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Archiver > NJHUNTER > 2001-02 > 0982631226


From: "Pamelyn P. Bush" <>
Subject: Re: [NJHUNTER] WPA Files?
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001 20:07:06 -0500
References: <3A89D31C.12BE7CE2@alumni.princeton.edu>


WPA stands for Works Progress Administration. Formed by the federal gov't
during the depression to provide work for educated unemployed persons such
as writers, teachers and librarians. The 1880 and 1900 soundex cards for the
federal censuses were done by members of this group. They also wrote books
on all the important rivers in the US, and each of the states of the US. In
New Jersey, the WPA created outlines of all the churches in existence in
each of the NJ counties with a brief history of name changes and dates of
existence. There are thousands of projects started during the 1930s and
going into the 1940s under the aegis of the WPA. In the NJ State Archives
there are thousands of index cards in file drawers with marriages (date,
bride, groom, minister) during the colonial period and births during the
mid-1800s. These were hand-written by persons working under the WPA. But I
admit that "WPA Files" is not very specific and could refer to almost
anything. The States Archives used to be housed in the basement of the State
Library but no longer, so it could also be pointing to the Archives and not
the State Library. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
Pam Bush
----- Original Message -----
From: Jeff DeMarco <>
To: <>
Sent: February 13, 2001 7:36 PM
Subject: [NJHUNTER] WPA Files?


> I've been looking at a Family Group submission to LDS, and under sources
> it lists:
>
> WPA Files State Library
>
> Anyone know to what this refers?
>
> Jeff DeMarco
>
>
> ==== NJHUNTER Mailing List ====
> Visit the Hunterdon County GenWeb page at:
> http://members.aol.com/njysprez/index.htm
>
>
> ==============================
> Ancestry.com Genealogical Databases
> http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist2.asp
> Search over 2500 databases with one easy query!
>
>
>

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