Genealogy 101

The National Archives-Northeast Region in Pittsfield is offering free genealogical workshops. Participants will learn what they need to know in order to locate records as well as what one might expect to find in the records.

July 19, 2007 - Family Research Using Military Records at NARA

Information and RSVP - http://www.archives.gov/northeast/pittsfield/public/workshops.html

Research at the National Archives

Records About Japanese Americans Relocated During World War II, created, 1988 - 1989, documenting the period 1942 - 1946

This series contains personal descriptive data about Japanese Americans evacuated from the states of Washington, Oregon, and California to ten relocation centers operated by the War Relocation Authority during World War II in the states of California (Tule Lake and Manzanar Centers), Idaho (Minidoka Center), Utah (Central Utah Center), Colorado (Granada Center), Arizona (Colorado River and Gila River Centers), Wyoming (Heart Mountain Center), and Arkansas (Rohwer and Jerome Centers). Each record represents an individual and includes the name; relocation project and assembly center to which assigned; previous address; birthplace of parents; occupation of father; education; foreign residence; indication of military service, public assistance, pensions, and physical defects; sex and marital status; race of evacuee and spouse; year of birth; age; birthplace; indication of the holding of an alien registration number and/or Social Security number, and whether the evacuee attended Japanese language school; highest grade completed; language proficiency; occupations; and religion.

Research at the National Archives

Records of Duty Locations for Naval Intelligence Personnel, created, 1942 - 1945, documenting the period 1942 - 1945

The records contain the following information about the military intelligence personnel attached to Naval Group China during World War II: name, rank or rate of pay, branch of service, muster roll date of reporting or detachment, date and duty location approximately every two weeks. There are multiple records for individual naval officers and sailors indicating changes in their location inside and outside of China, rank or rate of pay, and unit over time.

Research at the National Archives

Records of Military Personnel Who Died as a Result of Hostilities During the Korean War, created, ca. 1977 - 11/1979, documenting the period 1/1/1950 - 2/7/1957

This series contains selected descriptive data about U.S. military personnel who died by hostile means (i.e. battle deaths) as a result of combat duty in the Korean War. The data were usually extracted from Department of Defense Form 1300 (Report of Casualty) as well as from each of the four military services of the Department of Defense. The variables available from each casualty record include: Military Service Branch, Country of Casualty (always Korea), Casualty Group, File Reference Number, Name of Casualty, [record] Processing Date, Service Number, Military Grade or Rank, Pay Grade, Date of Casualty, Service Component, Home of Record (place and state), Birth Date (year only for most records), Cause of Casualty, Aircraft Involvement(air/non-air casualty), Race, Sex (all are male), and Citizenship. The majority of the records have no meaningful data in the “cause of casualty” or “air/non- air casualty” variable. The series lists as the home of record the county for those casualties in the Army and lists as the home of record the city, town, or municipality for those casualties in the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.

Research at the National Archives

Records of Repatriated Korean War Prisoners of War, created, 1978 - 1980, documenting the period 7/5/1950 - 10/6/1954

This series contains information about 4,447 former prisoners of war (POWs) from the Korean War. POWs were considered battle or war casualties. There is one record per repatriated soldier. Each record includes the following information: serial or service number; Social Security number; personal name; year, month, and day of capture; year, month and day of release; and the POW internment camp.

Research at the National Archives

Records of American Prisoners of War During the Korean War, created, 1950 - 1953, documenting the period 1950 - 1953

This series has records for 4,714 U.S. military officers and soldiers who were prisoners of war (POWs) during the Korean War and therefore considered casualties. Each record contains the name of a prisoner, serial number, date of birth, dossier number, rank, and prisoner of war camp.

Research at the National Archives

Records on Military Personnel Who Died, Were Missing in Action or Prisoners of War as a Result of the Vietnam Conflict, created, 1/20/1967 - 12/1998, documenting the period 6/8/1956 - 1/21/1998

This series contains records of U.S. military officers and soldiers who died as a result of either a hostile or nonhostile occurrence or who were missing in action or prisoners of war in the Southeast Asian combat area during the Vietnamese Conflict, including casualties that occurred in Cambodia, China, Laos, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and Thailand. The records derive from information submitted by each of the military services on Department of Defense Form 1300, Individual Report of Casualty. The database has both final and nonfinal records; a data field in each record distinguishes between them. Final records, also referred to as the “last” records, represent the most current official information about a deceased casualty or about repatriated personnel; nonfinal records, also referred to as “previous” records, are those that precede the final records. Each record includes: the casualty’s name, service number, file reference number, date of birth, date of death or repatriation, date Southeast Asian tour began, record processing date, city and state of home of record, the casualty’s military service branch, country of casualty, type of casualty, military grade and pay grade, military occupation, service component, race, religion, length of service, marital status, sex, citizenship, the reason or cause of casualty, whether the casualty involved an aircraft, the status of the casualty’s body (whether recovered or not), whether the casualty was posthumously promoted, and the South Vietnam province where the casualty occurred, when applicable.

Research at the National Archives

Records of Deceased, Wounded, Ill, or Injured Army Personnel, Including Dependents and Civilian Employees, created, 1/1/1961 - 12/1981, documenting the period 1/1/1961 - 12/1981

This series contains information about U.S. Army personnel and their dependents who died or were injured worldwide, including missing in action and prisoners of war. Approximately 85 percent of the records relate to the Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975. The file includes records for active duty enlisted personnel; general officers on active duty, retired, or otherwise separated from the service; some National Guard and Army Reservists; and some civilian employees and dependents if overseas and the casualty required a notification to someone. The records include: Country of Casualty, Category of Casualty, Master Casualty Number, Social Security or Service Number, Name of Casualty, Category of Personnel, Military Grade, Military Classification / Dependent, Current Casualty Status, Previous Casualty Status, Major Attributing Cause, Complimentary Cause, Vehicle Type Involved, Vehicle Position, Vehicle Ownership, Date of Casualty, Report Date, Province of Casualty, Grid Coordinates, Republic of Vietnam Report Control Number, Component, Military Occupational Specialty, Officer Branch, Source of Commission, Sex and Marital Status, Posthumous Promotion, Race, Religion, Home of Record, Birth Date, Major Organization, Date Commenced Tour or Retired or Separated, Previous Master Casualty Country, Previous Master Casualty Group, Adjustment Code, and Card-ID / Battle Determination. This data file contains duplicate records for some soldiers.

The National Archives-Northeast Region in Pittsfield is offering free genealogical workshops. Participants will learn what they need to know in order to locate records as well as what one might expect to find in the records.

July 12, 2007 - Using Federal Census Records to Find Family Information

Information and RSVP - http://www.archives.gov/northeast/pittsfield/public/workshops.html

Research at the National Archives

Records of Awards and Decorations of Honor During the Vietnam Conflict, created, 5/1969 - 3/1973, documenting the period 12/1965 - 11/1972

The series contains information about some of the awards and decorations of honor awarded to U.S. military officers, soldiers, and sailors, and to allied foreign military personnel. It does not contain information about all awards and decorations of honor presented during the Vietnam Conflict. The records include the name and grade of the recipient, recipient’s country and service, command and staff, the recommended award, and the approved award; several dates, including date of the related action, date the recipient was eligible to return from overseas, and date the award was received or forwarded; whether the award was presented in South Vietnam, and whether the award was posthumous.