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

United States

What is in the Collection?
This is a consolidated 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.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
The index includes the following information:


 * Name of soldier
 * Rank, position or job
 * Military unit in which served
 * State of enlistment
 * References and notes

How Do I Search the 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.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select "Surname Range" which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

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 Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * 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 Who 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.

Related Digital Books

 * Kentucky Veterans of the War of 1812
 * Massachusetts Militia Roster
 * Maryland Roster of the War of 1812
 * North Carolina Militia Muster Rolls: Internet Archive
 * 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
 * Citizen Soldiers at North Point and Fort McHenry: Internet Archive

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation: Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: