Family Tree Friday: Land records – knowing Public from Private

In a previous blog post I mentioned how veterans could acquire homesteads via bounty land warrants they received as a benefit for military service.  Since then, I've been thinking it would be worthwhile to offer some general advice about land records at the National Archives, and more importantly to explain the distinction between public and private … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Land records – knowing Public from Private

Family Tree Friday: Were you at work? The 1940 Census employment status (Part 1)

This week's post comes from guest blogger Diane Petro, who is an Archives Technician in the Archives I Research Support Branch (RD-DC), Research Services, Archival Operations - Washington, DC.  Diane helps staff the research rooms at the National Archives Building and has also been working on reference activities relating to the upcoming 1940 Census release. … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Were you at work? The 1940 Census employment status (Part 1)

Family Tree Friday: Where is “Fred Tiffany” in an Enumeration District in the 1940 Census?

This week's post comes from guest blogger Constance Potter, who is a reference archivist at the National Archives in Research Services, Archival Operations-Washington, DC. Connie is the lead expert on reference relating to the upcoming 1940 Census release on April 2, 2012. Today we focus on the places where you can find a person in an … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Where is “Fred Tiffany” in an Enumeration District in the 1940 Census?

Family Tree Friday: Online RIPs for Military and Civilian records

The more we interact with the public, whether at national conferences or NARA-sponsored events such at the annual Genealogy Fair, the more we hear how much researchers would like to see our finding aids available online.  Well, this seems like a good opportunity to point out that two of our most popular genealogy Reference Information … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Online RIPs for Military and Civilian records

Family Tree Friday: Bounty land vs. pensions–what's the difference, anyway?

Since the beginning of the Family Tree Friday blog, we've talked a lot about pension records and indexes, but I'm not too sure we've ever mentioned or even defined that other essential and related benefit of military service, the bounty land warrant!  Pensions, of course, have been granted to veterans since the end of the … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Bounty land vs. pensions–what's the difference, anyway?

Family Tree Friday: Using the Official Register to find Federal employees

Most people who research information about relatives or ancestors who were Federal employees probably don't make enough use of government publications.  So, it might interest you to know that the Federal Government actually produced its own employee directory, the Official Register of the United States, which spans the early 19th to the mid-20th centuries (1817-1959).  … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Using the Official Register to find Federal employees

Family Tree Friday: Finding religion in Federal records…from 1926!

When you consider the vast holdings of federal records at the National Archives, what usually jumps to mind are such mainstay documents as Civil War pensions and service records, immigration passenger manifests, Congressional petitions and memorials, or homestead applications.  Certainly, the Charters of Freedom—the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights—figure prominently … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Finding religion in Federal records…from 1926!

Family Tree Friday: The National Youth Administration (1935-1943)

This week's post comes to you from guest blogger Jennifer Dryer, who works in the National Declassification Center at the National Archives.  Jennifer is completing a cross-training assignment with the Archives I Research Support Branch, where she has been working on reference relating to the upcoming 1940 Census release.  Some questions on the 1940 census … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: The National Youth Administration (1935-1943)

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 records about Union POWs

Since I introduced a lot of information about Confederate prisoners of war in my last blog post, it seemed appropriate to mention what material we also have available relating to Union POWs held in Confederate military prisons.  As you may imagine, records about Confederate prison camps are not nearly as complete as those for Union … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Confederate records about Union POWs