Bankruptcy to Equity: Using Federal Court Records:
Was Grandma a bootlegger? Did Grandpa pay his taxes? Records of the Federal courts are among the National Archives’ largest holdings-and yet some of the least used records. Open a new chapter of your family history and discover little known branches in your family tree as the records of the Federal Court system are discussed in detail.
Records of Invention: Searching Your Ancestors in the Patent Office.
The right to protect inventions is guaranteed by law under the United States Constitution. The records of the United States Patent Office are often overlooked by genealogists as source of new information. Patents historically have been both legal and scientific and contain information about everyday persons that are located in this group of records. In addition to the Patent Office of the United States-patents of the Confederate States of American (1861-1865) during the Civil War are examined. This lecture focuses on ordering Patent Case files, Assignment Docket Books, Law Suits arising from Patents, and Records of the Official United States Register.
Copyrights and Trademarks:
The United States Copyright law stems back to the first Act passed by Congress in 1790 to protect both inventions and written or visual work. The law has been amended over time as copyright covers a broad range of materials; namely; written materials such as books, diaries, directories and other related records; visual material covers photographs, maps, and charts among other items; music that your ancestor wrote, and architectural designs. Like Copyright Trademarks have been protected by the law. In 1870 the Federal Trademark Act became the first Federal law to protect persons or companies trademarks. The National Archives and Library of Congress hold in their custody details about both Copyright and Trademark work protected for our ancestors
The New Deal: Putting Your Ancestors to Work:
Out of the various New Deal programs of the 1930’s came an abundance of historical records used by genealogists today. The New Deal came in response to the great depression focusing on the “3 Rs” of Relief, Recovery, and Reform. Genealogists today can use the many documents within the various programs to record the personal experiences of their ancestors who lived through the Great Depression and sought help from the Federal Government.
Federal Taxes and the Genealogical Records they Created:
Following the end of the Revolutionary War the individual states denied the power to tax to the new national government. This would eventually lead to the passage of the first Direct Tax of 1798. This was followed with another passage of tax law with the Direct Tax of 1813, 1815, and 1816 to fund the huge debt from the War of 1812. Still later the passage of the Direct Tax of 1861 followed by Federal Taxes excised from 1862 until repealed by 1872 to fund the fighting during the Civil War. It wasn’t until 1913 that the United States Government passes the Internal Revenue Tax codes thereby creating a national income tax. As part of the discussion each student will be absorbed into each of the tax laws with examples of records which will conclude with details about tariffs and tax protests that were a part of the American landscape.
Making Sense of the United States Federal Census:
One of the first records as genealogists and historians is to search for our family members in the United States Census. This lecture will cover all of the Census years from 1790-1940 and include those areas that were Territories in the Federal Census. Additional resources will include each of the non-population schedules covering 1810, 1820-1860, including agricultural, manufacturing, social, mortality, slave, veteran, and the dependent, defective, and delinquent classes from 1880.
Genealogical Research in the Customs House Records:
The U.S. Custom Service was created in 1789 with the responsibility for collecting duties on imports, registering vessels, and enforcing the law governing seamen and ships’ passengers. The eastern coastline was divided into districts, each jurisdiction keeping its own records. Many such records created by this department are useful to genealogists. These records date from the early years of the republic-and include records of Naturalization, Passengers Lists, Crew Lists, Seaman Projection Certificates, among other related records. Discover your family history in these great resources.
Postmasters, Letter Carriers, and Railway Clerks: Genealogy Records of the U.S.P.S.
Was your ancestor a mail carrier? Did they serve as postmaster? The Postal Service can trace its roots to 1775 during the Second Continental Congress; where Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General. Officially created in 1792; and elevated to a cabinet department in 1872; and finally transformed in 1971 to an official Government agency. Records of the United States Post Office are an overlooked genealogical pathway worth the efforts to search. Many details about family members who may have worked with the postal system from the earliest listings in Federal records are available to researchers nationwide. Learn to conduct primary research at the National Archives where most of these records are stored.
Federal Penitentiary, Pardons, and Extradition Records:
The records of the United States Bureau of Prisons are some of the most extensive sets of documents held in the custody of the National Archives. Federal prisons such as Alcatraz Island, Atlanta, and Leavenworth are some of the largest. Prior to the formation of the Department of Justice in 1870 prisoners were recorded inside the Department of the Interior and the Department of State and during wartime the Commissary General of Prisoners. State Penitentiary records were created before this date as the Government moved towards a national system of incarceration. In addition records, registers, and indexes of Federal pardons along with extradition records from the 1830’s will be discussed.
Decoding Social Security: Providing Benefits to our Ancestors:
The passage of the Social Security Act of 1935 provided stability and reform in the United States during the height of the Great Depression. By decoding Social Security Numbers including the crossover with military serial numbers we can better understand how the SSA worked. Ordering copies of Social Security applications and using delayed births can offer ways of finding new information about our ancestors who sought relief from the Federal Government.
Hidden Clues Found Inside the U.S. Federal Census, 1790-1840:
The United States Census has been taken every ten years from 1790 for the purpose of Congressional apportionment by the Federal Government. The first several censuses taken through 1840 record data by using tick marks which provide limited information. However, these early census returns also contain other valuable genealogical clues on families by providing numerous hidden details about families found inside the census.