Know Your Records Program

2024 Schedule

After the event's premiere date, the video and presentation materials remain available and added to our YouTube Playlists.

May 21–June 25, 2024

2024 Genealogy Series

Thursday, September 26

1 p.m. ET

Researching Court-Martial Records at the National Archives at St. Louis

Kayla Dawkins and Katherine Terry

• Kayla is an archives specialist at the National Archives at St. Louis
• Katherine is an archives technician at the National Archives at St. Louis
• Audience skill level: beginner to experienced (all are welcome!)
• Presentation slides and handout 
• Video

Courts-martial are trials convened to try members of the armed forces or other countries' prisoners of war (POWs). Records of these trials can cover cases ranging from petty theft to conscientious objection to murder. Our presenters will give a history of court-martial records, examples of record content found at the National Archives at St. Louis, and step-by-step guidance on requesting these publicly available records.

Tuesday, November 19

1 p.m. ET

New Deal-Era Photographs within the Holdings of the Still Picture Branch

Sarah Bseirani and Kaitlyn Crain Enriquez

• Sarah is an Archivist in the Still Picture Branch at the National Archives at College Park, MD
• Kaitlyn is an Archivist in the Still Picture Branch at the National Archives at College Park, MD
• Audience skill level: beginner to experienced (all are welcome!)
• Presentation slides
• Video 

With more than sixty federal agencies and offices created between 1933 and 1939, photographs taken during the New Deal-era are spread across many different record groups and series. Our presenters will provide an overview of Still Picture Branch holdings that document New Deal-era projects. They will specifically focus on series that contain images related to New Deal arts and culture programs, public works programs, rural and farm assistance, and land and wildlife conservation.

Thursday, December 12

1 p.m. ET

Jubilee! Records of Emancipation at the National Archives and Records Administration

Damani Davis

• Damani is a reference archivist at the National Archives in Washington, DC, and a Subject Matter Expert for Records Relating to the African American Experience
• Audience skill level: beginner to experienced (all are welcome!)
• Presentation slides
• Video (available December 12)

On June 19, 1865, U.S. Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, which informed the people of Texas that all enslaved people were now free. This day has come to be known as Juneteenth, a combination of June and 19th. It is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. This presentation features emancipation-related records housed at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Although the bulk of these records—other than General Order No. 3—are not directly associated with the tradition of Juneteenth itself, the featured records highlight the general theme of emancipation that ultimately culminated in General Order No. 3 and the Juneteenth tradition. The records highlighted in this presentation are significant due to their genealogical value as well as for general historical information related to the history of emancipation in the United States.