As part of the Open Government initiative, NARA recently released six datasets available for the first time as raw data in XML format. The datasets are: three editions (2007, 2008, and 2009) of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) archival descriptions from the Archival Research Catalog (ARC) organization descriptions from the Archival Research Catalog (ARC) … Continue reading Open Government: NARA Releases Six Datasets
Month: January 2010
Family Tree Friday: Congress granted pensions as private claims.
American citizens have always had the right under the U.S. Constitution to petition Congress directly to redress specific grievances or recoup financial losses resulting from government actions (such as private property damaged by the Union Army during the Civil War). In the 19th century, Americans commonly exercised this right, sending hundreds of thousands of private claims to … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Congress granted pensions as private claims.
Family Tree Friday: Nonpopulation Census Records – Mortality Schedules
Most genealogists are familiar with the federal population census records and begin their research with these records. But did you know that the Census Bureau also took a series of Nonpopulation Census records between 1850 and 1880? They included mortality, agricultural, industrial, social statistics and defective, dependent, and delinquent schedules. These censuses cover the 12 … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Nonpopulation Census Records – Mortality Schedules
The National Archives and the Open Government Initiative
The National Archives is working on responding to the Obama Administration’s Open Government Directive of December 2009, which was issued to promote new lines of communication and cooperation between the federal government and the American people. The Open Government Directive is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/open/documents/open-government-directive. Stay tuned for updates!
Question: What are some good examples of interactive historical timelines on the Web?
The internet provides lots of great tools and services to help genealogists and historians understand the evolution of relationships and events over time. From teachers to big corporations, researchers at all levels can benefit from these innovative new tools, one of the most effective of which is the interactive map or timeline. One example of … Continue reading Question: What are some good examples of interactive historical timelines on the Web?
Family Tree Friday: More Info on Compiled Military Service Records.
In my previous blog I mentioned compiled military service records for volunteer soldiers. While CMSRs are generally recognized as the official record of a volunteer's military career, did you know they were NOT created at the time the soldier served? The War Department first created compiled service records in the early 1890s to help verify military … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: More Info on Compiled Military Service Records.
Tech Tuesdays
Thanks to your great feedback on our recent Family Tree Fridays and NARA Staff Favorite posts, we're considering introducing another specialized series here on NARAtions. This new set of posts, called Tech Tuesdays, would allow us to start a discussion about the cutting-edge technologies that are being developed across the archives field (a topic we're … Continue reading Tech Tuesdays
Family Tree Friday: Issues with Indexing
With records available in so many different formats these days, researchers are often faced with a choice – which indexes to use, the original microfilm and printed indexes or the newer online indexes? Both types have drawbacks. The microfilm and printed versions often have misspelled names. Also, they sometimes skip people entirely. My great grandfather’s … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Issues with Indexing
Family Tree Friday: Volunteer vs. Regular Army service was documented differently.
Most people have a relative or ancestor who either served in the military or fought during a specific war. Many researchers are unaware, however, that a significant distinction exists between volunteer soldiers and Regular soldiers, and that the two types of service are documented differently. Volunteers (citizen soldiers) were enlisted to serve during specific wars … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Volunteer vs. Regular Army service was documented differently.