Seeking personnel records of Stephen O'Brien

Dear Ms. O’Maxfield,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

If he was a civilian employee of the War Department, there may be an Official Personnel File (OPF) for him, depending on exactly when he was employed. OPFs and medical information for individuals who worked for the U.S. government in a civilian capacity before 1952 are in the custody of the National Archives at St. Louis (RL-SL). Please email RL-SL via email at stl.archives@nara.gov and  include the full name used during Federal employment, date of birth, Social Security Number (if applicable), name and location of the employing Federal agency, beginning and ending dates of Federal Service. For more information, please check the Official Personnel Folders (OPF), Archival Holdings and Access website

Also, we searched the National Archives Catalog and located Monthly Payrolls of Civilian Employees, 1802 - 1911 in the Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance (Record Group 156) that consists of monthly payroll records of civilian employees at the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts. This series and other records of the Springfield Army are in the custody of the National Archives at Boston (RE-BO).  For more information, please email RE-BO at boston.archives@nara.gov.

Due to the continued impact of COVID-19, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference requests from RL-SL and RE-BO. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic. Please check NARA’s web page about COVID-19 updates for the latest information.

Additionally, the National Park Service’s Springfield Armory National Historic Site has collections that may be of interest to you, however they do not have records of each individual employee.

We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!

Dear Ms. O’Maxfield,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

If he was a civilian employee of the War Department, there may be an Official Personnel File (OPF) for him, depending on exactly when he was employed. OPFs and medical information for individuals who worked for the U.S. government in a civilian capacity before 1952 are in the custody of the National Archives at St. Louis (RL-SL). Please email RL-SL via email at stl.archives@nara.gov and  include the full name used during Federal employment, date of birth, Social Security Number (if applicable), name and location of the employing Federal agency, beginning and ending dates of Federal Service. For more information, please check the Official Personnel Folders (OPF), Archival Holdings and Access website

Also, we searched the National Archives Catalog and located Monthly Payrolls of Civilian Employees, 1802 - 1911 in the Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance (Record Group 156) that consists of monthly payroll records of civilian employees at the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts. This series and other records of the Springfield Army are in the custody of the National Archives at Boston (RE-BO).  For more information, please email RE-BO at boston.archives@nara.gov.

Due to the continued impact of COVID-19, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference requests from RL-SL and RE-BO. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic. Please check NARA’s web page about COVID-19 updates for the latest information.

Additionally, the National Park Service’s Springfield Armory National Historic Site has collections that may be of interest to you, however they do not have records of each individual employee.

We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!