If you haven’t tried a surname search in the National Archives Catalog in awhile, it’s time to try it again. Additional information about records, as well as actual digital images of records, are added frequently.

A search for the surname “Twigg” provides good examples of what’s been added thus far. In no particular order, there are references to persons named Twigg for which there are–

• Alien Case Files
• Personnel Files
• Cherokee Indian Records
• Compiled Military Service Records–Civil War (Union)
• Compiled Military Service Records–Civil War (Confederate)
• Correspondence (Letters Sent or Received)
• Seaman’s Protection Certificates
• Draft Registration (World War II)
• Compiled Military Service Records (Spanish-American War)
• Official Military Personnel Files
• Mentions in a roster of hospital matrons at U.S. Army posts
• Mentions in summaries of World War II casualties
• Mentions in applications for inclusion of properties on the National Register of Historic Places
• Mentions in various other records

Certainly, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Obviously, when the surname is included in the file or item description, it’s easier to determine potential relevance, than when it’s necessary to ferret out the name by searching a PDF or other multipage items. Nonetheless, it is a free resource available to anyone with an internet connection. It will continue to grow in usefulness in the years to come.

Give it a try. What might you find?