Seeking old court records

Question

I am trying to request old court records through NARA's online records request system.&#160; My dilemma is that I am having trouble locating the box and transfer numbers.&#160; NARA's NATF 91 or NATF 92 form states that the box and transfer numbers are needed to fill out the NATF form and can be located at the court that the cases were filed in. I am told by the local courts that the information no longer exist due to the case files being destroyed.&#160; In addition, the local courts do not offer access to minute or order books, so I am unable to obtain any information via those forms of records.&#160; On previous occasions, NARA staff have been able to retrieve the transfer and box numbers themselves or they will stress that information such as box and transfer numbers must me located through the courts. Currently I am unsure as to how to retrieve the box and transfer numbers. Any suggestions are highly appreciated.

Rebecca Collier · Answer

Dear Wiseone Search, &#160; Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! &#160; Court Records at the National Archives cover more than 200 years of court proceedings at the federal level. We suggest that you begin your search of old court cases by reviewing National Archives Court Records webpages. Depending on the type of federal court and the date of the case, there may be indexes and dockets available to assist in locating a particular court case file. Please see the History Hub blog Case File Indexes Created by the Federal Courts: Introduction (Part 1 of 3) , Case File Indexes Created by the Federal Courts: Index Examples (Part 2 of 3) , and Case File Indexes Created by the Federal Courts: Digitized and Digital Indexes (Part 3 of 3) for more information. Please review this information before trying to order records online. &#160; Generally, federal court records less than 15 years old are still in the possession of individual courts and are not in the custody of the National Archives. To obtain access to those records, you must contact the appropriate federal court. &#160; If the case you seek was tried in a state or local court , those records will not be in the custody of the National Archives. Please contact the State Archives or county courthouse for access to those records. &#160; We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research! &#160;