Military Service Records [1] [2]
Military service and pension applications can prove valuable by supplying an individual’s term of military service along with important genealogical information. If a male ancestor between the ages of 16 and 60 lived during a time of military conflict, it is possible there are state or federal records recording his service. Search family records, obituaries, tombstone inscriptions, and local histories for potential clues about an ancestor’s military involvement, what war he served in, and on which side he fought.
Service records can provide a varying range of information about a soldier. Federal military records are typically compiled from other documents such as enlistment papers, muster rolls, payroll records, prison lists, or hospital documents. Files from earlier wars usually only contain basic information on the soldier including the state where he enlisted, rank, unit, and dates of service. Records from later wars might include a physical description, age, or birthplace.
Not all records are open to the public. If you are a veteran, or an immediate family member looking for veteran’s records in twentieth-century, see Military Service Records and Official Military Personnel Files at The National Archives for more information.
You Might Learn:
• Where particular regiments and companies served in a given war
• Physical descriptions about an individual
• How much your ancestor was paid fighting in the Civil War
• An ancestor who died in the Revolutionary War
• In what battles a certain regiment fought
• How many members of the same family enlisted
• The location of the land given to your ancestor as a pension
• When and where someone was born, got married, or died
• How long your ancestor served in the military and what rank he achieved
• Where your ancestor lived after his military service•
Where to Find These Sources
• National Archives
• State Archives
• Compiled books at your local or state libraries
• Online complied information such as the Civil War Soldiers and Sailor System
• Veterans’ or soldiers’ homes
For more information, check out:
An Overview of Records at the National Archives Relating to Military Service
by Trevor K. Plante at The National Archives
Recommended Veterans and Military Research Links
at The National Archives
U.S. Military
at Cyndi’s List
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