The Family Bible

The National Archives has many fascinating records documenting our history. Some of the most fascinating are contained in our Pension Files documenting veterans’ claims, or claims from their families, for benefits starting with the Revolutionary War. For a wife or parent to qualify for benefits on behalf of the deceased soldier they needed to supply … Continue reading The Family Bible

Young George Patton, The Sailor

Growing up in Beverly, Massachusetts I was familiar with the legend of young George Patton rescuing three people whose sailboat had overturned off Beverly Cove.  Last week we had a visit from a group of Coast Guard personnel and among the records selected to show them was the file documenting the incident.  Imagine my surprise … Continue reading Young George Patton, The Sailor

Yes We Scan Again! The Archives chats with voters on a “We the People” teleconference

On January 10th, I blogged about the “Yes We Scan” petitions proposed by Carl Malamud’s PublicResource.org on the White House’s We The People petition platform. “Yes We Scan” calls for a national strategy, and even a Federal Scanning Commission, to figure out what it would take to digitize the holdings of many federal entities, from … Continue reading Yes We Scan Again! The Archives chats with voters on a “We the People” teleconference