John and Charles Gordon, a Father and Son in the 49th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment

"Oh yes, I knew John Gordon, and his daddy too." - a comrade of John and Charles Gordon John Gordon, later in life. National Archives ID 122162774 During the early nineteenth century, the tobacco industry in the Upper South declined as the cotton industry in the Deep South grew. To meet the growing demand for … Continue reading John and Charles Gordon, a Father and Son in the 49th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment

Private Mohammed Kahn: Civil War Soldier

Today's post comes from Kate Mersiovsky, National Archives Technician Since I’ve become an archives technician in the Innovation Hub Scanning Room at the National Archives, I’ve seen my fair share of interesting records. Researchers have digitized the pension of presidential widow Lucretia Garfield, the pension of Harriet Tubman, and the Supreme Court cases In Re … Continue reading Private Mohammed Kahn: Civil War Soldier

Hands-on Research with THATClass and the National Archives

Today’s post comes from Dina Herbert, Innovation Hub Coordinator. Dina recently chatted with Patrick Cronin and Thomas Neville about THATClass, their project-based archival education program for Washington, DC students. Tell me about THATClass.  What do students learn by participating in THATClass that they wouldn’t necessarily get from their regular school year lessons? THATClass (The Humanities … Continue reading Hands-on Research with THATClass and the National Archives

Stories From Our Holdings: Irish Researchers Study Civil War Records from the NARA/Fold3 Collaboration

Through the holdings of the National Archives are a myriad of stories that are ready to be told, from struggle and misfortune to triumph and perseverance. In this “Stories From Our Holdings” series, we will endeavor to highlight works that have been created utilizing the tens of millions of our primary source documents, photographs, and … Continue reading Stories From Our Holdings: Irish Researchers Study Civil War Records from the NARA/Fold3 Collaboration

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation with a new eBook

Today’s post comes from Stephanie Greenhut, Education Technology Specialist, in the Education and Public Programs division. We're going to ring in the new year here at the National Archives with a special celebration to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Visitors to the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, can … Continue reading Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation with a new eBook

Tag It Tuesday! Honoring Our Veterans

Friday marks the annual observance of Veterans Day, a day on which we honor the millions of brave men and women who have served in the Armed Forces.  This Tag It Tuesday, in tribute to our military veterans, we’re asking you to tag records in the Online Public Access (OPA) that relate to veterans and the military.   … Continue reading Tag It Tuesday! Honoring Our Veterans

Family Tree Friday: Confederate POW Deaths & Burials Online

As a way to tie together all the Confederate prisoner of war records that we've discussed over the last several weeks, I thought you might want to know about a specific record the War Department compiled in the early 20th century to document all of the Confederate POWs who died in Federal custody during the … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Confederate POW Deaths & Burials Online

Family Tree Friday: Confederate prisoner of war records

Continuing the discussion of Confederate records, another major portion of material in Record Group 109, War Department Collection of Confederate Records, includes records about Confederate prisoners of war.  Of particular note, these are actually records created by Union military prisons, compiled or maintained by the Office of the Commissary General of Prisoners in the U.S. War … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Confederate prisoner of war records

Family Tree Friday: Confederate hospital records

Confederate records that survived the Civil War cover a variety of aspects and functions of both the Confederate government and its armed forces.  One of the major components of the War Department Collection of Confederate Records includes records of various military hospitals that were established in several Southern states during the war.  Administered by the Confederate … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Confederate hospital records

Family Tree Friday: An overview of Confederate Records

Since we are about to embark on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War--various activities commemorating events leading up to the war have already taken place around the country since January--it seems useful to highlight some of the major records we have available at the National Archives.  Let's start with an overview of Confederate records.  … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: An overview of Confederate Records