Continuing on the theme of (unusually-named) specialty units that served in the U.S. military, this time we look at the artificers who supported the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.  Simply put, artificers were skilled artisans and mechanics who kept military equipment in good working order so the troops could operate effectively.  They typically served [...]

This week’s Family Tree Friday post comes from guest blogger Theresa Fitzgerald from the National Archives at St. Louis.  Theresa shows us the wealth of genealogical information available within the National Personnel Records Center! There’s often one question when beginning one’s family tree: Where do I begin? Many start with their own family collection of [...]

In my last post, I talked about the Sea Fencibles, a unique fighting unit from the War of 1812.  I thought it would be interesting to continue that trend, moving on this time to introduce the Regiment of U.S. Voltigeurs and Foot Riflemen from the Mexican War.  Voltigeurs, you may ask?!?  What in the world [...]

Did you know that the first federal direct tax was in 1798? This was a tax on real property (real estate or land) and slaves which was levied as a response to rising military tensions with France. Sometimes called the “Glass Tax” (referring to glass window panes, which indicated wealth), the records consist of various [...]

With all the hype ramping up for the approaching 150th anniversary of the Civil War next year, which is expected to continue over the next five years, I’ve heard a few concerns that another major milestone might be overshadowed–the bicentennial in 2012 of the beginning of the War of 1812!  Lest we forget about our [...]

Did you know that you can find references to important historical events in our records? You’ve probably already seen some of what I’m talking about. Sometimes it’s obvious, as in the case of the Carpathia arriving in New York City on April 18, 1912 with the survivors from the Titanic. Sometimes, however, you can stumble [...]

When I started this series of blog posts on immigration records, I mentioned that the Federal government began documenting alien arrivals in 1820, in fulfillment of the requirements of the Steerage Act of 1819.  So, can you still find any information in federal records about alien arrivals PRIOR to 1820?  As a matter of fact, [...]

We’ve all found ancestors whose names are spelled differently in every census record. Sometimes their ages don’t match up either – for example, if someone is 32 in the 1910 census, they should be 42 in the 1920 census. Frequently, however, you will see that they are listed as 38 or 40 instead. We’ve touched [...]

Even though passenger arrival records were intended to document foreign or alien immigrants coming into the United States, you will occasionally find U.S. citizens listed on the vessel manifests as well.  In the 19th century records, they are much harder to locate, their names generally mixed together with the alien arrivals.  You have to note [...]

A while back, I talked about passport applications. These are some of my favorite records, so I thought I’d examine a typical application in detail, to show you what type of information you can find. On January 6, 1923, Sidney van Slaars’ passport application (#241469) was approved. Sidney was born in New York City “on [...]