I want to first thank everyone for taking the time to comment on what is for many a very important and personal issue.  Once again you’ve demonstrated that it is possible to have a mature and intellectual Online discussion.  As a proud member of the Civil War Preservation Trust I would like to think that [...]

Hear the Stories Behind the Stones as Nashville City Cemetery Hosts Annual ...
DigitalJournal.com (press release)
... feature Town Criers elaborating on such topics as Civil War burials, children in the cemetery, former Nashville mayors and USCT (US Colored Troops). ...

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Go&Do: Hampton Beach Seafood Festival and River Dance
Seacoastonline.com
The self-guided walking and driving tour of more than 24 sites represents more than 350 years of African-American history in New Hampshire. ...

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Plan It Calendar: 09-09
Toledo Blade
(at Kirby), Detroit; 313-833-1805; Documentary on the 102nd US Colored Troops: Tue., 6-8. Hours: Wed.-Fri., 9:30 am-3; Sat., 10 am-5; Sun., noon-5. ...

Illinois Times
Why are there so few black farmers?
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For the last 15 or 20 years, Terrie Ransom, a volunteer with the Springfield Illinois African-American History Foundation, has studied the migration of ...

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Update: Thanks to those of you who have already commented.  That is exactly the point of this post.  I’ve received a number of emails expressing curiosity and even disgust over my decision to feature this guest post.  Many of you know that I’ve strived to offer different perspectives on controversial issues in an attempt to [...]

Wrecking ball looms for three buildings
Culpeper Star Exponent
... of Historic Resources and the Town Architectural Review Board have both said the house is worth saving for its ties to African-American history. ...

Isaac Murphy's story is a critical piece of Bluegrass history
Lexington Herald Leader
Located just south of downtown Nicholasville, Camp Nelson was the third-largest training ground for “colored” troops during the Civil War. ...

Let me be clear that I don’t want to see a casino built near the Gettysburg battlefield, but we’ve got to do better when it comes to making our case.  Enough with the sappy videos and the all-star cast of Hollywood movie stars and historians that no one has heard of.  And enough with the [...]

The Guardians of America's Front Lawn
New York Times
WASHINGTON — Representatives of the National Museum of African American History and Culture filed into a meeting room here last Thursday to ...

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PUBLISHED REPORTS: SHAW CHOOSES IRMA MCCLAURIN AS PRESIDENT, WEEK OF SEPTEMBER ...
Wilmington Journal
... children from Marshall Cavendish: The Future of Black America and The Civil Rights Movement in “The Drama of African American History” series [2007]. ...

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Ever wonder what exciting new projects the many employees at NARA are working on? The “What are You Working On?” blog feature aims to introduce a variety of NARA employees and highlight some of the exciting projects we are working on around the agency. Check for this blog series on Wednesdays!

This week, we introduce Rick Blondo, Management and Program Analyst.  Rick began his archival career in 1982 first with the Maryland State Archives and since 1990 with NARA where he currently serves as NARA’s compliance manager pertaining to Federal Records Storage Facility Standards.

Rick Blondo, Management and Program Analyst

What is your name and title?

Rick Blondo, Management and Program Analyst (but I remain an archivist at heart).

Where is your job located?

The National Archives at College Park, MD.

What is your job in a nutshell?

I am NARA’s compliance manager pertaining to the 36 CFR 1234 Federal Records Storage Facility Standards.  I communicate with Federal records officers, contracting officials, vendors, NARA colleagues, and other interested parties in all matters relating to the storage standards.  This includes promoting awareness of the standards NARA has issued to ensure Federal records “live” for as long as they need to (according to records retention schedules), focusing attention on how Federal agencies are obliged to comply with the standards, giving agencies the information necessary to fulfill their responsibilities pertaining to the standards, and managing facility compliance inspections.  I am supported in my job by a colleague who files and maintains the documentation pertaining to, or provided by, some 200 Federal agencies or subentities, my supervisor who is the deciding official on matters concerning the standards, colleagues with the technical expertise necessary to conduct facility inspections, and a cadre of NARA regional staff who work with Federal agencies on records management matters.

What are you working on right now?

I’m finishing up the effort, conducted every ten years, whereby NARA contacts all the Federal agencies to determine where their records are being stored and whether or not those storage facilities comply with the standards.  Federal records are governed by records retention schedules that stipulate whether or not a record is “permanent” or “temporary” (i.e., if that record will be transferred to NARA to become part of the National Archives of the United States or if that record is to be destroyed at some point).   If records are improperly stored, resulting in their loss before transfer to NARA or their premature destruction, that results in the unavailability of a record necessary to document history, the business and actions of Government, and the rights and entitlements of individuals.

How long have you been at NARA?  Have you worked at any other NARA location?

I began my NARA service in 1990 and have worked both in College Park, MD and Washington, DC.  In previous NARA capacities, I served as an appraisal archivist assisting Federal records officers (1990 – 1991), an education specialist creating document-based curriculum materials and presenting workshops for teachers (1991 to 1993), a consultant archivist for new researchers when Archives II opened (1993 to 1999), a member of the National Archives Building Renovation Team (1999 to 2006), an Archives Specialist (2006 to 2007), and Special Assistant to the Archivist of the United States for part of 2007.

I began my archival career in 1982 with the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis, where I was a reference archivist, Publications Director, Student Internship Director, and Education Outreach Director.

Prior to my archival career, I was a church school classroom teacher teaching Bible, World History, and Wood Shop for grades 7 through 10.  I received my B.A. degree in Religion, with minors in History and Behavioral Science from Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, TN.  I earned M.A. and M.L.S. graduate degrees (History and Library Science) from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Do you have a favorite day at NARA, or a favorite discovery or accomplishment?

I have two favorite accomplishments, one which takes place every day and the other that took place over the course of 6 years.  The everyday accomplishment is helping people by providing the information they need.  The other was my involvement as part of the management team that conducted the renovation of the historic National Archives Building in Washington, DC.

Rick Blondo, on the right, looking at a Rotunda mural removed to a conservation facility. In the center is David Olin, the lead conservator of the murals, and to the left is Marvin Shenkler, another member of the renovation management team.

What are your passions or interests outside of work?

I have been active in youth ministry at church for more than 30 years.  I enjoy travels to new places, reading, and spending time with family, friends, and my pet cats and dog.

What is the last book you read, or the last book you loved?

Home: A Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews.

Meet more NARA employees: http://www.archives.gov/careers/employees/

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Red carpet recap: 'Detroit 1-8-7' stars gush about city's architecture, food ...
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African American Civil War Museum Poised to Move to Grimke Building
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Book Review: Our White Boy
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Several years later he was honored at the African American History Month Family Day and Negro League Reunion in Dallas, where for the first time in his life ...

Smoketown celebration will use vignettes, song and dance to tell ...
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“I feel like this is kind of like my contribution to African American history in Louisville.” During Friday's performance, the center will induct ...

An heirloom approach to the new year
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The 33-year-old Washington native teaches Hebrew school by day and fills the rest of his time with living interpretations of African American history and, ...

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RECORDS OF THE SLAVE CLAIMS COMMISSIONS, 1864-1867

VOLUME TWO

REGISTER OF CLAIMS OF KENTUCKY COMMISSION

as kept by the Commission

Recd. A. G. O. April 18, 1867;

Transcribed by Michael Hait

 

These records are held in their original form at the NARA building in Washington, D.C. – not microfilmed or digitized.

Mr. Hait has taken the time and energy to index them in a paper based and PDF format for you, the family historian and researcher.

That’s 2,475 records of slave claims!

If you have ancestry in Kentucky either slave or slave owner that you can place between 1864 and 1867, you need this publication!

Did you know that slave owners whose slaves fought for the Union were entitled to monetary compensation?

Michael Hait explains which states this applied to, what the requirements were “for the service or labor of … slave”, and what the expected results were to be.

You can learn more about Michael Hait and purchase this book by going to http://bit.ly/atlc28

Michael Hait is a professional genealogist, author and lecturer who hails from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

---
Mother Wit is all you Git!

Peace,
"Guided by the Ancestors"
Geder Genealogy

 

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