“Save Our National Archives” (SONA) Steps Up in Response to NARA’s Announcement of Plans to Close Two Regional Research Facilities: The National Archives at Chicago and the National Archives at San Francisco (San Bruno)

clairekluskens Finding Records at NARA, NARA, National Archives and Records Administration, records access, records preservation , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“Save Our National Archives” (SONA) Steps Up!

Genealogists and other researchers have banded together to “Save Our National Archives” (SONA). For information on how you can help this effort, please see: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61591576467894 or contact championeerheritagecomm@gmail.com if you are not on Facebook.

NARA Announcement on Forthcoming Closure of Chicago and San Bruno Regional Archives

On 23 June 2026, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) issued “NARA Notice 2026-037: Closure of NARA Facilities” to all employees. This Notice stated in part:

“Over the next few years, NARA will close the National Archives at Chicago/Chicago Federal Records Center (FRC), National Archives at San Francisco/San Bruno FRC, and move all temporary records from the Seattle Federal Records Center.

Research Services will relocate the accessioned records in archival bays at the National Archives at Chicago and San Bruno to other Research Services archival locations. Archival and permanent holdings in Seattle will remain until a suitable replacement facility is identified. The Federal Records Centers Program will relocate the temporary records at the Chicago FRC, San Bruno FRC, and the Seattle FRC to other FRC locations. We expect the moves to begin within the next few months.

This decision is an opportunity for NARA to maintain our core mission and functions while improving efficiency and effectiveness. These facility changes support the long-term financial health and viability of the Federal Records Centers Program’s revolving fund, reduce expenses for the Operating Expense (OE) fund, and reduce our real estate portfolio in alignment with the administration’s priorities. We will move forward with care for our colleagues, our records, and our programs in a way that strengthens our agency for the work to come.”

Difference between a Regional Archives and a Federal Records Center

There’s a lot to unpack in those paragraphs. The National Archives at Chicago, the National Archives at San Francisco, and the National Archives at Seattle are all research facilities open to the public. They contain accessioned archival records created by Federal agencies in the states served by those facilities. Therefore:

  • NARA at Chicago contains accessioned archival records created by Federal agency offices in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
  • NARA at San Francisco (San Bruno) contains accessioned archival records created by Federal agency offices in California (north and central), Nevada (except Clark County), Hawaii, U.S. Navy bases on foreign territory in the Pacific and Far East, American Samoa, Guam, and the former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
  • NARA at Seattle contains accessioned records created by Federal agency offices in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington (state).

These research facilities are currently co-located with Federal Records Centers (FRCs). FRCs are large warehouses that contain Federal records that are either temporary (because they lack permanent value) or permanent records that have not yet been transferred to the legal custody of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on how records are determined to be temporary or permanent, please read “Appraisal Policy of the National Archives” at https://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/scheduling/appraisal.

The Federal government is transitioning from paper-based records to electronic records, so the need for Federal Records Centers (FRCs) is declining and will continue to decline. It’s hard to think about what a large warehouse looks like on the inside – and it’s not quite accurate – but think of the scene in the entirely fictional movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, where the box with the Ark of the Covenant is being pushed into a giant government warehouse. With fewer records being created on paper, the need for such large warehouses is diminishing.

Although co-location of Regional Archives (for the public) and FRCs (warehouses for federal agencies) has been traditional, it doesn’t have to be that way. Some Regional Archives have existed in facilities separate from an FRC, such as the former New York City Regional Archives.

NARA Regional Archives Program Brief History

NARA’s Regional Archives Program has a very long history – and I am indebted to NARA retirees for the following information.

The Regional Archives were created to ensure that records created by Federal agency offices across the country stayed in the general region in which they were created. In other words, Regional Archives (research facilities) were established to help ensure the public had access to Federal records created in their region.

The Regional Archives Program – based on a suggestion in the 1941 Seventh Annual Report of the Archivist – was formally created in early 1969. It grew slowly in the early 1970s, then faster after “Roots” and the 1976 Bicentennial celebration.

About 1981, the entire National Archives and Records Service (NARS) (as it was then known) suffered greatly due to the budget cutting fervor of that time. Budget cuts of around 17% (which is lot) were inflicted upon NARS, including its regional archives.

Due to the catastrophic budget cuts, the genealogical and historical research communities and other interested groups lobbied Congress to make the National Archives an independent federal agency – instead of being a mere subunit of the General Services Administration. The National Archives and Records Administration Act of 1984 reestablished NARA as an independent federal agency effective 1 April 1985. The Regional Archives program became reinvigorated after NARA became independent and program grew again until about 1992, with some branches moving out of Federal Records Centers into downtown locations or facilities shared with other archives. The program remained fairly stable into the beginning of the 21st century before going into decline.

During the late 1980s there were hundreds of volunteers, extended weeknight and Saturday research hours, and aggressive outreach programs that were aimed at building a national constituency for NARA and were mentioned in a 1988 report and late 1980s NARA annual reports. A slogan of the time was “A national resource in a local setting.” In the years running up to the opening of the 1930 census, a contingent of volunteers at the Pittsfield (Massachusetts) Regional Archives (since closed) provided significant service to the genealogical community by compiling descriptions of the 1930 census enumeration districts that NARA made available on its website for about 10 years. Although volunteers cannot substitute for trained, experienced, and expert staff, it is fair to say that volunteer contributions to indexing projects at other NARA Regional Archives have also benefitted staff and the research community, including genealogists.

Unfortunately, further declines in NARA’s Regional Archives program occurred. Elimination of evening and Saturday hours. Outreach to the public was reduced significantly or eliminated entirely. Closings of Regional Archives began: Pittsfield (2011), Anchorage (2014), New York (2024), and now planned closing of Chicago and San Bruno. Seattle was planned to be closed in 2020 but public backlash halted those plans. NARA’s Southern California facility at Laguna Niguel, California, was moved to Perris, California (Riverside County) in 2005.

Historical note: Over the years, NARA (and NARS) flip-flopped on the “name” of regional research facilities that are open to the public, variously calling them Regional Archives, Field Archives, Field Branches, National Archives at [name of city], and probably some other variants.

NARA News

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I’ve added a new page to this blog/website that is simply called “NARA News” – which you’ll find in the above menu or direct at https://twelvekey.com/nara-news/.

It’s important for the genealogical, historical, veteran, and other research communities to follow changes in key personnel and policies at the National Archives and Records Administration. In addition, administrative and legal decisions shape – for good or ill – the records kept for future generations.

I also hope that this information will help you become a more informed advocate for robust funding for the chronically-underfunded and understaffed National Archives and Records Administration (whose budget is a mere “rounding error” when compared to billions spent at the Pentagon, etc.)

As Thomas Jefferson said, “An informed citizenry is at the heart of a dynamic democracy.”

Goodbye History Hub

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The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) recently announced that it was sunsetting the History Hub (historyhub.history.gov). NARA management has stated that eliminating the History Hub would save about $370,000 annually.

The History Hub became frozen in time on January 15, 2026, and will “remain available for reference until February 13, 2026.” NARA’s general email address for questions will continue to be inquire@nara.gov. Individual NARA units also have email addresses.

I do not speak for NARA nor any person involved in the creation or administration of the History Hub website. My thoughts are my own.

It was an idea worth trying.

It was a collaboration between NARA and the Library of Congress, which are two separate institutions with two quite different missions but who serve many of the same constituencies – genealogists, historians, and any and all researchers in need of facts. 

It was a collaboration in crowdsourcing between NARA and the researching public.  Public conversations between NARA and researchers. Public conversations between researchers. Not every question is appropriate for a public conversation on the web, but where privacy is not an issue, such conversations might serve to educate by example other researchers who have the same, or substantially the same, question.

It’s hard to discern how well the History Hub’s “education” function worked. One can count “questions asked” but counting the flip side is impossible. There is no way to count the number of questions not asked because someone learned the answer from something already posted on the History Hub. Unfortunately, it was also true that many researchers didn’t realize that their question was “the same or substantially the same” as a question already posted on the History Hub (or they didn’t look or figure out how to look for previous questions/answers).

Also, unfortunately, the History Hub led to some inefficiency arising from many researchers posting their question on the History Hub and simultaneously writing to inquire@nara or a specific NARA unit. Simultaneously submission like that was certainly wasteful of staff time and effort. At best, the duplicate question might be routed to the same staff person, who could respond internally and to the questioner that the question had already been answered in thus and such manner. At worst, the question might get routed to a different staff member who would have to reinvent the wheel, as it were, by drafting their own answer.

Materials that I authored on the History Hub will remain accessible at https://twelvekey.com/blog-posts-on-other-sites/ with links to that content on the Internet Archive. At a future date, I will make that material available in a different format.

NGS 2026 Family History Conference

clairekluskens African-American Genealogy and History, American Civil War (1861-65), census, Compiled Genealogy, genealogy, immigration, land records, law, law / legal research, maps, Modern Military Records, NARA, Native Americans, naturalization, records access, records preservation, Revolutionary War, War of 1812, women, World War I, World War II , , , , ,

It’s time to register for the National Genealogical Society’s 2026 Family History Conference at Fort Wayne, Indiana, May 27-30, 2026. With the theme of “America at 250” the conference features a wide range of speakers and topics that will help shine a light on the stories, communities, and research strategies that help us understand our nation’s past and as well as preserve our family histories for the future.

The added bonus is that Fort Wayne is the home of the incomparable Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center which has one of the largest research collections available, incorporating records from around the world.

See you in Fort Wayne!

Digitization Update on War of 1812 Pension Files

clairekluskens military records, NARA, NARA--RG 15, National Archives and Records Administration, records access, War of 1812 , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The National Archives and Records Administration, in partnership with Fold3.com, recently finished digitizing all files for surnames beginning with the letters “U” and “V”! All files from surnames A to V are free for viewing at Fold3.com at https://www.fold3.com/publication/761/us-war-of-1812-pension-files-1812-1815.

War of 1812 Pension Files Search Page on Fold3.com

In addition, War of 1812 pension files from A to Laughlin are free for viewing and download at the National Archives Catalog at “War of 1812 Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, ca. 1871-ca. 1900” (National Archives Identifier 564415), https://catalog.archives.gov/id/564415. Additional files will be uploaded to the NARA Catalog in the future.

War of 1812 Pension Files Description and Search Box at catalog.archives.gov

Digitizing of files for surnames beginning with the letter “W” began in September but is now halted due to the federal government shutdown.

If War of 1812 pension records – or other records at NARA – are important to you, please contact your Representative in Congress and your Senators to let them know how important these records are to you, personally. Please ask for full funding for NARA and request that they end the government shutdown so that federal employees can get back to doing work that you personally care about.

Closed for Now, But Absolutely Essential

clairekluskens Federal Employees, federal funding, HARPPing on History, NARA, records access, records preservation , , , , , , , , ,

Last week I had great pleasure doing several hours of research in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. My research took me into specialized War of 1812 and Civil War records that are not digitized – and that are not on anyone’s radar to digitize anytime soon – as there are over 11 billion textual pages that have not yet been digitized and there must be priorities for a gargantuan task like that.

Yesterday, October 1, 2025, the federal government “shut down” and will remain shut down until the President and Congress agree to funding for government agencies for Fiscal Year 2026, which began on October 1. This is the 11th time since 1980 that a shutdown involved furloughs of federal employees. This is no way to run a modern first world country. We can do better.

During a “shutdown” only so-called “essential” employees are allowed and required to work. All others are deemed “nonessential” for the purposes of the shutdown.

What does a shutdown mean for the National Archives and Records Administration? From my perspective, it means that there are only a FEW people who are allowed and required to work: (1) security personnel who maintain the security of the buildings, (2) building personnel who maintain and monitor HVAC and similar systems, and (3) limited numbers of senior management personnel. Those are the types of people deemed “essential.” Obviously, those persons are not doing archival work for you. They are not answering your emails, retrieving records, staffing the research rooms, preparing records for digitization, or digitizing records. Nope, they’re just “keeping the lights” on, so to speak.

Let’s be real. All the people who are deemed “nonessential” for the purposes of the shutdown are, in fact, absolutely essential to the mission of NARA. They are the ones who do the real archival work serving the American people, from maintaining and enhancing computer systems, adding information (descriptions) and digital images into the National Archives Catalog, answering your questions, retrieving (later refiling) records from storage areas so that researchers can view them in research rooms, staffing research rooms, performing document conservation (repairs), creating museum exhibits, and a myriad of other necessary tasks. These employees are dedicated, hard-working people that would rather be at the office working for you than sitting at home waiting for the “shutdown” to end.

The shutdown means that:

(1) No one can visit the Charters of Freedom – Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights – and other exhibits in the National Archives Museum.

(2) No one can do research in person at the National Archives Building in Washington DC, the National Archives at College Park (Maryland), or National Archives field archives at Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Fort Worth, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Riverside (California), San Francisco, Seattle, or Saint Louis.

(3) No one can visit the presidential museums of the modern presidents – Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, G. H. W. Bush, Clinton, or G. W. Bush.

(4) No one can do research at the presidential libraries of the modern presidents – Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, G. H. W. Bush, Clinton, G. W. Bush, or request access to undigitized records from the digital presidential libraries of Obama, Trump, or Biden.

(5) Your questions – sent by email, snail mail, telephone, or fax – will not be answered until the shutdown is over.

The full staff of the National Archives and Records Administration provides essential services to the American people. In a democracy, records belong to the people, and for more than 90 years, NARA has preserved and provided access to the records of the federal government of the United States of America. Records help us claim our rights and entitlements, hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, and document our history as a nation. In short, NARA ensures continuing access to the essential documentation of the rights of American citizens and the actions of their government. NARA holds in trust for the public the records of ordinary citizens—for example, military records of the brave men and women who have fought for our country, naturalization records of the immigrants whose dreams have shaped our nation, and even the canceled check from the purchase of Alaska. Learn more at “About the National Archives of the United States.”

The American people deserve to have a fully-funded, fully-staffed National Archives and Records Administration. Learn more at fundNARA.com and join the conversation at the webinar, “Fund America’s Stories: Advocacy and the National Archives” on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at 3 pm ET.

HARPPing on History

clairekluskens federal funding, genealogy, HARPPing on History, NARA, National Archives and Records Administration, records access, records preservation , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

HARPPing on History is the official Substack (blog) of the Historical Archives and Preservation Project (HARP), which is an initiative led by the Organization of American Historians to ensure that U.S. history remains accessible, evidence-based, and accurate. I strongly invite all genealogists and persons interested in U.S. history to subscribe to it.

This week, professional genealogist Renée K. Carl, wrote an insightful article, “With NARA Funding Cuts, Access to America’s Memory is on the Chopping Block,” that I strongly suggest you read. NARA has been underfunded for decades. Meanwhile, the deluge of electronic and paper records continues – but the proposed budget for federal fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 to September 2026) includes a 10 percent overall cut and a staggering 33 percent cut to funding for electronic records programs. So…. what does that mean? It’s worse than you think. Funding for digital assets would plummet to 56 percent less than it was 20 YEARS ago – in fiscal year 2007. It also means that critical work needed on 250 years worth of paper records, such as preservation actions, description, preparation for digitization, and digitization, will slow to a crawl.

Did you know that a only a little over 3 percent of the 12 billion (and growing) estimated textual (paper) pages at NARA are digitized? NARA cannot do “more with less.” No one can do “more with less.” NARA can only do less with less funding.

Learn more and join the conversation in the free webinar, Fund America’s Stories–Advocacy and the National Archives, on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at 3:00 ET, which will explore the vital role of the National Archives and Records Administration in preserving federal records and protecting access to America’s stories, learn about its origins, the Federal Records Act, the impact of proposed budget cuts, and how you can advocate for NARA’s future.

NARA Staff Honored at NGS Conference

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The National Genealogical Society honored two National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) staff members on May 25, 2025, during its recent conference held at Louisville, Kentucky.

Deceased NARA employee James Worris Moore was elected to the National Genealogy Hall of Fame, which honors outstanding genealogists whose achievements in American genealogy have had a great impact on the field and who have been deceased for at least five years. Their contributions to genealogy in this country need to be significant in a way that was unique, pioneering, or exemplary. Entries are judged by a panel of genealogists from various parts of the United States.

Mr. Moore was born in 1930 in North Carolina and died in 2019 in Maryland. During his 42-year career at the National Archives (1956-1998), he was a tireless advocate for genealogical research and record preservation. He was dedicated to ensuring public access to historical records, particularly military and pension files.

Moore began his career at the National Archives as an archivist in the old military reference section. Within a few years, he became chief of the military service staff and oversaw the handling of military service and pension file requests. Later, as director of the audiovisual archives division, he championed the use and preservation of underutilized audiovisual collections, including movies.

Moore was an indefatigable advocate for public access to genealogical records. During the early 1980s, when the US economy was in a severe recession, the National Archives could no longer afford to lend census microfilm to libraries. Moore understood how important these records were to genealogists. He proposed working with private companies to maintain accessibility for researchers. In 1984 the scope of his influence expanded when he was named assistant archivist for the newly established Office of Records Administration. During his time at the Office of Records Administration, he played a role in decisions regarding the retention of federal documents. Thanks to his lifelong work in archival service, Moore ensured that future generations could access a wealth of invaluable genealogical records. Well known genealogist Bernice Alexander Bennett read a letter of appreciation from Mr. Moore’s family.

Archivist Claire Kluskens, who recently retired from NARA as its subject matter expert for genealogy and census-related records, was a recipient of the NGS Fellow (FNGS) award, which recognizes outstanding work in service to NGS and in the field of genealogy. She published 60 articles in the NGS Magazine and NGS Quarterly and a similar number in local and state genealogical journals and other publications.

Two National Archives staff members previously received the FNGS designation:

(1) James Dent Walker (1978), who worked for the National Archives from 1944 to 1946, 1951 to 1957, and from the 1960s to 1979, was a nationally recognized authority on records in the National Archives useful for genealogical research. In particular, he specialized in military records, African-American genealogy, and was involved in the Archives’ genealogy education programs. In addition, founded the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. 

(2) Meredith B. Colket, Jr. (1985), who worked at the National Archives from about 1941 to 1957, before serving as Director of the Western Reserve Historical Society (Cleveland, Ohio) from 1957 to 1980. In 1950, Colket founded and served as the first director of the genealogical education institute now known as the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed). He also coauthored the first edition, published in 1964, of the Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives.

Researcher Access to Archives 2 (College Park, Maryland) is Not Changing

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From what I have seen on FaceBook this evening, June 24, NARA added some language to the Archives 2 webpage at https://www.archives.gov/college-park that caused a great deal of consternation today. While I believe that NARA was trying to be proactive, the language in question was very poorly worded, and therefore resulted in a lot of undue anxiety and (likely) anger. The problem language has been removed, so far as I can tell. The poor language stated, in part:

“Effective July 7, 2025, the National Archives at College Park, MD, will become a restricted-access federal facility with access only for visitors with a legitimate business need. It will no longer be open to the general public….”

Most genealogists and other researchers consider themselves to be members of “the general public” so it is very easy to understand the consternation that this statement created.

I am not employed by NARA, but please understand: Doing research in records at Archives 2 is still a valid reason for any person to go to Archives 2. No change.

What was that statement all about, then? Do random people (who don’t plan on doing research) randomly find their way to Archives 2 with the idea of entering the building? It has probably has happened. (Again, mere speculation: I have no knowledge.) There are no exhibits or museum areas for people to visit at Archives 2, so there is nothing for random people to do, except eat in the cafeteria.

Breathe. Stand down from red alert.

NARA’s 2025 Genealogy Series

clairekluskens Anti-Obscurant, Crime and Criminals, Document Conservation, Finding Records at NARA, immigration, military records, Modern Military Records, NARA, NARA--RG 75, NARA--RG 85, Native Americans, photographs, World War I, World War II , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The National Archives and Records Administration has announced the lineup of speakers and topics for its 2025 Genealogy Series. Presentations premiere at specific times but are then available 24/7 on YouTube. Mark your calendar now! It’s free! No registration required! This year’s schedule includes: