2023 National Archives Genealogy Series
Find an EventPublic Service: Military & Civilian
May & June 2023
Free and no registration!
Videos and presentation materials remain available after the premiere date.
Chat in real time with the presenters during the session's video premiere.
⇒ About the program
⇒ Participation instructions
⇒ YouTube playlist
⇒ Schedule with session descriptions, handouts, and videos
Condensed Schedule (more details below)
| May 3 at 1 p.m. ET | Welcome and Introductions |
| May 3 at 1:05 p.m. ET | Civilians at War: Records of Participation in U.S. Military Conflicts |
| May 10 at 1 p.m. ET | Basic Military Records at the National Archives: Revolutionary War to 1917 |
| May 17 at 1 p.m. ET | National Archives at St. Louis: Understanding the 1973 Fire and Its Impact on Genealogical Research |
| May 31 at 1 p.m. ET | Civilian Conservation Corps Indian Division on the Reservation |
| June 7 at 1 p.m. ET | Accessing and Understanding Korean War Army Unit Records |
| June 14 at 1 p.m. ET | Planning, Techniques, and Strategies for Preserving Family Collections and Stories |
| June 14 (following the 1 p.m. session) | Closing Remarks |
SCHEDULEVideos premiere on event day and remain available.
|
|
|---|---|
Wednesday, May 31 p.m. ET |
Welcome and Introductions
|
Wednesday, May 31:05 p.m. ET |
Civilians at War: Records of Participation in U.S. Military Conflicts by Claire Kluskens
This presentation discusses ways in which civilians supported a war or were directly affected by it, with a focus on the American Revolution to World War I. These wars provided opportunities for employment by civilian or military agencies to provide goods, services, or loans. Other individuals sought reimbursement after suffering property loss. We’ll show examples of online records that document these relationships with the federal government (ca. 1776–1918) and Confederate States government (1861–1865). |
Wednesday, May 101 p.m. ET
|
Basic Military Records at the National Archives: Revolutionary War to 1917 by John Deeben
This presentation outlines basic military records held at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. The records cover the "Old Military" period from the Revolutionary War to 1917 and are characterized by different types of service, including volunteer service (state regiments and militias) as well as the Regular military (Army, Navy, and Marine Corps). Each type of service was documented differently, but there are also basic records common to all types of service. |
Wednesday, May 171 p.m. ET
|
National Archives at St. Louis: Understanding the 1973 NPRC Fire and Its Impact on Genealogical Research by Eric Kilgore
The catastrophic fire at the National Personnel Records Center in 1973 destroyed millions of military personnel records and presents a variety of challenges for researchers. This presentation will examine the fire, record losses, and common myths, and will provide guidance on how to research the records of veterans who were affected by the fire. Part of overcoming these challenges is knowing about other records that are available to supplement information lost in the fire. This presentation will highlight those record series at the National Archives at St. Louis and their usefulness for unlocking information from the past. |
Wednesday, May 311 p.m. ET
|
Civilian Conservation Corps Indian Division on the Reservation by Cody White
Researchers may overlook the Civilian Conservation Corps Indian Division (CCC-ID) as it was largely overshadowed by the much larger regular CCC, but it was a landmark program during the 1930s. It employed thousands of Native Americans and brought material aid and conservation efforts to their reservations. The records of those Native American enrollees, what they worked on, and how they lived can be found in the holdings of the National Archives. |
Wednesday, June 71 p.m. ET
|
Accessing and Understanding Korean War Army Unit Records by Rachael Salyer
In honor of the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that officially ended the Korean War, this session is being offered as an introduction to two large series that contain records relating to Army units that served during that conflict: the Command Reports, 1949–1954 (entry NM-3 29) in the Records of the Adjutant General's Office (Record Group 407) and the Unit Histories, 1943–1967 (entry UD 37042) in the Records of U.S. Army Operational, Tactical, and Support Organizations (World War II and Thereafter) (Record Group 338). The records in these series provide information about the activities and engagements of specific Army units that may give genealogists a deeper insight into their family members’ service. The presentation will outline how to use available finding aids to search for relevant records, and it will also include examples of the types of records that are generally found in these series. The session will conclude with some troubleshooting tips and a few additional resources. |
Wednesday, June 141 p.m. ET
|
Planning, Techniques, and Strategies for Preserving Family Collections and Stories by Sara Holmes
Learn how professionals preserve records with surveys to create a plan, use archival techniques, and select storage strategies. Surveys help you create a plan of action to determine record treatment, housing, and storage. Archival techniques can be used on your own personal collections of paper-based materials, photographs, and objects. Strategies include how to identify storage needs for papers and photographs. We will tie this all together and show you how significant documents and records help to tell family stories. |
Wednesday, June 14(following the 1 p.m. session) |
Closing Remarks
|
About the Program
In recognition of public service, we are offering a special Genealogy Series focused on both military and civilian records. The series will provide family history research tools for all skill levels along with a general overview to specific topics. Broadcasts of the program sessions will take place in May and June. All are welcome!
Participation Instructions
You are invited to attend, participate, and ask questions during our sessions' YouTube video premieres. Presentations are pre-recorded videos broadcast on NARA's YouTube channel. Throughout the broadcast, you will be able to ask questions, and the presenter will respond in real time. After the initial showing, the video and handouts will remain available on this web page and YouTube.
- Attend via YouTube
- Participate in chat, by first logging into YouTube and then typing your comments into the chat section
-
Follow us on Twitter at @USNatArchives and join the Genealogy Series conversation using #GenieSeries2023
Captioning & Transcript
- Captioning is available by selecting the CC icon at the bottom of the YouTube video.
- Transcripts are available by sending a request to KYR@nara.gov.
- If you require an alternative or additional accommodation for the event, please email the Know Your Records program coordinator at KYR@nara.gov.
All events listed in the calendar are free unless noted.