Have you ever had an immigrant ancestor whose name appeared to change after they came to America? It was a very common occurrence, but the popular perception is that U.S. immigration officials deliberately changed a person's name if they couldn't understand the verbal information relayed to them by the immigrant. In fact, this is one … Continue reading Family History Friday: The real scoop about name changes in immigration records.
Category: Genealogy / Family History
Question: What’s the biggest dead-end you ever hit in your research where you suddenly, unexpectedly found a way forward?
It happens to all of us. You follow one lead after another, following a thread of information that seems to link your months, or even years, of research together. Then, suddenly, the thread is gone. What do you do then? For many, this is a dead-end; all that time spent working on a topic has … Continue reading Question: What’s the biggest dead-end you ever hit in your research where you suddenly, unexpectedly found a way forward?
Family History Friday: Expect the Unexpected
Everybody starts researching their family history with the expectation of finding out about their ancestors. Researchers are usually looking for such information as the names of previously unknown ancestors or immigration and naturalization dates. Sometimes, however, they get more than they bargained for. Take, for example, this census record. In 1870, Maggie Taylor and Jennie … Continue reading Family History Friday: Expect the Unexpected
Family History Friday: Seamen's protection certificates served as an early mariner's passport.
Customs records at the National Archives often provide interesting glimpses of personal information about our seafaring ancestors. The occupational hazards of the maritime trade after the Revolutionary War, especially the threat of Impressment by the British, caused many American sailors to purchase seamen's protection certificates, such as the one pictured here that was issued to … Continue reading Family History Friday: Seamen's protection certificates served as an early mariner's passport.
Family Tree Friday: More Unexpected Finds in Military Pensions
Last week John showed you an example of an unusual find in a pension record – a Fraktur which was used by a widow or other dependent to prove their relationship to a deceased soldier – and asked if anyone had found anything else unusual or revealing. Even more "typical" documents can reveal a lot of … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: More Unexpected Finds in Military Pensions
Family Tree Friday: Military pension records can hold unexpected surprises!
Military pensions often contain valuable documents regarding family. Veterans who applied for such benefits often had to prove their military service, using affidavits from officers and fellow soldiers, or letters and journals written in the field. Widows and dependents had to prove their relationship to the deceased soldier. Many personal or family documents often, and … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Military pension records can hold unexpected surprises!
Family Tree Friday: How did your ancestors interact with the federal government?
Family research at the National Archives centers on the use of federal records. To start the process, we always advise researchers to first consider how their ancestors may have come into contact with the federal government during the course of their daily lives. If your great-grandparents purchased a homestead in Nebraska, they probably filed an application … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: How did your ancestors interact with the federal government?
Introducing Family Tree Fridays
We are happy to announce that we are going to start having posts on Fridays that are related to family history and genealogy research -- with an emphasis on online research and access. John and Katherine will be joining our team of bloggers, and they plan to take turns posting. Look for the first post … Continue reading Introducing Family Tree Fridays
Free NARA Documents on Footnote.com
Are you looking for documents by the Continental Congress, court records related to the Amistad, details on the assassination of President Lincoln, or FBI investigative case files from World War I? You now have ready access to documents like these, which capture important American ideals and events that have shaped our country. More than 20 … Continue reading Free NARA Documents on Footnote.com
Question: What are your favorite biographical resources, online or in print?
What are your favorite sources for looking up biographies? Do you have a favorite site online, or do you swear by a particular print source? We're in the very early stages of planning a wiki for the National Archives and have recently been considering including a biography section on the site. Our tentative plan is … Continue reading Question: What are your favorite biographical resources, online or in print?