Ohio Military Records



United States U.S. Military  Ohio  Military Records

The U.S. Military Records Research Page provides more information on federal military records and search strategies.

Forts
Forts dotted Ohio as settlers, Native Americans and Europeans each struggled for their place on Ohio’s lands. These log forts played an instrumental part of Ohio’s early development and each has it’s own unique tale to tell.

Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
Although Ohio did not exist as a state during the time of the Revolutionary War, a man born between 1730 and 1765 who lived in Ohio later may have been granted Ohio land for his service for another state or for the Continental Army.

Service Records


 * Fold3 provided the free index for this collection on FamilySearch. Fees may apply for the links to Fold3's images.

Pension Files


 * White, Virgil D. Genealogical Abstracts of the Revolutionary War Pension Files. Four Volumes. (Waynesboro, Tennessee: National Historical Publishing, 1990.) ; May give a veteran's name, age, birth date, marriage date, residence, names of relatives, unit, and service dates and places.


 * The FamilySearch index is free but fees may apply to view images on Fold3. Also available on and Ancestry.com ($)
 * Revolutionary War Pensions (Access Genealogy)
 * [.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=4691 Revolutionary War Pension Index] at Ancestry.com ($)

The 1835 Pension Roll

On June 5, 1834, the U.S. Senate required the Secretary of War to submit a statement showing the names of pensioners who were on the pension rolls or had previously been on the pension rolls. For more information on the 1835 Pension Roll see Revolutionary War Pension Records. The 1835 Pension Roll for Ohio, which includes Revolutionary War pensioners and heirs of War of 1812 casualties is available online:


 * Report from the Secretary of War... Vol. III (Google Books)
 * The Pension Roll of 1835, Vol. IV (Ancestry) ($)

Land Warrants


 * Bounty Land Warrants for the U.S. Military District of Ohio
 * Ohio Land and Property page is a good source for this information.
 * Ohio Land and Property page is a good source for this information.

Rosters Specific to Ohio


 * Daughters of the American Revolution, Ohio, Official Roster of the Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in the State of Ohio. Three Volumes (Columbus, Ohio: F.J. Heer Printing, 1929-59.) ; Digital version for all three volumes available through FHL catalog entry.
 * Dailey, Mrs. Orville D. The Official Roster of the Soldiers of the American Revolution Who Lived in the State of Ohio: Volume 2, A-Z. (Columbus, Ohio: State Society DAR, State of Ohio, 1938?.)
 * Daughters of the American Revolution of the State of Ohio, comp. Official Roster III, Soldiers of the American Revolution Who Lived in the State of Ohio. (Painesville, Ohio: Painesville Publishing, 1959.) ;

War of 1812 (1812-1815)
The War of 1812 between Britain and the United States confirmed the separate existence of the United States and the future Canada. See the Wiki article, Ohio in the War of 1812, for information concerning military records, histories, links to relevant web sites, etc. for Ohio.

There are helpful nationwide records for soldiers of the War of 1812. For more information, see United States in the War of 1812.

Mexican War (1846-1848)
The Mexican War was caused by the annexation of Texas by the United States in 1845. Most volunteer regiments were from southern states. Records of Mexican War veterans might exist in a state where the veteran later resided.


 * United States. Adjutant General’s Office. Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served during the Mexican War in Organizations from the State of Tennessee. Washington D.C.: National Archives, 1965. . This includes regimental returns, a record of events during the war, and company muster rolls.


 * Campbell, William B. Mexican War Letters of Col. William Bowen Campbell of Tennessee, Written to Governor David Campbell of Virginia, 1846-1847. Nashville, Tenn.: Tennessee Historical Magazine, 1915. Free digital copy.


 * Furber, George C. The Twelve Months Volunteer; or, Journal of a Private in the Tennessee Regiment of Cavalry, in the Campaign in Mexico, 1846-7. Cincinnati, Ohio: J.A.U.P. James, 1849. Free digital copy.


 * Mexican War Index to Pension Files, 1887–1926. (NARA T317). Alphabetically arranged and includes the veteran’s name, rank, and unit; names of dependents; date of filing and application; certificate numbers; act filed under; and state from which application was made. Also available at:


 * (FamilySearch) Free digital copy. (Learn more.)


 * Robarts, William Hugh. Mexican War Veterans : A Complete Roster of the Regular and Volunteer Troops in the War Between the United States and Mexico, from 1846-1848… Washington, D.C. : Brentano’s, 1887. Digital version available at Internet Archive.

Rosters


 * Broglin, Jana Sloan and Ohio Genealogical Society, Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War with Mexico, 1846-1848. (Mansfield, Ohio: Ohio Genealogical Society, 1991.) Reprint of 1897 publication. ;
 * WPA, Alphabetical index to Ohio official roster, Mexican War 1845, vol. 12 of Civil War edition Volume 12. (Akron, Ohio: Werner, 1886-1895.) ;
 * Index to Mexican War (1846) Records at the Ohio State Archives. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959.) Consists of microfilm of a card file at the Ohio State Archives which gives the name of each soldier's military unit.
 * Ryan, Daniel J. "Ohio in the Mexican War." Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society Publications. 1912, Volume 21, pages 277-295. Includes a section that tells when and where a company was raised and lists many of the officers in those companies. The Library does not have volume 21. Digitized version available at Internet Archive

Pension Records



Click on these links to learn more about the Mexican War and about Mexican War pension records.

Civil War (1861-1865)


See Ohio in the Civil War for information about Ohio Civil War records, web sites, etc. with links to articles about the Ohio regiments involved in the Civil War. The regimental pages often include lists of the companies with links to the counties where the companies started. Men in the companies often lived in the counties where the companies were raised. Knowing a county can help when researching more about the soldiers and their families.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System allows name searching for soldiers. The result set gives the regiments for the soldiers. Then you can check the Wiki regiment pages to determine counties. Often knowing the counties that had men in a regiment will help you determine if a soldier was your ancestor.

By 1890, about 40 percent of the Civil War veterans were members of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). The descriptive books of each GAR post usually indicate each member's name, age, rank, birthplace, residence, occupation, and enlistment and discharge information. Records of GAR posts and of other veteran organizations may be found in various libraries and archives throughout Ohio.

Spanish-American War (1898)
The Spanish-American War was largely fought in Cuba and the Philippines. Spanish-American War records might exist in the state from which the soldier served or in a state where the veteran later resided.

Indexes


 * (NARA T288). (FamilySearch) Free digital copy. The "General Index to Pension Files, 1861–1934". The index covers veterans of the Civil War, Spanish‑American War, Philippine Insurrection, Boxer Rebellion (1900 to 1901), and the regular Army, Navy, and Marine forces. (Learn more.)


 * (FamilySearch) Free digital copy. (Learn more.)

Rosters



Muster-in and muster-out rolls are on 31 microfilms at the Family History Library.


 * WPA The Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War with Spain, 1898-1899. (Columbus, Ohio: Edward T. Miller, 1916.)
 * Broglin, Jana Sloan. Index to Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War with Spain, 1898-1899. (Mansfield, Ohio: Ohio Genealogical Society, 1989.) ;
 * Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio. Muster In and Muster Out Rolls in the Spanish American War: . . . (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959, 1962.)
 * Graden, Debra, comp. Ohio Soldiers in the War with Spain, 1898-99 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Ancestry.com ($) Original data: Compiled under the direction of Frank B. Willis, Governor, Charles Q. Hildebrant, Secretary of State, and Benson W. Hough, Adjutant General. The Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War with Spain, 1898-99. Ft. Leavenworth, KS, USA: C.A.R.L. Library, 1916.

Click on the link to learn more about the Spanish American War.

World War I (1917-1918)
Draft Registration Cards


 * United States, Selective Service System. Ohio, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1987-1988. (On 239 Family History Library films beginning with 1819504) These cards have been digitized and are searchable online at See WWI Draft Records for more information.

Service Records


 * Service cards for Navy (eight films), Marine Corps (three films), out-of-state (four films), and regular service (76 films) are on films at the Family History Library.




 * Service records for World War I and later wars are at the Adjutant General's Office (State House, Columbus, OH 43215

Roster


 * Ohio Adjutant General's Office. The Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the World War, 1917-1918. 22 Volumes. (Columbus, Ohio: F.J. Heer Printing, 1926-29.)

World War II (1941-1945)
Registration Records


 * U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 at Ancestry.com ($)
 * U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 at Ancestry.com ($)

Biographies


 * A series of books entitled "Young American Patriots", published shortly after the war, documented the service of soldiers from different states including Ohio. The series of books included photos and a short biography of some of the soldiers from the state.

Prisoners of War


 * World War II Prisoners of the Japanese, 1941-1945 at Ancestry.com ($)
 * World War II Prisoners of War, 1941-1946 at Ancestry.com ($)

Casualties


 * United States. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing - State of Ohio, June 1946. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1960.) Lists of dead and missing soldiers who served during World War II, arranged alphabetically by county.
 * World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel from Ohio.
 * Adjutant General's Office. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing - State of Ohio. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1958.) A concerted effort has been made to locate the Ohio gravesites of veterans from all pre-1945 wars. The cards are arranged alphabetically.
 * World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, 1941-1943 at Ancestry.com ($)
 * World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas

Korean War (1950–1953)
The Korean War was a conflict between North Korea (and its communist allies) and South Korea (with support of the United Nations, primarily the United States). See the Korean War wiki article for information on records and their availability.

Vietnam War (1964–1972)
The Vietnam War was a conflict between North Vietnam (and its communist allies) and South Vietnam (with support of its anti-communist allies, including the United States). See the Vietnam War wiki article for information on records and their availability.

Additional Records

 * Ohio. Adjutant General's Office. Roster of Soldiers of the Ohio National Guard, 1874-1917. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1959.)


 * Edward Wakefield. The History of the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home at Xenia, Ohio. (Ohio: Association of Ex-Pupils, 196?) ; {{FHL|707990|item|disp=FHL book 977.174/X1 J3h.) This does not include the records.


 * Two Hundred Years: The Military History of Ohio. (New York, New York: H.H. Hardesty, 1886-7.) {{FHL|75042|item|disp=FHL film 874293; book Q 977.1 M25ha or Q 977.1 M2m}} Information about prominent Ohio veterans and major military actions.


 * Military service records are also found in the office of each county auditor and county recorder. The Family History Library has microfilms of discharge papers, dating from the Civil War to 1920 (some to 1970), for about half the counties in Ohio.


 * Many more useful sources are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under:


 * OHIO - MILITARY RECORDS
 * OHIO - MILITARY RECORDS - [WAR]
 * OHIO - MILITARY HISTORY
 * OHIO - MILITARY HISTORY - [WAR]
 * OHIO, [COUNTY] - MILITARY RECORDS

Websites
Online Military information for Ohio is located at:


 * Revolutionary War Documents from Footnote
 * Civil War Documents from Footnote
 * Civil War Genealogy
 * Civil War Records
 * How to Trace Your US Military Ancestors
 * Military Abbreviations Found on U.S. Grave Markers
 * Military Records
 * Military Tombstones
 * National Archives
 * Ohio Military Men 1917-1918
 * Online Searchable Military Records &amp; Databases for the USA.