Beginning Research in United States Military Records
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Contents
1. What are United States military records?[edit | edit source]
- Chances are good that one or more of your ancestors served in the military, either at the Federal level, the State level, or perhaps both.
General Types of Military Records[edit | edit source]
- Service Records: Service records for militia, volunteer, or regular forces document that an individual served in the military and can provide your ancestor’s unit or organization.
- Draft, Conscription, or Selective Service Records:
- Bounty Land Warrants: The federal government provided grants of bounty land for those who served in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and Indian wars between 1790 and 1855.
- Pension or Veteran Records: Payments or benefits were given to retired soldiers. However, not every veteran received or applied for a pension.
For other records related to military service, see OTHER TYPES OF RECORDS RELATED TO THE MILITARY.
2. What time periods do they cover?[edit | edit source]
Military records began as early as the 1600's when the early immigrants were fighting in different wars with the Indians. Early records are frequently organized by a specific war. Starting dates for military branches are:
- United States Army, 1789
- United States Navy, 1775
- United States Marine Corps, 1798
- United States Air Force, 1947
- National Guard: State level records.
3. What can I find in them?[edit | edit source]
Military records provide a variety of information about an individual and could include their birthplace, age at enlistment, occupation, and names of immediate family members.
- Service Records:
Name, unit, residence, date mustered in and out, basic biographical, medical and military information.
- Draft, Conscription, or Selective Service Records:
Name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, and other information.
- Bounty Land Warrants:
Covers the same information as Service records as well as information pertaining to the Indian Wars.
- Pension Records:
Narration of events during service, birth, marriage and death records, may include family bible pages as well as letters.
4. How do I access them?[edit | edit source]
Online records and indexes[edit | edit source]
United States Military Online Genealogy Records (includes links to Ancestry.com ($) and FamilySearch)
- Joe Beine’s:
Llist of online searchable military records.
- Cyndi's list:
Military-worldwide links.
- Fold3:
Gives convenient access to US military records, including photos and personal documents of the men and women who served.($)
Ordering military records online[edit | edit source]
- Military records for the NARA and NPCR can be ordered online by going to eVetRecs.
- To order military service records from Washington, D. C., use NATF Form 86.
- To order military pension files from the American Revolution up to before World War I and bounty land warrant applications before 1856 use NATF Form 85.
- To order military records from St. Louis, use form SF-180.
- NATF Form 85, NATF Form 86, or SF-180 can be found at NATF forms.
5. Search strategies[edit | edit source]
- The 1910-1940 census records report military service. See, Beginning Research in United States Census Records
- Search all states where your ancestor might have lived.
- Search for spelling variations.