NARA Provides Life to the Dead

Last month, I finally got around to ordering the pension file for one of my Civil War gramps.  It seems like I would have done this years ago since I am so deep into learning of the past and my family's role in the history of our land.  Well, don't judge me quite so fast on this one.

It wasn't until this year that I stumbled on the little fact that 2g granddpa George was even in the Civil War.  He was born in 1834 in Pennsylvania, and was married with a growing family by 1860.  For whatever reason, it just didn't occur to me that he would have been in the Civil War.  I guess I thought he was too old and settled to go off and fight for the Union.

Guess I was wrong!  I really hadn't been looking for him lately as I thought I had found most of what I could locate.  On a whim, I decided to go back and check one of the paid sites just to see if there was anything new on several members of the family. While checking on Uncle Addison and a veteran census, I saw the name George W CALDWELL blaring off the page.  What?

So, I let my fingers do some walking and found where he had been in a Home for Veterans in Dayton, Ohio.  Ohio?

I just had to contact NARA and see what they had.  That's a big jump for me as they had nothing on my grandfather from World War I.

Just this week, the small envelope arrived with a CD.  In to the computer it went.  For the next several days I poured over each and every word.  Then, I had to go and research more.

Grandpa George was a volunteer in the PA 102nd Infantry Co. E.  Of added interest was the fact his brother-in-law, Ben F HUNNEWELL, was also in the same unit.  Anyway, he was down at Fair Oaks when he was discharged with a surgeon's certificate.

First question---  what was Fair Oaks?  The Battle of Fair Oaks took place May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico Co, VA.  It seems like both sides claimed victory for that battle although they both sustained fairly equal casualties.  General Johnston was wounded in this battle.  General McClellan is reported to have written to his wife that he was getting tired of all death and suffering of the troops on the battlefield.

Second question--  Was Grandpa George wounded in the battle?  Alas, the answer to this one is no.  He was moving some heavy rations, and fell on a box which caused some type of internal damage to his kidney.  He was in the hospital for three weeks, and then he was discharged.

Grandpa George returned home where he spent the next 40 years or so disabled.  He apparently suffered a great deal from that fall and lost the majority of his hearing during the war.

The best part of the pension papers came with the date of his marriage to his lovely bride, Mary Jane HUNNEWELL.  Yes!  She has always been somewhat of a mystery to me.  I knew her name.  Her birthdate came from a Bible in the HUNNEWELL family.  Her death date is unknown.  She disappears after the 1870 census.  I suspect she died after the birth of a child.  The big confusion with her is I have a letter from my great grandmother in which she writes to the daughter of George and Mary Jane and mentions she had just seen "your" mama.  The letter is from the 1890s. Hmmm......

But wait---- there's more to be found in the pension.  Grandpa George states that they had 5 children.  What?  I only knew of 4.  More life to be found!  And Grandpa George tells where a son of his has moved!  And---  all of his children married.

Previously, I only knew of two of the children marrying.  So, life continues in the family!

The other "aha" moment in the pension file is the naming of the preacher who married him.  By coincidence, it is the same name as the man who his half sister married.  Gee, I didn't know he was a preacher.  I only knew he was older and died before they had any kids.  The lovely widow goes on to marry again-  this time a widower who lived across the street from other family members.

Ahh, genealogy.  Sometimes the dead can come to life when we explore deeply enough into their lives.

©2010 AS Eldredge

Holocaust Records Online and Free in October

Thought you genealogy buffs would really enjoy having access to these records at no charge during the month of October. Thanks to NARA and Footnote for bringing these glimpses of history to us all. I spent a few minutes on the site, and then I had to weep for awhile.

Take the time to learn more of this time in history when the whole world appeared to go mad. It's a real eye opener. If only those who say the holocaust didn't happen would open their eyes and look at the documentation....

http://go.footnote.com/holocaust/

Here's a story on the collection:

Footnote's New Holocaust Collection Free Through October
Posted by Diane

Historical records subscription site Footnote and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) just released the Interactive Holocaust Collection of a million Holocaust-related records.

The records are online for the first time—and they’re free through October.

The records, which contain millions of names and 26,000 photos, include......Footnote's New Holocaust Collection Free Through October
Posted by Diane

Historical records subscription site Footnote and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) just released the Interactive Holocaust Collection of a million Holocaust-related records.

The records are online for the first time—and they’re free through October.

The records, which contain millions of names and 26,000 photos, include....http://blog.familytreemagazine.com/insider/2009/09/29/FootnotesNewHolocaustCollectionFreeThroughOctober.aspx

National Archives Launches NARAtions Blog

Note: NARA wants to hear from us who have an interest in genealogy.

/PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, August 12, the National Archives launched the NARAtions blog to begin a discussion with researchers on the future of online public access at the National Archives. The public is invited and encouraged to share opinions on ways to enhance the online researcher experience and to increase access to archival materials.

This online community will continue to be a work in progress as we develop new features and content. Questions will be posted to invite discussion, and the blog welcomes feedback and suggestions for new questions to raise. The blog will also inform researchers about newly available online records descriptions and digitized archival materials.

We would like to hear from you! What sort of things would you find valuable from NARAtions?

-- Should we allow the public to tag descriptions in our online catalog?
Why or why not?
-- What groups of photographs should we post on Flickr next, and why?
-- Do you have a favorite NARA photograph or document? Is it already
available in our catalog or on our website?

The URL is http://blogs.archives.gov/online-public-access/. Please visit often and share this web address with others.

Alien Files to be Permanent at National Archives

Signing Ceremony Permits Millions of Alien Files to Become Permanent Records at the National Archives

A joint signing ceremony on June 3, 2009, between the National Archives and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the National Archives will designate as permanent the immigration files created on the millions of aliens residing in the United States in 1944, as well as those arriving since then. These Alien Case Files (commonly referred to as A-Files) document the famous, the infamous, the anonymous and the well-known, and are an historical and genealogical goldmine. The new agreement authorizes the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services/Department of Homeland Security to send A-files to the National Archives when 100 years have passed since the birthdate of the subject of a file. The National Archives expects to receive the first transfer of A-files later this year, and will store the files at National Archives facilities in San Francisco and Kansas City. Researchers will be able to access the files at these two sites, or request copies of files. An index will be available to support research use.

The A-files are a key to unlocking the fascinating stories of millions of people who traveled to the United States in search of opportunity. They include information such as photographs, personal correspondence, birth certificates, health records, interview transcripts, visas, applications and other information on all non-naturalized alien residents, both legal and illegal. The files are of particular interest to the Asian American community because many A-files supplement information in Chinese Exclusion Act era case files (1882-1943) that are already housed at the National Archives.

The signing ceremony is an important first step in the preservation of the 32 million records that were originally scheduled for disposal. At the ceremony, the National Archives will have samples of the alien registration form that was used to create the A-files. The form requests detailed information revealing valuable material for researchers and family historians, such as the alien’s current name, the name that he or she used when entering the country, marital status, occupation, name and address of employer, height, weight, and date and place of birth.