The National Archives and Ancestry.com are making newly digitized Civil War records available online for the first time. Users will be able to trace family links to the war between the North and South.
The nearly 275,000 records being posted Wednesday are among the most
heavily-used documents for research in the National Archives Civil War holdings.
The documents include lists of Civil War draft registration records from 1863 to 1865.
Acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns is expected to reveal a family discovery he made from the records.
The digitization is part of a five-year deal the Archives has made with Provo, Utah-based Ancestry.com.
The public will have free access for a week before a paid subscription is required to access the records.
The National Archives does not have the money or staff needed to digitize all the records on its own, said Archive Spokeswoman Susan Cooper.
Civil War Records Getting a Digital Release
National Archives, Ancestry.com to post Civil War records
Copyright AP - Associated Press
