Gopher Records - Record Retrieval from the National Archives

04/08/2026

AI and Gettysburg Claims
I was asked to retrieve a copy of a claim for property damage that was filed by Peter Baker, a resident of Gettysburg at the time of the battle. The claim was filed with the Quartermaster General's office for $350 claiming that the Union Army had damaged or taken his fences, crops, and supplies of various kinds. The claim was denied on the grounds that there was no convincing evidence that the damage was done by the Union Army rather than the Confederate Army .

But there is another interesting side to this story. Most of the documents were written with a pencil on onion skin paper - so after nearly 150 years, they were so faded that they were practically unreadable. I made faithful copies of the originals but I couldn't read most of the original or the copy.

At this point, I did something that I had never done before. I gave it to an AI engine (grok.com) to transcribe. I was not optimistic because, as I said, most of the pages were all but indecipherable to the human eye.

The result was nothing short of amazing! AI was able to enhance and read most of the pages and produced a transcription of the original claim with its itemized damages. It also summarized the neighbors' witness statements and transcribed the Quartermaster General's recommendation for denial. (Thankfully, the latter was typed).

I audited the transcriptions and made a few corrections that I could see - but most of the work was done by AI.

You can see for yourself by downloading the scans of the original claim:
https://tinyurl.com/PeterBakerClaim
and the transcription:
https://tinyurl.com/PeterBakerClaimsTranscription

The current owner of the property in question lives in the original farmhouse. He now has a copy of these documents.

02/02/2026

Happy Gopher Day!

Today is Gopher Day so we're celebrating with a flash members-only sale of 10% off of our most popular product, the "Civil War Soldier's Bundle."

That is in addition to the 10% discount that members regularly receive for a total of 20% off! (Membership is free and also includes other benefits.)

The "Civil War Soldier's Bundle" includes a Union soldier's service records, pension file, and carded medical records for the combined price of just $68.00. The regular retail price is $85.00. (This offer does not apply to Confederate records because they are not available at the National Archives).

If the same records were ordered directly from the National Archives, it would cost at least $140 - and maybe much more depending on the number of pages in the pension file. That's more than half off NARA's prices!

To place an order for a Civil War Soldier's Bundle and receive the discount, members should click here: https://gopherrecords.com/order_form/?g=&s=&w=cwu&b1=y

But the sale ends TONIGHT (11:59pm on Monday) so act quickly to take advantage of this special Gopher Day sale price!

UNLESS ... by popular demand after last year's sale, we will extend the sale for 6 more days (until Sunday, Feb 8th) if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow.

("Gopher Day"?? I know. Close enough.)

If you are a member of our site and have a pending order for a Civil War Soldier's Bundle, then this sale price has already been applied to your order. Orders for which an invoice has already been issued do not qualify.

01/05/2026

January's winner of a free "Civil War Soldier's Bundle" is Sarah Hacker. Congratulations, Sarah!

Remember that once a month - EVERY month - we randomly select a member of our site to receive a gift certificate for our most popular product, the “Civil War Soldier’s Bundle”. This bundle includes digital copies of a Union soldier’s service record, pension record, and medical records, if any, from the National Archives (Retail value=$76.50).

Sarah had never received any records from us but she became eligible for the drawing by merely creating a free account on GopherRecords.com.

Tell your friends! It is one of the great benefits of being a member of Gopher Records. Membership is FREE, includes an automatic 10% discount on every purchase, and you won't get any unwanted marketing emails. There really is no downside.

For more information or to become a member, please visit https://gopherrecords.com/free-records/

Please share with relevant Civil War researchers and groups.

12/15/2025

I've said before that there's a small chance of finding an image of a soldier in his pension file. Well, the numbers are in. It turns out that we found an average of 1 image in every 112 pensions that we scanned in 2025.

Including this adorable little locket that was sent in by the mother of Theodore Grout (aka Charles Eddy), a Private in Co. E, 11th Iowa Infantry, to support her claim for a pension. Her husband had died and she was dependent on the soldier's support.

Private Grout survived the war but came home with an illness that was acquired in service and he died the next year (1866).

When such an image was available, the Pension Office would sometimes show it to surviving members of the regiment to validate the pension claim. Indeed, the file contains an affidavit by a Joseph L. Tomlinson saying that the "likeness" depicts the same soldier "that served with me in Co. E, 11th Iowa Vol. Inf."

As is often the case with images, the locket was sent to the Pension Office with a plea to return it to the family when the Pension Office no longer needed it. Sadly, that never happened. It sat unseen by family in a government file for nearly 150 years.

The file also includes documentation of his mother's maiden name, his father's name, the date and place of their marriage, a detailed description of her property/estate, and other fascinating details.

What a goldmine for a genealogist!

What interesting details or memorabilia have you found in your ancestor's pension file?

10/28/2025

If you're planning to be at the NERGC conference in New England, this weekend please stop by our booth #107 in the exhibit hall to say hello and receive a free gift while supplies last.

The conference is at the Doubletree Hotel in Manchester, NH, from Thursday, Oct 30 through Saturday, Nov 1. Pre-registration is closed but walk-ins are accepted. The exhibit hall is open to the general public.

New England Regional Genealogical Conference (NERGC) is the largest genealogy conference in New England.

Read about the lectures, workshops, and special events in the conference brochure:

10/21/2025

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SALE – Get 25% OFF at Gopher Records.

At GopherRecords.com, we've always guaranteed the lowest prices for Union Civil War records from the National Archives (NARA) - and members of our site always get 10% off those prices.

But now we're offering an additional 15% off for members until the government reopens. Just enter the coupon code SHUTDOWN25 during checkout to get the additional discount.

That's a total of 25% off our regular prices and about 50-80% off NARA's prices!

Even better: You can lock in those incredible prices so they never expire by buying gift certificates now for yourself or a friend! But the sale ends when the government reopens so lock in the discount today!

Membership to GopherRecords.com is absolutely FREE and you can choose not to get marketing emails. We do not save your credit card details and we do not sell or share our membership list. So there really is no downside but there are other benefits for members.

Note that Confederate records are not included in this offer because they are not available at the National Archives.

Please pass along the good news to other Civil War researchers and pages.

https://GopherRecords.com/order_form/

07/21/2025

The latest post from our blog:

We’re often asked whether a soldier’s Civil War records will include information about his parents. The answer is maybe! There are a variety of contexts in which his parents might be found in his records. Here are a few examples: These examples are drawn from the records of Union soldiers but .....

07/01/2025

In the 16th-century, the administration of Charles V, King of Spain, used red ribbon to bind important documents, distinguishing them from mundane records that were tied with ordinary string. The practice spread to England and, by the 19th century, to the U.S. where the government continued to use red tape or ribbon to bind military records.

The term "red tape" came into common usage as Civil War veterans struggled to meet the government's requirements to document their eligibility for pensions. The term is still used today to symbolize bureaucratic obstructions and government inefficiency.

We encounter this "red tape" every day but we know how to navigate through it. Let us help you discover your ancestors' military records!

06/25/2025

NOTICE: If you see chatter online about the National Archives facility in College Park, Maryland being closed to the public, please nip that rumor in the bud. There was such an announcement but it neglected to say that the intended subject of the notice is the PARKING GARAGE at NARA II. Some people may be required to use the "side lot" instead. When the omission was noticed, the announcement was removed. Presumably, a revision will be posted.

I am at NARA in D.C. now and have it on absolute authority of the supervisors that there are no plans to change the rules regarding access to _records_ at NARA II.

06/14/2025

June's winner of a free "Civil War Soldier's Bundle" is Sally Kimbel. Congratulations, Sally!

Remember that once a month - EVERY month - we randomly select a member of our site to receive a gift certificate for our most popular product, the “Civil War Soldier’s Bundle”. This bundle includes digital copies of a Union soldier’s service record, pension record, and medical records, if any, from the National Archives (Retail value=$76.50).

Tell your friends! It is one of the great benefits of being a member of Gopher Records. Membership is FREE, includes an automatic 10% discount on every purchase, and you won't get any unwanted marketing emails. There really is no downside.

For more information or to become a member, please visit https://gopherrecords.com/free-records/

05/19/2025

If you'll be at National Genealogical Society conference in Louisville, KY next weekend (23-26 May 2025), then be sure to stop by our booth ( #211) in the exhibit hall to say hello. If you're a member of GopherRecords.com can also get a free gift (while supplies last). Membership is free and entitles you to at least 10% off every order, among other benefits. For more information, see:
https://gopherrecords.com/ufaqs/member/