National Archives and Records Administration

Congratulations to Reginald Washington, 2015 NGS Award of Merit recipient!

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My former colleague, retired NARA African-American Genealogy Specialist Reginald Washington, was recently recognized by the National Genealogical Society for his contributions to the field of genealogy. Congratulations, Reggie! The honor is well deserved. Read on for more details from the NGS press release:

Arlington, VA, 19 May 2015—The National Genealogical Society (NGS) held its annual banquet on Friday evening, 15 May, at the NGS 2015 Family History Conference in Saint Charles, Missouri, to present awards that acknowledge and honor genealogical scholarship and service. Each year, these awards are presented to organizations and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to NGS programs or have performed outstanding work in the field of genealogy, history, biography, or heraldry. This year, twelve awards were presented.

NGS Award of Merit

The Award of Merit is presented to an individual or non-profit genealogical or historical organization in recognition of exceptional contributions to the field of genealogy that have significantly aided research or increased interest in genealogy over a period of five or more years. The 2015 Award of Merit was presented to Reginald Washington of Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Washington’s contributions to the study and preservation of African-American records is truly exceptional. For three decades, he has introduced researchers to many little-known, but incredibly rich, record collections that are now staples for genealogical research. His labors have given researchers online access to a half-million documents from the files of the Southern Claims Commission and more than a million from the Freedmen’s Bureau and the Freedman’s Savings & Trust Company. Washington has taught at the National Institute for Genealogical Research and has been a popular draw at NGS conferences for two decades. He has published articles in the NGS Quarterly, in Prologue (the scholarly journal of the National Archives), and in popular magazines such as Ancestry. He authored the National Archives’ guide, Black Family Research … At the National Archives; created instructional videos for occasions such as the 150th Anniversary celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation; and was a featured expert in the BYU television series Ancestors.

Civil War Union Prisoner of War Claims for Money Taken by the Confederates

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One of the many relatively obscure record series in the National Archives is “Claims Made for Money Taken from Federal Prisoners of War Confined in Confederate Prisons” (NAID 615449) in Record Group 249, Records of the Office of the Commissary General of Prisoners, 1861–1905. Researchers will find this list of claimants useful. The NGS article, “The Rebs Took My Money!” describes these records and the claims of William R. Davidson, David Williams, William H. Bogart, and Mathias Nero. An article about Andersonville Prisoner George Langworthy of Geauga County, Ohio, transcribes Langworthy’s claim letter and tells how his claim was handled. Updated 8 October 2015.

Recently Described Records of the Post Office Department (Record Group 28)

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Here are some recently described Records of the Post Office Department (Record Group 28). Further information can be found in the National Archives Catalog.

Records of Postal Stations and Branches at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, ca. 1910 – 1952 (NAID 12166787).

Efficiency Reports Concerning City Letter Carriers, 4/1920 – 5/1920 (NAID 12093015) .

Records Concerning City Delivery Allowances, 1912 – 1919 (NAID 12087690).

Welcome to The Twelve Key

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This site lists historical and genealogical publications by Claire Prechtel Kluskens, a senior reference and projects archivist at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Washington, DC.

Claire served as Registrar (1996-98) and as a Director (1998-2000) on the National Genealogical Society Board of Directors. She attended the National Institute on Genealogical Research in 1994 and has spoken at NIGR, NGS, FGS, and elsewhere.

Why name this site The Twelve Key? In the days of yore, the National Archives issued each archivist a metal key with the number 12 engraved upon it. This key provided access to all the unclassified stacks where records were held. Obviously this key has long since been replaced by other security devices. (And no, I have no idea what keys 1 through 11 were used for).

The articles on this site provide intellectual knowledge that enable the reader to access archival records. Thus it seemed fittingly symbolic to choose “12 key” for its name.

And the green color for this site? It’s a few shades lighter than the olive drab green originally painted on stack doors, shelves, and so forth, that is still seen in many locations throughout the National Archives Building.