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Re: Are there individual family records stored at the US Archives?
Jenette ParishJul 11, 2018 11:03 AM (in response to James Steele)
1 person found this helpfulMr. Steele,
Thank you for contacting the History Hub about family records. The National Archives only holds government generated records such as the US Census, Military records, or Land Records regarding genealogy type information. We do not retain personal manuscripts of genealogy histories. You may find individual or personal family genealogies with the state archives, local heritage societies, or the Daughters or Sons of the American Revolution. Occasionally, larger libraries like New York Public Library will have family folders for local historical families.
I hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your research.Jenette Parish
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Re: Are there individual family records stored at the US Archives?
Cara Moore LebonickJul 17, 2018 1:24 PM (in response to James Steele)
Dear Mr. Steele,
Jenette is correct that we do not have personal manuscripts or histories, but we do have Official Personnel Folders (OPF). These detail the individual's service with the federal government from applications, to efficiency ratings, to termination of service and lots in between! By requesting his OPF from the National Archives at St. Louis you can find out more about his service as well as genealogical information like his next of kin and members of his family.
In order to request his OPF please write to us at stl.archives@nara.gov or by sending a letter to:
National Archives & Records Administration
ATTN: Archival Programs, Room 340, Civilian Reference
P.O. Box 38757
St. Louis, MO 63138Please include certain basic information about your relative such as:
- full name used during Federal employment,
- date of birth,
- Social Security Number (if applicable),
- name and location of employing Federal agency,
- beginning and ending dates of Federal Service
Thanks!
Best,
Cara Moore Lebonick
National Archives at St. Louis
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Re: Are there individual family records stored at the US Archives?
Maureen Riordan Aug 5, 2018 12:25 PM (in response to Cara Moore Lebonick)Hi Ms. Lebonick,
My family has long talked about how my maternal grandmother, Marguerite M. (Boland) Burke, headed up a WPA sewing project. I had hoped to ask for her OPF folder through the National Archives but I don't know many of the specifics and my mother's generation have all passed so I can't ask them. I know her full name, DOB, and social security number. I know she probably worked in either the city of Lowell or the town of Dracut (both in Massachusetts) but I don't know the specific Federal agency beyond WPA and I don't know the beginning or ending dates of employment. Do I have enough information to file a request?
Any assistance you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Maureen Riordan
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Re: Are there individual family records stored at the US Archives?
Cara Moore LebonickAug 6, 2018 9:54 AM (in response to Maureen Riordan)
1 person found this helpfulDear Ms.Maureen Riordan,
That sounds like enough information for us to begin a search, certainly! The most important information for a Works Progress Administration personnel record search, after the name of the individual, is the location of employment. Lowell and Dracut are in the same county and that will help narrow things down. Please, feel free to send us a request form and we can conduct a search for you. The form can be found here; https://www.archives.gov/files/st-louis/archival-programs/civilian-personnel-archival/NA_form_14137.pdf
Thank you!
Cara Moore Lebonick
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