| Frequently Asked Questions |
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There Are No Easy Questions in the Archives
My grandfather died and left me with a 1906 stock certificate for a Goldfield mine. Is it worth anything?
A. There were 331 mining companies incorporated in Nevada in 1906 that began with the word "Goldfield." If a corporation is still active, the record is at the Secretary of State's office. If the State Archives has the incorporation record, the company ceased to exist a long time ago. The Nevada Secretary of State's office is the office of record for all corporations formed in Nevada. There is a charge for each name search. Call 775-684-5708 or write:
Secretary of State Q. Do you have old student records? A. I have reviewed all the records from the State Department of Education transferred to the State Archives and have determined that there are NO student lists among them. The records transferred include Minutes of Meetings of the State Board of Education, Deputies' Annual [Statistical] Reports, High and Elementary [Statistical] Reports, County Superintendents' Fiscal Reports, County Auditors' Reports and Teacher Retirement records. There is also a series of correspondence from school districts relating to funding, problems and occasionally an evaluation of school physical plants. According to the Nevada Compiled Laws (1929-49), there was an annual census of all school age children taken by the teacher, or a designated census marshal for the school district. These census' were sent to deputy superintendents, located in regions around the state, who in turn compiled the statistical information to be included in reports to the state superintendent for the apportionment of funds. The State NEVER collected information on individual students. This was done a regional level and kept in several offices around the state. When the more than two hundred school districts were consolidated into seventeen in 1956, the statutes made no provision as to the transfer, care or maintenance of student or local school district records. No one seems to know what happened to these records. According to the 1911 "Act Concerning Public Schools..., " teachers were supposed to turn their registers of students over to the trustees of the school district at the end of each year. The trustees were elected in local elections. One of trustees was to be elected clerk and maintain the records of the district. At least until 1949, the real and personal property of a dissolved school district was turned over to the county commissioners. If school districts were consolidated, then the real and personal property became the obligation of the new board of trustees. Records are not specifically mentioned. From 1911 to 1949, census marshals took a an annual census of school age children in each district. These were separate from teachers' registers. The report contained the full names, birth dates, gender and race of all children less than twenty-one years of age. These reports were approved by the clerks of the boards of trustees and sent to the Deputy Superintendent. This information was turned into statistics for the Deputy Superintendents' reports listed above. There was no obligation to keep these census reports after the compilation. The records of defunct vocational and trade schools are at the office of the Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education. To obtain school records and transcripts contact the Commission at 1820 E. Sahara Ave., Suite 111; Las Vegas, NV; 89104-3746 or call the Commission at 702-486-7330. Q. Do you have campaign contributions for ______? A. Candidates for state political offices have to file campaign disclosure statements for contributions and expenditures in the Secretary of State's Election Division. The records are kept there for two general elections and transferred to the State Archives. They are filed by title of the elected office and because of the demand for this information, Archives staff created a name index to these records. The records begin in 1896 and are scattered until 1950. The most complete files begin in 1976 and continue through 1998. There is an eight year delay in receiving reports from the office of the Secretary of State. The forms for 2004 to the present are available on the Secretary of State's webpage: http://cce.sos.state.nv.us/SOSCandidateServices/AnonymousAccess/ReportSearch/ReportSearch.aspx Q. How did the first settlers in Nevada get title to their land? A. Nevada pioneers squatted on their ranches and town lots until title was granted by the United States' General Land Office or by the Surveyor General of the State of Nevada. Beginning in 1862 they could have claimed it with "half-breed" scrip that was issued to individuals from Minnesota who traded their interest in certain Indian lands to the federal government in return for any surveyed land on the public domain. The Preemption Act of 1841 and the Homestead Act of 1862 were not applied to Nevada until 1864, after it became a state. In 1865 Nevada cities of Carson and Virginia entered their town sites with the General Land Office under an 1844 town site act and all the owners of the town lots had to purchase their land again, this time from the federal government. All these land acts applied to surveyed land. Many people do not know what is in a state archives, so they ask for things we do not have. Most of our reference time is spent explaining to researchers that we don't have the information they want, why we don't have it and where to go to find it. Here are some examples: Q. Can you look at my document/book and tell me how much it is worth? A. No! We are not able to provide appraisals of the value. We deal in records from state government and do not purchase any documents. You have to find a rare book dealer to help you. Q. How can I get some important documents that I own repaired? A. The American Institute for Conservation (AIC) will furnish you with a referral list. Call them at (202) 452-9545, or e-mail them at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Q. My grandfather worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Nevada in the 1930's. Do you have any records on the CCC in Nevada? A. There are no records of the CCC in the Nevada State Archives. The CCC was a federal program and the records are at the National Archives. Their records are arranged by state and camp number. Inquiries should be sent to:
For other help, contact the National Association of Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni
Mike Pierce Q. Do you have any information on the Stewart Indian School In Carson City? A. The Nevada State Archives does not have any records of the Stewart Indian School. The school was operated by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Pacific Branch of the National Archives in San Francisco has Records Group 75.20.4 Records of the Carson/Stewart Indian School, NV Textual Records: Coded files, 1911-44. Administrative files, 1914-24. Education Division records, 1924- 47. Correspondence with other agencies and schools, 1911-23. Letters received from Walker River, 1902-7. Stewart School correspondence, 1949-56. Individual student files, 1919-62. Enrollment records, 1931. Issue books, 1898-1913. Navajo program records, including administrative records, 1948-57, and student files, 1947-58. Employee records, 1890-1923. E.C.A. store invoices, 1943. Sound Recordings (500 items: Soundscriber records of the Navajo school program, 1950-54. The Pacific Branch of the National Archives in San Francisco is located at 1000 Commodore Drive, San Bruno, California 94066-2350, or call (650) 238-3500. http://www.archives.gov/pacific/san-francisco/index.html Newer records were transferred to the following location:
Papago Education Line Office
Telephone - 1-520-361-3510 For diplomas or transcripts call 1-520-361-3510, ext. 100. They will send you a request form to complete and mail or fax to her for your diploma. Q. I'm looking for naturalization records. Where can I find them? There are no naturalization records in the Nevada State Archives. Naturalization records are among the worst kept of all civil records. Some are found in district or federal courts and many just do not exist. In Nevada naturalization records may be found with the state district courts; and U.S. District Court Records at the National Archives, Pacific-Sierra Branch in San Bruno, CA. Contact them at:
U.S. District Court
National Archives-Pacific Sierra Region Q. I have a 19th century Nevada Treasurer's bond. Am I rich? Every year the State Treasurer's office receives questions about nineteenth century state bonds as to whether or not they have been paid. They are routinely referred to the State Archives staff for an answer. We then look up the bond numbers in various bond registers and always demonstrate they have been paid. In 1934, State Controller Edward C. Peterson compiled a complete record of the bonds issued and redeemed since Nevada's admission to the Union. Peterson included it in his annual report as a permanent record for future reference. It shows that all the nineteenth century bond issues were paid. It was published as Schedule 24 in the Annual Report of the State Controller for the Year Ended June 30, 1934. Carson City: State Printing Office, 1934. |