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Civilian Records in Washington, DC

The National Archives Building in Washington, DC (Archives 1), houses records of select civilian (non-military) Federal agencies, select Federal courts in the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Federal Agency Records:

We house headquarters-level records for select Federal agencies. These agencies include:

  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS)
  • War Relocation Authority (WRA)
  • Census Bureau
  • Post Office Department
  • St. Elizabeths Hospital

Field office records are typically housed at the National Archives regional facility that covers the state of interest.

For a list of our research facilities, please see our Locations page.

U.S. Supreme Court Records:

We house records of appellate and original jurisdiction cases heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as related dockets and minutes.

We do not house all Supreme Court briefs. Additional briefs can be found at the Law Library of Congress.

 

Federal Court Records:

We house historical records of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Court of Claims.

For records of courts outside of DC, please see our Court Records page.

Commonly Requested Series:

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U.S. Supreme Court Appellate Case Files

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Land Entry Cases

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BIA Central Classified Files

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INS Subject and Policy Files

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WRA Case Files

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Southern Claims Commission Cases

Accordion 

  • Record Group 11: General Records of the United States Government

  • Record Group 21: Records of District Courts of the United States (District of Columbia Courts only)

  • Record Group 28: Records of the Post Office Department

  • Record Group 29: Records of the Bureau of the Census

  • Record Group 42: Records of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital

  • Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management

  • Record Group 66: Records of the Commission of Fine Arts

  • Record Group 75: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

  • Record Group 85: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service

  • Record Group 116: Records of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

  • Record Group 123: Records of the U.S. Court of Claims

  • Record Group 132: Records of the Rent Commission of the District of Columbia

  • Record Group 172: Records of the U.S. Commerce Court

  • Record Group 205: Records of the Court of Claims Section (Justice)

  • Record Group 210: Records of the War Relocation Authority

  • Record Group 217: Records of the Accounting Office of the Department of the Treasury

  • Record Group 267: Records of the U.S. Supreme Court

  • Record Group 279: Records of the Indian Claims Commission

  • Record Group 308: Records of the U.S. Tax Court

  • Record Group 328: Records of the National Capital Planning Commission

  • Record Group 351: Records of the Government of the District of Columbia

  • Record Group 366: Records of the Civil War Special Agencies of the Treasury Department

  • Record Group 418: Records of St. Elizabeths Hospital

  • Record Group 435: Records of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board

  • Record Group 482: Records of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation

  • Record Group 516: Records of the Federal Judicial Center​

Native American:

  • Record Group 75: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

  • Record Group 279: Records of the Indian Claims Commission

  • Record Group 435: Records of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board

District of Columbia:

  • Record Group 42: Records of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital

  • Record Group 66: Records of the Commission of Fine Arts

  • Record Group 132: Records of the Rent Commission of the District of Columbia

  • Record Group 328: Records of the National Capital Planning Commission

  • Record Group 351: Records of the Government of the District of Columbia

  • Record Group 418: Records of St. Elizabeths Hospital

Federal Lands:

  • Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management

Treasury Department:

  • Record Group 217: Records of the Accounting Office of the Department of the Treasury

  • Record Group 366: Records of the Civil War Special Agencies of the Treasury Department

Post Office:

  • Record Group 28: Records of the Post Office Department

    U.S. Supreme Court:

    • Record Group 267: Records of the U.S. Supreme Court

    Federal Courts:

    • Record Group 21: Records of District Courts of the United States (District of Columbia Courts only)

    • Record Group 116: Records of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

    • Record Group 123: Records of the U.S. Court of Claims

    • Record Group 172: Records of the U.S. Commerce Court

    • Record Group 205: Records of the Court of Claims Section (Justice)

    • Record Group 308: Records of the U.S. Tax Court

    • Record Group 482: Records of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation

    • Record Group 516: Records of the Federal Judicial Center

    Census:

    • Record Group 29: Records of the Bureau of the Census

    Immigration:

    • Record Group 85: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service

    World War II Japanese Internment:

    • Record Group 210: Records of the War Relocation Authority

    Other:

    • Record Group 11: General Records of the United States Government

    Access Restrictions:

    Access to some civilian records at Archives 1 is restricted due to privacy laws and/or national security concerns. As such, staff must screen these records before researchers can view them or request copies.

    We are not staffed to perform on-demand screening. Researchers interested in records that need to be screened must contact us at least two weeks in advance of an on-site visit. Email us at archives1reference@nara.gov.

    Accordion

    The following record groups are known to have records that are subject to screening:

    • Record Group 42: Records of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital
    • Record Group 66: Records of the Commission of Fine Arts
    • Record Group 75: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
    • Record Group 85: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service
    • Record Group 210: Records of the War Relocation Authority
    • Record Group 328: Records of the National Capital Planning Commission
    • Record Group 418: Records of St. Elizabeths Hospital

    The National Archives Catalog includes an "Access Restriction" note for each series of records. If a series has no access restrictions, then the note will state "unrestricted."

    Research Online:

    Partner Sites

    Some Civilian records are available online through Ancestry, Fold3, and FamilySearch. These records include:

    • Federal Population Censuses (1790–1940)
    • Passenger Arrival Records (1820–ca. 1957)
    • Passport Applications (1795–1925)

    • Indian Census Rolls (1885–1940)

    National Archives Catalog

    You can search the National Archives Catalog to find descriptions and digitized images of some Civilian records.

     

    Search the National Archives Catalog

    Looking for Photographs, Videos, and Maps?

    Civil War Map

    Photographs, motion pictures, maps, and other special media have often been separated from the textual records at Archives 1 for preservation purposes.

    These materials are housed at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland (Archives 2). Please see their historical research page for more information.

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