Hi: This was in today's Ancestry.com news. Thought it was worth passing on to the Hinds researchers. The NARA page alone is fantastic. Even found the military number of a hometown boy that was killed in WW II so I can now look for his gravesite. I had punched in California and Amador as the keywords just wondering what was available for Amador and up popped the list of men who had enlisted for WW II. Regards, Nan [email protected] --------------------------------- From: Ancestry Daily News http://www.ancestry.com/dailynews February 8, 2001 ============================================================ GOVERNMENT SITES FOR THE FAMILY HISTORIAN ============================================================ Since many of the records we seek are held in government repositories, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the Web sites of various government agencies. Because these agencies are well aware of the great interest in family history, many are working to make their sites friendly to genealogists. Below is a handy list of some U.S. government sites and some tips for locating others. Look for links to government agencies from around the world in upcoming issues of the "Ancestry Daily News." NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION (NARA) Genealogy Page http://www.nara.gov/genealogy LIBRARY OF CONGRESS http://lcweb.loc.gov/ Local History & Genealogy Reading Room http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/ American Memory Collection http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT The Official Federal Land Patent Records Site http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/ BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, U.S. Department of the Interior Guide to Tracing Your American Indian Ancestry http://www.doi.gov/bia/ancestry/index.htm IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE (INS) History, Genealogy, & Education http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/aboutins/history/index.htm Forms and Fees http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/index.htm SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION Guide to Freedom of Information Requests http://www.ssa.gov/foia/foia_guide.htm U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY USGS Mapping Information: Geographic Names Information System Online Data Base Query Form http://mapping.usgs.gov/www/gnis/gnisform.html STATE GOVERNMENTS Use the following template to create a link that will find the official state page for any U.S. state: http://www.state.<INSERT-STATE'S-TWO-LETTER-ABBREVIATION-HERE>.us These pages typically have a directory of agencies where you can find links to state archives, department of health, and other helpful local agencies for family historians.