Indiana Territory in the War of 1812

United States   War of 1812    Indiana Military    Indiana Territory in the War of 1812



Introduction
During the War of 1812, the Indiana Territory furnished 2,966 infantry men, 406 cavalry men, and 8 men in miscellaneous troops for a total of 3,380 men.

Explanation of the Major Record Types

 * Pearson, Thomas A., comp. Genealogical Records of the War of 1812: an Introduction and Selected Bibliography of Materials in the Collection of St. Louis Public Library. (St. Louis, Missouri: St. Louis Public Library, July 2004).

State Records
A useful source that lists the Indiana soldiers is:


 * Franklin, Charles M. Indiana, War of 1812 Soldiers: Militia. (Indianapolis: Ye Olde Genealogie Shoppe, 1984.) (Family History Library book ) This contains transcriptions of muster rolls and payrolls of various companies as they are preserved in the National Archives. There is a surname index.


 * The Genealogy Center of the Allen County Public Library also has Indiana Territory Militia muster rolls, payrolls and receipt rolls for the War of 1812 on microfilm.

Service Records

 * Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Indiana. Indiana Muster, Pay and Receipt Rolls Indiana Territory Volunteers and Militia War of 1812. Photostatic copy (Washington, D.C.: Leet Brothers Co., 1926)(Free). Includes index and volumes 1 - 4. (Accessed 10 June 2012).


 * Indiana State Digital Archives. This Early Military Database contains 19,000 names of early Hoosier soldiers, compiled from muster rolls, who participated in the Battle of Tippicanoe, the War of 1812, and the Black Hawk War and lists of officer appointments. (Free). Search by name of participant.


 * Ancestry.War of 1812 Service Records.($). Database gives name, company, rank at time of induction and at time of discharge of men mustered into the armed forces between 1812 and 1825. (Accessed 11 May 2012).

Enrollments
In 1886, 1890, and 1894, records were made that list some soldiers from the War of 1812 (and later wars), and their widows and orphans:


 * Indiana Adjutant General. Enrollment of the Late Soldiers, Their Widows, and Orphans of the Late Armies of the United States, Residing in the State of Indiana for the Years 1886–1894. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988. (On 89 Family History Library films beginning with ).


 * These lists of veterans and their widows and orphans were made by county assessors, starting in 1886. They include veterans of the War of 1812, Indian Wars, and the Civil War. The lists were made in 1886, 1890, and 1894. They list name, rank, company, regiment, state to which the regiment belonged, race, war, present post office address, and number of children under 16.


 * The index to these records is:

Index to Indiana Enrollments of Soldiers, Their Widows and Orphans, 1886, 1890, and 1894.Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988. (On 13 Family History Library films beginning with ). This index provides the name of the person, the county and township of residence, and the year of enrollment. The records are in order by county, township, then alphabetical by surname. This index is a partial substitute for the 1890 census. The original records are at the Indiana State Archives, and the card index is in the Genealogy Division of the Indiana State Library. The index is to the 1886 Enumeration; if it was missing for a township or town, then the 1890 Enumeration was used; if both were missing, the 1894 Enumeration was used. The original enumerations are a second set, with the first set deposited in the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office. Whenever an enumeration was missing at the Indiana State Archives, the clerk’s copy, if found, was microfilmed and is in the Family History Library.

Pension Records
A soldier may have been recorded in state records (see below) or in federal records (see US War of 1812 Pension Records).


 * Google EBooks. List of Pensioners on the Rolls January 1, 1883 giving the name of each pensioner, ... Vol IV. (Free). (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1883). Under "Indiana" pp. 3 - 239, search for pensioner, first by county and then by post office.  Both in alphabetical order.  Look for "1812" under "Cause for which pensioned" for the limited number who served in this war.


 * War of 1812 Pensioners in Indiana, 1883. (Free). Abstracted from the U.S. Pension Bureau's List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883, volume IV. Searchable by name, online in Allen County Public Library.


 * Fold3. Indiana War of 1812 Pension Files.(Free). Alphabetical by surname. Shows the entire pension file for those digitized. Incomplete as of 1 June 2012.


 * The Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Indiana. War of 1812 Pension Application Index. (Free). The index consists of links to alphabetical groupings of surnames (not sorted by state) that connect to digital images of Pension Cards at Internet Archives. (Free). Further indexing by name of soldier is in progress.  Individual record cards may contain name of soldier and spouse, military unit, enlistment and discharge dates, bounty land warrant number, residency of soldier and widow, marriage date and place, and death of soldier and widow. (Accessed 10 June 2012).

Societies

 * SR-Indiana. The Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Indiana. Extensive website includes links to numerous War of 1812 databases such as Indiana Militia - Indiana Soldiers in War of 1812, Pension Application Index (with links to digital images of record cards), Discharge Certificates, War of 1812 Veterans buried in Indiana, links to various state Societies of the War of 1812, and specific Indiana links. (Accessed 10 June 2012).

Important National and International Sources

 * United States in the War of 1812 has lists of records, books, etc. for the United States, not just one state. The federal records are listed here rather than on each state page. Two of the most important are:


 * FamilySearch Historical Records Collection On line Database:


 * FamilySearch Historical Records Collection On line Database:


 * War of 1812, 1812 to 1815 has lists of general books and documentaries, as well as a list battles with links to web sites about the battles, and other information not tied to one country.