Archivist Lecture Series In November 2003 Highlights National Archives Vast Holdings
Press Release · Monday, October 27, 2003

Washington, DC

During November, to introduce the public to its new Research Center in Washington, DC, the National Archives and Records Administration presents a series of lectures by staff specialists highlighting fascinating records in its holdings. The National Archives is also co-sponsoring a lecture and panel discussion on the Medal of Honor, to be held at the U.S. Navy Memorial Thursday, November 13 at 7 p.m.

The programs are free and open to the public and will take place at noon in Room 105 at the National Archives Building, Pennsylvania Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, NW, unless otherwise noted. Due to limited seating in Room 105, reservations are recommended. Call the National Archives public programs line at (202) 501-5000. TDD users may call (202) 501-5404.

Monday, November 3-Early National Records: War Department
Archivist Lecture
Brenda Kepley will discuss the origins of the War Department and its component organizations and show examples of the kinds of documentation found among its records. Noon.

Tuesday, November 4-Civil War Gold: Finding the Treasures of the National Archives
Archivist Lecture
In an illustrated lecture, Michael Musick will present an introduction to Civil War records at the National Archives, mention several important documents in our holdings, and consider examples of unusual and intriguing items that have turned up over the years. Noon.

Wednesday, November 5-Introduction to Early Navy Records
Archivist Lecture
Stephanie Richmond will discuss records housed at the National Archives Building relating to Naval personnel, vessels, and operations dating from the Revolution to the Civil War. Noon.

Thursday, November 6-Lighthouses and Maritime Records
Archivist Lecture
Susan Abbott and Kim McKeithan will talk about records housed at the National Archives Building relating to 19th- and early 20th-century lighthouses, life-saving stations and lifeboatmen, shipwrecks, and vessel documentation. Noon.

Friday, November 7-Lighthouses
Lecture and Booksigning
Candace Clifford will discuss two of her books, Nineteenth-Century Lights: Historic Images of American Lighthouses and Women Who Kept the Lights: An Illustrated History of Female Lighthouse Keepers. She will illustrate the evolution of lighthouse construction types through historic images and the role of women as lighthouse keepers. For each historic image (many from the National Archives), she will include a contemporary image showing the lighthouse's present state. Noon.

Monday, November 10-Introduction to the Records of Congress
Archivist Lecture
Bill Davis will give an overview to the records held by the Center for Legislative Archives and suggest research strategies for using the records of the House of Representatives, the Senate, and joint committees of Congress. Noon.

Wednesday, November 12-Using Congressional Records for Genealogy
Archivist Lecture
Matt Fulgham and Kris Wilhelm will talk about congressional records housed at the National Archives Building relevant to genealogical research. Noon.

Thursday, November 13-Congressional Serial Set
Archivist Lecture
Rod Ross will discuss printed congressional hearings as well as House of Representatives and Senate reports and documents that make up the Congressional Serial Set. Copies of these publications are at the new Research Center and at Government Depository Libraries nationwide. Noon.

Thursday, November 13-Medal of Honor
Panel discussion and Booksigning
Author Peter Collier will discuss his book Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty, which profiles most of the living recipients of the Medal of Honor. Following the lecture, Mr.Collier, joined by Medal of Honor Recipients Thomas Hudner (USN) Korean War; Brian Thacker (USA) Vietnam; and Harvey Barnum (USMC) Vietnam, will participate in a question-and-answer session with the audience. This is the first of a three-part lecture and panel discussion series devoted to the Medal of Honor. Co-sponsored by The Medal of Honor Foundation, the Naval Historical Center, the Naval Historical Foundation, the U.S. Navy Memorial, and the National Archives. Location: U.S. Navy Memorial Theater, 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, directly across the street from the National Archives. 7 p.m.

Friday, November 14-Congress and World War II
Nancy Young will discuss "The Politics of War: Congress, World War II, and the Modernization of American Governance," based on her forthcoming book. Ms. Young debunks the myth of cooperative congressional behavior, as party warfare ranged over issues from strikes, economic regulation, and anti-Communist red-hunting to race, gender, and the postwar peace. Noon.

Monday, November 17- Freedmen's Bureau
Archivist Lecture
Reginald Washington will discuss the records of Freedmen's Bureau and their importance for African American genealogical research. He will also show illustrations of the kinds records found in the files. Noon.

Tuesday, November 18-U.S. Colored Troops
Archivist Lecture
Join Michael Knight for a discussion on the different types of command, unit, and individual military records available at the National Archives and Records Administration for researching the African American army and civilian experience in the Civil War. Noon.

Wednesday, November 19-Court-Martial Records
Archivist Lecture
David Wallace will discuss records housed at the National Archives Building relating to 19th-century U.S. Army court-martial cases. Noon.

Thursday, November 20-Headstone Applications
Archivist Lecture
Mark C. Mollan will tell how genealogists can find a headstone application or other burial information relating to a member of the U.S. military in several different records series in the Records of Veterans Affairs and the Records of the Quartermaster, U.S. Army. Noon.

Friday, November 21-Women Soldiers of the Civil War
Lecture and Booksigning
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of women assumed male aliases, disguised themselves in men's uniforms, and charged into battle as Union and Confederate soldiers. DeAnne Blanton to discuss her book, They Fought Like Demons: Women Soldiers in the American Civil War. DeAnne Blanton is a senior military archivist at the National Archives specializing in 19th-century U.S. Army records. Noon.

Monday, November 24-Land Records
Archivist Lecture
George Shaner will present a general evolution of how the Federal Government allocated land and discuss what records can be found in the National Archives. Noon.

Tuesday, November 25-District Court Records of the District of Columbia
Archivist Lecture
Robert Ellis will discuss records housed at the National Archives Building relating to the records of the District Court of the District of Columbia, such as probate, divorce, lawsuits, insanity, and criminal records. Noon. Room 105.

Wednesday, November 26-Immigration Records
Archivist Lecture
Cynthia Fox will talk about how to find an immigrant in the passenger arrival records at the National Archives. Noon.

For PRESS information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at (301) 837-1700.
To verify the date and times of the programs, the public should call the Public Programs Line at: 202-501-5000, or view the Calendar of Events on the web at: www.archives.gov/about_us/calendar_of_events/index.html

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