Public Outcry, a Broken Treaty, and the Controversial Construction of the Kinzua Dam

Today’s post was written by Grace Schultz, archivist at the National Archives at Philadelphia.  On September 16, 1966, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) drowned over 10,000 acres of Seneca land in northwestern Pennsylvania and southwestern New York. The 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, signed by George Washington as well as Native and federal delegates, … Continue reading Public Outcry, a Broken Treaty, and the Controversial Construction of the Kinzua Dam

An Indigenous Woman’s Legal Fight After Forced Sterilization

Today’s post was written by Grace Schultz, archivist at the National Archives at Philadelphia. Special thanks to Rose Buchanan and Cody White, Subject Matter Experts for Native American Related Records, for their feedback and expertise during the process of writing this post. The following piece along with associated archival records discuss forced sterilization, racist slurs … Continue reading An Indigenous Woman’s Legal Fight After Forced Sterilization

Hand drawn map of where bodies were buried in Nelson Private Cemetery.

A (Not So) Final Resting Place: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cemetery Relocation Project in Hawley, Pennsylvania

Today’s post was written by Grace Schultz, archivist at the National Archives at Philadelphia. When we lay our loved ones to rest, we expect their remains to… well… remain. However, final resting places are not always final. As can be seen with the relocation of two cemeteries in the 1950s and 1960s in Wayne County, … Continue reading A (Not So) Final Resting Place: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cemetery Relocation Project in Hawley, Pennsylvania

Documenting the Deceased: Typhoid Fever During the Spanish-American War

Today’s post was written by Grace Schultz, archivist at the National Archives at Philadelphia. While the Spanish-American War lasted four months (April 21 – August 13, 1898), it resulted in almost 2,500 deaths of American soldiers.[1] The short-lived conflict officially came to a close with the Treaty of Paris, which was signed on December 10, … Continue reading Documenting the Deceased: Typhoid Fever During the Spanish-American War

Equalization and its Role in Dismantling Racial Segregation in Virginia Public Schools

Today’s post was written by Grace Schultz, archivist at the National Archives at Philadelphia. A companion lesson plan can be viewed here on DocsTeach. The fight to desegregate schools started long before the Supreme Court’s decision in Oliver Brown, et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka, et al., and it continues today. As can … Continue reading Equalization and its Role in Dismantling Racial Segregation in Virginia Public Schools

From Soldier to Citizen: How to use the Index to Naturalizations of World War I Soldiers

Today's post comes from Grace Schultz, an archivist at the National Archives at Philadelphia. Did your immigrant ancestor naturalize after serving in World War I? If so, you may find them in the National Archives Index to Naturalizations of World War I Soldiers (Microfilm Publication M1952) which is available online through all of our digitization … Continue reading From Soldier to Citizen: How to use the Index to Naturalizations of World War I Soldiers