the government website offers valuable tools for genealogists
brenda kellow
august 3, 2014
There are several webinars are offered by the government on The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) Historical Research Branch website, www.uscis.gov/HGWebinars#%E2%80%9CRecords%20Found%E2%80%9D%20Case%20Studies. These are for beginners and for advanced researchers. Webinars like these offer an easy and totally free way to learn more about the USCIS History Library, genealogy programs and services from agency historians, librarians and program representatives.
The webinars cover:
History Library Catalog and Services
Genealogy Program Introduction
Guide to I&N History Research
Records Found in Case Studies
On the site, there are topics to follow for exploring our history, discover their library, study their research guidance and learn about family history research.
For those having a Marine that was wounded, killed or missing, or imprisoned, it is now possible to access their casualty card through the online database of the Marine Corps History Division. Each card may contain the soldier’s military unit, service number, whether or not a casualty of war and date of death for World War II, the Interwar period for the years 1946-50. The Korean War cards should go online later this year followed by Vietnam records before the end of the year. The website for the Marine Corps cards is www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/Pages/Frequently_Requested/Casualty-Databases.aspx. The site warns that information on the cards can be graphic; therefore, the individual cards will only be released upon request or on a case-by-case basis. To request a card, send an email to [email protected] or in writing to: United States Marine Corps History Division, Attn: Reference Branch, 3078 Upshur Avenue, Quantico, VA 22134.
NEW YORK DIGITIZES PRISON RECORDS FOLLOWED BY CALIFORNIA: You may view the New York prison records later this month at Ancestry.com and www.archives.gov/research/prisons/. Prior to the digitization project, the New York records were only available at the Albany State Archives. The records are from Newgate in Greenwich Village 1797-1810, Clinton from 1851-1866, 1926-1939; and Sing Sing from 1865-1939. These will be available free to New York residents from Ancestry.com later this month. Read more on this release in the New York Times article at www.nytimes.com/2014/07/07/nyregion/new-york-prison-archives-are-digitized-by-ancestry-com.html?_r=0.
The prison records for two California prisons, San Quentin and Folsom, are both in the process of digitization.
VITAL RECORDS ONLINE AT FAMILYSEARCH.ORG: FamilySearch.org has a listing of all vital records online at www.genealogyblog.com/?page_id=15649. These are records of the United States and Canadian Vital Records Databases, regularly updated and listed on this site. To make it easier to navigate, the site lists the following categories:
United States Birth & Christening Records
United States Marriage Documents & Divorce Records
United States Death & Probate Documents & Indexes
United States Territorial & School Censuses and Tax Records
Easily access the databases at the above FamilySearch.org genealogy blog.
TENNESSEE BIBLE RECORDS DIGITIZED: Finding a marriage record for many states before the 1900s is difficult, but finding a family Bible with recorded vital information is a gold mine for genealogists. For years, the Tennessee State Library and Archives held hundreds of family Bible records for genealogists to research while in the library. Some of these were given to the Archives years ago as a photocopy submitted during a project to add more Bible records to the collection. You may browse or search the database for the Bible records Tennessee has online at http://tnsos.net/TSLA/Bibleproject/.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].
The webinars cover:
History Library Catalog and Services
Genealogy Program Introduction
Guide to I&N History Research
Records Found in Case Studies
On the site, there are topics to follow for exploring our history, discover their library, study their research guidance and learn about family history research.
For those having a Marine that was wounded, killed or missing, or imprisoned, it is now possible to access their casualty card through the online database of the Marine Corps History Division. Each card may contain the soldier’s military unit, service number, whether or not a casualty of war and date of death for World War II, the Interwar period for the years 1946-50. The Korean War cards should go online later this year followed by Vietnam records before the end of the year. The website for the Marine Corps cards is www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/Pages/Frequently_Requested/Casualty-Databases.aspx. The site warns that information on the cards can be graphic; therefore, the individual cards will only be released upon request or on a case-by-case basis. To request a card, send an email to [email protected] or in writing to: United States Marine Corps History Division, Attn: Reference Branch, 3078 Upshur Avenue, Quantico, VA 22134.
NEW YORK DIGITIZES PRISON RECORDS FOLLOWED BY CALIFORNIA: You may view the New York prison records later this month at Ancestry.com and www.archives.gov/research/prisons/. Prior to the digitization project, the New York records were only available at the Albany State Archives. The records are from Newgate in Greenwich Village 1797-1810, Clinton from 1851-1866, 1926-1939; and Sing Sing from 1865-1939. These will be available free to New York residents from Ancestry.com later this month. Read more on this release in the New York Times article at www.nytimes.com/2014/07/07/nyregion/new-york-prison-archives-are-digitized-by-ancestry-com.html?_r=0.
The prison records for two California prisons, San Quentin and Folsom, are both in the process of digitization.
VITAL RECORDS ONLINE AT FAMILYSEARCH.ORG: FamilySearch.org has a listing of all vital records online at www.genealogyblog.com/?page_id=15649. These are records of the United States and Canadian Vital Records Databases, regularly updated and listed on this site. To make it easier to navigate, the site lists the following categories:
United States Birth & Christening Records
United States Marriage Documents & Divorce Records
United States Death & Probate Documents & Indexes
United States Territorial & School Censuses and Tax Records
Easily access the databases at the above FamilySearch.org genealogy blog.
TENNESSEE BIBLE RECORDS DIGITIZED: Finding a marriage record for many states before the 1900s is difficult, but finding a family Bible with recorded vital information is a gold mine for genealogists. For years, the Tennessee State Library and Archives held hundreds of family Bible records for genealogists to research while in the library. Some of these were given to the Archives years ago as a photocopy submitted during a project to add more Bible records to the collection. You may browse or search the database for the Bible records Tennessee has online at http://tnsos.net/TSLA/Bibleproject/.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].
