WPA Historical Records Survey

Many of the most useful WPA records were compiled by the Historical Records Survey, which indexed public records held in places like churches, county clerks' offices, or courthouses. There are also oral histories conducted by the WPA, meaning you might be able to find a detailed account of your ancestor’s life. Here are some places where you can access these WPA records:

Vital Records: The HRS indexed vital records, like birth, marriage, and death certificates, many of which are now searchable on Ancestry. In Indiana, for instance, the HRS indexed birth and death records from 1880 to 1920, and marriages from about 1850 to 1920. Vital records cover key genealogical information like name, gender, race, birth date, and parents' names.

Naturalization Records: The HRS worked on several naturalization collections. These records may include details like a person’s country of origin, alternate spellings of their name, current residence, or even a physical description. One of the most valuable is the Philadelphia Naturalization Records from 1789 to 1880, which includes information on over 113,000 immigrants in the city who applied for citizenship. In Massachusetts, the HRS helped compile records dating to 1798.

Cemetery Inscriptions: Charles R. Hale led a WPA project that transcribed inscriptions on headstones in 2,000 cemeteries in Connecticut. Dating from 1629 to 1934, these records include names, dates of birth and death, and burial place. Some also mention names of spouses and children.

Narratives of Formerly Enslaved People: The Civil War was still in living memory for older Americans at the time of the New Deal. People working for the Federal Writers' Project collected first-person accounts of slavery, talking with over 2,300 formerly enslaved African Americans. The database, "Interviews with Formerly Enslaved People, 1936–1938" contains their names, ages, and birthplaces, as well as their personal history and sometimes a photo. This amazingly rich collection is especially important given how difficult it can be to find records of formerly enslaved people.

How to Find Family in WPA Records: It can be hard to find out if your ancestors worked for the WPA. There’s no single directory of every person involved, so you may have to do some sleuthing. However, given that the WPA and other New Deal agencies employed millions of Americans, there’s a good chance someone in your family benefited from the programs. Here’s how to begin your research:

Look Up Your Family Members In the 1940 Census: If they were of working age, check under occupation and industry. You may find "WPA" listed as their industry, with an occupation like laborer, road worker, housekeeper, or artist. The census also asked people their salary, so you can discover how much money your ancestor earned with the agency. The entries for Dorothy West and Ralph Ellison, for instance, both said they were writers with the Federal Writers' Project and made over $900 in 1939.

See If They Worked For the Government: The 1940 Census asked everyone over 14 if they had worked for the government during the previous week. Question 22 specifically asked if they did public emergency work with an agency like the WPA during the week of March 24 to 30, 1940. If your ancestor answered yes, they probably worked for a New Deal agency. But this question only refers to a single week, so if they answered no, your relative may have still worked for the WPA at another time.

WPA records Consider Their Occupation: Certain jobs might indicate that your ancestor had a New Deal job at some point in the 1930s. Check both the 1940 and 1950 censuses for leads. For example, if they worked in flood control in Tennessee, maybe they got their start at the Tennessee Valley Authority. A park ranger in the West might have been part of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Librarians, teachers, and archivists could have been employed by the Historical Records Survey; actors by the Federal Theater Project; and conductors by the Federal Music Project. Anyone who did manual labor in 1940 was likely involved in one of the many public works projects of the previous decade.

Search City Directories: The precursor to phone books, city directories listed names, addresses, and sometimes occupation. Your ancestor may have listed their employer as "WPA," or something more specific, like "seamstress WPA." Or maybe one of your ancestors lived somewhere that had been built by the WPA. A telltale clue would be if the listed address was something like "31 WPA Cabins" or "1982 WPA Road."

Check Employment Directories: Employee cards and directories can also provide leads. Search keywords like "WPA" and "public works" to see if your ancestor was involved in building highways or another infrastructure project.

Find out how the New Deal and the WPA impacted your family. By exploring historic newspapers, vital records, the 1940 and 1950 censuses, and photos from the era, you may learn new information about your family’s history. Discover your family story on Ancestry® and Newspapers.com® today.