United States Registers of Enlistment in the U.S. Army - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of registers and index of men that enlisted in the United States Army between 1798 and 1914. The Regular Army is comprised of career soldiers and is maintained through peacetime. The registers are from the Adjutant General’s Office, Washington, DC NARA M233 part of Record Group 94 Records of the Adjutant General's.The records are arranged chronologically, then by the first letter of the surname. The registers will not usually include individuals who enlisted as part of a militia or reserve unit or in a volunteer military unit raised by a state. Data in these registers was compiled from a variety of other military records, including enlistment papers, muster rolls, and unit records.

Key to Abbreviations (See Remarks Column)
 * D.R. Descriptive Rolls
 * Hospl. Ret. Hospital Return
 * I.R. Inspection Return
 * M.R. Muster Roll
 * Mo. Ret. Monthly Return
 * O.B. Order Book
 * Ord. Order
 * Pri. or Pvt. Private
 * Rect. or Rct. Recruit
 * Regtl. Regimental
 * R.R. Recruiting Return
 * S.A. I.R. Semi-annual Inspection Return
 * S.A.M.R. Semi-annual Muster Roll
 * “See Pension Case” is added to records, part or whole of which, were copied at the Pension Office
 * Additional abbreviations will be found if Gardner’s Dictionary of the United States Army. See related digital books in this article

These records were created as a permanent record of those individuals who enlisted in the Army.

The records are generally reliable although some ages may have been falsified. Physical descriptions will generally vary in height and hair color over time due to the observation (not direct measurement) of the officer recording the enlistment.

See also Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens Tracking a Soldier between Enlistment and Discharge: The Example of Private Charles Plucker. National Genealogical Society Quarterly 82 (December 1994): 245 -2554. FHL 973 B2ng

Related National Archives Collections
 * Index to Register of Enlistments Arizona Indian Scouts.Office of Indian Affairs.Phoenix District Office. San Carlos Agency. NAID 295240 See NARA rolls 70 & 71 in this collection of enlistment registers.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Enlistment
 * Name of enlistee
 * Age at time of enlistment
 * Physical description (color of eyes, hair, complexion and height)
 * Birthplace
 * Occupation
 * Date and place of enlistment and by whom
 * Rank, company, and regiment
 * Date and cause of discharge
 * Notes on death, desertion, apprehension, physical description, etc.

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search you will need to know:
 * The name of the soldier
 * The birth date and birth place of the soldier
 * The county and state where your soldier lived at the time of enlistment

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Volume Number, Years, Letter of Surname Range to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Birth places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family
 * Use the age to calculate an approximate birth date
 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence or place of birth of the deceased to locate census, church, and land records
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname as the deceased; this is especially helpful in rural areas or 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
 * Allow for variations of physical descriptions since officers enlisting soldiers did not use measuring devices and standard lighting was not used. General trends will show through multiples enlistments

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

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names
 * 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

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the United States.
 * United States Guided Research
 * United States Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies

Known Issues With This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Digital Books

 * Francis Heitman Historical Register and Dictionary of thee United States Army Volume 1
 * Francis Heitman Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army volume 2
 * Charles K. Gardner. History Dictionary of the United States Army

Army Register

 * Thomas Hamersley. Complete Army Register of the United States,....  1779-1879
 * William A. Gordon. A Compilation of Registers of the Army of the United States, from 1815 to 1837. Washington, 1837
 * 1813
 * 1856
 * 1866
 * 1868
 * 1870
 * 1874
 * 1876
 * 1882
 * 1895
 * 1910

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.