October 2014 – MASSAR

National Archives Hosts Virtual Genealogy Fair October 28-30

October 25, 2014
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Events

The National Archives will host a live, three-day, virtual Genealogy Fair via webcast on YouTube. The free program offers family history research tools for all skill levels on Federal records including census, American Indian, military, naturalization, and immigration. Other topics include overviews of online genealogy resources and guidance on preserving personal records. For complete schedule and participation instructions, visit the Virtual Genealogy Fair website. Speakers include experts from National Archives’ facilities nationwide, as well as U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services

Historic Documents on Display in Williamstown

October 25, 2014
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News

Throughout history, certain documents have been issued to claim or establish rights and to check abuses of power. To many, the document known as Magna Carta, or the Great Charter, written in thirteenth-century England, is one of the most potent symbols of political liberty and justice. This exhibition brings together six important documents significant to American history, spanning more than eight centuries: Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, an early draft of the Constitution, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

National Youth Oration Contest: "Preserve the Power of Free Speech"

October 11, 2014
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Articles

it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery…” He delivered these words knowing that his political opponents in the room were virulently opposed to his position. But every man of his day in the American colonies embraced a common understanding of the liberty to speak freely.

The Beautifully Illustrated Family Records of Revolutionary War Soldiers

October 11, 2014
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Local History

Families of Revolutionary War veterans applying for government pensions had to prove their relationship to the soldier in question. Many of them included illustrated family records in their petitions for payment, which are now kept at the National Archives. (Here are a few pages with more examples of this kind of record.)

The range of types of family records shows the diversity of visual traditions in the young United States. The first image below is hand-illustrated and lettered in German. It’s part of the tradition of fraktur, a Pennsylvania German