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Genealogy Resources on the National Archives Homepage

                              A Pathfinder by Alicia Stockton



   The National Archives and Records Administration or NARA is made up of 33

facilities that house over 21.5 million cubic feet of printed material, 300,000 reels of

motion picture film, 5.5 million maps and charts, and 207,000 sound and video

recordings from all branches of the U. S. government. There are 3.5 billion electronic

records in their searchable catalog for these government documents, making the National

Archives the largest resource for government information in the country. Researchers

delving into their family history will find military records, ship’s passenger lists, census

information, and other documents that will add richness to their knowledge of their

ancestors. Listed here are two resources on the National Archive’s Homepage that will

aid in these quests.



   1.   Archival Research Catalog: http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/

               This database allows users to search for the descriptions of all documents

        held by the National Archives. There are resources for students, teachers, and

        family historians highlighted on the site as well as What’s New? and Selected

        Topics tabs. It is possible to search ARC by archival description, digital copies,

        people, or organization.

               Only a fraction of resources are available in digital format online. It is

        possible to limit searching to only documents available digitally. The site is a little
difficult to navigate, but there are numerous user guides and an FAQ to help guide

       research.



   2. Access to Archival Databases: http://aad.archives.gov/aad/

       An extension of the Archival Research Catalog, this searchable database allows

users access to online records of military documents, photographs, ship’s passenger logs,

labor agreements and other government documents. Users are able to browse by

categories such as Genealogy, Private Sector, Wars, Time Period, Government Spending

and Places. Users can browse by subject to find documents on a particular subject of

interest in addition to using the search functions.

       The site contains a What’s New? section, highlights, a Most Popular section.

There is also a Getting Started Guide for those unfamiliar with the site. This guide is

located in a drop down menu along with an FAQ and a guide to unfamiliar terminology.

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Stockton pathfinder

  • 1. Genealogy Resources on the National Archives Homepage A Pathfinder by Alicia Stockton The National Archives and Records Administration or NARA is made up of 33 facilities that house over 21.5 million cubic feet of printed material, 300,000 reels of motion picture film, 5.5 million maps and charts, and 207,000 sound and video recordings from all branches of the U. S. government. There are 3.5 billion electronic records in their searchable catalog for these government documents, making the National Archives the largest resource for government information in the country. Researchers delving into their family history will find military records, ship’s passenger lists, census information, and other documents that will add richness to their knowledge of their ancestors. Listed here are two resources on the National Archive’s Homepage that will aid in these quests. 1. Archival Research Catalog: http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/ This database allows users to search for the descriptions of all documents held by the National Archives. There are resources for students, teachers, and family historians highlighted on the site as well as What’s New? and Selected Topics tabs. It is possible to search ARC by archival description, digital copies, people, or organization. Only a fraction of resources are available in digital format online. It is possible to limit searching to only documents available digitally. The site is a little
  • 2. difficult to navigate, but there are numerous user guides and an FAQ to help guide research. 2. Access to Archival Databases: http://aad.archives.gov/aad/ An extension of the Archival Research Catalog, this searchable database allows users access to online records of military documents, photographs, ship’s passenger logs, labor agreements and other government documents. Users are able to browse by categories such as Genealogy, Private Sector, Wars, Time Period, Government Spending and Places. Users can browse by subject to find documents on a particular subject of interest in addition to using the search functions. The site contains a What’s New? section, highlights, a Most Popular section. There is also a Getting Started Guide for those unfamiliar with the site. This guide is located in a drop down menu along with an FAQ and a guide to unfamiliar terminology.