Genealogy Exploration by National Archives, 2025 Edition
National Archives Genealogy Series Offers Family History Research Tools in May and June 2025
The National Archives is hosting a series of educational sessions focused on providing family history research tools using U.S. federal government records. The event, known as the National Archives Genealogy Series, is aimed at genealogists of all skill levels and is completely free to attend.
Access and Availability
The sessions will be broadcast live on the National Archives' YouTube channel, making them easily accessible to anyone with an internet connection. There is no need for registration, and the videos and presentation materials will remain available on their YouTube Playlists for later viewing.
Real-time Chat with Presenters
During the live broadcasts, participants can engage with presenters and other attendees through a real-time chat feature. This interactive chat is part of the live event experience, so joining the streams as they happen is necessary to use this feature.
The Sessions
The sessions cover a wide range of topics, including disaster preparedness and response for family collections, researching Native American veterans in the National Archives, investigating immigrant ancestors using Alien Registration (AR-2) forms, and uncovering ties to espionage in the Office of Strategic Services records.
One of the sessions, "Disaster Preparedness and Response for Family Collections," takes place on Wednesday, June 11 at 1 p.m. ET, and is suitable for beginners to experienced genealogists. The session "Researching Immigrant Ancestors: Alien Registration (AR-2) Forms" is presented by Elizabeth Burnes and John LeGloahec and is aimed at experienced genealogists.
Other sessions include "From the Territory of Montana to the Republic of Vietnam: Researching Native American Veterans in the National Archives, 1881-1966," presented by Cody White, Kayla Dawkins, Rose Buchanan, and Leo Belleville; "Revealing Ties to Espionage in the Office of Strategic Services Records," presented by Molly Kamph; "Washington, DC, Law and Order: Cops and Robbers, 1861-1991," presented by M Marie Maxwell; and "Closing Remarks."
Schedule and Resources
The event includes a schedule with session descriptions, handouts, and videos. Presentation slides and videos will be available for all sessions after their premiere date.
Participating Archivists
The sessions are presented by various subject matter experts and archivists from various National Archives facilities, including John LeGloahec, Elizabeth Burnes, Sara Holmes, Sara Leonowitz, and Molly Kamph.
The National Archives Genealogy Series is part of the annual Know Your Records educational program. This free event is a great opportunity for genealogists of all levels to learn how to access and conduct research with federal records held at the National Archives. Join the live YouTube broadcasts to take advantage of the real-time chat feature and engage with the presenters and other participants.
During the National Archives Genealogy Series, various sessions will delve into education and self-development by providing tools for family history research, with topics ranging from disaster preparedness to investigating immigrant ancestors. The event takes place in May and June 2025, with sessions like "Researching Immigrant Ancestors: Alien Registration (AR-2) Forms," which is aimed at experienced genealogists, offering valuable learning opportunities.
