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Researching Your Home's History

A workshop on searching public records, locating unconventional sources, and documenting your finds. Every house harbors secrets – learn how to uncover them! Presented by Jennifer Irsfeld James and Steve Wilke-Shapiro. Researching Your Home's History. Special Thanks.

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Researching Your Home's History

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  1. A workshop on searching public records, locating unconventional sources, and documenting your finds. Every house harbors secrets – learn how to uncover them! Presented by Jennifer Irsfeld James and Steve Wilke-Shapiro Researching YourHome's History

  2. Special Thanks • Drake Neighborhood Association and Housing Committee and Preservation Subcommittee • Des Moines Rehabbers Club • Community Development Department and planning staff Mary Neiderbach and Kyle Larson • State Historic Preservation Office and Paula Mohr • Des Moines City Council and Councilwoman Christine Hensley • First Christian Church and the Rev. Sondra Eddings • Eldon McAfee for projection equipment and assistance

  3. Historical Survey The Drake Neighborhood Historical and Architectural Survey will begin Spring 2010, thanks to: • Certified Local Government (CLG) grant, State Historic Preservation Office • Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), City of Des Moines • Contributions and volunteer labor from the Drake Neighborhood Association

  4. • As part of the Drake Neighborhood Association’s strategic planning process with the City’s Community Development Department, DNA members planned a $41,000 historical and architectural survey of the entire Drake Neighborhood funded through grants and volunteer labor. • The survey will help explain the past so the Drake Neighborhood can best plan for its future. • The survey will identify historic patterns of development; types and styles of buildings and open spaces; and possible historic districts and individual properties potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. • The City and State finalized grant/project contracts as of Feb. 15. Now requests for proposals will be developed to hire the certified historic consultant. Historical Survey: Overview

  5. The historical survey will have a substantial positive impact on the revitalization of the Drake Neighborhood: • The project will combine and coordinate historic preservation with community revitalization and economic development while improving housing standards, increasing homeownership, and growing the City’s tax base. • Determining National Register eligibility is key to tapping into state and federal historic tax credits as well as grants. Homeowners, commercial property owners, and nonprofits can participate through the 25 percent state historic tax credit and, for commercial properties: 20 percent federal credit. Historical Survey: Benefits

  6. Workshop Overview • Dating: When was my house built? • Past Lives: Who owned/lived in my house? • Who’s Who: Did someone famous live here? • Snapshots in Time: How can I find photos of my home and former residents? • Online Resources

  7. Workshop Case Study: 1075 26th St. • Vacant, gutted Victorian located in a potential historic district • House named to Des Moines’ 7 Most Endangered List • Research will be shared with Drake Neighborhood Historical Survey and property owners 1075 26th St. with porch reopened (apartment enclosure removed ‘09)

  8. Research Rules • Don’t believe everything you read • Expect conflicting data • Document all info (sources, dates, books, page numbers, web sites) • Print, copy or photograph most everything – it’s evidence! • Don't repeat work – check SHPO first (site inventory forms) Chain of title log for 1075 26th St. includes dates and book citations. Also notes conflicting spellings and illegible handwritten names.

  9. When was my house built? • Start by “reading the architecture” • Note context and architectural style(s) • Look for physical changes made over time • Check Polk County Assessor’s web site • View Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps • Free web: 1884, 1891, 1901, 1920, 1940s • Consult Des Moines city directories • Check with the State Historic Preservation Office • Consult major DSM historical survey reports

  10. Dating a House Context – Look at the house in relation to other buildings on the block. Compare: • Styles • Sizes • Setbacks Up in the air: 1075 26th St., from Bing.com

  11. Dating a House Architectural features Examine the house for physical clues: • Architectural style(s) • Additions/demo • Porches and trim • Windows and doors • Foundation 1075 26th St.’s simple Eastlake Stick styling was popular into the early 1890s.

  12. Dating a House Assessor’s web site Not always accurate, but easy starting point • Year built (not accurate) • Floor plan • Recent ownership • Recent permits http://www.assess.co.polk.ia.us/

  13. Dating a House Sanborn maps – Fire insurance maps are a record of buildings, 1884-1950 in DSM • Building footprint • Siding type • Outbuildings • Lot lines • Streets/alleys • Addresses 1901 Sanborn Map Index; search online free from http://www.pldminfo.org

  14. Mapping Changes 1901 Sanborn Map is the first to show most of the Drake Neighborhood. Note front porch and empty lots next door 1920 Sanborn Map shows porch extended to north side, larger carriage house and neighboring lots developed

  15. Dating a House City directories • In 1908, DSM city directories began street address listings in back • Search backward for earliest listing – or forward until address first appears • Tip: Some street #s and names changed; use Sanborns to verify 1910 city directory’s street address listing shows owners John P. Jordan and family residing at 1075 26th St.

  16. Dating a House • State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) • • Check with the SHPO to see if your house has been documented via a Site Inventory form or otherwise researched. • • The SHPO is creating a searchable online database, but for now contact Inventory Coordinator Berry Bennett: Berry.Bennett@iowa.gov or 281-8742

  17. Dating a House • Research on late-19th-century DSM (at Central Library) • • Drake University and related properties in Des Moines, Iowa, 1881-1918, by Barbara Beving Long. This study resulted in individual houses and a small historic district on the Drake U. campus being listed to the National Register. Contains some errors and omissions. • • Towards a greater Des Moines: early suburbanization and development, circa 1880-circa 1920: also including an intensive survey of the River Bend neighborhood, by William C. Page. Overview of DM suburbanization focused on River Bend (North DM). • • From Keokuk on: the history of the Cottage Grove area. edited by John C. Neubauer. DNA-published book represented a major volunteer undertaking. Contains photos, but also many errors and omissions; lacks thorough documentation/citations.

  18. Dating a House • Research on 20th-century DSM (at Central Library) • • Historical residential architecture in Des Moines, 1905-1940: a study of two house types, the bungalow and the square house, by James E. Jacobsen. From this master study came the Drake Neighborhood’s Kingman Place Historic District (Kingman Blvd and Rutland Ave., down to 27th Street and up to 31st Street). Lists builders and architects, among other invaluable info. • • Building a city of homes: Des Moines, Iowa, 1900-1951 / by James E. Jacobsen, John Patrick Zeller. In-depth reporting on building trends, builders, architects, subdivisions and more. • • Forestdale subdivision in the northwest corner of the Drake Neighborhood also has been researched; see SHPO for info.

  19. Who owned and/or lived in my house? • • Start with title info for property owners: • – Use your abstract or do a quick chain of title search • – Compile owner names and dates • • Consult city directories for residents • • See Iowa and US censuses for more about residents • • Note: Drake U. students lived throughout the Drake Neighborhood

  20. Past Lives • Abstract of title Chronologically lists the history of all legal documents that affect the property • • Property sales (land often changed hands for years before a house was built) • • Legal actions • • Easements • • Mortgages Sample Iowa abstract of title

  21. Past Lives Polk Co. AuditorMaintains historical property records • Trace ownership by following the chain of title; begin with the current owner • Work backward by searching the name of the grantor (seller) as the grantee (buyer) University Land Co. platted its First Addition subdivision in 1884. Drake U. benefactor Gen. Francis Marion Drake acquired Lot 222 (1075 26th St.) in 1886.

  22. Past Lives City directories Find residents, including boarders and roomers, – and their occupations – alphabetically and by address (1908+) • Look for adult children who lived at home while working or in school. • Search and record employers when listed. 1897 directory lists owner James T. McCormack living at 1075 26th St.; Harry McCormack, a chemist at Drake University, boards.

  23. Past Lives Record the city directory year, resident’s name, occupation, tenancy type (householder/ boarder/ roomer/ servant), page number, and notes about changes in residency.

  24. Past Lives Iowa and US Censuses Official headcount captured vital info – name, address, age, race, birthplace, job, education, religion, language, etc. • Drake Neighborhood: – US: 1880, (no 1890), 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 – Iowa: 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925 1895 Iowa Census: McCormick family lives at 1075 26th St. 1900 US Census: Jordan family lives at 1075 26th St.

  25. Drake U. Connections • • Many DU students lived in the Drake Neighborhood as roomers, boarders, or frat/sorority members • • Etsis, A History of the Fraternities and Sororities of Drake University tallies all known Greek house addresses by year. • • Greek houses spanned Witmer Pkwy to Kingman, 42nd to 21st 1075 26th St. as a sorority house

  26. Did anyone famous live in my house? Armed with names, dates, and occupations, fill in the the backstory: • Google searches • Drake U. yearbooks and archives • Histories and who’s who directories • Newspapers • Marriage, birth and death records

  27. Who’s Who Google.com • Books, articles, genealogies, obituaries, photos and more! • Search all names from abstract/titles and city directories • Try different combos: “Harry McCormack”“Harry McCormack” chemist“Harry McCormack” “Drake University” 1895 Drake U. course catalog: Harry McCormack on faculty

  28. Who’s Who • More Googling on Harry McCormack: bio in the 1913 U. of Illinois alumni directory • From bio, Googled his university employer: he chaired the Chemical Engineering Department from 1908-1946

  29. Who’s Who Harry appears to have been a pioneer in the chemical engineering field. This adds to the historic significance of 1075 26th St., where he launched his career.

  30. Who’s Who • Googling other former owners and residents turned up two obituaries — from 1915 and from 2008 – that show family ties of multiple owners.

  31. Who’s Who • Use the list of property owners for further research. This table captures questions and research from title search, city directories, obits and Google searches. Colored blocks show owners who are family members.

  32. Who’s Who: Drake U. • • Bio info in Quax yearbooks, 1902 through 1980s • • Special Collections files and books • • Times-Delphic student newspaper card-catalog index Though 1920 city directory listed Maubeta McNeal (1075 26th St.) as a Drake U. student, she was AWOL in 1919-1921 Quaxes.

  33. Who’s Who: Newspapers • • Excellent source for obits, birth and marriage announcements, society news, crimes, fires, housing starts, architectural plans and more • • But limited free indexes for DM papers: • – Public Library has obits 1960+, DM Trib 1907-1944, Iowa Bystander 1894-1951 • – Drake U. Times-Delphic card catalog • – Limited indexes at Historical Building Library • – Limited clippings files at DMPL, Historical Society Library and Drake U. Special Collections • • Best bet: fee-based newspaperarchive.com, with 36 DM papers and scores more across IA

  34. Who’s Who: Histories, directories and vital records • Find biographies in history books: - city, county, state - church, school, university, business • Check “Who’s Who” directories and annual reports • Vital record indexes list births, deaths and marriages

  35. How can I find photos? Photos of houses can guide restoration projects. And people pictures bring history alive. • Newspapers • Drake U. Quax yearbooks and special collections • Biographies, histories and genealogies • Contacting former residents and owners, or their descendents and employers Gen. Frances M. Drake pictured in 1920 Quax

  36. Online Resources • • www.familysearch.org • Free 1880 census via name, plus lists of library holdings and genealogical resources. It links to fee-based www.ancestry.com, with digitized census and city directory records. • • www.distantcousin.com/directories/ia/desmoines/1897/ • Free searchable scanned 1897 DM city directory • • www.cyndislist.com • Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites of the Internet: a digital “card catalog” to the vast resources on the Web. Search by state or topic.

  37. More Online Resources • • http://library.drake.edu/about/collections • Find digitized Quax yearbooks (1916+), digital photos and histories, Special Collections lists of files and more. Cowles Library (28th and University) is open to the public. • • www.iowahistory.org/libraries/index.html • Search for city and county histories; city directories; plat maps; cemetery surveys; trade and academic catalogs; biographies and memoirs; newspaper collections, records of schools, churches, clubs, businesses; federal and IA census records for Iowa. • • “Lost Des Moines” on Facebook.com

  38. More Online Resources • • www.pldminfo.org/search/onlineresources.html • Browse digital IA Sanborn maps and limited online DM newspaper indexes. Plus search for DM high school yearbooks and Men and Women of Iowa Biographies – newspaper clippings about prominent figures from 1909+ • • www.genealogybank.com • Historical newspapers (none in DM, but others in IA) – citations free, but scanned articles require fee-based subscription

  39. Get involved in the Drake Neighborhood Historical Survey today! • Research team member opportunities include: - Collecting records - Surveying buildings - Photography - Inputting data - Cataloging photos • Training provided • Preserve history, make a difference! • Contact Steve Wilke-Shapiro, 710-3484,swilkeshapiro@gmail.com For the Drake Neighborhood Historical Survey!

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