Genealogists/Family Historians

Genealogists/Family Historians

The National Archives offers insight into the lives of people, their families and our history. Because the records at the National Archives come from every branch of the Federal government, almost all Americans can find themselves, their ancestors, or their community in the archives. Knowing how a person interacted with the government is key to a successful search.

What You Can Do on this Web Site
Starting Your Genealogy Research

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Highlighted Resources

Native Americans in the Census

document thumbnail Although many sources state that the 1870 census is the first to enumerate the Indian population, genealogists can find Native Americans in the 1860 census.

Find out more in Native Americans in the Census, 1860–1890.

World War II Army Enlistment Records

computer card thumbnailSearch for evidence of Army service from your own computer using NARA's online databases.

Find out more in The World War II Army Enlistment Records File and Access to Archival Databases

Genealogy Notes

"You have the body": Habeas Corpus Case Records of the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia, 1820–1863

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Habeas corpus cases dating from 1820 to 1863 in the District of Columbia can provide names of individuals and family members; birth, marriage, and death information; and detailed information on the daily lives of the people involved in the cases.

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Those Elusive Early Americans: Public Lands and Claims in the American State Papers, 1789–1837

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The thousands of claims and other records in the American State Papers preserved from the archives and manuscript records of the Senate and House contain a wealth of information on individuals and families living in America from 1789 to 1838.

Read the Notes

All Genealogy Notes

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More information on Adobe Acrobat PDF files is available on our Accessibility page.

What's New

Excellence in Genealogy Research Competition Cover SheetNational Archives Creates Awards for Excellence in Genealogy

Records Temporarily Unavailable

  • Attention Researchers:
    The "Sarah Clark Files" in RG 342 (Entry 1001), will be closed as of Monday, June 16, 2008, and will remain closed for about one year as they are reboxed, organized, and new finding aids are created.

  • Access to some records in RG 110 (Civil War) will temporarily be unavailable during their relocation from the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, to NARA's regional locations beginning August 11, 2008. The records will reopen for public access at the regional locations on December 8, 2008.
    Learn more

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Within a National Archives facility, free of charge:


National Archives Documents Available on Footnote.com

Mathew B. Brady Collection of Civil War PhotographsThe National Archives and Footnote.com are working as partners to bring unprecedented access to selections of the vast holdings of the National Archives.
Learn More.

Visit our Research Rooms and Presidential libraries to access the documents free of charge.

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001
Telephone: 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272