It’s always good to promote awareness of websites with excellent FREE genealogical resources and I’ve compiled a short list of some that I’ve used, a couple that I’d like to use in the future and a handful that are excellent, but which I haven’t used as I haven’t any ancestors who ever lived there.
I’ll be sharing these, one or two per week, through March and April. These won’t be deep dives – just an overview of what’s out there with a quick guide to getting readers started.
Today’s website is one that everyone has heard of, but which I think is under-used online – the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
One of the reasons I think NARA online is not used to full benefit is that many are only researching a surname and this website isn’t the easiest to navigate to actual records.
Look at the above image. There are three main areas you’ll want to explore – Research Our Records, Veterans Service Records and America’s Founding Documents. Remember, too, that placing our ancestors in the context of the social climate of the day is just as important as learning birth, marriage and death dates. NARA can provide that context.
Definitely begin with Research Our Records and begin with Using the National Archives Catalog so you have a clear understanding of how the records are filed. You’ll also want to browse the Catalog Guide for Genealogists and the Record Group Explorer, which houses some of the links to individual military records.
Also, check out Other Online Research Tools to learn about the available databases AND records digitized by partners, which might be behind a paywall.
Back on the home page (Image 1, above), click on Veterans’ Service Records.
This page will provide details on requesting service records and how to access older military service records. The bottom link to Browse WWII Photos is just one of many online NARA collections that can provide the social, political, cultural and religious context to make our ancestors come alive.
If your research includes ancestors who lived during the time of the American Revolution, then America’s Founding Documents with their links will provide the political background in the founding of the United States.
Now, let’s return to the Research Our Records and look at the Catalog Guide for Genealogists.
The above image is just a small portion of a very long page packed with information about what genealogists can find in the National Archives.
If you are researching a common surname, then a general search in the NARA catalog will bring up way too many hits to be useful. Even a search for “Stufflebean OR Stufflebeam” brought up 49 PAGES of hits. Including first names would definitely narrow down the results.
Notice, too, that results can be filtered by ALL or AVAILABLE TO ACCESS ONLINE. The type of record can also be filtered.
Many of the collections are sorted into Record Groups. There is even an option to check out Donated Online Collections.
The above image is a partial view of collections that have been donated to NARA. If you are interested in, for example, American National Red Cross records, not that only 0.9% have been digitized.
However, if you are looking for a naturalization record found at the California Superior Court for Los Angeles County, over 32% of those have been digitized.
There is a lot to learn while navigating this website to fully understand the depth and type of records that are housed in the National Archives and identifying which of those record collections mist be viewed in person vs. those available online.
It’s well worth the time to follow the trail this BSO (bright shiny object) leads to – a treasure trove of American history.