Friday, July 15, 2011

Civilian Conservation Corps Records


History of the 1930-1940's
Recently, I read an historical-rich piece posted on the archives.com website: Civilian Conservation Corps: Records From the Great Depression Era penned by Diane L. Richards. It's funny how we are often so busy as researchers to stop and investigate how records become necessary.  What was the impetus of such a collection?  Diane gives us a great historical background of the CCC collection held at the NARA. Knowledge on the making of records increases our effectiveness as family researchers. 

Different Experiences; Same Collection 
In 2009, I posted Civilian Personnel Records at the NARA. The idea was to inform readers that the CCC resource was waiting to be tapped. I was on a quest to locate records of a Doctor that served on the Sioux Indian reservation. Like Diane's experience, I spent a while copying page after page of records. They included a photo, names of Russian parents, job promotions, and even his resignation letter. Information on his migration was embedded as well as other places he resided. 

I was ecstatic to find a client's ancestor within the CCC files, but surprised that a Federal government Indian reservations project was included.  This job fell under the Department of Interior. Perhaps the element of surprise was from lack of processing the purpose of the CCC. But either way, the more researchers share their experiences with these records, the more it proves their versatility. 

Be sure to become familiar with these records and enjoy the free Learn From Expert series on the Archives.com website.

Kathleen Brandt 
a3Genealogy@gmail.com

(Disclosure: I was not paid for this article, but I am an author for the archives.com in various capacities to include Learn: Expert Articles.)

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