Did you know that Post Office records are useful for genealogical research? These records are often overlooked by beginning genealogists, but if your family was associated with the Post Office, they can provide some interesting information. Some of my favorite records in this record group are the records of appointments of postmasters. There are two … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Post Office Records
In honor of Veterans Day, today's blog post comes from Nathan Jordan, an Archives Technician at the National Archives at Atlanta. Nathan recently presented his family's history of military service using resources from the National Archives. Greetings from Atlanta! Thanks for allowing me to blog in honor of Veterans Day. When I began working as … Continue reading What did you do in the war, Grandpa?
Since we've been highlighting special fighting units that served in various wars, I thought I would mention a group I'm sure many people have probably heard about (even if you're not exactly sure who they are): the Galvanized Yankees. These men were former Confederate prisoners of war who opted to enlist in the Union Army to … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Fighting both sides in the Civil War
Last time I talked about the 1798 Direct Tax. This time, I want to talk about tax assessments during the Civil War. With the passage of the Internal Revenue Act on July 1, 1862 (12 Stat. 432), Congress authorized the collection of monthly and annual taxes on goods and services, licenses, income, and personal property. … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: More on Tax Records at the National Archives
There have been numerous posts on the NARAtions blog about people who have immigrated to the United States and how to locate their records, but what if you have ancestors who emigrated from the United States? In this two part series, we’ll look at two unique series of records from the National Archives at Philadelphia … Continue reading NARA Coast to Coast: Emigration Records at the National Archives at Philadelphia, Part 1
Continuing on the theme of (unusually-named) specialty units that served in the U.S. military, this time we look at the artificers who supported the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Simply put, artificers were skilled artisans and mechanics who kept military equipment in good working order so the troops could operate effectively. They typically served … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Artificers in the Revolutionary War
This week's Family Tree Friday post comes from guest blogger Theresa Fitzgerald from the National Archives at St. Louis. Theresa shows us the wealth of genealogical information available within the National Personnel Records Center! There’s often one question when beginning one’s family tree: Where do I begin? Many start with their own family collection of … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Building Your Family Tree with Military and Civilian Personnel Records
In my last post, I talked about the Sea Fencibles, a unique fighting unit from the War of 1812. I thought it would be interesting to continue that trend, moving on this time to introduce the Regiment of U.S. Voltigeurs and Foot Riflemen from the Mexican War. Voltigeurs, you may ask?!? What in the world … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: U.S. Voltigeurs in the Mexican War
Today, guest blogger Theresa Fitzgerald from the National Archives at St. Louis has written a special NARA Coast-to-Coast post sharing some recent discoveries in World War I era military records. On July 12, 1973 a fire engulfed the sixth floor of the Military Personnel Records Center. This event destroyed 80% of all Army personnel records with discharge dates between November … Continue reading NARA Coast to Coast: "Pay Day" for Some World War I Military Personnel Records
Did you know that the first federal direct tax was in 1798? This was a tax on real property (real estate or land) and slaves which was levied as a response to rising military tensions with France. Sometimes called the “Glass Tax” (referring to glass window panes, which indicated wealth), the records consist of various … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Tax Records at the National Archives
