Branches Bring Data Closer To Home

What do the cities of Anchorage, Chicago, Denver, East Point (Ga.), Ft. Worth, Kansas City, Laguna Niguel (Calif.), New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsfield, San Bruno (Calif.), Waltham (Mass.) - and Seattle - have in common?

No, not a professional sports team.

Each city is the home of a National Archives Field Branch.

“So, what’s a field branch?” you might well ask.

The National Archives in Washington, D.C., is our nation’s storehouse of history. Established in 1934, it is the resting place for historically valuable records created or received by numerous federal agencies in the course of doing business.

For the last 50 years, genealogists have been visiting the big building on Constitution Avenue searching for an original piece of paper containing information about some elusive ancestor. It is regrettable, but many genealogists don’t realize they can make use of the National Archives’ resources without traveling to Washington, D.C. It is as close as a letter or form away.

Since the federal government was founded in 1789, there have been archive employees in all parts of the country creating records of their activities. So many records made their way into the National Archives, that by 1969, there were more records to store than there were buildings in which to store them.

Accordingly, field branches were created. Each branch is responsible for identifying records created in its geographic area that have enough research value to warrant spending taxpayers’ money to preserve them. And, once saved, they become available to anyone.

Shortly after the branches were created, the United States Archivist supplied them with copies of microfilmed publications and the original microfilms most used by historians and genealogists in Washington, D.C.

A “core collection” of microfilm now held by all branches includes many military records and all available census microfilms. Most branches have supplemented their core collections with other films that relate to their specific geographic area.

The Malcolm H. Stern NARA Gift Fund, managed by the Federation of Genealogical Societies, which seeks to collect an annual $1 contribution from every genealogist, has added microfilm collections to the field branches.

The donations have resulted in a microfiche of street indexes to the 39 largest cities in the 1910 U.S. Census; enumeration district descriptions for the 1920 U.S. Census; an index to the War of 1812 prison-of-war records; an index to Canadian border crossings (1895-1954); and the Galveston Passenger arrival records (1896-1948).

Each branch operates a microfilm reading room and, for a fee, provides visitors with copies from microfilm. Most branches are so busy that reservations must be made to use the readers.

Our closest contact is the Pacific Northwest Field Branch, 6125 Sand Point Way, N.E., Seattle, WA 98115. Their phone number is (206) 526-6507. One “big draw” to the Seattle branch is a nearly complete set of U.S. census index books.

Do you think an ancestor of yours might have been a member of a hereditary society?

During the last 200 years, numerous hereditary societies were organized in the United States, and many are still in existence. Each requires some form of application by a prospective member connecting that person to an ancestor who fits the society’s purpose.

Robert R. Davenport’s book, “Hereditary Society Blue Book,” last published in 1994 by Genealogical Publishing Co., has information on nearly 800 hereditary societies. Some include the Swedish Colonial Society (to be eligible you must prove descent from a Swedish colonist here prior to 1783), First Families of South Carolina (prove descent from a South Carolina settler prior to 1700), or Society of Descendants of Washington’s Army at Valley Forge (descent from a soldier serving in the Continental Army under Gen. Washington at the Valley Forge encampment in 1777-1778).

There’s even the Society of Barbary Wars.

There are dozens of others, and no doubt any genealogist could qualify for membership in one or more of them.

Some societies limit membership to male direct-line descendants, and some, like the Daughters of the American Revolution, accept only women into membership, but descent can come through a male lineage.

Some societies have a by-invitation-only policy. Davenport’s Blue Book also carries a list of societies which are no longer in existence.

Check your local genealogical collection, or order the book from Genealogical Publishing Co. at (800) 296-6687.

Today’s trivia: Here’s a quiz for Civil War buffs: (1) In “Gone With The Wind,” what was the first name of Scarlett O’Hara’s father? (2) What color did Gen. Robert E. Lee use to describe his horse, Traveller? (3) Who were the “butternuts?” (4) Who was the Civil War’s only official army photographer?

Answers: (1) Gerald. (2) Confederate grey. (3)Confederate soldiers. (4) Capt. Andrew J. Russell.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Donna Potter Phillips The Spokesman-Review