Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States

426 Pages·2000·76.62 MB·English

by  Anne Bruner Eales

Genealogical
Research
IN THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UNITED STATES
THIRD EDITION
Edited by
ANNE BRUNER EALE & ROBERT M. KVAS ICKA
National Archive and Records Admini tration
Washington, DC
2000
PUBLI 'HED FOR THE ATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
lff THE ATIONAL ARCHIVES TRUST FUND BOARD
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
United States. National Archives and Records Administration.
Guide to genealogical research in the National Archives/edited by Anne Bruner Eales
and Robert M. Kvasnicka.- 3rd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical reference and index.
ISBN 1-880875-21-7
1. United States-Genealogy-Bibliography-Catalogs. 2. Registers of births,
etc.-United States-Bibliography-Catalogs. 3. United States. National Archives and
Records Administration-Catalogs. I. Eales, Anne Bruner. II. Kvasnicka, Robert M.,
1935- III. Title
Z5313.U5 U54 2000
[CS68]
016.929'1'072073-dc21
00-055905
DESIGNED BY JANICE HARGETT, NATIONAL ARCHIVE
PREFACE vii
INTRODUCTION 1
SECTION A Population and Immigration
Chapter 1 Census Records 13
Chapter 2 Passenger Arrivals and Border Crossings 49
Chapter 3 Naturalization Records 85
SECTION B Military Records
Chapter 4 Records of the Regular Army 109
Chapter 5 Service Records of Volunteers 125
Chapter 6 Naval and Marine Service Records 153
Chapter 7 Pension Records 167
Chapter 8 Bounty Land Warrant Records 179
Chapter 9 Other Records Relating to Military Service 189
SECTION C Records Relating to Particular Groups
Chapter 10 Records of Civilians During Wartime 199
Chapter 11 Records of Native Americans 211
Chapter 12 Records of African Americans 237
Chapter 13 Records of Merchant Seamen 257
Chapter 14 Records of Civilian Government Employees 269
SECTION D Otber Useful Records
Chapter 15 Land Records 285
Chapter 16 Claims Records 305
Chapter 17 Records of the District of Columbia 317
Chapter 18 Miscellaneous Records 327
Chapter 19 Cartographic Records 339
APPENDIX 1 List of Record Groups Cited 351
APPENDIX 2 List of Microform Publications Cited 353
INDEX 381
iii

1 NARA's Regional Archives 7
2 Checklist of National Archives Publications Relating to Census Records 19
3 Available Immigration Records 66
4 Immigration Records Destroyed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service
Prior to Preservation on Microfilm 79
5 Microfilm Publications of Regular Army Returns 117
6 Selected Genealogical Research Aids: Revolutionary War 129
7 Selected Genealogical Research Aids: War of 1812 137
8 Microfilmed Indexes to Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteers During
the Indian Wars 138
9 Microfilmed Indexes and Compiled Military Service Records for Union Army
Volunteers 140
10 Selected Genealogical Research Aids: Civil War-Union 142
11 Microfilmed Indexes and Compiled Military Service for Confederate Army
Volunteers 145
12 Selected Genealogical Research Aids: Civil War-Confederate 147
13 Selected Genealogical Research Aids: Spanish-American War and Philippine
Insurrection 149
14 Selected Genealogical Research Aids: U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps 163
15 Branches of the National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers 192
16 Bureau of Indian Affairs Field Office Records 231
17 Microfilmed Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records 245
18 Abstracts of Seamen's Protection Certificates 263
19 Crew Lists on Microfilm 265
20 Microfilmed State Department Letters of Application and Recommendation 272
21 Microfilmed Interior Department Appointment Papers 275
22 Public Land States 287
23 Lists of Private Claims Brought Before Congress 307
24 Microfilmed Internal Revenue Assessment Lists for the Civil War Period 335
25 Checklists of National Archives Publications Relating to Cartographic Records 348
v

The fascination of family history has spread across To help researchers, we prepare various kinds of
America. Millions of individuals are now tracing their finding aids that describe the nature and content of
ancestry, and we at the National Archives and Records Federal records. For example, the Guide to Federal
Administration (NARA) work hard to be of help. One Records in the National Archives of the United States
major result is this new edition of the Guide to 0995), available in print or on the NARA web site at
Genealogical Records in the National Archives. www.nara.gov, gives a broad picture of the materials
Part of the interest of this guide, however, is in what in our custody. Popular older guides include A Guide
it reveals about us. The National Archives is often to Federal Records Relating to the Civil War and A
thought of as the place that displays the Declaration Guide to the Archives of the Confederate States of
of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of America, both of which were reprinted in 1998.
Rights. Thousands of people come yearly to see those This publication, Guide to Genealogical Research in
great Charters of Freedom in the Rotunda of our orig the National Archives, supersedes the 1985 edition. A
inal building. But our holdings are now housed in complete revision and enlargement, this new guide
more than 30 buildings across the country, from covers records not described in the earlier version and
Washington, DC, to the West Coast, and from Atlanta includes references to information available through
to Anchorage, where we preserve and provide access the NARA web site. This guide also contains illustra
to literally billions of paper records, along with pho tions and photographs, citations to many new and
tographs, films, audio and video tapes, drawings, previously cited microfilm publications, and expanded
blueprints, museum objects, and-increasingly and clarified descriptions of the relevant records held
computer-generated records. by the National Archives and Records Administration.
Genealogists know this because they find useful Many NARA staff members contributed to this re
records in our regional as well as our Washington, DC, vision by evaluating and verifying descriptions of
area archives, and the treasures they find are less in records, compiling new information, reviewing text,
the celebrated historical documents than in our thou and designing and printing the final product. Special
sands of pension files, passenger lists, census records, thanks are due to Margaret Adams, Eileen Bolger, Eric
and other materials that shed light on the lives of the Bittner, John Butler, Stuart Butler, Tod Butler, John
humble as well as the renowned, the immigrant as Celardo, Suzanne Dewberry, Diana Duff, Robert Ellis,
well as the early settler, and those who came in Sandra Glasser, Milton Gustafson, Janice Hargett,
bondage as well as those who sought a freer, better Suzanne Harris, Mary Ann Hawkins, Walter Hickey,
life. We display the Charters of Freedom because they Walter Hill, Donald Jackanicz, Joyce Justice, Susan
created a government for "We the People." We pre Karren, Brenda Kepley, Maureen MacDonald, Michael
serve many other historical records because they doc Meier, Mary Frances Morrow, Dan Nealand, Diane
ument who "we the people" were and are. And every Nixon, Jean Nudd, Kathleen O'Connor, James Owens,
day, family historians flock to our research rooms, Bruce Parham, Alan Perry, Michael Pilgrim, Claire
use our microfilm publications, and explore our Prechtel-Kluskens, Trevor Plante, Constance Potter,
online resources to find out. Charles Reeves, Barbara Rust, Ronnie Saunders,
NARA is the nation's recordkeeper, safeguarding Richard Smith, Sharon Thibodeau, John Vandereedt,
records of all three branches of the Federal Govern Rebecca Warlow, Reginald Washington, Thomas Wilt
ment. Our mission is to provide ready access to essen sey, and Mitchell Yockelson. Susan Carroll prepared
tial evidence that documents the rights, identities, and the index. By explaining the research potential of
entitlements of citizens; the actions for which Federal genealogical materials in the National Archives of the
officials are responsible; and the national experience. United States, the cooperative effort of these indivi
NARA meets an almost unlimited range of information duals makes this guide a valuable resource for family
needs, ensuring access to records on which both the historians.
credibility of government and the accuracy of history
depend. JOHN W. CARLIN
Archivist of the United States
vii