Fast Facts, Quick Links and more resources for using NARA's website.
NARA Vital Statistics
Web address: <
archives.gov>
Owner: National Archives and Records Administration, 700 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20408 (mailing address: 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740, (866) 272-6272
Price: Free
Locations:
- National Archives, Washington, DC
- National Archives II, College Park, Md.
- 22 regional records facilities
- 13 presidential libraries
Content Highlights
- Access to Archival Databases: indexes to immigration, WWII enlistments, Korea and Vietnam casualties
- Archival Research Collection: digitized photos, Guion-Miller Roll index, descriptions of NARA holdings
- finding aids to federal records
- order popular genealogy records online
Record Request Fees
- federal census record, ship passenger list, military service file or military bounty land-warrant application: $25
- military pension application (pre-Civil War): $50
- military pension application (Civil War and later): $75 for up to 100 pages plus 65 cents per additional page
Microfilm Fees
- interlibrary loan: $3.50 per roll for up to four rolls of microfilm, plus $6 shipping
- purchase: $85 per roll
Timeline
1934 Congress creates National Archives
1935 Archives I opens in Washington, DC
1973 National Personnel Records Center fire destroys many military service files
1985 NARA becomes an independent federal agency
1993 Archives II opens in College Park, Md.
National Archives Quick Links
Access to Archival Databases
Archival Research Catalog (ARC)
Caring for Your Family Archives
Genealogy FAQs
Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States
Hire a Researcher
Microfilm Catalogs (click Microfilm)
Microfilm Rental
National Archives eStore: Archivists/Genealogists
National Archives Experience: Digital Vaults
National Personnel Records Center
Order Online
Plan Your Visit
Reproduction fees
Research Tools and Ways to Search Online
Research Topics of Genealogical Interest
What You Can Find at NARA Online
Resources
The Ancestry Insider: Visiting NARA
Cyndi’s List: National Archives
Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives, 3rd edition, edited by Anne Bruner Eales and Robert M. Kvasnicka (NARA)
NARA records on Footnote
NARA Records on Ancestry.com
Hacks and Shortcuts
AAD searchable databases
- Famine Irish Passenger File 1846-1851
- Germans to America Passenger File 1850-1897
- Italians to America Passenger File 1855-1900
- Russians to America Passenger File 1834-1897
Click on Civilians for Japanese Americans Relocated During World War II
Click on Military Personnel for:
- World War II Army Enlistment Records
- World War II Prisoners of War
ARC browsable databases
To quickly access the following ARC databases, go to <
archives.gov/research/arc/topics/genealogy#keywords> and click the linked topics.
- Index to Applications Submitted for the Eastern Cherokee Roll of 1909
- Index to the Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory (Dawes Rolls)
- Summary of War Casualties (World War II)
- World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing
Focused searching
Because the National Archives site is so huge, a site search may be the easiest way to find what you need. Type your search terms in the box in the top right corner of any page and hit Go. A search from the Genealogists/Family Historians page will let you search the whole NARA site or just the current section, which can help you focus on the best matches for genealogy.
Open links in new windows
So you don’t lose your way, open links in new windows or tabs. Right-click on a link and select Open in New Window or Open in New Tab. On a Mac, hold down the Control key when you click on a link to open it in a new tab.
Research Support
Visit <
archives.gov/contact> to submit a research question, request for a record order form or other suggestion or complaint. Or call toll-free (866) 272-6272. If the NARA records you need aren’t described in ARC, check <archives.gov/research>, e-mail the general reference desk at
inquire@nara.gov or call (301) 837-2000.
From the November 2009 Family Tree Magazine