Just received from the 2 libraries that serve Jefferson County. Oklahoma Historical Society A Guide to the Research Library and Archives Oklahoma Historical Society 2100 N. Lincoln Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4997 The Oklahoma Historical Society is located southeast of the State Capitol building on Lincoln Boulevard between Nineteenth and Twenty-first streets. The Archives Division is located in the basement and the Research Library and the Newspaper Department are on the first floor of the building. Handicapped access is from the parking lot on the east side of the building. Researchers need not be historians or scholars to find our facilities useful. Knowledgeable staff members are available in all areas to assist researchers in the use of microfilm, card catalogs, census and enrollment books, and other finding aids. ARCHIVES DIVISION 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday thru Saturday Closed 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Saturday Only Closed Sundays and legal holidays Children under 14 are not allowed in the archives; however, students may use the facility if accompanied by a parent or teacher. Tours are available by advanced request. LIBRARY DIVISION 9:00 am to 8:00 pm Monday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Tuesday thru Saturday Closed Sundays and legal holidays Children under 16 years of age must have strict supervision while using the library. Tours of the library are available every Wednesday morning at 10:00 am. ARCHIVES/MANUSCRIPTS DIVISION NATIVE AMERICAN RECORDS The collections contain 3.5 million documents representing 66 of the 67 native tribes that resided in Indian Territory. (Osage records can be found at the Southwest Branch of the National Archives in Ft.Worth, TX.) Other resources include the 112-volume Indian-Pioneer History, collection of oral histories done by the Federal Writers Project in 1937. PHOTOS The Photographic section contains more than 300,000 images that range from the late 1850's to the present with many subjects represented. NEWSPAPERS The Newspaper collection contains 28,000 reels of microfilm on state newspapers from 1844 to the present. Some indexing is available. Newspapers often are a good source for marriage and death notices. ORAL HISTORIES Oral histories include many subjects and individuals with over 5,000 interviews and recorded events. Extensive indices are provided by the name and subject. MANUSCRIPTS These represent unpublished collections of public and private papers, scrapbooks, business records, collections of scholars, and more. Guides to collections and limited indices are available. Direct correspondence to: OHS, Archives and Manuscripts Division, 2100 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4997. Phone (405) 522-5209, Fax (405) 521-2492. LIBRARY RESOURCES DIVISION The Library contains over 62,000 volumes with emphasis on Oklahoma, Native American, and western history. In addition to these materials -- many of which are rare and out-of-print -- the library also houses a number of special collections. FEDERAL CENSUS The Library maintains an extensive collection of federal population censuses covering the period of 1790-1880. A number of the schedules are available with Soundex for 1880, 1900, 1910, and in certain instances, for 1920. These materials are enhanced by numerous printed census indexes for the years prior to 1880. For Oklahoma, the Library houses the 1890 census for the Unassigned Lands, which include present day Cleveland, Oklahoma, Logan, Kingfisher, Canadian, and Payne counties plus Beaver County in the Oklahoma panhandle. There is not 1890 Indian Territory census. There is, however, an 1890 Special Schedule of the Union Veterans and their Widows that covers both Indian and Oklahoma territories. The library also contains the 1900 Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory schedule, the 1910 Oklahoma Census and Miracode, and the 1920 Oklahoma Census and Soundex. GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS Material from Oklahoma and Indian territories and early Oklahoma statehood are included in the collections. These rare titles from the 1890s, such as Session Laws, Journal of the Constitutional Convention, and Reports of the Territorial Governor, provide a primary resource in early Oklahoma politics and history. LAND RECORDS There are 72 Volumes of Oklahoma Federal Land Tract Books on microfilm that are limited to homesteaders in Oklahoma Territory. The legal land description (township, section, range) must be known to locate homesteaders in this important source. There is a compiled index to these records that is arranged by the settlers' surname in the county where the claim was made. MILITARY RECORDS Military records include index and microfilm of Oklahoma Confederate Pension applications. The library also has the index for the Oklahoma Union Soldiers Home. Other military sources are Revolutionary War pensions, the index to the War of 1812 pensions, and the list of pensioners on the roll of 1883. The library also houses a complete set of the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion with index. STATE, COUNTY, AND TOWN RECORDS In addition to Oklahoma materials, out-of-state sources include biographies, historical and genealogical magazines and journals, and vertical file folders of newspaper clippings, letters, etc., County and town records include extensive New england vital records, wills, deeds, and marriage records, as well as a number of published local records for Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Texas, Kansas, and other states. REFERENCE Biographies, atlases, gazettes, indexes, vertical files, and other reference materials are available for Reading Room use. The library also houses an excellent map collection showing the Oklahoma region from its period of early exploration through settlement and statehood. MISC. SOURCES Other genealogical items which may prove useful are family histories, church records, cemetery records, ship passenger lists, bible records, city directories and telephone books for Oklahoma, biographical files, autobiographies, and many other helpful resources. A large collection of microfilm material is available via the main Card Catalog. MATERIAL IN OTHER AGENCIES Birth and death records are in the custody of the Division of Vital Statistics, State Department of Health, P.O. Box 53551, Oklahoma City, OK 73152, and copies should be requested from that office. OKLAHOMA'S LOCAL RECORDS Please note that many historical records such as wills, probates, marriage, school records, etc., are maintained by the individual county in which the event occurred. You will need to write directly to that official, within that particular county, for help. More detailed information can found in the following books: The Handybook for Genealogist. 8th ed. (Logan, Utah: Everton Publishers, Inc., 1991) or Bradford Koplowitz, Guide to the Historical Records of Oklahoma (Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, Inc., 1990). BORROWING MATERIAL Borrowing material from the collections of the OHS is prohibited. All materials must be used in the Reading Room. INTER LIBRARY LOAN Please note that we are a "nonsupplier" to the Inter Library Loan System. BIOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH REQUEST FORM In order to better assist you with your research needs, we ask that you first obtain a copy of the library's "Biographical Research Request Form." After completing this form, mail your request to : OHS, Library Resources Division, 2100 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4997. Phone (405) 522-5225, Fax (405) 521-2492. SUGGESTED READINGS To conduct local history and genealogical research, an understanding of the history of the area being researched is important. This is especially true for Oklahoma because of our state's unique development. Among the many excellent books which have been published on Oklahoma we suggest the following titles for background information: Arrell M. Gibson. Oklahoma: A History of Five centuries (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1982). John W. Morris, Charles R. Goins, and Edwin C. McReynolds. Historical Atlas of Oklahoma 2nd ed. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1976). Muriel H. Wright. A Guide to the Indian Tribes of Oklahoma (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1951). FEE SCHEDULE The following fees are effective as of September 1, 1993, and apply to both Research Divisions of the Oklahoma Historical Society. A Research Fee of $15.00 will be charged to all out-of-state letter requests that involve "research" as opposed to a request that is a simple "look up and copy." Photocopies - $0.20 per letter or legal size page; $0.30 per 11"x17" page. Faxed Photocopies - $1.00 per page Reader/Printer Microfilm copies - $0.50 per page Dawes Census Cards - $1.00 per page Dawes Application Packets - up to 10 pages, $5.00, then $0.50 per page Reader/Printer Microfilm copies to be mailed - $1.00 per page Shipping and Handling - $1.50 per envelope for all mailed copies Note:Please do not send any money with your request. We will invoice you for copies an/or work done.