Maryland, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Maryland 

What is in the Collection?
The collection consists of Union service records of soldiers who served in organizations from Maryland. The records include abstracts of entries relating to the soldier as found in the following original records:


 * Muster rolls
 * Returns
 * Rosters
 * Payrolls
 * Appointment books
 * Hospital registers
 * Union prison registers and rolls
 * Parole rolls
 * Inspection reports

For each military unit, the service records are arranged alphabetically by the soldier's surname. The Military Unit field may also display the surname range (A-G) as found on the microfilm. This collection is a part of RG 94, Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s - 1917, and is National Archive Microfilm Publication M384. Index courtesy of Fold 3 (previously Footnote.com). The Collection covers the years 1861 to 1865.

Service records were kept for each soldier. Those records, or their abstracts, were compiled into individual files. Each envelope/jacket contains information and cross references to original records relating to the soldier.

This index was created to provide quick access to compiled service records. The information in this index is quite reliable. However, keep in mind that even though this index is very accurate it still may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings or misinterpretations.

Collection Contents
The records are in individual files which usually include the following:


 * A jacket-envelope for each soldier including his name, rank, and unit
 * A card(s)with abstracts from original muster rolls, returns, rosters, payrolls, appointment books, hospital registers, parole rolls, and inspection reports
 * Papers relating only to that particular soldier

The index to these records may include the following:


 * Soldier’s full name
 * Year(s) of service
 * Age (often estimated)
 * Rank and military unit in which served
 * Physical description
 * Occupation
 * Town, county and state of residence
 * Birthplace
 * Enlistment date and place of enlistment
 * When mustered in and when mustered out
 * NARA publication number, title, and roll number

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know


 * The soldier's name
 * Some other identifying information such as the age and bithplace

To search the collection by name: Fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor. 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.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s service record, 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. For example:


 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * Use the age and location of the military unit to find the soldier’s family in census, church, and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have served in the same unit or a nearby unit.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names. *Keep in mind that even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

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

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * 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 with the same family number.

Related Websites

 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
 * Ancestry ($) Searchable Civil War service records

Related Wiki Articles

 * Maryland
 * Union Service Records
 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1866, Part 1
 * United Staes Civil War, 1861 to 1865, Part2
 * Maryland Military Records

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):