Hello Joe, If you are lucky enough to have a Whitney in your tree who made a significant contribution that the Smithsonian would want to preserve, you will be able to view it there. My example is Joel Emmons Whitney (John1, Benjamin2, Nathaniel3, Abel4, Joel5, Joel Emmons6). He was one of the pre-eminent daguerreotype photographers of his day. He is known for his photos of early Minnesota, especially the native Americans who lived there. His photos are preserved at the Smithsonian, and some are also available in a book at the Library of Congress. I hope that he is only one of our Whitney ancestors whose contribution was signficant enough to be preserved by our nation's museum. Perhaps others could document their ancestor's contribution and how it is preserved at the Smithsonian Institution, and then tell us about it. P.S. There are several web sites with info on Joel's photography. The best way to access them is a google.com search, if you're interested. By the way, don't trust the genealogical info given. It's incorrect in some aspects. Ken Whitney Silver Spring, MD ----- Original Message ----- From: <Joekeller1@aol.com> To: <klw1@starpower.net> Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2001 9:36 PM Subject: Re: [WHITNEY-L] Ancestry.com & reunion > Ken, > > On many business trips to Washington, after hours I have gotten much valuable > data from the Library of Congress, including the old newspapaers in the > Madison Building. I have liked the Nat'l Archives and the DAR Library, even > going early to use it on Sunday. But, I didn't know about the Smithsonian. > What information is available and where? > > Thanks, > > Joe >