, prisons, hospitals, etc.)
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16. 1890 U.S. Census
“Brick Wall”
 Over 99% of the 1890 population
schedules were destroyed!
 Of 62,979,766 persons enumerated in
1890, a total of 6,160 names could be
extracted from the following states:
 Alabama, District of Columbia, Georgia,
Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New
York, North Carolina, Ohio, South
Dakota and Texas
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17. 3 Types of Searches
 Basic, Advanced and Page Number
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18. U.S. Census
Search Tips
 EXACT match only!
 You will need to type in every spelling
variation for both first and surname
 No wildcards or truncation symbols
allowed
 From 1850 onwards, you can limit your
search by age, sex, race and birthplace
 **NOTE: prior to 1850, census
enumerators were not obligated to enter
other members of the household –
challenging to locate women and children
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19. U.S. Census Results
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20. 1910 U.S. Federal Census
Franklin D. Roosevelt
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21. Options
Printing the
record
Saving the
Record 21

22. Browse Census Records
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23. Searching for Books
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24. HQ – Books Collection
 Digital books are from
UMI genealogy and local
history collection
 Features 28, 000 books,
including 10, 000 family
histories and 13, 000
local histories
 **also features over
250 primary sources
such as tax lists, city
directories and probate
records
 Search by name, place
or publication title 24

25. Searching for Articles - PERSI
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26. PERSI
 PERSI stands for Periodical Source Index
 Created and maintained by the Allen
County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Indiana
 Date ranges 1800s to present day
 Index to 2.5 million articles from over 6,
500 genealogy or history journals or
magazines
 **Note: no images or full-text
available!!!
 Offers 4 search functions: name, place,
how-to and publication title
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27. Searching for Articles
on Regina, Saskatchewan
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28. PERSI Search Tips
 Surname search ONLY!
 Unlike US and Canada tabs, you CANNOT
search by country or by area under the
International tab
 Wildcard “?” and truncation symbols “*”
allowed in keyword field
 Boolean operators also allowed in keyword
field
 Jefferson AND Franklin
 Jefferson OR Franklin
 Lincoln NOT Nebraska
 Women NEAR sufferage
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29. Revolutionary War Records
 Comes from the U.S.
Veterans
Administration
 Features over 81,
000 pension files as
well as bounty-land-
warrant records
 Exact match ONLY!
 No wildcards,
truncation symbols
or Boolean operators
allowed
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30. Search for Revolutionary War
Records
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31. Revolutionary War Records
Elizabeth SHELTON
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32. Freedman Bank Records
 Proper name was the
Freedman’s Savings
and Trust Company
 US government set
up it as a bank for
the newly
emancipated slaves
after the Civil War
 Bank also served
indentured servants
of various races
 Bank only operated
from 1865 to 1874
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33. U.S. Serial Set Records
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34. U.S. Serial Set Records
 Offers over 100, 000 documents from
the U.S. Senate and House of
Representatives as well as select
committees, bureaus and commissions
 Date ranges from 1789 to 1979
 Specifically selected for its
“genealogical” significance
 Memorials, petitions, and private relief
actions
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35. U.S. Serial Set Search Tips
 Boolean, wildcard
and truncation
symbols allowed in
keyword field
 Use “ ” in keyword
field to search for a
phrase
 E.g. “civil rights”
 **Note: broaden
your date range
because Congress did
not always sit in
session to address
issues 35

36. NEW!!!
Learning Center
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37. The End
Questions or for a PDF copy
of the powerpoint:
maychan@reginalibrary.ca
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