When you signed up as a researcher at the National Archives, what did our staff pull out of the stacks for you? Was it a photo of your great-grandfather with the Secretary of War as he received a commendation? Or did you find a telegraph your favorite president sent at the height of his career? We want to hear about the most memorable experience you’ve had researching with our archivists, and we want your fellow researchers to get inspired too.
For exactly this reason, the National Archives is proud to offer our take on the Society of American Archivists’ recent “I Found it in the Archives” contest . Whether you’ve been searching our holdings in Philadelphia or Oklahoma City, Anchorage or Washington, D.C., if you’ve visited a National Archives facility to do research or have been aided long-distance to find records that you need, we want to hear about the most important document we’ve helped you find.
Entering the contest is simple. You can either submit a 400-word written essay or a short (< two minutes) video. Whichever medium you choose, we ask that you describe your quest for information and explain why finding it has made a difference for you.
Submissions will be accepted June 9th through August 9th and public voting will take place August 23 through September 13th. Winners will be announced September 16th in celebration of Constitution Day. For more information and details on how to enter, please visit our info page or the I Found It in the National Archives Tumblr blog. Entries can be sent via email or post, or uploaded directly on Tumblr. We look forward to hearing what you’ve found in the National Archives!
Hi Kristen Albrittain,
You found my great grandfather photo in Croatia or Serbia (former yugoslavia) ??
My great grandfather first name Stephen (english spelling name) I not know his real first name spelling in Croatia or Serbia.
Can you send me photo face of my great grandfather.
Thank you much,
Paul S. Radetich
Hi Paul,
We’d be glad to help point you in the right direction as you research your great grandfather. Can you send some additional information, such as his last name, dates of birth or death, date of immigration to the United States, or anything else that would help identify him in the records? Once we have that, we can help you with a search in our Archival Research Catalog and provide the contact details for the Archives unit that will be best able to assist you in your search. We’d love to hear what you’ve learned as your research comes along, so consider telling us your story on the I Found It in the National Archives Tumblr page.
Thanks!
Kristen (admin)
Please correct the link in this blog post to the contest “info page”. Thank you!
Hi Marisa,
Thanks for pointing that out! We have fixed the link.
Maureen
For 30yrs I have been trying to get my brothers records and the NARA has told me the records have been lost in the 73 fire. but a little out of the way VA in Traverse city Michigan found his service number and the branch of service he enlisted in. With this information I went back to the NARA to look for his records. Again they tell me he does not exist and his records are lost. Does anyone know of a way to get someone off there duff and do a hand search? Or is my brother destine to be just a statistic of the Korea war? He is buried in an unmarked grave. SAD
Hi Philip,
We’ve passed your question on to several colleagues in the hope of getting you the most complete information possible. In the meantime, you may find the National Personnel Records Center’s web pages on the Fire of 1973 and Alternate Record Sources useful.
Sincerely,
Kristen (admin)