Ancestry.com and the National Archives Release Millions of Civil War Records Online for the First Time to Honor the 150th Annive
April 06 2011 - 12:00PM
Marketwired
Ancestry.com (NASDAQ: ACOM), the world's largest online family
history resource, and the National Archives, today launched
millions of newly digitized Civil War records that are now
available online for the first time. This effort is part of an
ongoing partnership between Ancestry.com and the National Archives
to make important historical records more easily available to the
American public. Ancestry.com's entire Civil War Collection of more
than 42 million records, including 25 million records from the
National Archives, will be free to access for the general public
for one week beginning on April 7. Existing members will have
immediate access beginning today.
Included are the entire U.S. Civil War Draft
Registration Records, 1863-1865 and the complete 1860 and 1870 Censuses. These Civil War
collections are in the National Archives and have been digitized by
Ancestry.com to help preserve the original records and provide
convenient online access. They now serve as a vital source of
information for an estimated 17 million Americans(1) who have an
ancestor who fought in the conflict. The entire Civil War
Collection can be accessed for free at
www.ancestry.com/civilwar150
The highlight of the Civil War Collection is the newly digitized
Civil War Draft Registration Records, 1863-1865. These records are
among the most popular in the National Archives Civil War holdings
and served as a virtual male census for the northern states during
the war period. Famous 19th century Americans such as Andrew
Carnegie, future President Grover Cleveland, Aaron Montgomery Ward
and multiple Rockefellers are all found in these records.
Previously only available by request in original form in the
Research Room of the National Archives, the public will now be able
to easily access these records on Ancestry.com without having to
travel to Washington, D.C.
"The significance of these records, which document one of the
most important events in American history, cannot be overstated,"
said Ken Burns, director and producer of the award-winning
documentary THE CIVIL WAR and longtime board member of the
Foundation for the National Archives. "I've been able to make
multiple discoveries about my own great-great-grandfather Abraham
Burns through these and other records from the National Archives.
I'm excited that more people will now be able to have similar
discoveries through Ancestry.com."
Ancestry.com is providing another special experience in
searching for Civil War and National Archive information through
the new interactive Military Headstone
Archives. Dynamic visuals and multimedia tools will enable
users to 'virtually' explore the cemeteries of the Civil War's most
famous battlefields at Gettysburg, PA; Sharpsburg (Antietam), MD;
Stones River (Murfreesboro), TN; Petersburg, VA; Shiloh, TN and
Vicksburg, MS. Users can search for their family's heroes in
Ancestry.com's unique collection of headstone photographs from 33
national cemeteries in the North and South. The new Military
Headstone Archives can also be accessed by visiting: www.ancestry.com/civilwar150
Since 2008, Ancestry.com and the National Archives have worked
as partners to make important historical records available to the
public as part of a shared commitment to preserving America's
heritage. A key component of this collaboration includes digitizing
as many of the original paper National Archives' Civil War records
as possible and publishing those records on Ancestry.com.
"The National Archives continues to be a model for preserving
important U.S. history and making those records available to the
public," said Josh Hanna, Executive Vice President for
Ancestry.com. "We're honored that our partnership with the National
Archives has made millions of records, including the new Civil War
Collection, available to the many Americans who want to learn more
about their family history."
"We are pleased that our partnership with Ancestry.com is making
these important records available outside of our research rooms,"
said Susan Cummings, National Archives Director of Access Programs.
"This is just the first of many series of Civil War records that
will be made available online that are scanned from original
records, instead of from microfilm in the years to come."
The expanded Civil War Collection now includes new National
Archives records such as:
- U.S. Civil War Draft Registration Records,
1863-1865: This collection lists all Civil War Draft
Registrations. There were four drafts between 1863 and 1865, which
included 3,175,055 people in its rolls, although of those, just
over 46,000 actually entered into service. Historically, the 1863
draft was one of the most tenuous moments in the Union outside of
the battles fought on Northern soil. Most of the concern was due to
the draft riots that took place in New York in 1863. These records
include more than 630 volumes of registries and are lists of
individuals who registered for the draft.
- U.S. Soldiers Compiled Service Records,
1861-1865: This collection contains indices of compiled
military service records for volunteer Union and Confederate
soldiers who served with units organized in more than 20 states.
The indices also include Confederate soldiers who later served with
the Union Army, Union and Confederate soldiers, Generals and staff
officers, and other enlisted men not associated with a regiment.
Individual records contain both military and personal details
useful for locating an ancestor in time and place by tracking his
movements during the course of the Civil War.
Other additions to the Civil War Collection include:
Union records
- New York Civil War Muster Rolls
- New York Civil War City Registers
- Kansas Civil War Enlistment Papers
Confederate records
- Confederate Pension Applications from AL, AR, TX and VA
- Georgia Civil War Correspondence
- Alabama Census of Confederate Soldiers
- Register of Officers of the Confederate States Navy
To begin searching The Civil War Collection, current subscribers
can visit www.ancestry.com/civilwar and new users can visit
www.ancestry.com/civilwar150. For further stories and updates
related to Civil War family history research, please follow
Ancestry.com on Facebook and Twitter.
About Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Inc.
(NASDAQ: ACOM) is the world's largest online family history
resource, with nearly 1.4 million paying subscribers. More than 6
billion records have been added to the site in the past 14 years.
Ancestry users have created more than 20 million family trees
containing over 2 billion profiles. Ancestry.com has local Web
sites directed at nine countries that help people discover,
preserve and share their family history, including its flagship Web
site at www.ancestry.com.
About the National Archives The National
Archives and Records Administration, an independent federal agency,
is the nation's record keeper. Founded in 1934, its mission is
unique -- to serve American democracy by safeguarding and
preserving the records of our Government, ensuring that the people
can discover, use, and learn from this documentary heritage. The
National Archives ensures continuing access to the essential
documentation of the rights of American citizens and the actions of
their government. It supports democracy, promotes civic education,
and facilitates historical understanding of our national
experience. The National Archives meets a wide range of information
needs, among them helping people to trace their families' history,
making it possible for veterans to prove their entitlement to
medical and other benefits, and preserving original White House
records. The National Archives carries out its mission through a
nationwide network of archives, records centers, and Presidential
Libraries, and on the Internet at http://www.archives.gov/.
(1) Sources: US Census Bureau and Historical Statistics of the
United States: Millennial Edition (2006)
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