If you have been following my recent series, What Morning Reports Don’t Tell You, you may have noticed that I referenced several federal record groups held by the National Archives. After reading those posts, some readers may have tried searching for those records in the National Archives Catalog and discovered that it is not always as straightforward as it first appears.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) preserves the
historical records of the United States federal government. These include
records created or received by the President and the White House staff, the
United States Congress, federal agencies, and the federal court system.
Collectively, these records document the actions of the federal government and
often contain valuable information for genealogists and family historians.
To help researchers locate these materials, NARA provides an online catalog
that describes the records held in its facilities across the country, including
the Washington, DC area, regional archives, and Presidential Libraries. The
catalog is continually being expanded and updated and currently contains
descriptions for the vast majority of NARA’s holdings, primarily at the series
level. This means the catalog usually describes groups of records rather than
individual documents.
Each week, additional descriptions and digital files are added to the catalog.
In some cases, digital images of the records can be viewed directly online. In
many other cases, the catalog description simply tells you what records exist
and where they are located.
Genealogical Records in the National Archives
The National Archives holds many types of records that are useful for family history research. These include:
- Applications for enrollment in Native American tribes
- Court records
- Fugitive slave cases
- Land records
- Military personnel records
- Naturalization records
- Records of federal employees
- and those mentioned in earlier blog posts
Searching the National Archives Catalog
The National Archives Catalog can be searched online at: https://catalog.archives.govA simple search begins by entering keywords into the search box on the main page. If you are searching for an exact phrase, place the words in quotation marks. For example, searching for "bounty land" will return results containing that exact phrase.
After running a search, results appear with the most relevant descriptions listed first. Filters on the left side of the page can help narrow the results.
For example:
If you are looking specifically for images, you can filter for Photographs and Other Graphic Materials.
If you want to see only records that include digital images, select Archival
Descriptions with Digital Objects.
Clicking on the title of any result will open the full description of that
record.
Searching for an Individual
One challenge researchers quickly encounter is that the catalog does not have a
dedicated field for personal names. As a result, searching for a specific
individual often requires several strategies.
Many searches will not return the person you are
looking for. This does not mean the records do not exist. It simply means that
the catalog description may not include that individual’s name. In those cases,
you may need to search for the event or activity associated with the person and
then review the records themselves.
It also helps to remember the sheer scale of the records held at the National Archives. Imagine the number of names that appear in records such as muster rolls, land files, court cases, or military personnel records. Creating a comprehensive name index for billions of federal records would be an enormous undertaking. Because of this, the catalog generally describes records at the series level rather than indexing every individual mentioned within them.
Understanding How NARA Organizes Records
One of the most important things to understand about the National Archives is how the records are arranged. NARA’s catalog is very different from a library catalog.Instead of organizing materials by subject or author, federal records are grouped by the agency that created them. These collections are known as Record Groups (RGs).
Each Record Group represents the records of a major government entity. For example:
RG 49 – Bureau of Land Management
RG 184 – Railroad Retirement Board
RG 407 – Adjutant General’s Office
Within each Record Group, the records are further organized into record series. A series is a group of records created and used together for a specific purpose during a particular period of time.
These series may be arranged alphabetically, chronologically, numerically, or by subject or function. Archivists generally preserve the original order in which records were created or maintained because that arrangement can provide insight into how the records were used.
Thinking Like the Federal Government
One of the most helpful strategies when searching the National Archives Catalog is to think about how your ancestor interacted with the federal government.For example:
- Did your ancestor serve in the military?
- Were they a lighthouse keeper or postmaster?
- Did they file for bankruptcy?
Once you identify the likely record group, the next step is to search for the relevant record series and then narrow your search to the specific files you need.
Example: Using the NARA Catalog to Find Lighthouse Records
To illustrate how the National Archives Catalog can be used in real research,
here is the process I followed to locate lighthouse records for my
great-grandfather, Frank H. Glover, who served as an assistant keeper at Point
Betsie Lighthouse in Frankfort, Michigan.
This example demonstrates an important principle of NARA research. Instead of
searching directly for a person’s name, researchers often need to identify the
federal agency responsible for the activity and then locate the records created
by that agency.
Step 1: Identify the Federal Connection
Start by asking how your ancestor interacted with the federal government.
In my case, my great-grandfather worked as a lighthouse keeper. That meant his
employment was connected to the federal government agency responsible for
operating lighthouses.
Step 2: Identify the Responsible Federal Agency
Once you know the federal activity, determine which government agency managed
it.
Lighthouses were historically administered by the United States Lighthouse
Service, which later became part of the Coast Guard. This information helps
lead you to the correct Record Group at the National Archives.
Step 3: Locate the Record Group
At the National Archives, records are arranged by the agency that created them.
Lighthouse records are found in:
Record Group 26 – Records of the U.S. Coast Guard
Searching the catalog by agency or record group helps narrow the search to the
correct collection of records.
Step 4: Identify the
Record Series
Within each record group are multiple record series, which are groups of
records created and maintained together for a specific purpose.
In this case, the relevant series was Lighthouse Log Books. These logbooks
recorded daily activities at individual lighthouse stations.
Step 5: Narrow the Search
Because the catalog usually describes records at the series level, you often
need to narrow your search by topic or location.
Knowing my great-grandfather worked at Point Betsie Lighthouse allowed me to
focus on logbooks for that specific station.
Step 6: Access the Records
Once the catalog description identifies the record series and location, the
records can be requested at the National Archives or, if digitized, viewed
online. At the time of my research none of the logbooks were digitized. In fact, less than 5% of Record Group 26 is digitized.
During my visit to the National Archives in Washington, DC, I was able to
examine the original lighthouse logbooks and find entries documenting my
great-grandfather’s service.
Final Thoughts
The National Archives Catalog is a powerful research tool, but it works
differently than the catalogs many genealogists are used to using.
Rather than searching primarily by personal names, successful research often
requires identifying the federal agency involved, locating the correct record
group, and then narrowing the search to the relevant record series.
Once you begin thinking about your ancestors in terms of how they interacted
with the federal government, the catalog becomes much easier to navigate and it
can lead you to remarkable discoveries.
For a thorough explanation on lighthouse records at NARA,
see my blog post Lighting
the Way: A Genealogist’s Guide to Lighthouse Records
AI Disclosure
This post reflects my own research and experiences using the National Archives Catalog. ChatGPT was used as a writing assistant for grammar, organization, title suggestions, and the creation of a supporting image.
No comments:
Post a Comment