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welcome back to the ancestral findings podcast the national archives can be one of the best places to use when you are trying to move family history research beyond names dates and family stories it holds federal records which can place an ancestor within the larger work of the united states government that may include military service pensions immigration naturalization federal land federal court cases census schedules native american agency records federal employment maps photographs and other records created by federal offices at the same time the national archives can be hard to use if you begin without a plan it is not one large family tree website it is not a county courthouse it is not a state vital records office it is a federal records repository and many of its records are arranged by agency records group location court military unit file number date or subject that is why the best question is not can i find my ancestor at the national archives a better question is what federal record might have been created because of something my ancestor did the national archives recommends beginning with what you already know then working toward what you do not know that means you should gather names dates places family members and known events before you start searching deeper into federal records before you begin write down the four details most likely to guide your search your ancestors full name and possible spellings the place where the event happened the approximate year or time period the type of federal record you're trying to find those four details can save you a lot of time a name by itself is rarely enough the national archives works best when you search with a person place date range and record type in mind what am i trying to find start with one clear research question do not begin with a broad goal such as i want to find everything about my great grandfather that sounds useful but it gives you no clear path the national archives has millions of records and not all of them are searchable by name a better research question would be did my ancestors serve in the civil war did my ancestor apply for a military pension when did my immigrant ancestor arrive in the united states did my ancestor become a naturalized citizen did my ancestor receive federal land was my ancestor involved in a federal court case did my ancestor work for the federal government was my ancestor listed in a special census schedule a clear question tells you where to look it also helps you avoid wasting time in the wrong collection for example if you want to know whether your ancestor served in the union army you would look for military service and pension records if you want to know whether your ancestor bought federal land you would look in the land records if you want to know when someone became a citizen you would look toward naturalization records and the right court may be just as important as the person's name is this a federal record this is one of the most important questions to ask the national archives holds federal records it does not hold every local birth certificate marriage record death certificate deed probate file cemetery record church register or county tax list many family history records are local or state records those may be held county courthouses state archives state vital records offices churches local libraries historical societies cemetery offices town clerks here's a useful way to think about where records are usually found the national archives is the place to look for many federal records these can include federal census records military service records military pension files passenger arrival records federal land records naturalization records from federal courts federal court records native american agency records and federal employee records other records are usually found at the state county church cemetery or local level these may include county marriage records church baptism records county probate files cemetery office records local deeds state vital records local tax records funeral home records and local school records so when you're planning your research ask yourself what level of government or organization created the record if the federal government created it the national archives may be the right place to search if a county church cemetery school or local office created it you'll usually need to look somewhere else there can be exceptions for example some naturalization records may have been created in local state or federal courts depending on the time period and location still the main question remains the same did your ancestors life connect with the federal government in a way that may have created a federal record if the answer is yes the national archives may be the right place to search do i have enough information to identify the right person a name alone is usually not enough many people shared the same name even uncommon names can appear in unexpected places names were also misspelled shortened translated anglicized or written down by someone who only wrote what he heard before using the national archives gather as much identifying information as you can look for the full name nicknames initials spelling variations approximate birth year approximate death year places lived county and state spouse's name children's names parents names military unit immigration year country of origin naturalization location land office occupation and known associates this information helps you separate one person from another for example if you search for william johnson in military records you may find many men with that name but if you know your william johnson lived in claremont county ohio was born about eighteen forty had a wife named sarah and served in an ohio infantry unit your search becomes much stronger the goal is not just to find a name the goal is to prove that the record belongs to your ancestor what time period am i researching the time period shapes the entire search a revolutionary war pension file is not searched the same way as a world war one draft registration a naturalization record from the eighteen fifties is not the same as a naturalization record from the nineteen twenties a federal census from eighteen fifty contains different information than one from nineteen hundred or nineteen forty ask when your ancestor was born ask when the event happened ask whether the event took place before or after a major law or record keeping change ask whether the person was old enough to serve immigrate own land or file a claim ask whether the person was still alive when the record was created also ask whether the record could have been filed by a widow child heir or legal representative military research is a good example military records are divided by time period and type different records may be held in different places depending on service dates so don't only ask was my ancestor in the military ask which war which branch which unit and which time period where did the event happen place is just as important as time for many records the county and state are more useful than the state alone some federal records are arranged by district port court land office military unit agency or region passenger arrival records depend on the port of arrival naturalization records may vary by court federal land records may vary by land office federal court records vary by district military records may vary by unit native american records may depend on agency tribe reservation or jurisdiction draft records may depend on local boards if you only know pennsylvania that may not be enough try to narrow the location to a county city township court district port or land office build a location timeline before you search use census records city directories deeds obituaries cemetery records church records and local histories to place the ancestor in the right area at the right time have i checked easier sources first the national archives does not always need to be your first stop many federal records have been indexed or digitized by genealogy websites including national archives digitization partners before going deeper into the national archives catalog or planning a visit check easier sources first these may include familysearch ancestry fold three myheritage newspapers state archives websites local library databases county genealogy websites historical society collections published indexes digitized books cemetery websites and local courthouse indexes these sources can give you the clue you need for example a pension index may provide an application number a naturalization index may provide a court name a passenger list index may give a ship name and arrival date those details can help you find or request the correct national archives record am i searching for a person or a record system this is where many people get frustrated they type an ancestor's name into the national archives catalog and find nothing then they assume the national archives has no record of that person that may not be true the catalog contains descriptions of records held by the national archives it is not always in every name index many descriptions are for groups or series of records rather than for every person named inside them your ancestor may be inside a file even if the catalog description does not include that ancestor's name that means you may need to search the record system rather than just the person instead of searching only for john h miller try searches connected to the record type search for civil war pension files bounty land naturalization records passenger lists federal court bankruptcy land entry files military service records draft registration or indian agency records you may also need to search by place try searches such as hamilton county ohio naturalization records port of new york passenger arrivals ohio civil war infantry records kansas land entry files or federal court in cincinnati bankruptcy records the search becomes stronger when you think in terms of record type place time period and agency which national archives tool should i use the national archives website includes several tools and research paths they are not all the same the main genealogy pages provide guides and links to common family history records the national archives catalog describes records and includes some digitized material the microfilm catalog helps identify microfilm publications access to archival databases often called aad contain selected electronic records some databases are available for free at national archives facilities ask yourself what you need do you need a research guide do you need a digitized image do you need a description of a record series do you need a microfilm publication number do you need an electronic database do you need to know which facility holds the record do you need to order copies do you need to plan an in person visit using the wrong tool can make it look like the record does not exist using the right tool gives you a clearer path could the record be digitized somewhere else yes and this is worth checking many national archives records have been digitized by partner websites some are free some are on subscription websites some are available for free when used in national archives research rooms that means the record you need may not require a trip it may already be online through a partner site through the national archives catalog or through another database before you plan a visit or order copies search for the person's name spouse's name military unit court name ship name port land office file number record type county and state if you find an index entry save it even if the image is not available there the index may provide the information you need to locate the full file do i understand why the record was created every record had a purpose a military pension file was created to support a benefits claim a passenger list was created to record an arrival a census was created as a government count a naturalization record was created as part of the citizenship process a land entry file was created because someone dealt with federal land understanding the purpose helps you understand what the record can prove ask who created the record ask why it was created ask who supplied the information ask whether the information was first hand or second hand ask whether the person giving information was under oath ask whether the record was copied from another record ask whether the clerk could have made an error also ask whether the person had a reason to change an age name birthplace or date this is especially important with pension files court records and naturalization records these records can contain rich details but they also need careful reading a pension file may include marriage details death information affidavits from neighbors medical statements family bible pages or letters it may also include conflicting dates or spellings that does not make it useless it means you need to compare each statement with other evidence what name variations should i search before searching make a list of possible name variations search spelling variations initials nicknames translated names and shortened forms clerks wrote what they heard families changed spellings immigrants sometimes used different forms of their names across records elizabeth may appear as eliza lizzie betty bess or beth johann may appear as john margaret may appear as maggie margares or peggy a surname may shift between german polish irish italian french spanish or anglicized spellings also search with and without middle initials a man may appear as james carter in one record jh carter in another and james h carter in another do not stop after one spelling try several have you built a timeline a timeline is one of the best tools you can use before searching the national archives write down known events in order include birth marriage children's births residences military service immigration naturalization land ownership court involvement occupation death and burial then look for gaps and questions if your ancestor was born in eighteen forty two lived in ohio in eighteen sixty and disappeared until eighteen sixty six military records may be worth checking if your ancestor was born in ireland and first appears in new york in eighteen eighty passenger arrival and naturalization records may help if your ancestor lived in a federal land state land records may be useful a timeline also protects you from attaching the wrong record to the wrong person if the record was created in eighteen ninety five but your ancestor died in eighteen seventy two the record cannot belong to him unless it was created by a widow heir dependent or a state representative if the person in the record lived in a different state at the same time your ancestor was documented elsewhere be careful do not search the national archives only by your ancestor's name many records are arranged by record type agency place court military unit file number land office port or date range your ancestor may appear in the records even when the catalog does not show that person's name a better approach is to search for the record type first then narrow by place date and identifying details should i contact the national archives before visiting yes if you are planning an in person research trip contact the correct national archives location before you go each location holds different groups of records so confirm that the documents or microfilm you need are at the location you plan to visit that advice can save a wasted trip before visiting ask which facility holds the records ask whether the records are open to the public ask whether they are original records microfilm or digital images ask whether you need a researcher card ask whether you can request records in advance ask whether there are limits on what you can bring into the research room ask whether you can use a camera ask whether appointments are required ask whether the hours are current also ask whether there are federal holiday closures some records may be off site some may have preservation limits some may not be pulled the same day some may be available online which means you may not need to travel at all always check before you go can i order copies instead of visiting in many cases yes some records can be ordered from the national archives others may require a visit a hired researcher or a request to a specific facility the process depends on the record type before ordering gather as much detail as possible include the full name date range place military unit pension application number certificate number court name case number land description ship name port agency record group and file number the more detail you provide the better your chances of getting the correct file do not assume that every copy request produces a full file some requests may return selected documents some records may need special handling some may already be digitized through a partner site or the catalog are there access limits some records have access restrictions especially more recent records older genealogical records are often open but twentieth century records may be subject to privacy rules military personnel files medical records federal employment files and other personal records may require proof of death next of kin status or other documentation ask whether the person is deceased ask how recent the record is ask whether you are the next of kin ask whether proof of death is required ask whether the file is fully open ask whether only part of the file can be released also ask whether the record contains sensitive information if the record is recent check the access rules before you spend time searching or ordering have i considered less obvious records the national archives contains more than census schedules and military files depending on your ancestors life you may find useful information in records that are not always the first places people search consider maps photographs federal court files bankruptcy records passport applications federal employment records ship records indian agency records land entry case files draft records pension payment records military unit records naturalization court records and immigration indexes even when you do not find a portrait of your ancestor you may find records that show the world around that person a map agency report court file or military unit record can add context to the family story do i know how i will save and cite what i find do not rely on memory when you find a useful record record the source information right away you may think you will remember where it came from but after several searches websites images and files details can blur quickly save the title of the record name of the person date place record group series title file number application number certificate number case number court name repository national archives facility catalog identifier if available website or database name image number or page number and date accessed a good citation lets you find the record again it also lets others follow your work and evaluate the evidence this is especially important when using digitized records from partner sites the image may come from national archives holdings but the website where you viewed it may be a separate database record both the original source information and the website access information when possible what if i do not find anything a failed search does not always mean the record does not exist it may mean the name was spelled differently the person may have used initials the record may not be indexed by name the record may not be digitized the record may be arranged by location or file number you may have searched the wrong court military unit port or time period the record may be held at a different national archives location the record may be state or local instead of federal the record may also have been lost or destroyed when you do not find what you need change the search strategy search by spouse search by unit search by county search by court search by land office search by ship search by agency search by associates also keep a research log write down where you searched which terms you used and what you found or did not find that keeps you from repeating the same search later and helps you see what to try next quick checklist before using the national archives before you begin ask yourself these what exact question am i trying to answer is this likely to be a federal record do i know the ancestor's full name and possible spellings do i know the correct time period do i know the correct place have i checked local and state records first have i checked major genealogy databases am i searching for a person or a record series what agency may have created the record which national archives tool should i use could the record already be digitized do i need a file number court name unit port or land office which national archives location may hold the record should i contact the facility before visiting can i order copies are there access limits how will i cite the record suppose you are researching an ancestor named thomas reed who lived in indiana in the eighteen sixties family tradition says he served in the civil war but you do not have proof a weak search would be only this thomas reed that may bring up too many people or it may bring up nothing useful a stronger plan would ask several questions where did thomas reed live in eighteen sixty how old was he during the civil war was he married before or after the war did he live long enough to apply for a pension did his widow apply for a pension do census records list him as a veteran does a county history mention a military unit are there pension index cards under thomas reed thomas j reed t reed or reed with a widow's name now you have a research path you can search military service records pension indexes unit histories and national archives guidance more clearly the same approach works for immigration land court and naturalization records start with the person's known life then ask which federal records may connect to that life here are my final thoughts i know i've repeated myself several times throughout this episode but i want you to realize that the national archives can be a powerful resource for family history research and it works best when you approach it with a clear plan it holds federal records so the key is to identify where your ancestor crossed paths with the federal government do not begin with only a name begin with a question add a time period a place a record type and identifying details check easier online sources first learn whether the record may be digitized understand which agency created the record contact the correct facility before before visiting save your citations as you go the national archives is not just a place to search for names it is a place to find records created by the nation itself when used carefully those records can help you document military service land ownership immigration citizenship court actions federal work and other events that shaped an ancestor's life a good search begins before you open the catalog it begins with the right question if you've got a hard to find ancestor you're stuck on i'd love to hear about it just head over to ancestralfindings dot com and click on contact to send me a message while you're there take advantage of our free weekly genealogy lookups explore thousands of articles and enjoy hundreds of podcast episodes we've been helping family history researchers since nineteen ninety five and if you're looking for even more check out our genealogy gold q and a series over on patreon thanks for listening and as always happy searching
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