During their presidencies, both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis suffered the death of a child—a not uncommon event for most American parents in the 19th century. Starting with the death of Willie Lincoln in 1862 and the tragic accident that befell Joseph Davis in 1864, Catherine Clinton explores Victorian mourning and the embrace of rituals of grief and symbols of remembrance during the Civil War.
Join us at noon on March 29 in the McGowan Theater at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, or watch online at our Ustream channel.
Image: Abraham Lincoln and his youngest son Tad (ARC 52628). While Lincoln was President, Tad’s older brother Willie—the middle child—died of typhoid fever while living in the White House. Tad himself died at age 18 in Chicago in 1871. Only the oldest son, Robert, lived to adulthood.
How did we detect the forged date on the Lincoln Pardon? How did we conserve records from a WW II shipwreck? How will you preserve your family archives? Learn the answers and (much) more at Preservation EXPOsed! Join Preservation Programs for this free event on Thursday, March 14th from 11 am to 2 pm at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Browse display booths and talk with our knowledgeable staff. Attend free lectures on special preservation projects. Make an appointment for a consultation on your favorite family treasure. For more information, see http://www.archives.gov/preservation/exposed-2013.html
Preserving Family Papers and Photos
Want more preservation tips? Be sure to follow PreserveArchives on Tumblr!
This Thursday the National Archives holds its Preservation EXPO in Washington DC so you can learn more about how to preserve a whole range of media that document family history as well as our national history.
We would love to have you come. But maybe you can’t be in Washington DC March 14th to visit the National Archives Building for the Preservation EXPO. If not, here are tips to help your papers and photos last as long as possible.
How do I preserve my family papers and photos?
Proper storage and safe handling practices are key to preserving paper and photographs. Your personal documents last longer when stored in a stable environment similar to what you find comfortable yourself: 60-70 degrees F; 40-50% relative humidity (RH); with clean air and good circulation.
High heat and moisture accelerate the chemical processes that make paper brittle and discolored, and that deteriorate photos. Damp environments may cause mold growth or encourage pests that use the documents for food or nesting material.
So the central part of your home provides a safer storage environment than a hot attic, a damp basement, or a garage.
Light also damages paper and photographs, especially light with abundant ultraviolet such as fluorescent fixtures and daylight. Light exposure has cumulative and irreversible effects; they promote chemical degradation and fade inks and dyes. Permanent display of valuable documents is not recommended. Photocopies, digital images or photos of documents can be substituted for display.
Store personal papers in appropriate sized enclosures, a folder, box, portfolio, etc., that provide physical protection as well as protection from light and dust.
Use an enclosure made of stable permanent quality materials that will not contribute to the document’s deterioration. See Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler’s “Preservation of Archival Records: Holdings Maintenance at the National Archives” for information on storage and handling.
How can I safely mount my documents, memorabilia, and photos into albums or scrapbooks?
The method you use to assemble scrapbooks, photograph albums or memory books can enhance the preservation of the items or can cause irreversible damage.
Avoid mounting with the following materials: white glue, rubber cement, pressure-sensitive tapes and films, staples, or hot glue gun adhesives. These materials do not age well and can physically damage and discolor paper and photographs.
Avoid albums with self-stick pages (“magnetic pages”) because the adhesive used on the mounting page is poor quality.
There are several safe alternatives for mounting. Valuable items such as birth certificates, family letters, and photographs should be mounted without use of glue or other adhesives. Use clear envelopes and sleeves made of stable plastics such as polyester and polypropylene to hold the materials and as album pages. Another good mounting method uses corners made from stable plastics (such as polypropylene and polyester) or from stable paper.
Plastic and paper corners used to mount photos should be made of a material that has passed the Photographic Activity Test (PAT). The PAT test determines if a storage material will cause fading or staining of photographs.
The PAT test, developed by the American National Standards Institute, appears in a national standard named ANSI IT9.16, Photographic Activity Test. Many manufacturers test their products with the PAT and advertise storage materials that have passed the PAT.
Paper corners to be used with paper memorabilia need to meet the standard for permanent paper ANSI/NISO Z39.48, Permanence of Paper for Publication of Documents in Libraries and Archives. This standard specifies the characteristics of paper that is long lasting and that will not harm documents with which it is in contact.
How should I frame and display my photographs and documents?
Decorative frames, available at many stores, are appropriate for everyday snapshots. Often these frames lack a mat or spacers to keep the document or photograph from contact with the glass, or have a poor quality acidic paper mat.
Unfortunately, many unmatted photos have been damaged or permanently stuck to glass when fluid seeped between the glass and photo. This fluid may come from liquid cleaner sprayed on frame glass or beverages spilled near the frame.
Never use liquid cleaners around photographs and artwork. Many cleaners are corrosive and can cause immediate fading and staining if they, or their vapors, come in contact with a photo or a document.
Mat important personal photographs or photographic artworks with museum quality mat board for the window mat and the backboard. Mat board for photos should have passed the ANSI IT9.16 Photographic Activity Test (PAT).
Photo corners work well to secure a photo to a backboard when the window mat will cover the photo edges and hide the photo corner. But do not use photo corners on unmounted prints larger than 20 x 24 inches, or very fragile photos.
Large or fragile photos should be attached to the backboard with stable paper hinges adhered to the back top edge of the photo and then secured to the backboard. Hinging should be left to a qualified framer or conservator.
Once a treasured photograph or document is properly matted and framed, do not display it in direct sunlight, or under bright lamps, near heat sources or in damp locations such as basements, kitchens or bathrooms. Typical diffuse home lighting is not harmful over the short term, but display in rooms that receive direct sunlight can cause rapid fading.
Light will cause fading and other irreversible damage that may become objectionable over time. So avoid extensive display of treasured documents and photographs that you want to pass on to future generations. Instead, make and display a duplicate copy while the original is stored safely in a storage container with other valued papers and keepsakes.
You can find more information on preservation on the National Archives website at www.archives.gov/preservation.
Have you ever wanted professional guidance on how to care for your family archives? Here’s your chance! Join us for Preservation EXPOsed!, a free event on Thursday, March 14th from 11 am to 2 pm at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Browse display booths at the preservation fair and talk with our knowledgeable staff. Attend free lectures for a behind-the-scenes look at special preservation projects. If you make an appointment, you can even bring in your favorite family treasure for a consultation with a National Archives conservator. For more information, see http://www.archives.gov/preservation/exposed-2013.html.
The National Archives at New York just reopened at a new location earlier this month:
Congratulations to the National Archives at New York!
Our colleagues in New York City officially opened their new location to the public today. They are now at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House at One Bowling Green.Researchers and visitors are welcome from Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as the first Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Please go visit them in this new beautiful space!To learn more about the records available for research, exhibits, and educational programs, visit http://www.archives.gov/nyc/
Calling all Researchers!
The National Archives, with the generous support of the Foundation for the National Archives, announces the 2013 Regional Residency Fellowship Program’s Request for Proposals.
The Residency Fellowship Program gives researchers the opportunity to conduct original research using records held at National Archives locations in Boston, MA; Denver, CO; Fort Worth, TX; Riverside, CA; San Francisco, CA; and St. Louis, MO. Researchers can explore overlooked records and experience what many researchers have discovered: that it is not necessary to go to Washington, DC, to do research at the National Archives.
For 2013, one fellow will be assigned to each of the participating National Archives facilities, for a total of six fellowships. Each fellow will receive a $3,000 stipend, funded by the Foundation for the National Archives, to assist with travel and research expenses.
The Fellowship recipients are expected to complete a research project that results in a publishable product. Each recipient will also prepare a short report (within one year of receiving the Fellowship) for publication by the National Archives that describes the research experience: the discovery, method, and use of the records.
We encourage our Fellowship recipients to use social media to talk about their experience. At the end of their research visit, Fellows will also conduct a staff briefing to share their discoveries.
Academic and independent historians, public and local historians, and writers are encouraged to apply. Current National Archives employees and contractors or their immediate family members are not eligible. Submit proposals by email or mail. Proposal must be received by March 15, 2013. Awards will be announced May 1, 2013.
See complete rules & conditions at:
Prologue: Pieces of History » 2013 Regional Residency Fellowship: Request for Proposals
Declaration of Intention for Luther Theophilus Powell, 12/12/1929
Luther Powell emigrated from Kingston, Jamaica, entering the United States at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, aboard the Manchioneal on April 26, 1920. He filed this Declaration of Intention to become a U.S. citizen on December 12, 1929. His son, Colin, went on to become a National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State.
via DocsTeach
Our genealogy clinic “Help! I’m Stuck!” returns tomorrow!
Has a genealogical problem stumped you? Not sure where to begin? An archivist is available from noon to 4 p.m. to answer your questions. Sign up for a 20-minute appointment at the Microfilm Research desk on Saturday.
Go to Room G-25, Research Center (Penn. Ave. Entrance) in the National Archives building in Washington, DC.
Image: Photograph of teacher in New Ulm, MN, from the DOCUMERICA collection (ARC 558210)
Exempt from exclusion
Chu Hoy, a merchant with the Kwong Sun Chong & Company of 30 Mott Street in New York City, left Seattle for China to bring his wife and children into the United States. As a Chinese merchant he was exempt from the immigration laws that prevented Chinese from entering the country. This exemption also applied to his wife, Chin Hong Sze, and his son, Chin A. Chiao, who left Har Low in the Sun Woey district, traveled through Canada, and entered the U.S. at Malone, New York in November 1906.
Photographs of Chin Hong Sze, wife and Chin A. Chiao, son of Chu Hoy., 10/17/1906
via DocsTeach
How do you solve a problem like Maria? Come to our research rooms!
The naturalization paperwork of Maria von Trapp of The Sound of Music is in our holdings, but the documents are not in Washington, DC. This record is in the holdings of the National Archives at Boston.
The National Archives at Boston has a research room that is open to the public. You can research maritime records, court cases, and genealogy. They also have a Facebook page.
We’re spotlighting all of our research rooms in honor of American Archives Month. One down, 26 to go!
During World War II, Latinas were contributors to the war effort, these Rosies worked in manufacturing along side women from across the American homefront. We found a record of Mina Mendoza, a young woman born in Hermosillo, Mexico. She made her way to the United States with her family in 1927, crossing the border on foot at Douglas, Arizona. When the war started, Mina, 5’ 1” and 114 lbs, she was operating a milling machine in the Los Angeles area. Ms. Mendoza became a U.S. citizen in 1944.
In the holdings of the National Archives at Riverside, men and women of Hispanic heritage are intertwined in many of our records, including records documenting citizenship.
¡Celebración de la Herencia Hispana!
To pay tribute to the many generations of Hispanic Americans that have enriched our nation’s history, the National Archives at Riverside will be highlighting some of our holdings relating to Hispanic American history in our region (Southern California, Arizona, and Clark County, NV), including records relating to Private Land Claims, Immigration and Naturalization, military service and many more.
For more information about Hispanic Heritage Month, see http://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/
How about a picture?
Sometimes you can do tons of research on an individual, but never know what that person looked like. If photographs of that person were ever taken, and survived, where might one go to find them?
In the case of our guy, Loyd Sechrist, one of the first places that our archivist looked was at GenWeb. This site has all kinds of information and resources related to genealogy and family history research.
Because of information she had found in his Civilian Personnel File, our archivist knew where he went to high school. This was useful because of that thing so many of us keep hidden away in an attic or closet….the high school yearbook.
**Note Loyd’s captioning information. Such a witty fellow, that Loyd.
As part of our ongoing efforts to help the public conduct successful research, we at the National Archives at Riverside occasionally share the research methodologies of our staff, researchers, and citizen archivists. This post is part of a series of posts related to the research of one of our former archivists, Monique, into the life of a man named Loyd Sechrist. Sechrist conducted surveys of Arizona immediately after statehood for the Bureau of Land Management, and records related to his life (and death) caught Monique’s curiosity. Follow the story of Monique’s research into the history of this man here on Tumblr with the tag #Loyd Sechrist, and on our archives’ Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/nationalarchivesriverside.
Finding a Civilian Personnel File
In her hunt for details relating to Loyd’s short life, our archivist knew to look for a Civilian Personnel File, since Loyd was a federal employee. She contacted the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis (NPRC), and they were able to locate his records. This gave her much more information about his life.
Loyd was hired by the General Land Office on 4/18/1916. This application form confirmed my findings about his graduation from Yuma County High School. It also told me that he went to the University of Colorado at Boulder after high school.
As part of our ongoing efforts to help the public conduct successful research, we at the National Archives at Riverside occasionally share the research methodologies of our staff, researchers, and citizen archivists. This post is part of a series of posts related to the research of one of our former archivists, Monique, into the life of a man named Loyd Sechrist. Sechrist conducted surveys of Arizona immediately after statehood for the Bureau of Land Management, and records related to his life (and death) caught Monique’s curiosity. Follow the story of Monique’s research into the history of this man here on Tumblr with the tag #Loyd Sechrist, and on our archives’ Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/nationalarchivesriverside.
Where does one go if she wants to find a grave? Well, a good place to start might be the website Find A Grave.
Doing research on individuals often involves trying to find out information about a person’s death and burial. In the case of Loyd Sechrist, our archivist knew that he had fallen off of a cliff, but she had no idea where he was buried. Records in correspondence files related to his work as a surveyor showed that his body was to be transported, but the letters and telegrams did not indicate where the body would go.
Luckily, researchers and genealogists have a great tool—Find a Grave. Through this tool, we were able to find Loyd’s grave. He is buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery, just outside Los Angeles.
As part of our ongoing efforts to help the public conduct successful research, we at the National Archives at Riverside occasionally share the research methodologies of our staff, researchers, and citizen archivists. This post is part of a series of posts related to the research of one of our former archivists, Monique, into the life of a man named Loyd Sechrist. Sechrist conducted surveys of Arizona immediately after statehood for the Bureau of Land Management, and records related to his life (and death) caught Monique’s curiosity. Follow the story of Monique’s research into the history of this man here on Tumblr with the tag #Loyd Sechrist, and on our archives’ Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/nationalarchivesriverside.
Remember Loyd?
No, he’s not a teacher at the independence school, a genealogist, a tv personality, or the bee man.
He was a surveyor.
One of our former archivists, Monique, found Loyd in records related to group surveys in Arizona from 1913 to 1924. What got her attention about Loyd was the way he signed his letters, “Very Respectfully, Loyd Sechrist.” She thought Sechrist might be someone special to watch for, and kept an eye out for more correspondence from him. As she moved through, though, a telegram dated September 4, 1920 caught her eye:
“Loyd Sechrist killed by fall from cliff near Houck, Arizona, 530 P.M. yesterday.”
At this point, Monique knew that she wanted to find more out about Sechrist. She told us, “Loyd was only 28 when he died. Questions raced through my head. How exactly did he die? What about his family? Was he married? Did he have kids? Where was he from? Where was he buried? That’s how it all started.”
As part of our ongoing efforts to help the public conduct successful research, we at the National Archives at Riverside occasionally share the research methodologies of our staff, researchers, and citizen archivists. This post is part of a series of posts related to the research of one of our former archivists, Monique, into the life of a man named Loyd Sechrist. Sechrist conducted surveys of Arizona immediately after statehood for the Bureau of Land Management, and records related to his life (and death) caught Monique’s curiosity. Follow the story of Monique’s research into the history of this man here on Tumblr with the tag #Loyd Sechrist, and on our archives’ Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/nationalarchivesriverside.
