Researching the War of 1812: Where to Begin

By T. Juliette Arai As 2012 marks the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, the Reference staff at Archives 1 want to provide a glimpse of some of the series that we have in our custody relating to this conflict.  The following list may assist researchers who want to locate records pertaining to the War of 1812.  Please … Continue reading Researching the War of 1812: Where to Begin

The Editors Receiving Outstanding Achievement Awards

Thank You!

Yesterday, the editors of this blog had the honor of being among the recipients of the Archivist’s Awards for Outstanding Achievement.  We were thrilled to be recognized for our work on The Text Message and want to say thank you to our readers and contributors. The ceremony, held in the Adrienne C. Thomas Auditorium at … Continue reading Thank You!

Go Army! Beat Navy!

By T. Juliette Arai With the annual Army-Navy game less than two weeks away, I thought I would share an interesting letter I found among the records of the Adjutant General’s Office (Record Group 94). 2nd Lieutenant Robert C. Foy, 8th U.S. Infantry, sent a letter to Major John A. Johnson, Assistant Adjutant General, on … Continue reading Go Army! Beat Navy!

Football and the U.S. Army in the Early 20th Century

By T. Juliette Arai  As we are in the midst of the college and professional football seasons, I thought it might be interesting to have a blog about this sport during its early years, one which shows a few of the football-related records we have here at Archives I. At the turn of the last … Continue reading Football and the U.S. Army in the Early 20th Century

The War of 1812: Beyond Battle Reports and Correspondence

By T. Juliette Arai File: J-38(7)-1813 (Johnson letter, pg. 1), NARA Microfilm Pub #M221, Roll #54 In a previous blog (Music at the National Archives) I wrote about those rare instances when archivists and researchers come across a document that stands out because it is so different from what is usually found within our holdings.  … Continue reading The War of 1812: Beyond Battle Reports and Correspondence

Researching Forts at Archives I

By T. Juliette Arai A common research topic concerns information on military installations, i.e., forts, camps, depots, barracks, etc.  Generally, the bulk of the records we have relate to permanent installations, but we do have a few records pertaining to some temporary posts. Records relating to military installations can be found in a number of … Continue reading Researching Forts at Archives I

Music at the National Archives

By T. Juliette Arai RG 93 (War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records), Entry 50 (Music Book, n.d.) As most researchers are aware, the National Archives has many records that are administrative in nature.  In some very rare cases, however, we do come across a document that is so much more interesting than the everyday … Continue reading Music at the National Archives

Civil Records at Archives I

By T. Juliette Arai "What records do you have here?" is a common question we are asked everyday at Archives I (AI) in Washington, DC.  This post -- Part 3 of a 3-part series -- provides a brief description of the civilian agency records one can find in DC.  Part 1, Army [records at AI], and … Continue reading Civil Records at Archives I

Navy / Maritime Records at Archives I

By T. Juliette Arai "What records do you have here?" is a common question we are asked everyday at Archives I.  This post -- Part 2 of a 3-part series -- provides a brief description of the Navy/maritime records one can find at our facility in Washington, DC.  Part 1, Army [records at AI], was posted … Continue reading Navy / Maritime Records at Archives I

Army Records at Archives I

Today's post is written by T. Juliette Arai, a reference archivist who works at Archives I.  Along with M. Marie Maxwell, she will be joining us as a regular blogger.  "What records do you have here?" is a common question we are asked everyday at Archives I.  This post -- Part 1 of a 3-part series … Continue reading Army Records at Archives I