Illinois Military Records

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Online Resources
The US Military Records wiki article provides more information on Federal military records and search strategies. Record of the Services of Illinois Soldiers in the Black Hawk War, 1831-1832, and in the Mexican War, 1846-8 A complete roster of commissioned officers and enlisted men. Index and transcription ($)
 * 1860s - 1960s at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1879 - 2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Databases of Illinois Veterans.
 * Illinois State Archives Solders' and Sailors' Home Residents (1887-1916).
 * Illinois State Archives 1929 Roll of Honor
 * Illinois State Archives War of 1812 Veterans.
 * Illinois State Archives Winnebago War Veterans.
 * Record of the Services of Illinois Soldiers in the Black Hawk War, 1831-1832, and in the Mexican War, 1846-8 A complete roster of commissioned officers and enlisted men. Index and transcription($)
 * Illinois State Archives Black Hawk War Veterans.
 * Illinois State Archives Mexican War Veterans.
 * Illinois State Archives Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls.
 * Illinois State Archives Civil War (Illinois) Veterans of Missouri Units.
 * Illinois State Archives Civil War Veterans Serving in the U.S. Navy.

United States Military Online Genealogy Records
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For each war listed below, additional federal sources are listed in U.S. Military Records. It contains search strategies and information to guide you to the best records for your objective.

Records Covering More than One War

 * 1883 Pensioners, by the ILGenWeb Project (Free)

An indexed source covering the nineteenth century conflicts through the Spanish-American War is:


 * Illinois. Adjutant General’s Office. Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois. Nine Volumes. Springfield, Illinois: Phillips Bros, 1900–1902. Volumes 1–8 contain the rosters of officers and enlisted men for the Civil War (1861–1866). Volume 9 contains a record of the services of Illinois soldiers in the Black Hawk War (1831–1832), the Mexican War (1846–1848), and the Spanish-American War (1898–1899). An appendix lists the services of the Illinois militia from 1810 to 1813. The index for each war lists each soldier’s name, rank, regiment, and company. It also gives the volume and page where the entry appears in the report.

The first eight volumes for the Civil War are also indexed in:


 * Delap, Fred. "Database of Illinois’ Civil War Veterans." In Illinois State Archives [database online]. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois State Archives, 27 April 1999– [cited 6 Sept 2011]. Available online. The index shows name, company, unit, and residence.

The Illinois State Archives has many original military records of various wars, such as muster rolls and other records of the Black Hawk War, the Mexican War, the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War. The archives maintain military databases at their Internet site, consisting of the Adjutant General’s report mentioned above, for the Civil War and Spanish-American War. Regimental histories for Illinois regiments in the Civil War are also in their collection.

The Civil War sparked interest in providing for disabled or elderly veterans of various wars. Records of national soldier homes, including the one in Danville, Illinois, are found in:


 * United States. Veterans Administration. Registers of Veterans at National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866–1937. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988. The original records are at the National Archives in Washington, DC. The records for the home at Danville, Illinois, cover the years 1898 to 1934. Content varies, but the Historical Registers may list the soldier’s name, date and place of enlistment, rank, military unit, length of service, date and place of discharge, place of birth, age, physical description, religion, occupation, previous residence, marital status, nearest relative, pension, soldier home admission and discharge dates, disability, death date, or cause of death.

Admission registers of the state soldiers’ home at Quincy have been transcribed and indexed in:


 * Illinois Soldier’s and Sailor’s Home at Quincy, Illinois. Two Volumes. Thomson, Illinois: Heritage House, 1975. Owensboro, Kentucky: McDowell Publications, 1980. Indexed. Volume 1 contains admissions of Mexican War and Civil War veterans, 1887 to 1898. Volume 2 includes admissions of Mexican War, Civil War, and Spanish-American War veterans 1898 to 1908. The more than 8,000 entries may include name; age; company and regiment; state or country of birth; rank; hometown and county; occupation; whether married, widower, or single; and date of admission. The original case files of the Quincy Home veterans are available at the Illinois State Archives.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (833 South Spring Street, Springfield, IL 62794; Phone: (217) 782-6641) has files of veterans from the American Revolution through the most recent wars who are buried in the state. A copy of the file up to the Spanish-American War is:


 * Soldiers Burial Places in State of Illinois for Wars, 1774–1898. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1975. The original records are at the Department of Veterans Affairs (formerly known as the Illinois Veterans Commission) in Springfield. The index cards give name, unit, war, next of kin, and location of grave.


 * IL Dept of Veterans Affairs 833 S Spring St Springfield, IL 62704 Phone:(217)782-6645 Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily


 * Burials in all National Cemeteries administered by the Veteran's Administration can be found using the Nationwide Gravesite Locator. National Cemeteries in which burials are closed are administered by the National Park Service and burial information can be obtained from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System.
 * National Cemeteries in Illinois: Alton National Cemetery, Alton, IL; Danville National Cemetery, Danville, IL; Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elwood, IL; Mound City National Cemetery, Mound City, IL; Quincy National Cemetery, Quincy, IL, Rock Island National Cemetery, Rock Island, IL; Camp Butler National Cemetery, Springfield, IL.
 * All but the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, established in 1999, may contain Civil War burials.
 * The Quincy National Cemetery is adjacent to the Illinois Soldiers and Sailors Home and serves as the primary burial place for inmates of the home, in addition to other veterans from the Quincy area.
 * A number of IL veterans are also buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in adjacent St. Louis, Missouri, which housed both large training and medical facilities during the Mexican and Civil Wars.

Names from five national cemeteries in Illinois are in:


 * Illinois. Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans National Cemetery Records, Illinois. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1981. FHL films 1308571-1308572

Original records are at the Illinois State Department of Veterans Affairs in Springfield. This source includes national cemeteries at Rock Island, Mound City, Alton, and Danville, Illinois.

Forts

 * Fort Armstrong --1816-1836
 * Fort Clark
 * Fort Dearborn
 * Fort Edwards
 * Fort Hamilton
 * Fort Kaskaskia
 * Fort Massac
 * Fort St. Joseph

Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
The Revolutionary War was fought long before Illinois became a territory in 1809. Many veterans, however, came to Illinois later and may be listed in:


 * Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in Illinois: A Bicentennial Project of the Illinois State Genealogical Society. Springfield, Illinois: The Society, 1976. The soldier’s birth date, death date, place of burial, spouse, and military service information are given for many entries.

An earlier version has been microfilmed:


 * Walker, Harriet J. Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Illinois: From the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, April, 1912–January, 1917 Inclusive and April, 1926–January 1927. 1917. Free Name Search ; publisher's bookstore: Genealogical.com; and ; digital version at Genealogy Trails.

Pension Records A soldier's pension record usually provides the date, county, and state where he was born and a variety of other information, often including names of children and spouse.

See Revolutionary War Pension Records and Bounty Land Warrants for more about the records and online or published collections.

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 Illinois is available online:


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

Surname index of Virginia veterans given bounty land in Illinois. Courtesy of Signal Mountain Press.

Many patriots who came to Illinois are included in federal or national sources cited in United States Military Records.

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.

Illinois Militia Timeline War of 1812
 * Illinois in the War of 1812 wiki article — information concerning military records, histories, links to relevant web sites, etc. for Illinois Territory.

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

Indian Wars (1780s-1890s)
Winnebago War (1827)


 * Compiled Military Service Records of Michigan and Illinois Volunteers who Served During the Winnebago Indian Disturbances of 1827 (NARA M1505) (Worldcat)


 * Database of Illinois Winnebago War Veterans (Illinois State Archives) - Online searchable index. Photocopies of the veteran's entry in the original muster rolls can be ordered from the archives. Copies generally include name, rank, company, dates of entering and leaving service, and remarks such as discharge, death, or promotion.

Black Hawk War (1832)



The Black Hawk war was peculiar to northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. Unhappy with the large number of immigrants filling land previously held by the Sauk Indians, Black Hawk led a group of Sauks, Kickapoos and Meskwakis back into Illinois for resettlement. Hostilites began in April 1832. American militia troups were initially defeated by the Native Americans. But, the militia groups were joined by regular army and the fight resumed in southern Wisconsin. The Native Americans were defeated in August 1832. The conflict was brief, but generated military records. Some militia lists exist on the county level. A statewide list is found:


 * Database of Illinois Black Hawk War Veterans (Illinois State Archives) - Online searchable index. Copies ordered from the state archives generally include name, rank, unit, place and dates of enrollment, and remarks concerning the soldier's service.


 * Illinois. Adjutant General’s Office. Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois. Nine Volumes. Springfield, Illinois: Phillips Bros, 1900–1902. Black Hawk War records are in Vol. 9.


 * Black Hawk War Claims Register, 1832-1833 National Archives NAID 18504506

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.


 * 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. (How to use this collection.)


 * 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.

An indexed source covering the nineteenth-century conflicts through the Spanish-American War is:


 * Illinois. Adjutant General’s Office. Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois. Nine Volumes. Springfield, Illinois: Phillips Bros, 1900–1902. Volumes 1–8 contain the rosters of officers and enlisted men for the Civil War (1861–1866). Volume 9 contains a record of the services of Illinois soldiers in the Black Hawk War (1831–1832), the Mexican War (1846–1848), and the Spanish-American War (1898–1899). An appendix lists the services of the Illinois militia from 1810 to 1813. The index for each war lists each soldier’s name, rank, regiment, and company. It also gives the volume and page where the entry appears in the report.

Admission registers of the state soldiers’ home at Quincy have been transcribed and indexed in:


 * Illinois Soldier’s and Sailor’s Home at Quincy, Illinois. Two Volumes. Thomson, Illinois: Heritage House, 1975. Owensboro, Kentucky: McDowell Publications, 1980. and  Indexed. Volume 1 contains admissions of Mexican War and Civil War veterans, 1887 to 1898. Volume 2 includes admissions of Mexican War, Civil War, and Spanish-American War veterans 1898 to 1908. The more than 8,000 entries may include name; age; company and regiment; state or country of birth; rank; hometown and county; occupation; whether married, widower, or single; and date of admission. The original case files of the Quincy Home veterans are available at the Illinois State Archives.


 * Databases of Illinois Veterans - The Illinois State Archives provides online searchable indexes for several wars including: War of 1812; Winnebago War (1827); Black Hawk War (1832); Mexican War (1846-1848); Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls; Civil War (U.S. Navy); Civil War (Missouri Units); Spanish–American War (1898-1899); 1929 Illinois Roll of Honor; Illinois Solders' and Sailors' Home Residents.

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

Civil War (1861–1865)


See Illinois in the Civil War for information about Illinois Civil War records, web sites, etc. with links to articles about the Illinois 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 the families of the soldiers.

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

Many of the companies of the 29th United States Colored Infantry Regiment enlisted from Illinois counties.


 * The Illinois in the Civil War project by ILGenWeb, has rosters, history, and more.


 * See Civil War Articles and Civil War Battles at the Illinois National Guard site.

Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)

National Headquarters Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War incorporated by an act of Congress.

The GAR became the largest Union veterans organization in the country. Over 715 post were organized in Illinois. In 1888 Illinos had 552 post with a membership of 30,293 veterans.

List of Illinois posts  additional site for Illinois post, Library of Congress

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 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. (How to use this collection.)


 * (FamilySearch) Free digital copy. (How to use this collection.)


 * Databases of Illinois Veterans - The Illinois State Archives provides online searchable indexes for several wars including: War of 1812; Winnebago War (1827); Black Hawk War (1832); Mexican War (1846-1848); Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls; Civil War (U.S. Navy); Civil War (Missouri Units); Spanish–American War (1898-1899); 1929 Illinois Roll of Honor; Illinois Solders' and Sailors' Home Residents.

See sources listed under the subheading "Records Covering More than One War" at the end of this section.

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

World War I (1917-1918)
World War I was a global war fought on multiple continents with several nations involved. Over four million men and women served from the United States.


 * United States. Selective Service System. Illinois, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987–88. . Also available at:


 * at FamilySearch — index and images


 * at FamilySearch — index


 * 1917-1940 - at FamilySearch — index


 * For a small fee, researchers at the Illinois State Archives will search and provide copies of file documents included in Record Series 503.001- World War I Bonus Applications from Veterans and Beneficiaries. 1923-1927; plus the companion Record Series 503.002- Abstract of World War I Bonus Applications. 1923-1927. If available, these files can include a service record, discharge certificate, the applicant's occupation, address, signature and other useful materials.

If searching the microfilm, know that large cities like Chicago had several draft boards. Find a person’s street address in a city directory, then find the draft board closest to that address. Draft board addresses for Chicago can be found in:


 * Second Report of the Provost Marshall General to the Secretary of War on the Operations of the Selective Service System to December 20, 1918. Selective Service Addresses for Major Cities. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1919. and


 * 1879-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

A street map of Chicago for this time is on:


 * United States. Selective Service System. List of World War One Draft Board Maps. Washington, D.C.: National Archives. . These maps are helpful in determining which draft boards were closest to where a person lived. Maps of some cities in this collection show the actual boundaries of the draft boards. For Chicago, however, it is necessary to pinpoint the ancestor’s street address on the map, then locate the address of each draft board until the closest ones are identified.

See WWI Draft Records for more information.

Polish volunteers all over the United States were recruited for the Polish Army in France, and many from Illinois are listed in United States (with some from Ontario, Canada) Recruits for the Polish Army in France, 1917–1919, cited in Illinois Minorities.

A pictorial history of soldiers with brief sketches and genealogical information is:

Fighting Men of Illinois: An Illustrated Historical Biography. Chicago, Illinois: Publishers Subscription, 1918.


 * at FamilySearch — index and images


 * Illinois in the World War
 * Inventory State Council of Defense, 1917-1919
 * Myron E. Adams, et. al. The History and Achievements of the Fort Sheridan Officer's Training Camps. Fort Sheridan Association, 1920. FHL 977.321 M2h; film 2055471 item 1

World War II (1941-1945)
On April 27, 1942, the Selective Service conducted the fourth of six draft registrations related to WWII. The "World War II Selective Service Draft Cards: Fourth Registration, 1942" is often referred to as the “Old Man’s Registration” or the “Old Man’s Draft" because it included men with a date of birth from April 28, 1877 to February 16, 1897. Since there is overlap in the WWI and WWII Selective Service registration, men born in the years 1877 to 1900 may have registered twice and have both WWII and WWI draft records.


 * (FamilySearch) - free
 * (images with partial index) (FamilySearch) - free


 * Also available at:

World War II United States Military Records provides additional information.
 * Ancestry ($)
 * Fold3 ($).
 * The Illinois State Archives holds the following. (a) Record Series 504.003, Illinois Service Recognition Board (World War II), World War II Bonus Applications from Veterans, (b) Record Series 504.004, Illinois Service Recognition Board (World War II), World War II Bonus Applications from Beneficiaries of Deceased Veterans, (c) Record Series 504.005, Illinois Service Recognition Board (World War II), Bonus Applications from Veterans Referred to the Board of Review. Through the mail or in person, staff will search and copy pertinent file documents for a reasonable fee.

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.

National Guard

 * Directory and register of officers of the Illinois National Guard and Illinois Naval Reserve. Springfield, Illinois : Illinois State Journal Co., State Printers, 1911-1916. 1916 only
 * Historical and pictorial review of the National Guard and Naval Militia of the State of Illinois, 1940.Baton Rouge, Louisiana : Army and Navy Pub. Co., ©1940
 * Roster of the Illinois National Guard on the Mexican border, 1916-1917.Springfield, Illinois : Illinois. Adjutant General's Office, 1928.

Additional Military Records
There are other military records that are not available on microfilm at the Family History Library. Many original records are at the Illinois State Archives or one of the universities in the Illinois Regional Archives Depository System (IRAD). The Illinois State Historical Library also has many published military histories and records. See the "Archives and Libraries" section for addresses.

Soldiers’ discharge records, which contain service and discharge information, are often filed by soldiers upon completion of their service. They may be found at individual county courthouses or at regional IRAD depositories.

Military Records can be found on state, county and local levels. Links to county pages appear below. Additional resources for Illinois military records may be found in the topic page of the FamilySearch Catalog. More military records can be found by doing a Subject Search of the FamilySearch Catalog for Illinois Military. Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche can be ordered for viewing at Family History Centers. Also find Illinois Military resources available at other libraries (WorldCat). Explore how to search WorldCat and the FamilySearch Catalog.


 * Neagles, James C. U. S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Present. Salt Lake City, Utah: Ancestry, 1994. Ancestry is a trademark of Ancestry, Inc. This book describes federal military records, then discusses each state individually. Pages 231–37 provide details of military records housed in various archives in Illinois, many of which are not microfilmed.

Museums

 * Pritzker Military Museum &amp; Library, 104 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603. (312) 374-9333 (312)374-9314 fax
 * An independent research library and museum, the collections and galleries are open to the public with a $5 admission.
 * The Library’s genealogy holdings include unit histories, cruise books, reference works like orders of battle and guides to uniform and equipment, archival sets, manuscripts, and published sources.

Websites

 * Illinois Military Records
 * Online Searchable Military Records &amp; Databases
 * GenealogyInc State of Illinois Military Records Research