B efore starting a trip, a traveller looks at guidebooks and maps to figure out where he or she is headed, to learn how long the trip will take, and what there is to see once there. When doing research, it is essential to learn much of the same information, but instead of using maps and guidebooks, a researcher needs to look at finding aids. Finding aids include books and pamphlets that tell the researcher what records an archives holds, whether it holds records needed for a particular search, if there is an index to the records, how the records are arranged (alphabetically, chronologically, by subject), what years the records cover, and how many records there are (one foot, or one hundred feet?). To plan a research trip, whether it is down the block or across the country, takes preparation, and finding aids are a major help for planning that trip. Guides, catalogs of select microfilm publications, and descriptive pamphlets are among the finding aids published by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) that are especially useful for genealogical research. It is important to remember that finding aids do not list names of individuals or families. Some of the publications are free; others may be purchased-both types may be ordered by mail or picked up at the National Archives. Guides Guides describe records in general terms, on both the record group and series level.* The Guide *A record group (RG) is a body of organizationally related records, often of a bureau or department; for example, RG 29, Records of the Bureau of the Census; RG 59, Records of to the National Archives of the United States gives the broadest description of records available at the National Archives. The guide is being revised, but the 1974 guide (928 pages, hardcover only, $25) has been reprinted. An essential guide for anyone doing genealogical research in federal records is the Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives (304 pages, hardcover, $35; softcover, $25, revised 1985). The records are described broadly by their pertinence to specific genealogical topics-census records, passenger arrival lists, naturalization records, as well as records dealing with the military, land, claims, and courts. Within those broad headings, the guide narrows the topic down to specific series of records. The guide further notes whether a series has been microfilmed. A key-word subject index leads the researcher to a description of the records. Other guides that are useful for genealogical research include: Black History: A Guide to Civilian Records in the National Archives, by Debra L. Newman (379 pages, hardcover, $25; softcover, $15). This is a guide to civilian records; it does not describe military records. Among the records of genealogical interest are those for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (RG 75), General Records of the Department of State (RG 59), and the Records of the U.S. House of Representatives (RG 233). The guide notes which record groups include restricted records. The Confederacy: A Guide to the Archives of the Confederate States of America, by Henry Putney the Department of State. A series is a body of related records within a record group that is related chronologically, functionally, or by subject. Beers (536 pages, hardcover only, $25). The guide describes records of the Confederate archives held at the National Archives (RG 109), the Library of Congress, and other repositories including those at state archives, state historical societies, and universities. The Union: A Guide to Federal Archives Relating to the Civil War, by Kenneth W. Munden and Henry Putney Beers (721 pages, hardcover only, $25). The Union covers not only the years of the war, 1861-65, but also Reconstruction and later. The guide describes pensions, personnel records, the Southern Claims Commission, and other records that are useful to genealogists. A Guide to Civil War Maps in the National Archives (140 pages, hardcover only, $35). Civil War Maps is divided into two sections. Part one is a general guide to the eight thousand Civil War maps in the Cartographic and Architectural Branch of NARA. Part two describes selected maps in greater detail. Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians, by Edward E. Hill (467 pages, hardcover only, $25). The records described inIclude those from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (RG 75), Secretary of Interior (RG 48), Bureau of Land Management (RG 49), Geological Survey (RG 57), Office of the Quartermaster General (RG 92), Corps of Engineers (RG 77), and U.S. Army Continental Commands, 1821-1920 (RG 394). microfilm held by the regions and includes printed descriptions and inventories. A key-word index leads researchers to the appropriate regional archives. Catalogs of Microfilm Publications The National Archives has microfilmed many records of genealogical importance. These records are described in a series of catalogs of microfilm publications. Microfilm Resources for Research: A Comprehensive Catalog (126 pages, $5) lists all NARA microfilm publications, not just those for genealogical research, that were available in 1984. A general subject and title key-word index refers researchers to the appropriate microfilm. Among the microfilm catalogs of particular interest to genealogical researchers are the select catalogs of microfilm publications. When using these catalogs, it is important to remember that they describe only records that have been microfilmed. There may also be a companion guide, such as Black History or American Indians, that describes nonmicrofilmed as well as microfilmed records. 1790-1890 Federal Population Censuses (96 pages, $2), 1900 Federal Population Census (84 pages, $2), and 1910 Federal Population Census (44 pages, $2) do not list individuals but direct researchers to the appropriate roll for a particular index or census schedule. American Indians (91 pages, $2) describes Bureau of Indian Affairs records, including records relating to census rolls and other enrollments. Also included are records relating to the territories. The catalog describes both civilian and military records. Black Studies (97 pages, $2) concentrates on civilian records; however, much of the catalog is devoted to the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (RG 105, also known as the Freedmen's Bureau). Genealogical and Biographical Research (77 pages, $2) includes land records, civilian government records, amnesties and pardons, and Southern Claims Commission records. Immigrant and Passenger Arrivals (46 pages, $2) covers east coast arrivals for the U.S. Customs Service, 1820-ca. 1891, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1891-1954. Again, this catalog does not list names, but it directs the researcher to the appropriate roll of microfilm. Military Service Records (330 pages, $5) describes pension and compiled military service records, 1776-1902; registers of enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1789-1914, returns from U.S. military posts, 1800-1916, and Revolutionary War records not covered under pensions and military service records. For a list of NARA publications, write to Publications Services Branch (NEPS), National Archives, Washington, DC 20408 and request Publications from the National Archives. This brochure describes the publications mentioned in this article as well as others available from the National Archives. Descriptive Pamphlets Many microfilm publications have an accompanying descriptive pamphlet (DP) that gives a brief administrative history of the agency that created the records, a general discussion of the records, and a list of the general contents of the microfilm. DPs are available free from the Publications Services Branch (NEPS), National Archives, Washington, DC 20408. It may be less expensive to buy several rolls of microfilm than to pay for a trip to Washington. Microfilm is available for $20 a roll from National Archives Trust Fund, NEPS, P.O. Box 100793, Atlanta, GA 30384. Catalogs and descriptive pamphlets will help researchers determine which rolls of microfilm to consult or buy for their research. Directories Two helpful directories to research sources outside NARA are the Directory of Archives and Manuscript Repositories in the United States and the American Association of State and Local History's Directory of Historical Agencies in North America. Both directories list the facilities by state and then by city or county. The address of each facility is listed, along with its hours of service, the type of materials held, and a very brief description of those records. The NHPRC directory is available for $55 from Oryx Press, 2214 North Central at Encanto, Phoenix, AZ 85004-1483. The toll-free order number is 1-800-457-ORYX. The AASLH directory is available from the American Association of State and Local History, 708 Berry Road, Nashville, TN 37204 at $64.95 ($58.45 for AASLH members). By using finding aids, the road to research at the National Archives will be much smoother. The Management of Archives "In this book Dr. Schellenberg successfully undertakes to define the archival methodology that heretofore has been available only in isolated books and journals.... An indispensable manual, which anticipates and answers most questions that arise in the handling of nonpublic records." - American Archivist, October 1965 Since it was first published more than twenty years ago, The Management of Archives has become a classic volume in the literature of American archival administration. Today, the book is used as the standard text in dozens of college courses and training workshops held around the country each year. One of the most widely recognized members of the American archival profession, Theodore R. Schellenberg developed his ideas on archival practice during his long career at the National Archives; at the time of his retirement in 1963, he was Assistant Archivist of the United States. This first paperback edition includes a lengthy foreword by Jane F. Smith, former Director of the Civil Archives Division, National Archives and Records Administration, that sets Schellenberg's life and work in historical and archival context. 6 x 9,420 pages First published by Columbia University Reprinted by the National Archives, 1988 ISBN 0-911333-72-X American tank in Paris, August 1944. War & Conflict: Selected Images from the National Archives, 1765-1970 Edited by Jonathan Heller From the Revolutionary War through the conflict in Vietnam, this handsome catalog presents over 1,500 arresting black-andwhite images relating to American military history all selected from the National Archives' collection of more than 5 million still pictures. The book is divided chronologically into seven sections: the Revolutionary War (1775-83); America Grows (1799-1848); the Civil War (1861-65); American and World Affairs (1871-1970); World War I (1914-18); World War II (1939-45); and the Korean War (1950-53). Roughly 40 percent of the images- which include copies of prints and paintings as well as photographs - depict scenes from World War II. The introduction discusses the National Archives' still picture collection and explains how the images were selected; an index of artists and photographers is also included. Publication of War & Conflict coincides with the 50th anniversary of the beginning of World War II. 11 x 82, 366 pages, 1,522 illustrations National Archives, 1989 #100014 - Hardcover only - $25 ISBN 0-911333-77-0 Modern First Ladies: Nancy Kegan Smith and Mary C. Ryan Scholars and general readers alike will be 6 x 9, 192 pages, 53 illustrations |