[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[Fwd: [LAORLEAN-L] Williams Research Center]




--
ÐÏ à¡± á

--- Begin Message ---
Hi group,

   When I described my trip to New Orleans, I mentioned the Williams
Research Center as a great place to find information. I received a number of
emails asking where and what it was. (As everyone there on Saturday
afternoon appeared to be high school/college students doing research rather
than genealogists, maybe the Center is not as well known as I thought.)
Here's what I know about the WRC:

   The Williams Research Center is part of the Historic New Orleans
Collection, but is not in the same place. The Collection is on Royal St.
(500 block I think) while the Research Center is at 410 Chartres (same block
as K-Paul's Restaurant).

   When you go to the WRC, you ring a bell, the receptionist gives you
admittance (free), you sign the guest book, and put all open bags and purses
in a locker on the first floor. In the library upstairs, you fill out a
sheet with your name, address, etc. and sign the part that says you
understand all the rules, one of which is that you only use pencil. You then
tell one of the reference librarians what you're looking for and the
material is brought to you. (Pamela Arceneaux was one of the Reference
Librarians who helped me and was just great.)

   Because I wasn't sure what I was looking for (beyond the City
Directories), I gave her my grandmother's name and she put it in the
computer which listed everything they had of hers. Unfortunately, I ran out
of time and didn't see some of it (primarily sheet music). I wanted to kick
myself for not starting sooner that day, but now I have a reason to go back.
Next time, I'll go prepared with a list of specific questions. For example,
they are able to give the history of French Quarter houses using their Vieux
Carre Survey and the Sanborn Insurance maps. If you have an ancestor who
lived in the Quarter, they can tell you all about the building, its owners,
etc. They may also be able to do this with buildings outside the Quarter,
but I'm not sure about that.

   If you go to the website of the Historic New Orleans Collection
(www.hnoc.org), there should be more info there on the WRC. Also, you may
want to email Pamela at pamela@hnoc.org, tell her what you're looking for,
and ask if the WRC would have that type of information.

Jan Voitier Dean
Orlando, FL




--- End Message ---