Author: ddancis

image of writing taken from page 21.

Record Book of Justice of the Peace Ebenezer Ferguson of Philadelphia, 1799-1800

by ddancis, posted in Digitization Projects

Today’s post is by Claire Kluskens, Digital Projects Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, DC The National Archives recently digitized the Record Book of Ebenezer Ferguson, Justice of the Peace, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 1799-July 1800 (National Archives Identifier 155501037). Mr. Ferguson chronicled actions taken by him in his official capacity from December 1799 to July 1800. … Continue reading Record Book of Justice of the Peace Ebenezer Ferguson of Philadelphia, 1799-1800

photograph of man, Ralph S. Mosher, looking at a quadruped model.

Bringing Sci-Fi to Life: The Walking War Machines of ARPA and G.E.

by ddancis, posted in Military Records, Science and Technology

Today’s post is by Jeff Simon who interned with the Textual Processing Department at the National Archives in College Park, MD in the summer of 2019 A walking engine of glittering metal, striding now across the heather; articulate ropes of steel dangling from it, and the clattering tumult of its passage mingling with the riot … Continue reading Bringing Sci-Fi to Life: The Walking War Machines of ARPA and G.E.

When the FBI Used a Stamp Collecting Club as a Counterintelligence Tool

by ddancis, posted in FBI Records

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. In doing research in declassified Federal Bureau of Investigation records at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., I ran across a file [105 -174254] describing a counterintelligence operation about a Chinese Communist stamp collecting club. Even though the … Continue reading When the FBI Used a Stamp Collecting Club as a Counterintelligence Tool

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Some Americans in Canada: The Record Book of Joseph Edwards, Niagara, Upper Canada, April 1812-January 1813

by ddancis, posted in Genealogy, War of 1812

Today’s post comes from Claire Kluskens, Digital Projects Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, DC In the years after the American Revolution an unknown number of U.S. citizens or residents moved across the generally unregulated northern border to continue their lives - perhaps to seek opportunities or cheap land - in the country we now … Continue reading Some Americans in Canada: The Record Book of Joseph Edwards, Niagara, Upper Canada, April 1812-January 1813

We Hold the Rock!

by ddancis, posted in American Indian History, Interior/Environment

Today’s post is written by Joseph Gillette, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. On March 21, 1963, the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, often referred to simply as Alcatraz or “the Rock”, closed. High costs, deteriorating physical conditions, and a notorious reputation for brutality all contributed to the decision to close what was generally considered … Continue reading We Hold the Rock!

Appraising FBI Records in New York City and Los Angeles, 1981: A Personal Diary

by ddancis, posted in FBI Records, NARA's History

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. In going through my papers I found that early in 1982 I had written a paper regarding the 1981 appraisal of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) records by a team of National Archives and Records Service (NARS)[1] … Continue reading Appraising FBI Records in New York City and Los Angeles, 1981: A Personal Diary

The Closed Door of Justice: African American Nurses and the Fight for Naval Service

by ddancis, posted in African American History, Civil Rights, Navy, Marines, & Coast Guard, Women's History, World War II

Today's post is written by Alicia Henneberry, Archives Specialist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Commissioning ceremony in which Phyllis Dailey, second from right, became the first black nurse in the Navy Nursing Corps. March 8, 1945. NAID 520618. In October 1908, twenty nurses reported for duty at the Naval Medical School Hospital … Continue reading The Closed Door of Justice: African American Nurses and the Fight for Naval Service

The Great “Adobe Inn” Move of 1962

by ddancis, posted in Hispanic/Latinx History, Interior/Environment

Today's post is written by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver “It is a pleasure for me to come out here and help blow up this valley in the cause of progress.” So stated President John F. Kennedy on August 18, 1962, as he stood atop a simple wooden stage 10 miles … Continue reading The Great “Adobe Inn” Move of 1962

The War after the War: the American Indian Fight for the Vote after WWII

by ddancis, posted in American Indian History, Civil Rights, WWII Home Front

Today's post is written by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver and Subject Matter Expert for Native American Related Records “We all know Congress granted the Indian citizenship in 1924, but we still have no privilege to vote, we do not understand what kind of citizenship you would call that.” - Pvt. … Continue reading The War after the War: the American Indian Fight for the Vote after WWII

Propaganda, Politics, and the Personification of FDR: The Uncle Sam Poster Controversy

by ddancis, posted in Fine and Graphic Arts, Hispanic/Latinx History, WWII Home Front

This is the third and final post in a three-part series on the Uncle Sam poster for the Security of War Information campaign. Today’s post is written by Daniel Dancis, an Archivist in the Textual Processing Branch at the National Archives in College Park, MD. In October 1943, Representative Harold Knutson (R-MN) charged the U.S. … Continue reading Propaganda, Politics, and the Personification of FDR: The Uncle Sam Poster Controversy