About 4 years ago, someone informally did a search for me at the National Archives in DC on a gg(g?)uncle who emigrated from Ireland and served in the Union Navy in the Civil War. If I recall, he found it on some kind of index there and told me that I'd have to send to them for the actual records. So, I got sidetracked by life and only started working on the family tree again in March of this year. I sent for the records. Today, I received a response saying they could find nothing. My interpretation of this is that they didn't even find what this individual found 4 years ago -- in their own records. Anyone have any suggestions? Four years ago, he was even able to tell me what ship he was on. Maureen O'Brien