Take Action! Act to Help Save Access to OUR Records at NARA's Chicago's Facility!

We received this urgent message this week. Genealogy members and readers please take action.

 

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Stop the Closure of the Chicago National Archives!!

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has announced plans to close its Chicago facility and the Chicago Federal Records Center at 7358 S. Pulaski Road, alongside offices in San Bruno, CA, and Seattle, WA.

NARA claims this closure is a cost-cutting measure to reduce operating expenses and its real estate portfolio. However, they have provided no archival rationale, no plan for how public access will be maintained, and no consideration for the heavy toll this move takes on the public and NARA staff.

We need to act now. Demand that NARA and our elected officials halt this closure, reject the disinvestment of our cultural institutions, and protect public access to our history—especially as we approach the United States’ 250th anniversary.

Why This Matters

• Irreplaceable Public Records: The Chicago facility houses more than 140,000 cubic feet of historically significant federal records spanning six Great Lakes states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. These include Bureau of Indian Affairs records, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, Great Lakes maritime records, naturalization files, and the Trial of the Chicago 7 transcripts.
• Deep Connections to Local History: These archives directly complement regional repositories. For example, the facility holds dozens of federal court cases related to the Pullman Strike of 1894 (connecting to the Illinois Labor History Archives and Pullman National Historical Site); Bureau of Indian Affairs records detailing relationships with Indigenous communities (supplementing the Newberry Library and American Indian Center); and maritime records tracking ship movements and major events, including the 1919 murder of Eugene Williams in Lake Michigan that sparked the Chicago Race Riot.
• Most Records Are Not Online: Only a tiny fraction of these archives are digitized. NARA’s online portal is notoriously unreliable. If this facility closes, records will be packed onto pallets and shipped out of the region, forcing future researchers to travel cross-country or forgo these vital sources altogether.
• Loss of Vital, Lifeline Services: Everyday citizens rely on this facility to access naturalization papers to prove citizenship status, locate federal court records, research family genealogy, track military service history, and trace ancestors who attended government Indigenous boarding schools.
• Erasure of Expertise and Job Losses: The closure eliminates the livelihoods of 17 dedicated local staff members, including 11 union workers represented by AFGE Council 260. These professionals have spent careers developing deep institutional knowledge of regional history and uncatalogued collections. This expertise cannot be packed into a box and shipped away; once these professionals are displaced, that knowledge is lost forever.

Take Action Now

1. Contact Your Congressional Representatives

Call or write to your U.S. Senators and Representatives. Demand that they intervene to halt the closure and push for robust federal funding to keep regional archives open and fully staffed.

• Find your representative: www.house.gov/representatives
• Find your senators: www.senate.gov/senators

2. Message NARA Leadership

Tell NARA leadership that closing regional facilities directly undermines their mission to "promote public inquiry and strengthen democratic participation." Demand transparency regarding where these records are going and how they plan to maintain public access.

Physical Mailing Address: National Archives and Records Administration 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740-6001

• Ed Forst, Acting Archivist of the United States (Head and chief administrator)
• Jay Trainer, Chief Operating Officer | Email: jay.trainer@nara.gov
• Chris Naylor, Executive for Research Services | Email: chris.naylor@nara.gov
• Corey Cooke, Acting Chief of Staff | Email: corey.cooke@nara.gov

3. Contact Congressional Oversight & Appropriations Committees

Because facility closures are driven by federal budget decisions and real estate assessments, reach out to the committees that control NARA’s policy and funding. Framed your letters around how closing this facility compromises government transparency, accountability, and local access. (Note: If you are a constituent of any of these Chairs or Ranking Members, highlight this clearly, and always copy your local representatives on the correspondence).

Operations & Policy Oversight

These committees monitor NARA’s management decisions and compliance with federal records laws.

• Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC)
• Chair: Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)
• Ranking Member: Senator Gary Peters (D-MI)
• House Committee on Oversight and Accountability
• Chair: Representative James Comer (R-KY)
• Ranking Member: Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA)

Budget & Funding Oversight (Appropriations)

These subcommittees control NARA’s discretionary budget. Demand they allocate dedicated federal funding to keep regional branches open.

• Senate Committee on Appropriations (Subcommittee on FSGG)
• Full Committee Chair: Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)
• FSGG Subcommittee Chair: Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN)
• FSGG Subcommittee Ranking Member: Senator Jack Reed (D-RI)
• House Committee on Appropriations (Subcommittee on FSGG)
• Full Committee Chair: Representative Tom Cole (R-OK)
• FSGG Subcommittee Chair: Representative Dave Joyce (R-OH)
• FSGG Subcommittee Ranking Member: Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

Spread the Word

Share this alert with historians, genealogists, students, labor advocates, and community members. Our history belongs to the public, not in a locked warehouse across the country.

Please share any correspondence you receive to advocacy@chicagogenealogy.org .  Also, free to ask for any help to compose correspondence.  

Don’t let them bury our history. Fight the closure today!

 

This was originally posted by Barbara J. Mathews, CG® Emeritus, FASG who obtained it from the Chicago Genealogical Society.

 

See you at our favorite library!
LE 

Genealogists Prepare! It's Back-to-School Sale Time! Time to Restock Your Genealogy Supplies AND IT'S PRIME DAY TIME June 23-26, 2026, with Associated Sales by Various Competitors

It's time for our annual reminder ...
Back-to-School Sales on school supplies are not just for kids! These sales are for genealogists too!

Just a few of the many supplies a genealogist would use.

They're here ... Back-to-School sales are out there. So prepare yourself for these sales AND for Amazon Prime Day 2026 which started today June 23 through June 26 this year.

Anyone who uses a lot of common office supplies should keep their eyes and ears open for some extreme savings that are only around this time year for certain supplies. So be smart and pay attention to those Back-to-School Sales going on for the next couple months so you can partake in the savings too. 

What would interest a genealogist? The first things that come to mind are USB Flash drives (large sizes at great prices and small sizes at even better prices); printer/copier paper; pens and pencils; pencil lead (for those mechanical pencils); highlighters; file folders or pocket folders; paper and binder clips; index cards for those that like old school ways; plastic file boxes (keep that water damage away); sticky notes; binders; paper; computer accessories (like mice, computer bags, external hard drives for backups and backups for the backups or to just expand your file storage capacity, printers, software, large monitors, portable monitors, and more); etc. Even office desks and chairs can be found on sale. 

Yes, for some things it is best to make sure you get acid-free versions, but that can get expensive and sometimes compromises must be made. Note acid-free copier/printer paper is much easier to find nowadays. 

Computers and Associated Electronics
Also, at about this time of year (July/August/September) computer manufacturers are about to release their new models so good to great prices can often be found on this past year's models. (If your computer is really old and can not upgrade to Windows 10 11 because of old hardware or low-memory issues consider these sales. Also if your computer is more than five years old consider the changes currently taking place in Windows 10  11 updates that will not account for older hardware.) Why risk continuing to use old hardware -- step into the modern technology world. Just remember to get as large of hard drive and as much memory as you are able to afford, and keep an eye on processor speed/power. There are other factors to consider when buying a computer -- these are three key ones. While desktop computers are a little less expensive, laptops have the advantage of portability meaning you can take them with you to the library or researching. 

Laptops with DVD/CD readers/burners are much harder to find but you can find them though it may mean a larger laptop. Or consider getting a stand-alone DVD/CD drive to go with the laptop. Chrome books and tablet/laptop conversions can be cheaper but may not run your programs/applications. Make sure the device you are considering can handle your must-have program/applications. 

A new thing to consider is the number of USB ports included in the laptop/desktop and even which other ports are included. Many of today's computers are now using USB-C (that smaller port) rather than traditional USB so you also want to keep an eye out for a USB hub or docking station which allows you to expand your plugin options using just one USB-C port. Some hubs simply give you more USB ports others also add HDMI ports, SD-card ports, ethernet ports, audio/mic port, etc. there are many combinations out there. Also, look out for adapter/converter pack that change USB-A to USB-C and/or the other way around. Or even ones that besides converting A and C also add USB slots. 

And, do not forget about those external hard drives for additional storage space AND for backing up all your data. Lastly, you can always add a large-size monitor to make viewing the screen easier.

And for those who shop Amazon. Hopefully, you see this before the 2026 Prime Day begins. This time, Prime Day is June 23 to 26 -- four days of savings. You can also use this tip for Black Friday/Cyber Monday.  Put what you are eyeing in a shopping list and watch it for a while to see how the price drops or rises. Click on the price history to see what the price was for the last 1 month, 3 months, or 1 year. Great deals can be found so keep an eye out for those short term deals but remember to do your due diligence and make sure your sale price is indeed a good one.

And, don't forget to check out those "competition" stores that are holding similar sales during Prime Day time too -- Costco, Target, Walmart, Kohls, Best Buy, etc.  -- you may find the best deal at one of those sites.

May you find the deals on what you need, not on what you don't need. 

See you at our favorite library! 
LE

MCGG Let's Talk...Genealogy Meets This Wed., Jun 10; Our Topic is Write It!

MCGG meets in-person (hybrid) this Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 6 p.m. in the Local History and Genealogy Room of the Mount Clemens Public Library. Our topic is ... Write It! Who's Done It, Who Wants To ... Let's Talk.

Our last Wednesday meeting of the season. Let's share and talk about writing our genealogy. Whether it is an ancestor profile, an article for a journal or newsletter, a blog post, or even a book -- just for family or the public at large. Let's discuss the why and the how. Let's discuss what programs or apps we have used or have wondered about, or processes we have used, or how should I approach this ... Let's Talk.

Our plan is that our meetings will be hybrid meaning the meeting will be in-person with a virtual Zoom option. The Zoom meeting link (or registration link) will now be found on our Southeast Michigan Genealogy Events Calendar and our Facebook page. The link will usually be added the night before or morning of the meeting. Members will receive a reminder email with the Zoom invite or a reminder that registration is required for a meeting.

New attendees are always welcome.

See you at our favorite library!
LE

Our MCGG Friday Group Meets Tomorrow at 1 pm; The Topic is Lineage Societies

MCGG meets in-person (hybrid) TOMORROW Friday, June 5, 2026, at 1 p.m. in the Boardroom of the Mount Clemens Public Library. Our topic is ... Lineage Societies: What They Are, How To Join Them presented by Lisa Eschenburg.  

MCGG Member Eschenburg will overview lineage societies -- what they are and how to join them. There are a lot out there formed for various reasons. Some are based on an ancestor's military service, some on a location or time period, some because of from whom one descends. Each organization varies in qualifications to join and in what proofs are accepted for proving lineage facts/events. This is our last MCGG Friday meeting for the season.

Our plan is that our meetings will be hybrid meaning the meeting will be in-person with a virtual Zoom option. The Zoom meeting link (or registration link) will now be found on our Southeast Michigan Genealogy Events Calendar and our Facebook page. The link will usually be added the night before or morning of the meeting. Members will receive a reminder email with the Zoom invite or a reminder that registration is required for a meeting.

New attendees are always welcome.

See you at our favorite library!
LE

June MCGG Meetings -- Join Us!

A reminder about our Macomb County Genealogy Group June 2026 meetings. Please Join Us!

MCGG meets in-person (hybrid) on Friday, June 5, 2026, at 1 p.m. in the Boardroom of the Mount Clemens Public Library. Our topic is ... Lineage Societies: What They Are, How To Join Them presented by Lisa Eschenburg.  

MCGG Member Eschenburg will overview lineage societies -- what they are and how to join them. There are a lot out there formed for various reasons. Some are based on an ancestor's military service, some on a location or time period, some because of from whom one descends. Each organization varies in qualifications to join and in what proofs are accepted for proving lineage facts/events. This is our last MCGG Friday meeting for the season.

MCGG meets in-person (hybrid) Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 6 p.m. in the Local History and Genealogy Room of the Mount Clemens Public Library. Our topic is ... Write It! Who's Done It, Who Wants To ... Let's Talk.

Our last Wednesday meeting of the season. Let's share and talk about writing our genealogy. Whether it is an ancestor profile, an article for a journal or newsletter, a blog post, or even a book -- just for family or the public at large. Let's discuss the why and the how. Let's discuss what programs or apps we have used or have wondered about, or processes we have used, or how should I approach this ... Let's Talk.

Our plan is that our meetings will be hybrid meaning the meeting will be in-person with a virtual Zoom option. The Zoom meeting link (or registration link) will now be found on our Southeast Michigan Genealogy Events Calendar and our Facebook page. The link will usually be added the night before or morning of the meeting. Members will receive a reminder email with the Zoom invite or a reminder that registration is required for a meeting.

New attendees are always welcome.

See you at our favorite library!
LE

RootsMagic Users Update or Upgrade to Latest Version; Ancestry API Changes

Users of RootsMagic genealogy software might want to take note of a very recent change. Especially if you have your RootsMagic tree file synced to an Ancestry Member Tree.

Ancestry.com has officially completed its transition to a new API—the system RootsMagic uses to communicate with Ancestry trees. As of yesterday, the previous API has been turned off.

This change is designed to improve reliability and performance when uploading and downloading your tree data. However, it also means that older versions of RootsMagic are no longer able to connect to Ancestry.

If you are using RootsMagic 11:
Good news—the required update (version 11.2.0 or later) is completely free. Simply download and install the latest update to continue syncing with Ancestry.

If you are using RootsMagic 10 or earlier:
You will need to upgrade to RootsMagic 11 to maintain your connection with Ancestry. To help with this transition, the company is offering a limited-time $5 discount on the upgrade.

The RootsMagic 11 Ancestry Upgrade Special saves you $5 on the purchase of the software for new users or the upgrade of the software for owners of previous versions (10 or earlier.) This sale ends in about 8 days.

Besides the banner on the RootsMagic home page, there is a blog post explaining the situation. Essentially the advice is to upgrade/update to the latest version. Continuing to run the old software will just create greater disparity between your program's tree file and its associated Ancestry member tree because of the inability to sync. If you are not syncing your RootsMagic tree file and Ancestry Member Tree, it may seem like there is no urgency but running old software can sometimes get you stuck, especially if you are trying to work with others at a future date.

See you at our favorite library!
LE

PGSM May Meeting is Open to Public; Learn about Finding and Using Alien Registrations for 20th-Century US Immigrants

The Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan's May meeting is a webinar format that is open to the public. Hosted in partnership with the Polish Genealogy Society of Connecticut and the Northeast, the meeting takes place on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.

Ryan Johnson will present Finding and Using Alien Registrations for 20th-Century U.S. Immigrants via Zoom. Invitations will be emailed to PGSM members.

Registration will be open to everyone at www.pgsm.org starting May 1. Pre-registration for this webinar meeting is required

Alien registration forms constitute an important federal immigration record series rich in genealogical details that was recently transferred from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to the National Archives Electronic Records Division. Join us to learn about why non-naturalized residents filed these forms just after the 1940 census and what information we might find in them about family members. We will then practice using a free database to identify and request these useful records.

Ryan Johnson, MAT, completed the National Genealogical Society's Advanced Skills in Genealogy Course and researches for clients in the Midwest. As the great-grandchild of eight 20th-century U.S. immigrants, he has special research interests in French Canada, Sweden, Italy, France, and the Baltic states.

See you at our favorite library!
LE