Published: April 15, 2007 12:08 am         

Genealogy: Price for National Archives historical documents going up?

I was recently contacted by Jennifer Cruse, president of the Wabash Valley Genealogical Society, with some troubling news that she asked me to pass on. According to an article by Leland Meitzler on Genealogy Blog at the National Archives, NARA (the National Archives and Records Administration) is proposing a large increase in the costs of ordering historical documents. These rate increases would greatly affect family historians trying to order military records, pension files, land records, ship passenger lists, and other files, and would make obtaining some records financially difficult for genealogists.

The proposed increases include the following:

1) Passenger arrival lists — NATF Form 81 — $25

2) Federal census requests — NATF Form 82 — $25

3) Eastern Cherokee applications to the Court of Claims — NATF Form 83 — $25

4) Land entry records — NATF Form 84 — $40

5) Full pension file more than 75 years old (Civil War period) — NATF Form 85 — $125

6) Full pension file more than 75 years old (non-Civil War) — NATF Form 85 — $60

7) Pension documents packet (selected records) — NATF Form 85 — $25

8) Bounty land warrant application files — NATF Form 85 — $25

9) Military service files more than 75 years old — NATF Form 86 — $25

The increases of greatest concern are the proposed rates for obtaining Civil War and other war (Revolution, 1812, etc.) pension files, which will go from $37 to $125 or $60, depending on which war is of interest.

There will be a public comment period on the proposed rate increases until April 27. To comment online, go to www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions to fill out an online comment/complaint form. Or fax your comments to (301) 837-0319; mail your comments to Regulations Comments Desk (NPOL), Room 4100, Policy and Planning Staff, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Rd., College Park, MD 20740—600.

To see the Meitzler article discussing the rate increase, visit Genealogy Blog at genealogyblog.com/national-archives-of-the-usa/nara-proposes-new-and-much-higher-mail-order-rates-5862.

To view NARA’s reasons for the proposed increases, go to a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/

2422/01jan20071800/edocket.

access.gpo.gov/2007/E7-3160.htm.

For more information on this issue, contact Jennifer Davis Heaps at (301) 837-1850 or fax at (301) 837-0319. Requests for copies of the proposed information collection and supporting statement should be directed to Tamee Fechhelm at (301) 837-1694 or fax at (301) 837-3213.

And of course, you can always contact your U.S. senator or representative about this issue.

Senators in Indiana:

• Richard Lugar, 306 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510, phone (202) 224-4814, e-mail senator_lugar@ lugar.senate.gov.

• Evan Bayh, 131 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510, phone (202) 224-5623, Web mail bayh.senate.gov/WebMail1.htm.

Senators in Illinois:

• Richard Durbin, 309 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510, phone (202) 224-2152, Web mail durbin.senate.gov/contact.cfm.

• Barack Obama, 713 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510, phone (202) 224-2854, Web mail obama.senate.gov/contact

Let the voices of family and historical researchers be heard on this issue.