Vermont Military Records

United States U.S. Military  Vermont  Military Records



Military records identify millions of young men who served in the military or who were eligible for service. Evidence that an ancestor actually served may be found in family traditions, census records, naturalization records, biographies, cemetery records, and records of veterans’ organizations. Military records can give birth dates, marriage dates, death dates, spouse and children names, localities of residence throughout the life of the family. Many military records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives.

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

Forts



 * Fort Dummer - Brattleboro, Vermont
 * Fort Ticonderoga - guards Lake Champlain
 * Fort Ethan Allen - Chittenden County, Vermont

Colonial Wars
Vermont was originally disputed between the Province of New Hampshire and the Province of New York before declaring its independence from the two in 1777.

"The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Vermont: First Year Book 1906" (Google Books) lists members and abstracts of their claims for membership (genealogies) in the society. See pages 29-133.

See also: New Hampshire Military Records and New York Military Records.

Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
Vermont was an independent republic from 1777 to 1791. It was not admitted as the 14th state until 1791. Nevertheless, Vermont militia served during the Revolutionary War and records are available in both federal and state records.

If a person supported the Revolution, he may be mentioned in records as a rebel, patriot, or Whig. Those who opposed the Revolution were Loyalists or Tories.

Patriots

Service and pension records and indexes for patriots are available on film at the National Archives and the Family History Library. See U.S. Military Records for these sources. Sources including information specifically about Vermont soldiers are:


 * Fisher, Carleton Edward. Soldiers, Sailors, and Patriots of the Revolutionary War, Vermont. Camden, Maine: Picton Press, 1992. (Family History Library book .) The book indicates the soldier’s birth date and place, residence, and company. It may also include the name of the spouse and death or burial date and place.


 * Goodrich, John E. Rolls of the Soldiers in the Revolutionary War, 1775 to 1783: The State of Vermont. Rutland, Vermont: Tuttle, 1904. Digital version at Internet Archive. These rolls consist largely of payrolls, pay-table orders, and receipts. Information varies but it generally indicates soldier’s name and rank, days in service, pay per day, miles, and total. It is arranged by year and then by unit. It is indexed by name.

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 Pension Roll for Vermont is available online.


 * Report from the Secretary of War... Vol. I (Google Books)
 * The Pension Roll of 1835, Vol. I - Ancestry ($)
 * Vermont Pensioners, 1835 - Ancestry ($)

Loyalists

For Loyalist records, see Canada Military Records, and also:


 * Sequestration, Confiscation, and Sale of Estates. State Papers of Vermont, v.6. Montpelier, Vermont: Secretary of State, 1941. . This source includes an index. During the Revolutionary War, many residents would not sign an Oath of Allegiance to the rebel government. Their lands and property were confiscated, and by 1778 many fled to Canada. In 1783, after the war, many returned to Vermont, decided to sign the Oath of Allegiance, and petitioned to have their property returned. This 465-page source lists their names, claims, and value.


 * Burleigh, H.C. Sequestrations, Confiscations, and Sale of Estates. Toronto: United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada, 1970. (Family History Library .) Most of the names on this 10-page list show only the Vermont town (court) where their property was confiscated. A few records mention their service to the British. These records were abstracted from records in the New York State Library.

War of 1812 (1812-1815)
The Family History Library has indexes to the federal service and pension files for the War of 1812. See United States Military Records for details and for sources not mentioned below.

For a published roster of soldiers, see:

Vermont. Adjutant General’s Office. Roster of Soldiers in the War of 1812–14. St. Albans, Vermont: Messenger Press, 1933. (Family History Library .) This source lists each Vermont soldier’s name, unit, dates of service, and source of the information. Some entries give residence and rank, widow’s first name, and the pension certificate number.

Civil War (1861–1865)
See Vermont in the Civil War for information about Vermont Civil War records, web sites, etc. with links to articles about the Vermont 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 more about the soldiers and their families.

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

Militia Records, 1861–1867

Town clerks created lists of those men in the state of Vermont who were eligible to serve in the military.


 * in FamilySearch's "Historical Records Collection." Indexes and images for the following counties: Addison, Bennington, Chittenden, Franklin, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, and Rutland. For more information, see Vermont Enrolled Militia Records.

Spanish-American War (1898)
Service and pension records are available at the National Archives. Indexes to these records are available at the Family History Library. See United States Military Records for these sources.

A published roster of soldiers is:

Vermont in the Spanish-American War. Montpelier, Vermont: Herbert T. Johnson, 1929. (Family History Library .) This source is arranged by unit or branch of the service, then by name. It includes residence, birthplace, age, and enlistment date. Some entries indicate the soldier’s date of death, rank, and muster out date and place.

World War I (1917-1918)

 * United States. Selective Service System. Vermont, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1987–88. (On 17 Family History Library films beginning with ) These cards have been digitized and are searchable online. See WWI Draft Records for more information.

For a list of men and women in the military, see:


 * Vermont. Adjutant General’s Office. Roster of Vermont Men and Women in the Military and Naval Service of the United States and Allies in the World War, 1917–1919. Rutland, Vermont: Tuttle, 1927. (Family History Library book .) In addition to the name, this includes the soldier’s residence, town of birth, age, enlistment date, organization, and discharge date.

World War II (1941-1945)
For a list of Vermonters in all services, see:

Vermont. Adjutant General’s Office. Roster of Vermonters in Uniformed Service in the United States During the Second World War, 1941–1945. 2 vols. Montpelier, Vermont: Adjutant General’s Office, 1972–74. (Family History Library book .) This roster includes the name of the soldier, full date of birth, town of birth, residence, and dates of enlistment and separation from the service. For additions and changes, see:

Vermont. Adjutant General’s Office. Additions and Changes to the Roster of Vermonters, WWII, 1941–1945. Montpelier, Vermont: Adjutant General’s Office, 1976?. (Family History Library book .)

Additional Records
Vermont maintained a soldiers home for veterans in Burlington, Vermont. Reports of Vermont Old Soldiers Home began about 1890. The Vermont Department of Libraries has copies of these reports in:

Vermont. ''Old Soldiers Home. Reports.'' (State Library V362.8 V59re [Not at Family History Library].) The reports include the soldier’s name, unit, disability, marital status, literacy, and present status such as discharged, furloughed, or deceased. By 1912 personal information was no longer included. The report content varies.

More military records and sources can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search under:


 * VERMONT- MILITARY HISTORY
 * VERMONT- MILITARY RECORDS
 * VERMONT, [COUNTY], MILITARY RECORDS
 * VERMONT, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- MILITARY RECORDS\

Wiki articles describing these collections are found at:


 * Vermont Town Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Web Sites

 * Public Military Records
 * Vermont Military Records