Thanks to your great feedback on our recent Family Tree Fridays and NARA Staff Favorite posts, we're considering introducing another specialized series here on NARAtions. This new set of posts, called Tech Tuesdays, would allow us to start a discussion about the cutting-edge technologies that are being developed across the archives field (a topic we're … Continue reading Tech Tuesdays
With records available in so many different formats these days, researchers are often faced with a choice – which indexes to use, the original microfilm and printed indexes or the newer online indexes? Both types have drawbacks. The microfilm and printed versions often have misspelled names. Also, they sometimes skip people entirely. My great grandfather’s … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Issues with Indexing
Most people have a relative or ancestor who either served in the military or fought during a specific war. Many researchers are unaware, however, that a significant distinction exists between volunteer soldiers and Regular soldiers, and that the two types of service are documented differently. Volunteers (citizen soldiers) were enlisted to serve during specific wars … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Volunteer vs. Regular Army service was documented differently.
Did your ancestor travel abroad? If your ancestor was a U.S. citizen, then he or she may have applied for a U.S. passport. The records include standard information such as the date of birth, occupation, and citizenship information. Some of the applications provide additional information that may lead to immigration or naturalization records. Some even … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Passport Applications Provide Information About Individuals
Cultural organizations sometimes get a bad rap for adopting “technology for technology’s sake.” This tends to happen when observers feel that the excitement and widespread appeal of a new product has eclipsed its actual usefulness within the scope of the organization’s existing mission and strategic plan. On the other hand, with the proper research, planning … Continue reading Question: How should NARA use Twitter?
We’ve loved reading your suggestions and comments about sharing NARA’s holdings on Flickr, and it’s been interesting to see which images people are marking as favorites. All of this got us wondering about which records NARA insiders are particularly fond of, so we asked a few of our experienced colleagues for their picks. This week’s … Continue reading NARA Staff Favorites- Online Records
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.
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?
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
One of the most requested photographs at the U.S. National Archives is an iconic photo of President Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley meeting at the White House in 1970. Recently, this photograph has become more available to the public on our online research catalog, ARC, as well as through our photostream on Flickr.com. Now anyone … Continue reading Question: Do you have a favorite NARA photograph or document? Is it already available in our catalog or on our website?
