Colonial Williamsburg Library Partners with Ancestry.com

Digitization efforts at Colonial Williamsburg Library to preserve historical court records.

News Summary

Colonial Williamsburg’s John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library is digitizing over 800,000 court records, focusing on those related to enslaved individuals. This collaboration with Ancestry.com aims to enhance public access to historical documents, making vital information from 1633 to the 1800s available online. The project, which started in 2024, assures free access to African-American history records and aims for completion by September 2024.

Colonial Williamsburg Library Collaborates with Ancestry.com to Digitize Historical Records

Colonial Williamsburg’s John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library has initiated a significant project to digitize the York County Project, which encompasses over 800,000 court record entries dating from 1633 to the early 1800s. Nearly 80,000 of these entries specifically reference enslaved individuals, marking a crucial effort in making historical records more accessible to the public.

Project Overview and Progress

The digitization initiative was introduced by Executive Director Emily Guthrie shortly after her arrival at the library in the spring of 2024. Upon discovering the extensive collection of approximately 800,000 index cards in the library’s basement, she recognized the potential for digitization to enhance public engagement with historical documents.

Ancestry.com was approached to assist in this digitization project, with the intention of making the indexed records available online. Once the data organization is complete, the library will receive the master files, which will allow for ongoing access to the information.

Access and Usage

Users will need a subscription to Ancestry to access most of the digitized collection remotely; however, free access will be available on-site at the library. Additionally, Ancestry.com has committed to providing free access to a segment of the collection that pertains to African-American history.

As a result of this partnership, Colonial Williamsburg’s library obtained a lifetime free subscription to the searchable database being created from the digitization work.

Details on the Digitization Process

Brian Holcomb, a former library volunteer, has been hired by Ancestry.com to carry out the digitization process. Ancestry provided the necessary equipment, and Holcomb began the actual digitization on March 19. He has the capacity to scan upwards of 1,000 cards every half hour, depending on the condition of the individual cards.

Approximately every two weeks, Holcomb sends batches of scanned data to Ancestry for further processing. This workflow translates to around 20 boxes worth of scanned materials every two weeks.

To ensure accuracy, Ancestry opts for manual transcription of the scans into its database rather than relying on machine transcription. This is particularly important because many of the cards are handwritten and were never digitally typed, leading to a variety of handwriting styles from different contributors.

Project Timeline

The entire digitization project is anticipated to be completed by September 2024. This timeline reflects the commitment to meticulous detailing, necessary for preserving the integrity of these historical documents.

Historical Context of the York County Project

The York County Project serves as a vital database for a biography-based study focused on urbanization within York County, examining pre-urban population characteristics and the development of “towns” like Yorktown and Williamsburg up to the year 1775. This project originally commenced in the late 1970s and continued into the mid-1980s, contributing significantly to the understanding of the region’s history.

With the current digitization effort, a broader audience will have the opportunity to engage with this valuable historical resource, facilitating access to records that have long played a critical role in the narrative of American history, particularly concerning the lives of enslaved individuals.