HeritageQuest Online - Thrall Databases - Databases & Virtual Reference Resources at Middletown Thrall Library

This genealogy database enables you to search the following collections of documents:

Census - "Federal Census images from 1790-1930 including name indexes for many years"
Books - "Information on people and places described in over 22,000 family and local histories"
PERSI (The PERiodical Source Index) - "a comprehensive subject index covering more than 6,600 genealogy and local history periodicals written in English and French (Canada) since 1800"
Revolutionary War - "records of 80,000+ individuals who served in the Revolutionary War and contains both genealogical and historical information"
Freedman's Bank Records - "[documenting] more than 105,000 bank depositors and over 480,000 of their dependants and heirs"
U.S. Serial Set - "Consisting of documents and reports prepared for the U.S. Congress, it includes Private Relief Actions, Memorials, and Petitions. The subject matter covered by this collection includes: pensions, military and naval matters, claims of election fraud, public works projects, immigration and naturalization, land grants, taxation, and many types of monetary claims made by individuals and businesses."

>> Please click here to access HeritageQuest Online.

Access Options:

This database can be accessed from any of Thrall Library's public Internet or research computers.

Concerning access outside the library:

Members of Middletown Thrall Library may log in to this service using their library barcode.

Tips & Special Features:

Perhaps the most important advice when using such voluminous databases to track down members of a family tree is: be patient. There can be, depending on what name(s) you are researching, any number of "false positive" matches (people with similar names you are researching, but not actually the people you are attempting to find).

When you find a match and attempt to view any related documents, please be aware that some document images can be barely legible due to the age and condition of the documents at the time they were converted into a digital form.

You will need to search each database individually.

The Advanced Search option in the Census collection can help you save time searching by allowing you to establish more specific search criteria (and hopefully receive fewer yet more relevant search results). Fields you can search in the Advanced mode include: Surname, Given Name, Census Year, State, County, Location, Age, Sex, Race, and Birthplace.

Other collections in HeritageQuest allow you to search or browse their contents.

For More Information