Here’s the line up — and you can find this all plus links and more at the Archives website:

 

Tips and Tools for Engaging Family with Your Research Finds, presented by Missy McNatt & Dorothy Dougherty

As the family historian, you have amassed information and records that will one day pass to the next family historian. How do you share your findings with others? How to engage young family members involved with all your hard research may be another story. Education staff members Missy McNatt and Dorothy Dougherty will demonstrate fun and engaging ways to connect research to your family, including younger family members. This lecture will highlight activities related to our most popular genealogy records, such as Immigrant Ship Arrivals, U.S. Census Records, Naturalization records, and Military and Pension files. The presenters will also demonstrate new ways to share your research finds online, using social media tools.

From Here to There: Researching Office of Indian Affairs Employees, presented by Cara Lebonick & Cody White

Researching ancestors who worked for federal agencies is a popular topic at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). This presentation will tie together the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Official Personnel Files (OPF) held in St. Louis with agency records located in various NARA field sites. The session will open with what can be found in the OPFs and how to request them. Cara Moore Lebonick will conduct a deep dive into several OPF’s of Native women employed by the BIA. Cody White will then explore how further information can be found in the regional records of the BIA. Together Cara and Cody will show how the holdings across the National Archives can provide a more complete genealogical story.

Civil War Union Noncombatant Personnel: Teamsters, Laundresses, Nurses, Sutlers, and More, presented by Claire Kluskens

The National Archives Building in Washington, DC contains many records about noncombatant civilians connected with the Union Army during the American Civil War. However, the records are underutilized because there is no comprehensive index, no “one” place to look, and require time-consuming research into obscure records. Digitization is slowly changing that, however! This lecture will provide suggestions for research with emphasis on online materials that can help you get started.

Merchant Marine Records at the National Archives at St. Louis, presented by Theresa Fitzgerald

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) recently accessioned the core collection of Merchant Marine Licensing Files, which are now open to the public for the first time at the National Archives at St. Louis. Theresa Fitzgerald will discuss these holdings as well as our auxiliary collections of Merchant Marine records that are complex and closely connected.

And if that’s not enough for you, remember that the videos of prior Virtual Genealogy Fairs are online to be viewed and savored. You can find more information about each year’s fair and the links to the videos on the NARA website as well:

• 2013

• 2014

• 2015

• 2016

• 2017

• 2018

• 2019

That’s a lot of education on federal records and genealogy in general.

Thanks, NARA!!

Cite/link to this post: Judy G. Russell, “A fair alternative,” The Legal Genealogist

(https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : posted 20 Apr 2021)