United States, War of 1812 Index to Service Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
Index to the compiled military service records for soldiers who served in the War of 1812, located in the National Archives. The index is arranged in alphabetical order by surname.

The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and the British Empire, including Great Britain, Canada, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. The Treaty of Ghent, which became effective on February 18, 1815, ended the war. With the signing of the treaty the U.S. and Britain recognized the pre-war boundaries between the United States and Canada, and gave the United States fishing rights to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

This index covers records for the years 1812 to 1815. It was created as a rapid access to individuals who served during the War of 1812. These records are generally reliable.


 * Related National Archive Collections
 * Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Volunteer Organizations During the War of 1812, 1899–1927 See also Numerical Index NAID
 * Muster Rolls of Volunteer Organizations During the War of 1812, June 18, 1812–February 17, 1815
 * War of 1812 Militia Rolls and Correspondence, ca. 1812–ca. 1815
 * Register of Claims for Military Service in the War of 1812, July 1816–March 1827
 * Records Relating to War of 1812 Prisoners, 1812–1815
 * Index to Special Manuscript Files Relating to War of 1812 Prisoners, 1917–1917 See also 1184853
 * Card Lists of Marine Corps War of 1812 Casualties, 1812–1815
 * Claim Files Relating to Service in the War of 1812, 1812–1850
 * Privateer Commissions, May 1812–September 1814 Collection District of Baltimore. Office of the Collector of Customs
 * War of 1812 Petitions, 1813–1813 Collection District of New London, Connecticut. Office of the Collector of Customs Digital Images
 * Records Relating to British War of 1812 Prisoners, November 22, 1907–November 22, 1907

 Related Articles 
 * Stuart L. Butler.  Genealogical Records of the War of 1812. Prologue 23 (Winter 1991): 420-425. FS Library 973 B2p.
 * Ruth Dixon.  Genealogical Fallout from the War of 1812. Prologue 24 (Spring 1992): FS Library 973 B2p.
 * Claire Prechtel-Kluskens. Researching Volunteer Soldiers of the War of 1812. NGS Magazine 37 # 1 (January-March 2011): 36-41. FS Library 973 D25ngs.'''
 * Marie Varrelman Melchiori. War of 1812 records at the National Archives. NGS Magazine 35 (April-June 2009): 24-29.

 Related Collections
 * North Carolina Militia Muster Rolls: Internet Archive
 * Citizen Soldiers at North Point and Fort McHenry: Internet Archive

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Name of soldier
 * Rank, position or job
 * Military unit in which served
 * State of enlistment
 * References and notes

How Do I Search This Collection?
To search for your ancestors in the index it is helpful to know:
 * The full name of the solider
 * The approximate dates of service
 * The state and county where the soldier resided

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor in the War of 1812 Index to Service Records, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. This information will often lead you to other records.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the regiment and state to locate other military records such as enlistment or pension records
 * Use the regiment and state to locate census, church, and land records
 * Compile a list of other personnel with the same surname. This is especially helpful if the surname is unusual
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Look for another index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the United States.
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies
 * Beginning Research in United States Military Records
 * Beginning War of 1812 Research
 * United States Guided Research
 * United States Record Finder
 * United States Research Tips and Strategies

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Lawrence Delbert Cress, Citizens in arms : the Army and militia in American society to the War of 1812 Chapel Hill, North Carolina : University of North Carolina Press, c1982 FS Library 973 M2cre
 * NARA Ainswoth List T817, War of 1812, Rolls 12-38
 * Compiled military service records of Major Uriah Blue's detachment of Chickasaw Indians in the War of 1812
 * Compiled service records of volunteer soldiers who served during the War of 1812 in organizations from the territory of Mississippi
 * Index to compiled service records of volunteer soldiers who served during the War of 1812 in organizations from the state of Louisiana 1812-1815
 * Index to compiled service records of volunteer soldiers who served during the War of 1812 in organizations from the state of North Carolina
 * Index to compiled service records of volunteer soldiers who served during the War of 1812 in organizations from the state of South Carolina
 * Records relating to American prisoners of war, 1812-1815, from the Public Record Office, London
 * Records relating to War of 1812 prisoners of war
 * War of 1812, military bounty land warrants, 1815-1858

 State Collections 
 * Alabama. Indian war service, 1812-1814
 * arranged by Sylvester Judd and Connecticut State Library, Connecticut Archives : War of 1812 (selected papers, 1812-1819)
 * Muster rolls and payrolls of the Massachusetts militia, 1812-1815
 * New Hampshire, War of 1812 records, 1812-1815
 * State Library New Jersey in the War of 1812; books 1-52
 * Division of Archives and History Index to roster of North Carolina soldiers in War of 1812
 * Soldiers from Ohio Adjutant General's Ohio, War of 1812
 * Pennsylvania Auditor General's Office. War of 1812 pension records, 1866-1896
 * Pennsylvania. Bureau of Audits. War of 1812 militia accounts, 1812-1827
 * Pennsylvania. Auditor General. War of 1812, list of soldiers
 * Rhode Island Historical Society in Providence, Index to register of seamen's protection, 1796-1868
 * Vermont. National Guard Museum. Vermont, War of 1812, 1812-1918 (Grave Registrations)
 * Muster rolls, pay rolls, and index of the Virginia militia in the War of 1812

 State Publications
 * Henry C. Peden, Jr. The Delaware militia in the War of 1812Lewes, Delaware : Colonial Roots, 2003 FS Library 975.1 M2phc
 * Report of the Adjutant General of the state of Kentucky. Soldiers of the War of 1812Greenville, South Carolina : Southern Historical Press, 1992 FS Library 976.9 M2ke
 * Eric Eugene Johnson, comp., Maryland regulars in the War of 1812 Berwyn Heights, Maryland : Heritage Books, Inc., ©2018 FS Library 975.2 M2j
 * Eric Eugene Johnson, Ohio's regulars in the War of 1812 Berwyn Heights, Maryland : Heritage Books, Inc., c2014 FS Library 977.1 M2je
 * indexed by Harrison Scott Baker II. Index to the muster rolls of the Pennsylvania volunteers in the War of 1812-1814 Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Ohio, 1995, c1997 FS Library 974.8 M2m index
 * Byron and Samuel Sistler transcribed and indexed Tennesseans in the War of 1812Nashville, Tennessee : Byron Sistler & Associates, 1992 FS Library 976.8 M22s
 * Stuart Lee Butler A guide to Virginia militia units in the War of 1812 Athens, Georgia : Iberian Pub. Co., c1988 FS Library 975.5 M2bs
 * Pay rolls of militia entitled to land bounty under the act of Congress of Sept. 28, 1850|Muster rolls of the Virginia militia in the War of 1812, being a supplement to the Pay rolls printed and distributed in 1851 Reprint. 2 volumes Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, 2001 FS Library 975.5 M2va]

FamilySearch Digital Library
State Publications
 * Benson J. Lossing, The pictorial field-book of the War of 1812 : or, Illustrations, by pen and pencil, of the history, biography, scenery, relics, and traditions of the last war for American independence New York, New York : Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1869
 * Citizen soldiers at North Point and Fort McHenry, September 12 & 13, 1814 : resolves of the citizens in town meeting, particulars relating to the Battle, official correspondence and honorable discharge of the troop, also, celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary Baltimore : Charles Saffell, 1889?.
 * Ernest Green. Some graves in Lundy's Lane. Niagara, Ont., 1912.
 * Edward I. Ingraham, A sketch of the events which preceded the capture of Washington, by the British, on the twenty-fourth of August, 1814Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Carey and Hart, 1849
 * G. Glenn Clift, Kentucky Veterans of the War of 1812 Anchorage, Kentucky : Borderland Books, 1964
 * Louisiana Soldiers in the War of 1812 at FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Massachusetts Militia Roster
 * Maryland Roster of the War of 1812
 * Records of officers and men of New Jersey in wars 1791-1815Trenton, New Jersey : State Gazette Pub. Co., 1909
 * Ohio Soldiers of the War of 1812
 * Pennsylvania Archives Series 2, Volume 12 Muster Rolls Soldiers of the War of 1812
 * Vermont Soldiers of the War of 1812

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Estados Unidos, Guerra de 1812, Índice de Registros de Serviço (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)