#DiscoverFreedmen

The National Museum of African American History and Culture recently partnered with FamilySearch, the National Archives, the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, and the California African American Museum to create a database of records of emancipated African Americans.

DiscoverFreedmen.org searches FamilySearch's collection of Freedmen's Bureau records. Established in 1865, the Freedmen's Bureau provided aid to recently emancipated slaves and poor whites in the South. The Freedmen's Bureau archives include marriage, census, land, court, school, and medical information from between 1865 and 1872. Because slaves were rarely recorded in pre-Civil War records, the Freedmen's Bureau is an excellent starting point for tracing enslaved ancestors.

 

The National Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair

The National Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair is happening today and tomorrow.

Check out the session schedule and download class handouts and you can watch the live stream on YouTube.

If you can't follow the live stream, the sessions will be archived and available for you to watch whenever you like. Follow NARA's YouTube page for more genealogy videos!

Become a Citizen Archivist!

The National Archives has created a new crowd-sourcing project to make more of their records searchable online.

Volunteers are asked to contribute to document transcriptions by becoming a Citizen Archivist. You can browse the site to see what types of documents the NARA wants to transcribe.

It's a great project and as more documents get transcribed, the easier our research becomes!

The Government Shutdown and Your Genealogy

While trying to do some research tonight, we've discovered that portions of the Library of Congress website and its digital collections are not accessible during the government shutdown. The National Archives website is still mostly accessible but the homepage has been changed and they've hidden most of their search features. Here's the direct link to the main search page. The page looks a little different but everything still works.

Also, the Great Lakes Regional Archive will be closed until the shutdown is resolved.

National Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair

On September 3-4, the National Archives will be hosting its first ever Virtual Genealogy Fair. The seminars will be available live via webcast and the recorded sessions will be made available later.

They don't have the schedule of speakers yet but topics will include: Native American and African American history, immigration, Civil War pensions, US Colored Troops, and Navy Deck logs.

Continue to check the NARA website for updates.

National Archives at Chicago

The National Archives in Chicago is another great location for a genealogical research trip.

The Regional Archives in Chicago have an extensive microfilm collection that includes:

• Federal Census Records
• Indian Census Rolls for Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota
• Naturalization Indexes
• Passenger Arrivals
• Military Service and Pension Records

The Archives also has paper records of:

• World War II Draft Cards
• Indian School Records
• Criminal, Civil, and Bankruptcy Case Files
• Farm Ownership Case Files

In addition, they store other historical records such as maps and photographs from 1800 to the 1990s for the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

It is suggested that you contact the Archives before visiting. You can also initiate research by phone, by email or by mail.

Military Records

Why not search for your ancestor's military records this Memorial Day?

Military records are important genealogical tools that can offer a wealth of information about not only the veteran but about the entire family. As well as military information, you can discover medical information, marriage, birth, and death dates, employment history, and physical descriptions. Pension records are especially interesting and can include personal family items such as letters and even pages from family bibles.

The Veteran's Service Records page on the National Archives and Records Administration site is a great place to start your search. You can search for some military records through ARC and AAD or you can request copies of military records directly from NARA. Some military records may also be available at the National Archives in Chicago.

OPA: Online Public Access

Online Public Access (OPA) allows you to search multiple National Archives resources at once.

For example, see what they have on the subject of the Tuskegee Airmen....or start a new search.

If you are not finding what you need, Ask an Archivist.

Search the word "Glenview" to see a variety of historical documents about Glenview owned by the National Archives.

Upcoming Genealogy Workshops at NARA

Telling Your Family Story -- Saturday, May 14, 2011: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM As you conduct research and locate documents, have you wondered how to share this information with family members? Staff from the Chicago-based organization History Works, Inc. will discuss ideas for telling your family's tale. From the use of free print-on-demand software to the creation of an engaging, focused storyline, History Works' hints and "tricks of the trade" are sure to inspire and impress your relatives. The cost for this workshop is $10.00 per person, payable at the door.

Using Court Records to Find Local and Family History -- Saturday, June 11, 2011: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Have you considered checking court records in your family history hunt? In this workshop, archivists from the National Archives at Chicago will give an overview of how court records can be used to uncover a wealth of information about people’s lives as well as the social, legal, and economic issues that brought them to court. The cost for this workshop is $10.00 per person, payable at the door.

All workshops will be held at the Great Lakes Regional Archive near Ford City Mall and Midway Airport, 7358 S. Pulaski Road, Chicago.

To register, send your name, e-mail address, phone number, and mailing address to Kris Maldre, Education
Specialist, at kristina.maldre@nara.gov. Upon receipt workshop registration will be confirmed via e-mail. If
you have further questions, please call: 773-948-9001.

National Archives Chicago: Updates

Visit the National Archives at Chicago's Facebook Page.

For event updates, highlights from their holdings, and rapid news stories, become a fan on Facebook. They are listed under National Archives at Chicago. Ensure you never miss out.

Highlights so far include shopping in 1945, winter fun in U.S. Forest Service photographs, and a few draft cards of people you may recognize:

In addition to the National Archives at Chicago's regular hours of 8:00 AM to 4:15 PM, Monday through Friday, the Regional Archives in Chicago is also open to the public the second Saturday of every month from 8:00 AM to 4:15 PM. Upcoming Seconnd Saturday research hours are December 12 and January 9.Researchers interested in using original historical records or microfilm held by the Regional Archives are encouraged to contact a reference archivist ahead of time by phone (773-948-9001) or email chicago.archives@nara.gov.

The National Archives at Chicago Will Be Closed Friday, December 25, and Friday, January 1.

Prologue Magazine

The Spring issue of Prologue Magazine, published by the National Archives, highlights the move of the Kansas City National Archives into a new location in downtown Kansas City, MO, near historic Union Station. A history / genealogy fair will be part of the festivities.

One of 13 Regional Archives, the National Archives at Kansas City will hold Federal records from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, along with select material from Minnesota and the Dakotas. If you had family in any of these locations, it would be worth your while to establish a relartionshuip with ther National Archives of Kanasas City.

Among its holdings are original records of the U.S. District Courts, U.S. Attorneys, Bureau of Prisons, Steamboat Inspection Service, Bureau of Indians Affairs, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, National Parks Service, and microfilm publications of many of the nation's most significant records.

Temporary closure of NARA-Great Lakes Microfilm Room

Due to ongoing renovation projects, the microfilm research room at the National Archives-Great Lakes Region in Chicago will be closed on Wednesday, March 25. The room will re-open on Thursday, March 26. We regret the short notice for this announcement.

In order to bring the Regional Archives into compliance with updated security guidelines, we will need to be closed again in the future to complete several remaining renovation projects. The first phase of this project has been completed, but additional work is continuing, often on short notice. If you are planning to conduct research at the National Archives-Great Lakes Region in the near future, please contact us by phone (773-948-9001) or email (chicago.archives@nara.gov ) prior to your visit to ensure that the research room will be open on the day you will be visiting.

Douglas A. BickneseRegional Archives DirectorNational Archives and Records Administration-Great Lakes Region7358 S. Pulaski Rd.Chicago, IL 60629-5898(773) 948-9009douglas.bicknese@nara.gov

Saturdays at the Great Lakes Regional Archives

Upcoming "Second Saturday" Research Hours: Saturday, March 14 and Saturday, April 11.

In addition to the National Archives-Great Lakes Region's regular hours of 8:00 AM to 4:15 PM Monday through Friday, the Regional Archives in Chicago is also open to the public the second Saturday of every month from 8:00 AM to 4:15 PM. Researchers interested in using original historical records or microfilm held by the Regional Archives are encouraged to contact a reference archivist ahead of time by phone (773-948-9001) or email (chicago.archives@nara.gov ).

If you are researching Naturalization records for your ancestors, this is a good place to go.

If you are new t o genealogical research, read the helpful Beginners' Guide provided by the National Archives.

Access to Archival Databases at the National Archives

Are you researching genealogy or personal history involving casualties, civilians, military personnel, passenger lists, or prisoners of war? You can search through these and other categories on the National Archives website's Access to Archival Databases page.

Fill in the search box under the green "Search AAD" bar, and click on the "Seacch" button.

In the results list, locate the record group, click on "view records," scroll down to the specific record, and click "view record."