National Genealogical Society Welcomes Major General (Retired) Garrett Yee as Honorary Chairman of Veteran Bounty Land Records Capital Campaign

Major General (Retired) Garrett S. Yee (courtesy of General Yee)

The National Genealogical Society (NGS) is proud to announce the appointment of Major General (Retired) Garrett S. Yee as Honorary Chairman of the Veteran Bounty Land Records (VBLR) capital fundraising campaign, a landmark initiative to preserve and digitize historic U.S. military records.

This ambitious $2.5 million project, part of the Preserve the Pensions initiative, aims to preserve, index, digitize, and make accessible online more than 360,000 bounty land warrant application files from veterans of early American wars. The records housed at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) include information about veterans of the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican-American War, and other frontier conflicts. When complete, these invaluable records will be freely accessible to genealogists, historians, educators, and the public, enabling the discovery of family histories and stories long hidden from view.

"We are honored to welcome General Garrett Yee as our Honorary Chairman," said David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGRS, FNGS, President of the National Genealogical Society. "Garrett's distinguished service to our nation and his leadership embody the spirit of this project, honoring those who served while connecting future generations with the personal narratives and legacies of their ancestors."

Major General (Ret.) Yee brings to this honorary role a distinguished record of military leadership, strategic vision, and public service. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, he is a graduate of Santa Clara University. He holds an MBA from Golden Gate University and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. His career culminated as Assistant to the Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), supporting global defense communications and information technology operations, before retiring in 2022 with numerous awards recognizing his leadership and service.

In his civilian career following military retirement, General Yee has continued his commitment to mission-driven leadership, including roles in the defense and technology sectors, reinforcing his dedication to service and community impact.

"As we celebrate 250 years of the American experience, I am deeply honored to serve as Honorary Chairman of this effort to preserve and share important historical records of those who helped shape our nation," said General Yee. "The bounty land files held at NARA reflect service and sacrifice while highlighting the immense value our country places on those who serve. The bounty lands were the way our nation compensated early American soldiers and sailors for their service. I am proud to help bring this project, and the stories of those men and women, to life."

The Veteran Bounty Land Records contain the application materials submitted by early patriots and their survivors to receive land as compensation for their service. The files connect countless Americans to the personal stories of patriotism and resilience in our early history. The VBLR campaign, officially launched in 2023 by the National Genealogical Society and NARA in collaboration with lead partners the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and FamilySearch. The project has already raised more than $1 million toward its goal. NGS invites donors, genealogical societies, corporations and foundations, history and patriotic organizations, and all who value historical preservation to join in completing this campaign.

For more information about the Veteran Bounty Land Records Project, visit ngsgenealogy.org/veteran-bounty-land-records-project/.

The War of 1812 Preserve the Pensions Project Continues

The Preserve the 1812 Pensions Project Continues

NGS has signed a new contract with Ancestry and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to resume the digitization of the War of 1812 pensions.

As some of you may remember, the initial work on this project began in 2010. It has been both an important and a monumental task spanning 7.2 million pages contained in 180,000 files. In 2020, as COVID-19 forced the closure of NARA, the project was put on hold. We are pleased to announce the next phase—digitization of surnames starting with the letters Sj to U—begins again this month. Our target is to complete this phase in one year.

NARA first sought partners on this project back in 2008. On 27 April 2010, the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announced a national fundraising initiative to raise over $3 million to support the project. Fold3 was selected to digitize the records, and Ancestry.com agreed to match every dollar raised for the project. The digitized records would be, and indeed have been, made available to the public for free.

When FGS merged with NGS, we agreed to uphold our commitment and see this project through to the end. Today, we are fulfilling our promise and moving forward with the next phase.

To learn more about this project, visit the NGS website.

An Update -- Document Conservation Resumes for War of 1812 Pension Files

An Update -- Document Conservation Resumes for War of 1812 Pension Files

From our friends, at the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), we have received an update on the War of 1812 Pension Files (Preserve the Pensions project).

Please do read this message in its entirety. It conveys a lot of important and vital information about this project from fundraising to a NARA security incident (which temporarily stopped a lot of projects including this one), and much more.

Today, the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announced the resumption of conservation of the War of 1812 Pension Files.

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) is pleased to announce National Archives staff have recently resumed document conservation of the War of 1812 Pension files covering surnames M(Moore)-Q. Document conservation is the essential first step in digitizing these files. Our digitization partner, Ancestry.com, has scheduled image capture of these newly conserved documents to begin the second week of September 2017. As capture resumes, new images will be added to Fold3.com on a rolling basis. The Federation and the dedicated volunteers of the Preserve the Pensions project have worked tirelessly for well over a year to negotiate a resolution to the work stoppage. This portion of the project plan is expected to be completed by third quarter 2018.

Many in our community have expressed frustration with the lack of new information on the status of the Preserve the Pensions project, ongoing negotiations and the safety of donated funds. As incoming President, I had an obligation to hold any response to those concerns until I could evaluate the history, speak candidly with the Preserve the Pensions team and meet with our partners. From the outside, and with perfect hindsight, it is easy to see a few opportunities missed to share more with you, our supporters. I stand behind the Preserve the Pensions team even so. They have worked incredibly hard to bring this unprecedented fundraising and preservation effort this far.

As frustrating as it may be to hear, FGS is limited in how much it can share with the community at large regarding ongoing negotiations with partners. As an organization, we most certainly may not reveal the internal discussions between our partners. That simple fact of business leaves you, our funding supporters, at times without satisfactory answers to your questions. While I will do everything in my power as FGS President to keep you apprised going forward, I will likely never satisfy your questions completely. With that in mind, and with the current project plan in place, I am able to share with you a very brief outline of events.

A security incident at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) facility in St. Louis led to a work stoppage of digitization projects for security review. This incident was unrelated to the Preserve the Pensions project in Washington D.C., however, our project was impacted.  The Federal bureaucracy is a slow-moving beast, as many of us have experienced outside of genealogy.   The completed review led to new security and project protocols. These protocols imposed new cost, space, and completion date constraints on the project. Neither conservation nor digitization could resume without a renegotiated project plan. These negotiations were difficult and time-consuming as each partner fought for their organization’s priorities. Ultimately, each partner compromised where they could to bring this important preservation project back online. The negotiations, however, are not over. The project plan above is a test of both the new project protocols and the compromises each of us made. It is a proof of concept. As this new project plan is put into practice, NARA, Ancestry.com, and FGS will continue to work together to evaluate the process with an eye towards negotiating the project plan for the final phase of conservation and digitization of surnames R-Z.

I can assure you, the funds you have so generously contributed to this effort are secure. In accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), funds donated for a specific purpose must be separate from general operating funds. Your donations were deposited into a restricted fund. Any monies FGS provided for matching campaigns were moved from our operating capital into this restricted fund. Digitization and other project expenses were spent from the restricted fund.

While the total value of the project was originally projected to be $3.456 million, FGS was responsible for raising only half that amount - $1.728 million - due to the very generous match by Ancestry.com. This valuation was based on a projected 7.2 million pages in the War of 1812 Pensions collection at a total cost of $0.48 per page image. The new project plan has added to the total cost of the Preserve the Pensions project.  However, the number of images for the first half of the collection was less than originally expected.  We anticipate this trend will continue in the second half of the collection. Therefore, FGS stands by its decision to close community fundraising for the project.

On behalf of the board of the Federation and the dedicated volunteers of the Preserve the Pensions team, I have heard and acknowledge your concerns. Your support of this project has been both overwhelming and inspirational. As a first of its kind effort to crowdfund preservation of a genealogically-valuable collection, there was no roadmap. The Preserve the Pensions team is dedicated to seeing this project through until the very last page of the very last pension is online. We will evaluate the successes and shortcomings of the project as implemented before proceeding to a new project. In the meantime, we will work to regain your trust by being as forthcoming as the realities of these sensitive negotiations will allow.

FGS remains grateful to the community for your contributions; this project would not have been successful without the energy of all of you behind us. I welcome your questions or concerns at president@fgs.org.

--Rorey Cathcart, FGS President

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copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Preserve the Pensions (War of 1812) Fundraising is COMPLETED! Let's Celebrate

Preserve the Pensions (War of 1812) Fundraising is COMPLETED!  Let's Celebrate

I received some great news in my inbox this morning from our friends at FGS.

Springfield, IL –Today at its annual conference, the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announced the receipt of a historic $500,000 anonymous contribution to the War of 1812 Preserve the Pensions fundraising project. The unprecedented donation, which came from outside of the genealogical community, will be matched by Ancestry.com, and in total provide $1 million to the project. Those funds, along with crowdsourced funds from the genealogical community have provided more than $3 million dollars to the project. With these donations, FGS officially has announced the completion of fundraising for “Preserve the Pensions,” the landmark community fundraising project.

The largest fundraising effort ever initiated for a single genealogical record set, Preserve the Pensions involved donations from more than 4,000 individuals and 115 genealogical and lineage societies. Each donation was generously matched by Ancestry.com.

“We are humbled and grateful for the generosity of the genealogical community and those outside of our community who are dedicated to the preservation of records, thank you!” noted D. Joshua Taylor, FGS President. “This historic gift, in-tandem with the thousands of contributions from individual genealogists and societies, illustrates the incredible power of the genealogical community - together we can make a difference.”

The War of 1812 pensions, among the most frequently requested set of materials within the holdings of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), had never been microfilmed or digitized. Now, with fundraising complete for the project, and with ongoing cooperation from the project’s partners and major supporters, NARA, Ancestry, Fold3, and FamilySearch, these important documents will be made available free, forever to the general public. The project, set out to raise more than $3 million in 2010, an unprecedented amount for the genealogical community.

“It’s gratifying to see the fundraising portion of this project completed after five years, and now we look forward to ensuring these important records are preserved,” said Ancestry President and CEO Tim Sullivan. “This is a fantastic moment for FGS, the genealogical community, and future generations who will benefit from the perseveration of these rich pension records. We want to thank the more than 4,000 individuals who have contributed and are thrilled to play a matching role in this campaign.”

About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and represents genealogical, historical, and lineage organizations throughout the United States. The Federation empowers the genealogical community through its annual conference, publications (including FGS FORUM) and projects. The Federation was the driving force behind the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors project alongside the National Parks Service and since 2010 has been actively involved in Preserve the Pensions, an effort to raise more than $3 million to digitize and make freely available the pension files from the War of 1812. To learn more visit http://www.fgs.org.

You can learn more about the fundraising project Preserve the Pensions and access the already available War of 1812 Pension Application Files.

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copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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Want to learn more about interacting with the blog, please read Hyperlinks, Subscribing and Comments -- How to Interact with Upfront with NGS Blog posts!

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