Ancestry Magazine

On 28 July 1856, sixteen-year-old Peter Conover Hains wrote to the Governor of New Jersey and others seeking en-dorsements and influence for his application to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point: “I, who thus address myself to you, am yet a boy. A boy just entering upon the waves of for-tune. It has been the lot of me to be of humble origin. . . I have been enabled to acquire a common education, but a com-mon education does not satisfy the obligations to myself . . . you will please excuse my boldness in writing to you, as I have never so much as seen you, but this is an occasion that requires immediate assistance . . .”Hains’s letter might not be quite the type of document you’d expect to find in a U.S. federal records collection, but that’s exactly where Sandra MacLean Clunies found this letter—in the U.S. Military Academy Cadet Application Papers, 1805–66, housed at the United States National Archives and Records Admin-i-stration (NARA). Not only do the holdings of NARA cover hundreds of years of history and millions of records, they also include some special information on average Joes—people like Hains. The collection is extensive: thousands and thousands of rolls of microfilm have been produced from records at NARA. NARA itself estimates that the pages in its holding could circle the earth fifty-seven times. And a lot of the resources are still virtually untapped by family researchers. In my own experience, I regularly come across detailed records pertaining to people I’m not related to, and I wonder if that person’s descendants have seen these records or if they even know these records exist.

NARA Background
NARA houses federal government records from a multitude of agencies. Established in 1934, NARA holds an extensive collection of records dating back to the eighteenth century, although not every document created by or pertaining to the federal government is there.Records held by NARA include federal censuses, military pension and service records, passenger arrival records, and homestead records, as well as some more unique records such as military headstone applications, bounty land warrants, Bureau of Indian Affairs records, Freedman’s Bureau records, border crossing records, federal court pro-ceedings, naturalizations, Coast Guard records, and bankruptcy proceedings.How does that translate to your ancestors? NARA may be able to provide you with an ancestor’s full name, place of birth, the names of your ancestor’s parents, place of marriage, names of children, medical conditions, places lived, types of homes purchased, and possibly even a physical description of your ancestor.

Accessing Records
There are thousands of rolls of microfilmed records available at NARA facilities nationwide, including Archives I
in Washington, D.C.; Archives II in Col-lege Park, Maryland; the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis; the various Presidential Libraries; and regional NARA branches. Details about the centers can be found on the NARA website.Some of the most popular genealogy-related records, like the federal censuses, early military records, and passenger arrival information, are available at most of the locations. Each facility also houses film of particular interest to the area it serves.Other places to look for NARA microfilms include Ancestry.com, the Family History Library, local Family History Centers, and other major historical and genealogical libraries.

Feel of Real Documents
As much as I am thankful for (and would not give up) microfilmed and online records and indexes, the thrill of touching an original record related to an ancestor has special meaning for me.I have been known to shed a few tears when reading about a family member in a record I was holding. I even groaned when I saw my great-great-grandfather’s Civil War pension record that noted his reason for discharge—not a battle injury, but an injury resulting from a steer falling on him while he was butchering it.Nurturing Ancestral Stories
Genealogist Amy Johnson Crow notes the importance of checking all records. “The 1930 census has a special place in my heart. My maternal grandparents, Ralph and Della (Starkey) Ramsey, were married in 1929. In 1930, they were enumerated in Hopewell Township, Perry County, Ohio. Grandma died in 1938 of complications from a pregnancy. Although the 1930 census did not tell me anything ‘genealogical’ that I didn’t already know, it is the only census in which my grandparents are enumerated as husband and wife and serves as a record of their brief life together.”A Civil War military pension request gave Joe Brickey a copy of her great-grandfather’s signature, as well as the signature of her great-grandfather’s son-in-law. Brickey gained insight into the life of her great-grandfather by reading the request itself:“Kindly send me necessary papers to apply for increase in my pension, I am at present drawing $30.00 per month and as I am eighty-six years old am unable to properly take care of my wife who is yet living and myself on this amount, I am unable to do any kind of work at all and would appreciate it if you will kindly mail proper papers for making application for increase in pension.”

Preparing to Visit
There are a number of things you should do in advance to maximize your visit to a NARA facility. Start by using the NARA website to brush up on rules, guidelines, finding aids, and hours. The NARA website will also give you general information about the archives and its holdings and details such as ordering information, online editions of NARA catalogs, and other finding aids. You can also benefit by asking other researchers for advice and attending lectures regarding NARA records at genealogical seminars. You should review NARA publications including full-length guidebooks, inventories, special lists, informational booklets, and descriptive pamphlets (see Suggested Reading for recommended publications from NARA and other publishers).NARA facilities offer on-site lectures regarding a variety of federal record topics. Some of the lectures are taught by NARA staff; other lectures are given by researchers familiar with the facility. For a schedule, visit www.archives.gov/calendar.

Emotional Reunions
And finally, be prepared for emotional discoveries. Wal ter V. Hickey, an Archives Specialist at NARA Northeast Region, knows all too well how finding a record can affect a family historian. One day, Hickey was working with two sisters who were searching for the passenger manifest containing information about their mother, aunts, and grandmother, all of whom arrived in New York in 1913. The sisters pored through the microfilmed index to New York arrivals until it was closing time.As they prepared to leave, Hickey asked the women if they had been successful. One of the sisters excitedly replied, “We think we’ve found her card, but it’s too late today.” Hickey looked at the card, knew that the records could be found within moments, and said that if they wanted to see the record right then it would be no problem. He found the film and stopped at the cited page. Then he heard gasps and sobbing—both sisters were in tears. “That’s Momma,” one of the sisters said. Neither of the women had any idea that they would, or could, be so affected by a single record. Hickey, however, knew otherwise. He was prepared with a box of tissues.Remember, there is no single approach that will lead to successful online genealogy research. Be open to all possibilities, and in no time you will have more information than you ever thought possible.

• The Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States. 3 vol. NARA, 1996.
• Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives. 3d ed. NARA, 2001.
• Prologue. The quarterly journal of NARA.
• Szucs, Loretto, and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. The Archives: A Guide to the National Archives Field Branches. Ancestry, 1988.