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Finding Aid for U.S. Life-Saving Service Records in National Archives
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These are the entries in National Archives Record Group 26 that I commonly use to research lifesaving stations . . .

Entry 226 (NC-31) "Letters Sent by USLSS Officers, Employees & Miscl. Persons, 1878 - 1897" (Primarily letters from Kimball, Genrl. Supt., arranged chronologically but no index) 62 volumes
 
Entry 230 (NC-31) "Register of Letters Received" (Arranged chronological and then indexed by topic with references to file number of letter received.  Short descriptions of each letter are in chronological and numerical order in early years but in later years they are still chronological but the file numbers are out of order since multiple letters are assigned to each file number) Volume List
 
Entry 231A (NC-31) "Letters Received, 1861 - 1910"  (Arranged by letter number found in registers in Entry 230; some file numbers include copy of letter sent by General Superintendent)
 
Entry 231B (NC-31) "Correspondence Subject File, 1876 - 1916" (Arranged by file number assigned to each letter received)
 
Entry 233 (NC-31) "Correspondence with Lifesaving Keepers, 1870 - 1878" (1 volume, indexed)
 
Entry 241A (NC-31) "Register of Wreck Reports Received from the Life-Saving Service" (Volume 1: 1881 - 1887; Volume 2: 1889 - 1892; Volume 3: 1905 - 1909; Voume 4: 1892 - 1897; Volume 5: 1897 - 1905)
 
Entry 241B (NC-31) "Wreck Reports of Stations, 1883 - 1920 (These have been regionalized)
 
Entry 241C (NC-31) "Wreck Reports from Stations, 1901 - 1915" (Arranged by year and then by district)
 
Entry 241E (NC-31) "Miscellaneous Wreck Reports"
 
Entry 245A (UD) "Life Saving Service - Lifeboat Station Logs, 1876 - 1883 (Transcripts)" (Arranged by District)
 
Entry 248 (NC-31) "Records of Medals Awarded, 1876 - 1944" (3 volumes: 1876 - 1903, 1903 - 1926, and 1926 - 1944)
 
Entry 258 (NC-31) "Record of Applications & Engagement for Surfmen, 1878 - 1895"
 
Entry 259B (NC-31) "Change of Surfmen, 1878 - 1910" (Arranged by district and name of surfman)
 
Entry 259C (NC-31) "Miscellaneous Applications, 1878 - 1897" (2 boxes: A - L and M - Z)
 
Entry 260 (NC-31) "Articles of Engagement of Surfmen, 1875 - 1914 (Arranged by year and district; includes crew lists with salary and medical certificates; early years reference letters in "Letters Received - Entry 231A)
 
Entry 82D (A-1) "Correspondence to Sites for Stations, Bases, Depots, 1870 - 1941" (Lifesaving Station site files arranged by district and alpha by station name - see box list in Archive reference branch at downtown D.C. facility)
 
Entry 403 (A-1) Shore Units Division Correspondence
 
Entry 454 (A-1) "Station History Files, ca. 1890 - 2001" (Arranged by district and name of station)
 
Note:  Most of lifesaving station logbooks have been regionalized.

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Specializing in researching and writing lighthouse history
For more information contact Candace Clifford
 
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