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"Along Those Lines ..."
by George G. Morgan Click Here
for George Morgan's Archive
| The Forms Needed to Order Records from the National Archives |
The National Archives is the repository for many of the historical treasures of the United States. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are just a few of the historic documents in possession of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). But there are many, many more documents in their possession -- documents that can help you with your genealogical research. In order to access the other documents, you need to know what NARA has and how to obtain copies. This week we're going to address four types of records that you can obtain from the National Archives and the forms you need to complete to get the copies. Census Records NARA can provide copies of specifically identified pages of the Federal census records for the years 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910 and 1920. What that means is that you must use some sort of census index or finding aid and provide NARA with: the census year, the state and county, the name of the individual listed, and the page number. In addition, for the 1880, 1900, 1910 and 1920 censuses, you must also include the enumeration district. Many libraries with genealogical collections and many LDS Family History Centers have copies of census indexes or other finding aids that can help you identify this information. Once you have the details described above, you need to complete a form provided by NARA. The form you need is NATF Form 82. The form has complete instructions for how to complete it and where to send it. Completed forms should be sent to:
(I'll tell you later how to obtain the forms and how to pay for the copies.) Veterans Records If you're looking for military records for veterans of wars prior to World War I or II and all subsequent records, NARA has most of them. These include a number of types. However, a pension file (if a pension was applied for) usually contains the most genealogically significant and useful records. So, if you're looking for Revolutionary War ancestors, War of 1812 ancestors, ancestors who fought for the Union or the Confederacy, you should try to order records from NARA. You will need to supply the following minimum information: the veteran's name, the branch of service in which he served (Army, Navy, or Marine Corps.), the state from which he served, the war in which he served (or service dates), and if the service was in the Civil War, whether he served in the Union or Confederate army. In addition, if you know what unit he served in, whether the unit was infantry, cavalry, or artillery, his rank, date of birth, date of death, and any residence where the veteran lived after service -- all these items help the NARA researcher more accurately identify the correct file and get the right records for you. Remember, there were many John Smiths! In order to obtain copies of these records, the form you need is a NATF Form 80. Completed forms should be sent to:
Ship Passenger Arrival Records Perhaps the most difficult research many of us will ever do is to locate the ship on which our ancestors arrived. The earlier the arrival, the more difficult it can be to locate the records. This is because older records were processed and filed at or near the port of entry. Sometimes the records were destroyed by fire, lost, or disintegrated from age and humidity. Therefore, not all the records made it to the National Archives. NARA has inbound Federal ship passenger arrival records dating back to 1820 for most east coast and gulf coast ports, and some additional records for arrivals at Philadelphia to 1800. NARA's collection is by no means complete. NARA researchers can search the major indexes for Baltimore (1820-1952), Boston (1848-1891 and 1902-1920), New Orleans (1853-1952), New York (1820-1846 and 1897-1948), Philadelphia (1800-1948), and some minor ports (1820-1874 and 1890-1924). Please note that New York's records for 1847-1896 and 1948 to present do not exist.) In order for researchers to locate records in these indexed lists, you must provide: the full name of the passenger, the port of entry, and the approximate date of arrival. There are unindexed records at NARA as well. In order for research to be done, you must provide all of the above items, plus the name of the vessel. If you have the following information as well, it will aid the researcher in locating the correct record: the port of embarkation, the port of entry, the exact date of arrival, and the names and ages of any accompanying passengers. To obtain a copy for the ship passenger arrival records, you will need the NARA Form 81. Completed forms should be sent to:
Land Entry Records NARA has custody of the land record files for military bounty land warrants and for land entries such as cash, credit, homestead and mineral filings. These are the records for all the Federal public domain states. (Public domain states are all states other than the original 13 colonies and Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maine, West Virginia, Texas and Hawaii.) At a minimum, you must provide the following information in order for the research to locate the records for you: the name of the entryman (person filing), the state in which the land was located, and the approximate date of entry. If you have additional information, such as the legal description of the land, document numbers, and the name of the land office, this will make the search easier for the researcher and will better guarantee a successful search. Bounty land warrant year, acreage and warrant number help for bounty land file searches. To obtain a copy of the land entry records, you will need the NARA Form 84. Completed forms should be sent to:
Obtaining the Forms There is no cost for the forms. To obtain forms, you can write to NARA at:
Indicate the form number (from the descriptions above) and the quantity of each form. You can also request the forms via E-mail. Follow the instructions below:
* Requests which do not contain the word "form" in the subject line get routed differently and take more time to process. Paying for Copies You have two options to pay for the copies. You can have NARA locate the records and then bill you. You must send payment to them and they will then send the record copies. You may also provide credit card information on the form itself. This will expedite your inquiry. Summing It Up There certainly are many, many other materials in the possession of the National Archives. This column couldn't possible detail all the record types and the forms for everything. Rather, if you haven't explored their Web site, I urge you to do so. You can access it at: Here you will find descriptions of their holdings, special exhibits of collections they own, genealogy "how-to" information, and access to their great prototype database called NAIL -- the National Archival Information Locator. Write for forms, read the instructions, and see if there might be information at NARA about your ancestors that can help your research. Happy hunting! George Click Here for George Morgan's Archive
Copyright 1998 George G. Morgan All Rights reserved "Along Those Lines ..." is a weekly feature of the Genealogy Forum on America Online (Keyword: ROOTS). This column originally appeared in the Genealogy Forum on America Online. You may send E-mail alonglines@aol.com. George Morgan would like |