National Archives -- Northeast Region, Waltham
Press Release, December 12, 2008
Civil War Records Come Home to New England
National Archives Welcomes Public Use
The National Archives Center in Waltham, MA, announces the receipt of over 1000 volumes of Civil War records previously held in Washington, D.C. These records document of the activities of the Provost Marshal General’s Bureau, which arrested deserters, enrolled men for the draft, enlisted volunteers, and compiled statistics on the physical condition of recruits and on army casualties. These records will be available for public use on December 8, 2008.
“These amazing records offer a glimpse into every city and town of New England -the ethnic breakdown, the occupations-and reveal what New England was like in 1863 and 1864,’ explains Joseph Keefe, an historian and Civil War expert on the Archives’ staff. “They offer researchers the opportunity to find information on people who otherwise may be lost to history.”
Referred to by the Archives as Record Group 110, the volumes will provide insight into the Civil War for historians and for genealogists. The Provost Marshal General’s Bureau was established in the War Department March 3, 1863 (12 Stat. 731). The records cover all the New England states and are organized by town, specifically Maine (1861-1867), New Hampshire (1861-1866), Vermont (1861-1866), Massachusetts (1861-1867), and Connecticut and Rhode Island (1861-1866).
Although original Civil War pensions and service records will continue to be held in Washington, D.C., “these original records help tell a piece of the story of the Civil War, and they augment our extensive microfilm collection, which especially documents the US Colored Troops of New England, and our online resources,” explains Archives Director Priscilla Foley.
The National Archives welcomes the public, including students; the microfilm and online resources are available at all times, and researchers are requested to make an appointment to use the original Record Group 110 records, and the notoriously helpful Archives staff are available to assist researchers.
The National Archives is open to the public M, T, W, and F 7 A.M. - 4:30 P.M., Thursdays 7 A.M.- 9 P.M., and the first Saturday of each month 8 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. The National Archives and Records Administration is located at 380 Trapelo Road, Waltham, MA. The toll free number is 866-406-2379.
More from the National Archives:
- Record Group 110: Records of the Provost Marshal General's Bureau (Civil War) from The National Archives Guide to Federal Records
- Military Resources at the National Archives: Civil War
- Civil War Draft Records: Exemptions and Enrollments by Michael T. Meier, from the National Archives magazine Prologue
- National Archives Reference Information Paper: Draft Records (Civil War and after)
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For additional information, please contact:
Annie Davis, Education Specialist
National Archives & Records Administration
380 Trapelo Road, Waltham, MA 02352
annie.davis@nara.gov
781-663-0126
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