A Deep Dive into Federal Records
By Kelley Barrett, Vegas Ancestor Hunter
Think you know everything you need to know about federal records? Think again.
Although the name The Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (or Gen-Fed, for short) has only been around since 2015, this premier institute on U.S. federal records has roots going back to 1950. To date, over 2,400 participants have attended this unparalleled educational opportunity. As fate would have it, this year, 2024, was my turn to join them.
Based on conversations with fellow participants, it seems fair to say that attending Gen-Fed is a bucket-list item for many genealogists. Gen-Fed is only held once per year and seating is extremely limited (about 40 students). Those desiring to attend must first be selected through a random registration drawing. Many participants had tried for years to get a one of the few coveted spots. This year, there were about 150 names included in the drawing. I had submitted my name for the drawing as soon as it opened. When the day of the drawing arrived, my mother and I sat at her dining room table with fingers crossed to watch the drawing live on my laptop.
When my name was drawn, we cheered and celebrated. My mother began researching our family history back in the 1970’s and it was from her that I caught the bug. She and I took our very first genealogy workshop together back in the early 1990’s. Going to something like Gen-Fed would have been a dream come true for her when she was an active researcher. Unfortunately, now in her 90’s, while her mind was still sharp, her body was simply no longer up to the task. Oh how she wished that she could be a fly on the wall. She would want a full report when I returned.
A few months after the drawing, when my mother was diagnosed with cancer, she told me “No matter what happens, you have to go to DC. You have to go to Gen-Fed. This is the opportunity of a lifetime.” Fortunately, my mother’s treatments kept her condition from deteriorating quickly and I was able to attend the institute as planned. When I heard my fellow attendees lamenting how many times they had previously attempted to get into the program through the drawing, I nodded in empathy. I didn’t share with them that I had won my place on the first try.
National Archives August 2024, Photo by Kelley Barrett
The 2024 institute was held at the National Archives on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC (NARA I). Additional site visits included NARA II in College Park, Maryland, the Library of Congress, and the Daughters of the American Revolution library. Close your eyes for a moment and just imagine what it was like to wander the stacks searching for rare treasures in the Library of Congress on a pleasant August evening. In truth, it was even better than what you imagined.
The week-long program includes such notable presenters as Rick Sayre on legislative records and map holdings, LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson on immigration, naturalization, and enslaved African Americans, and Judy Russell on court records. Other instructors bring an unparalleled depth of knowledge in their areas of expertise. Highlights include lectures on federal records documenting Native Americans by Kenneth Heger, military bounty land records by the Director of the institute, Rebecca Whitman Koford, and a much-appreciated tutorial on how to navigate the National Archives Catalog by noted archivist Claire Kluskens (just to name a few).
Be warned though, this institute is not for everyone. At times the institute feels like an overwhelming data dump, no, make that an avalanche. Thankfully, the instructors recognize this and provide tools and resources to assist students with sorting through and processing the information at a later date. First, there is the handbook which contains all of the syllabi, space to take notes, and perhaps most importantly, bios and contact information for all of the students. What an impressive group of people! We had 47 students from 23 states. Our cohort included genealogy hobbyists and professionals, PhDs and JDs, AGs and CGs, professors, librarians, attorneys, and even a retired chemist. This is not a program for absolute beginners. It specifically targets the needs of upper-intermediate to advanced-level students. If you are at that level, this program may provide the deep dive into federal records that you may desire.
The second way that the instructors help counteract the data dump is to provide all the electronic resources one can possibly imagine and more… in advance. This includes descriptive pamphlets, leaflets, inventories, guides, catalogs, reference reports, special lists, and articles from the National Archives’ Prologue magazine among many other items. Finding the information you seek in the archives can be extremely difficult if you do not utilize these various types of finding aids. There were quite literally hundreds of items available for student download. I downloaded every single one, saving them all in case a need should arise.
The most impactful moments of the week for me were deeply personal. This included the quintessential archives experience of holding my great great grandfather’s civil war personnel and pension files in my bare hands for the first time. Beyond that though, I was a woman on a mission. At NARA II, I pulled the actual command reports from September 1950 to learn how my father’s unit, his good friends and fellow soldiers, were decimated in Korea. The unit had all signed up together to go to Korea. All for one and one for all. My father decided that he wanted to travel home and marry my mother before his unit left. While he was away on leave, the unit unexpectedly shipped out. When he returned to base, they were gone. His friends and fellow soldiers were killed about a month later. Survivor guilt gnawed at my father for the rest of his life. For me, the experience of touching the crumbling documents and reading of the events that led to the deaths of these young men made for an unforgettable experience. When I reported my findings to my mother, she was comforted to know that the official records matched the story that my father was told almost 75 years ago.
Interactions with the archives staff are another highlight of the week. The low point of my archives visit turned into one of the high points thanks to one very helpful archives employee. One evening I happened to pass a supervisor as I was leaving the reading room for the day. I was holding a dreaded rejection notice in my hand. This type of notice indicates that a requested file could not be located. They may provide an explanation but mine did not, so I was very confused. I must have looked a bit dejected. The supervisor took the paper from me, reviewed it, and told me to check back with the desk the following morning. I don’t know what miracle he performed, but the missing file was waiting for me the next day. It definitely pays to know the right people. After spending several days at the archive as part of Gen-Fed, many members of the archives staff will recognize you. Had I not been recognized as a participant in Gen-Fed, I might have simply walked past that supervisor never to see that file, and never to uncover another family secret. My mother was right, attending Gen-Fed was the opportunity of a lifetime.
Ged-Fed 2024 Class Photo, Photo by Susana Raab
The Gen-Fed registration process will be the same for 2025. In order to have the opportunity to attend, you must first have your name drawn in the registration drawing. According to the Director of the institute, Rebecca Whitman Koford, official details will be released in January, the drawing will be held during the third week of February, and the institute is scheduled for the 2nd week of August. Interested in attending? Subscribe to receive the news releases at the bottom of the page at https://www.gen-fed.org/.
In order to keep things fair, there is a rule that once you attend, you cannot attend again for five years. I won’t be able to participate again until 2030. Until then, I wish you the best of luck in the drawing.
Interested in learning more about the Gen-Fed experience or want some advice for planning a trip to the National Archives? Feel free to contact me at kel@ancestor-hunter.com. Please also feel free to visit my website at https://ancestor-hunter.com/.
Gen-Fed Alumni, Photo by Kelley Barrett
Published in The Prospector, the newsletter of the Clark County Nevada Genealogical Society (Volume 10, Issue 1), January 1, 2025.