The research for documenting historic homes on the Stanford campus is two-fold:

• information about the houses themselves, including original construction, dates, distinctive features, architectural style, etc.; and
• history of ownership, including biographical information about the owners and occupants.

Green Library contains both electronic and print resources that can help you find biographical information. Obituaries list a person’s professional and personal history, and names of descendants. The website RootsWeb.com can help you find death dates and location of last residence, and cites obituaries in some cases. A single search (first and last name) runs your search through multiple databases including the Social Security Death Index, which lists deaths after 1962, when the records were first computerized (but a few as far back as 1937 are listed); records before 1987 may have only a month and year of death; and it is not a complete file of all deaths in the United States; but even with these caveats, it is still very useful. In addition, more detailed records for deaths in California and a few other states include mother’s maiden name and place of decedent’s birth. The California Death Index also has specific death dates earlier than 1987. !

Who's Who   E663.W5612 STK (latest ed. in Information Center)

Who Was Who       E663.W54 Info Center

Obituaries On File (1979)    CT120.L43 Info Center

National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, 1891-1984     E176.N28 Info Center

New York Times Personal Name Index 1851-1974 + sup.1975-89    Z5301.F28 Info Center

The Lane Room (Bing Wing, Green Library) has a small collection of Stanford-related historical materials, and a complete set of the Stanford Quad.

Biography and Genealogy Master Index (an index to bio resources rather than full text)

Biography Resource Center, a compilation of biographical information with full text

There are several online full text newspapers files, but most don't go back more than 30 years, if that. Once you determine date and place of death, you can use an appropriate newspaper file on microfilm. A library web page lists newspapers to which Stanford has access:

If you have only a phone number, check the reverse directory to find an address

Special Collections has in its holdings many primary and secondary sources that researchers will find useful, among which are its biographical files on faculty, staff and alumni; a card index to these files is in the reading room. Many of these files were compiled by Stanford News Service and transferred to the University Archives. There is also a subject card index that contains biographical information and indexes to Stanford periodicals; however, this index has not been maintained since 1990. More recently processed archival collections are included in the library’s online catalog, Socrates.

The Special Collections reading room has a reference collection of useful materials, including early university histories, biographies, President’s Reports through 1948, Registers (the annual volume that included faculty/staff/student directory and courses and degrees until World War II), and alumni directories. Also in the reference area are guides to collections -- brown folders in pamphlet boxes. Especially helpful is the biographical sequence (including collections of faculty papers), the Plant Services guide, and the Board of Trustees guide. Board minutes and supporting documents (a separate collection) can be very helpful. Information on early financial and business transactions at the university are found in trustee documents rather than presidential papers, because the university business office worked directly for the board. Note that the pre-1906 trustee material burned in the great San Francisco earthquake. Various campus records also were lost ! in the 1968 firebombing of President Wallace Sterling’s office and the 1971 Encina Hall fire.

Bound copies of the Stanford Daily can be paged for use in the reading room. Bound copies of Campus Report, the Stanford Observer, and the Stanford Illustrated Review can be found on the reference shelves. Bound copies of the Daily for the first several decades contain detailed indexes, which can be extremely helpful because they are more complete than the indexing in the card catalog. Many bound volumes of the Illustrated Review also include indexes. . There are microfilm copies of many of these titles in the Media/Microtext area in Green Library, where you can read and make copies from the films.

A particularly helpful collection is Plant Services (SC123, Box 4), which contains some early house specifications. Many of the addresses listed are not accurate, however, because of later changes in numbers and street names and the fact that some buildings have been moved. Because of the fragile condition of much of the material, one of our researchers has made a list of box contents that can be consulted. The instructions for paging materials mentioned above apply to all archival collections.

Tracking where people lived is possible through old Palo Alto city directories, covering 1895-1978, located in the Green Library general stacks: F869.P2A18. The same area contains directories for Menlo Park and San Francisco. The Palo Alto Public Library has an index of old-timers who lived in Palo Alto. This is in loose-leaf binders and includes references to articles in the Palo Alto Times. But be aware that even primary sources, such as letters, maps, and the Stanford Register, can contain mistakes, and that newspaper articles are notoriously inaccurate. Journalists typically work under great time pressure and usually do not think about the fact that they are writing history. Always question the information you find and try to find other ways to verify it.

Copying materials: Staff members can help arrange for material to be copied, but you may have to return later to pick up the copies. To avoid being charged, write the phrase "working on the historic campus homes project" on the copy request form.

University Maps & Records at Bonair Siding is another very useful resource. (See separate sheet by Tiffany Gravlee about how to use these records.) Researchers should call ahead to arrange to use this collection. Staff members are willing to make copies of material or arrange for large pieces to be sent out for copying, when requested.

Try to focus on the human and personal aspects of homes and their owners; express interest in the builders and the occupants, and the ways the occupants’ particular interests have led them to modify the appearance and functions of the space in which they live. (for example, one couple has created a setting in their living room for chamber concerts; another family has turned over large areas of their home to students.) To prepare for interviews, jot down headings for central points to cover, you may prepare a long list of specific questions, if that will be more helpful to you; if your subjects are willing, you may wish to tape-record your interviews. You are likely to find a ready welcome at each home, and be given access to records, pictures, and letters concerning the home. If you submit a draft of your report to the owner, you can incorporate changes they suggest. We will furnish a list of interview topics to give you ideas.

The purpose of the Historic Houses project is to research and write full accounts of the history of older campus homes and the people who lived in them. Eventually, these write-ups may be edited and abridged for publication in book form, but University Archives staff emphasizes the importance of having full, unabridged accounts that will become part of the university’s archival record. University Archives eventually will have a file full of information on each campus home. It is important to document sources in a bibliography and/or footnotes accompanying your write-up. Regarding photographs, researchers should try to take or obtain black-and-white photos. Color photos fade over time. Researchers are asked to make notes about colors to accompany black-and-white photos.